The IoT Beneath Your Feet: Building Smart Roads and Networks

Presented by Israel Lopez for Nevada DOT

All Problems Need Some Sort of Context

• Without knowing the context of something it is often difficult to truly understand the problem or the solution Reference: https://

www.pinterest.com/pin/161707442844741481/

Reference: http://www.funcage.com/blog/18-amazing-examples-of-optical-illusion-photography/optical-illusion-photo-04/

The State of Nevada• Ranked 7th Largest State (110k square miles)• Carson City, NV is the capital (population 54k)• Ranked 35th in Population (2.89 Million)• 42nd in Density (24.8/sq. mi)• Median Elevation is 5500 ft.• 4th largest producer of Gold in the World• Ranked 15th in Median Household Income ($56k)

Reference: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nevada

IoT Topics• What does a State DOT do?• Data Collection• Real-Time Traffic Management• Backbone and Field Infrastructure• Data Distribution• Advanced Traveler Information Systems

What does a State DOT do?

What does a Department of Transportation Do?

• Manage and Maintain Freeways at a defined Level of Service during the following:– Normal Freeway Conditions– Congested Freeway Conditions– Adverse Weather Conditions (wind, flooding, fog)– Severe Crashes and Crashes Related to Weather (Level of Service)– Repair of Roads– Inform the Public, News, and Media

So what does this really mean? What is the Context?

Normal Freeway Conditions

US-95/US-93/I-15, Las Vegas

I-10 at L 202 & SR 51, Phx, AZ

São Paulo, Brazil

Los Angeles (Unknown)

05/03/2023

Congested Freeway Conditions

I-405 Freeway in Bel Air, CA

Beijing, China

São Paulo, Brazil

Moscow, Russia

Phoenix, AZ

Porter Ranch, CA

Unknown

Minnesota

Adverse Weather Conditions

I-10 at Casa Grande, AZ

710 Freeway at Long Beach

I-10 at 35th Ave., Phoenix, AZ

I-78 at Bethel Township, PA

Severe Crashes and Weather

I-15 near Moapa, NE of Las Vegas

Repair Freeways

* Caution: Don’t ever drive through fast running water or drive over a compromised roadway.

Freeway Conditions and Crashes can make it feel like….

Data CollectionRoadway Sensor Types

Data Collection• Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS)

are advanced applications and technology that aim to provide information on different modes of transport for travelers by making the roads safer, coordinated, and “smarter”

Reference (personal rating of 6 for reference): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intelligent_transportation_system

Data Collection• The Nevada DOT (NDOT) collects the following

information from hundreds of these ITS devices types: Highway Advisory Radio

(HAR) Dedicated Short Range

Communications (DSRC) Ramp Meters Link and Node Inventory

Vehicle Detectors Dynamic Message Signs

(DMS) Roadway Weather

Information System (RWIS) Closed Circuit Television

(CCTV)

CCTV Camera Cabinet80’ Camera Pole with Detector Full Sized DMS Sign Travel Time Sign (DMS) 30’ pole with Detector

Road Weather Information System

Variable Speed Limit Sign (DMS)

Highway Advisory Radio Beacon Sign 80’ pole with DSRCHAR Site

Data Collection• The Nevada DOT (NDOT) collects the following

information from hundreds of these devices types:– Vehicle Detectors: Detects the presence of vehicles by

lane– DMS: Informs the traveler of crashes or weather

conditions– RWIS: Detects the current ambient weather conditions

and the condition of the roadway pavement– CCTV: Provides visual verification of any issues on the

roadway– HAR: Provides audio notification of issues using AM or FM

(Radio)

Data Collection• The Nevada DOT (NDOT) collects the following

information from hundreds of these devices types:– DSRC: Communicates with Connected Vehicles or

Autonomous Vehicles to obtain speed, weather, traction, & other information

– Ramp Meter: A device use to reduce congestion by limiting the number of simultaneous vehicles to a steady but constant flow

– Node and Link Data: Nodes are arbitrary points along a road and links are arbitrary parts of a road between two nodes

Data Collection• NDOT’s Freeway Management

System (FMS), a variant of an Advanced Traffic Management System (ATMS):– Collects all Device Data – Displays the information visually – The Operators in the Traffic

Management Center (TMC) make a decision based on this information

CCTV

Node Inventory

Link Inventory

DMS

Ramp Meter

RWIS

HAR

Events

CSS

Detectors

Real-Time Traffic Management

Sharing of data and video

Real-Time Traffic Management

• Operators enter information into an Advanced Traveler Information System (ATIS) to provide traveler information on:

Reference: http://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/manag_demand_tis/travelinfo.htm

