The Second National Symposium on Integrated Transportation Management Systems was held in Seattle, Washington on May 8 through 10, 1995. The Symposium was sponsored by the Transportation Research Board (TRB) of the National Research Council in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration, the Washington State Department of Transportation, the City of Seattle, King County Metro, and the City of Bellevue. It was co-sponsored by the Institute of Transportation Engineers Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Council and various ITS America Committees.
The intent of the Symposium was to review the current status of Integrated Transportation Management Systems (ITMS) and to discuss the issues and operational opportunities associated with the deployment of ITMS. Specific actions were then identified by Symposium participants to help facilitate planning, designing, and operating ITMS. The results of the Symposium, as summarized in these proceedings, provide the basis for a dynamic ongoing research and development program focused on advancing the effective and efficient deployment and operation of ITMS.
The Symposium brought together representatives from public and private sector groups involved in ITMS. Individuals from federal, state, and local governments, consulting firms, system suppliers, metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs), transit agencies, universities and research institutes, and other groups all participated. The Symposium opened with the presentation of seven resource papers defining the key elements of ITMS. The resource papers and authors were:
Integrated Transportation Management Systems: Definition of the Concept - Thomas Urbanik II
Integrated Transportation Management Systems: Environmental Considerations and Issues - Sarah J. Siwek
Multimodal ITMS: From Integrated Traffic Management to Integrated Transportation Management - Katherine F. Turnbull
Integrated Transportation Management Systems: Identifying the Disciplines that Make it Work - Douglas W. Wiersig
TRANSCOM's Development in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut: Multi-Jurisdictional Issues in ITMS - Matt Edelman
System Engineering: A Short Course in the Obvious - Tip Franklin
An ITMS Architecture Considered - Jim Kerr and Greg Mosley
Speakers at the general sessions also addressed the benefits of ITMS and presented information on selected case studies from throughout the country. The Symposium participants spent a half-day in workshop sessions discussing the critical issues and opportunities relating to ITMS deployment and developing action plans for future activities.
A wide range of issues, opportunities, and actions were discussed in the workshops. These were presented in the final general session, and participants were asked to rank the issues they felt should be given top priority. The following six issues and actions were rated highest by the Symposium participants.
Issue - The current methods of contractor selection and contract award are often inappropriate for procuring advanced technologies and related services.
Action
· Efforts are needed to explore alternative contracting methods to identify changes in legislation that may be needed to allow public agencies to use these procedures, and to document the experience with alternative approaches. Additional research, including the preparation of a Synthesis, best practice examples, case studies, and model guidelines and contracting procedures would be appropriate.
Issue - Performance guidelines for ITMS operations and maintenance are needed.
Action
· The development of performance guidelines for ITMS operations and maintenance should be pursued. These guidelines should consider a range of site-specific conditions, as well as identifying the expectations and roles of different agencies and groups.
Issue - There is a need to incorporate operations and maintenance considerations into the ITMS design process.
Action
· The development of best practice examples highlighting the inclusion of operations and maintenance consideration into the ITMS design process should be encouraged, as should support for the ongoing sharing of information. Possible approaches for consideration include the development of a Synthesis, best practice case studies, papers and presentations at future conferences, and the development of general guidelines for incorporating operations and maintenance consideration into the ITMS design process.
Issue - Explore funding support for ITMS.
Action
· Efforts should be supported to examine and identify innovative funding sources and approaches, to develop best practice case studies and reports documenting different ITMS funding techniques, and to continue to highlight examples at future conferences.
Issue - Identify the benefits of system integration.
Action
· Efforts should be supported to document the benefits of system integration, to identify alternative approaches, to monitor best practice case studies, and to develop general guidelines for system integration.
Issue - There is a need to better communicate the benefits of ITMS at the local level.
Action
· The development of information on the benefits of ITMS for use with local elected officials, the public, and other groups should be supported. Encouraging the ongoing communication among all groups at the local level should be part of this effort.
The other 14 issues are summarized next to provide an indication of the scope of the topics discussed in the workshop sessions. These issues can be explored in more detail at future conferences. The following list is not provided in any kind of priority order.
· Policy and legal guidance is needed to better define what information is in the public domain, what information can and should be collected, and what information can and should be released to the media and other groups.
· There is a need to identify approaches to determine the value of the public resources and infrastructure used in ITMS, and to determine how ITMS-generated revenues can be used to operate, maintain, and expand ITMS.
· There is a need to clarify potential liability issues related to ITMS implementation and operation, and to determine how this liability can be allocated among the public and private groups involved in ITMS.
· There is a need to better define the concept of system integration in ITMS and its various components.
· There is a need to identify the benefits from system integration in ITMS.
· There is a need to examine the use of life-cycle costing with ITMS operations and maintenance programs.
· There is a need to determine how ITMS life-cycle costs can be minimized.
· There is a need to examine how ITMS guidelines and standards can be developed that address the rapid advancement or rate of change of technology.
· There is a need to explore policy and legislative changes that would provide greater opportunities and authority for partnering at both the state and federal level.
· There is a need to examine approaches that can be used to establish inter-jurisdictional teams in areas throughout the country needed to advance ITMS.
· There is a need to assess the future ITMS staffing requirements.
· There is a need to define the role and authority of metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) in ITMS.
· There is a need to identify approaches for enhancing the involvement of transit agencies and operators in ITMS to ensure that transit is a full player in ITMS.
· There is a need to provide enhanced federal guidance on ITMS and other ITS programs.
These issues and actions will help facilitate the development of a strategic agenda to assist in the successful deployment of ITMS. They should be of benefit and of use to TRB, ITS America, FHWA, FTA, ITE, state departments of transportation, transit agencies, and other groups involved with planning, designing, funding, and operating ITMS.