WEATHER AND INTERMODAL

TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS

JEFFREY F. PANIATI

PROGRAM MANAGERINTELLIGENT TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMSU.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

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Presentation Outline

• Evolution of ITS Program

• Integration, Interoperability, and Intermodalism

• An intermodal approach to land weather information

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Transportation Challenges

• 41,000 fatalities annually• Congestion will increase

by 50% in 10 years• “Just-in-Time” delivery

of goods• Increase “attractiveness”

of public transport

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Technology (ITS) Can Be Part of the Solution

The Information Age Changes Everything!

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Evolution of the ITS Program

1960’s 1980’s 1992 1998 2003Mobility

2000ISTEA TEA-21 Reauthorization

Seamless transportation network

Accelerating Deployment

VISION: A safer, more responsive, and more efficient national transportation system within 20 years thorough the application of ITS Technology.

DODDOT

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Intelligent Transportation Systems

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ITS is Founded on Principles of:

• Integration

• Interoperability

• Intermodalism

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Key to Integration: National ITS Architecture

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Intermodal Coordination

ITS Joint Program

Office

FHWA (Highway)

FTA (Transit)

FRA (Rail)

NHTSA (Traffic Safety)

OST (Secretary)

MARAD (Maritime)

FMCSA (Motor Carrier Safety)

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Weather Threats Across the Architecture

• Threats common across modes:+ Snow & Ice Precipitation+ Floods+ Low Temperatures+ High Winds+ Evacuation Conditions (e.g., hurricanes)

• Threats influencing some modes more than others:+ Conditions for air pollution (auto)+ Severe Local Storms (air)+ Inland vs. Sea Conditions (ports/maritime)+ Visibility (air & auto)+ High temperatures and rate changes (rail)

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Asymmetry Across Modes

• Aviation has a longstanding and intensive interaction with the National Weather Service

• Maritime also has a longstanding interaction, especially with the military

• On the other hand, land transportation:– Has been “beneath” the interests of meteorology

– Is institutionally and modally fragmented

– Needs route-specific threat information

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Weather and ITS

Opportunities for Intermodal Convergence of Weather and ITS:

• 511

• Intermodal Freight

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511• What is 511?

– Number allocated by FCC for dispensing traveler information

– Available to transportation agencies

• What are the intermodal aspects of 511?– Information can be for any mode, depending on the

capabilities of the local agencies

– FHWA working with 511 Consortium to define what 511 should include – guidance available in late 2001

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511 Implementation

• Document lessons learned from “lead adopters”

• Convert 300+ existing traveler information numbers

• 511 Model Deployment

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511 Deployment Example

• San Francisco/Bay Area (TravInfo)– Providing traffic, transit, carpool, vanpool,

parking and biking information on one phone number

– Same phone number in 6 area codes, covering 9 counties

– Serving as a “lead adopter”

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Freight Shipments - End-to-End

• Just-in-Time delivery…– Relies on end-to-end coordination of multiple

producers & shippers

– Is a balance between reducing inventory stockpiling and preventing production interruptions

– Depends on predictability of shipments

• Weather significantly affects predictability• All modes in the supply chain rely on

information about weather threats

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Challenges

• Institutional structures are not conducive to an intermodal approach– It’s a day-to-day challenge to think “intermodally”

– Most agencies have highway/transit/rail structures

– Operations are split across State & local agencies

• MPO’s & State planning provide a cross-modal perspective– Works well for planning, but less so for operations

• Market for land weather is highly fragmented

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Opportunities

• ITS is forcing transportation agencies to think and act intermodally– Technology – Federal Rulemaking– Operations-focus

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Next Steps

• Observing Systems – improvements will help land modes become full partners– Environmental Sensor Stations

– Differential GPS (total precipitable water vapor)

– “Infostructure” for the National Highway System

• Motivating Intermodal Coordination– Travel demand management (e.g., due to air quality)

– Just-In-Time strategies

– Traveler intermodal decision making (esp. due to weather)