Travel Times Emergency Alerts Alternate Routes

Delays Crashes / Events Road Weather

Reference: http://www.its.dot.gov/infographs/index.htm

Integrated Corridor Management (Today)A camera monitors

and detects congestion due to a

disabled vehicle

The Operations Centers receive and exchange data and inform the

travelers

Travelers receive a message about

congestion ahead and alternate travel routes or

travel modes

511 / ATIS

Real-Time Traffic Management

• Integrated Corridor Management Examples:– NDOT & NHP – CCTV cameras and shared use of Spillman CAD– FAST – Las Vegas Metropolitan Area– I-15 Alliance – Utah, NDOT, ADOT and CalTrans (In Process)– I-80 Coalition – Nebraska, Wyoming, UDOT, NDOT & Caltrans– Western States Rural Transportation Technology

Implementers Forum (WSRTTIF) (All westerns states west of the Dakotas) I-15 Alliance Reference: http://goo.gl/xxBRWc

I-80 Coalition Reference: http://goo.gl/QHViX8

Western States Rural Transportation TIF: http://goo.gl/Bp4KrB

FAST Reference: http://goo.gl/7WHPxA

Active Traffic Management and Demand Management (Tomorrow)An Active Traffic Management (ATM)

structure will be installed every ½ mile on I-15 in Las Vegas for 18

linear miles.

FHWA Reference: http://goo.gl/LKW8Eq

NDOT will implement a solution in Las Vegas within 8 months

ATM Pres.with BCR (Schilling, 2016): https://goo.gl/xHbma1

San Diego which implemented a similar system has a Benefit Cost

Ratio of 9.7:1 with a 20% crash rate and a 46% serious crash reduction

Reference: http://www.its.dot.gov/infographs/index.htm

Queue Warning and Speed Harmonization (5 years)Warns drivers of congestion ahead, as well as provides target speed advice

Backbone and Field Infrastructure

The growth of the ITS network

Backbone and Field Infrastructure• ITS has Experienced Exponential growth:– CCTV Cameras – 2 cameras in 2010 (Reno)– CCTV Cameras – 63 cameras by 2016 (Reno)– NDOT owned fiber in miles in 2010 – 0 miles (Reno)– NDOT owned fiber in miles by 2016 – 55 miles (Reno)

• This is an addition to any provider dark fiber

Backbone and Field Infrastructure• Organizational Members

– NDOT works with the Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE) and the State Enterprise IT Services (EITS) as part of a TEAM

– No one entity has the staffing or the personnel for the whole system

Reference: NDOT Board Packet, Dated 11-13-2013, Page 17 – 19, Item # 3 https://goo.gl/l0ROcJ

Partnership Reference: https://www.ntia.doc.gov/legacy/broadbandgrants/comments/61B6.docx

NDOT IT/ITSNSHE EITS

Backbone and Field Infrastructure• NDOT has an extensive infrastructure that

uses the following:– Fiber Optic Backbone (10 Gbps or higher)

• I-80 Fiber at Reno to I-80 at Utah Border (existing)• I-580 Fiber at I-80 in Reno to California Border in CA

(90% complete)• US-50 Fiber at I-580 in Carson City to Ely, NV (In design)

*I-80 = 400 miles (existing)

*US-50 = 321 miles (In design)*US-95 = 435 miles (future)

*I-580 = 70 miles (90% complete)

I-15 = 28 miles existingLease Lines (redundancy)

*We have extensive agreements with L3, Praxis, and AT&T

NDOT Dark Fiber Map

We have hundreds of roadway sites along the freeway (CCTV, beacons, DMS, etc.)

Each red pyramid represents a site

Each blue bubble represents a

grouping of sites that are in close

proximity

Not including mountain top sites we have over 416 sites

• L2 or L3 (existing) single chassis using MLT (ROC to Fiber Hut)

• Shortest Path Bridging Upgrade (Shown/Future)

• Field devices must be hardened to withstand high temperatures

SPB Reference: http://miercom.com/pdf/reports/20111027.pdf

Center-to Field (C2F) Communications

Fiber Hut Switch (Enterprise)

Field Cabinet Switch (Hardened)

Video Encoder Field

HardenedEthernet

SwitchField Cabinet

Fiber Optic Branch Cable

SPB (Future)

Backbone and Field InfrastructureDOTs generally Use:• Spanning tree for rings• Multicast for video• Hardened Ethernet Switch

=>164°F rating (must use)• SMFO cable is 144 strands on

both sides of the freeway• Journey Electricians as network

technicians (common)Google Search for STP and DOTs https://goo.gl/hPLArv

Backbone and Field Infrastructure• Due to our limited time we are unable

to discuss our other modes of communication:– Point to Point (PtP)– Point to Multi-Point (PTmP)– 3G / 4G communications with Verizon Cloud

Data Distribution

Data Distribution• Once collected the

expectation is to share the information across different transportation verticals

• All NDOT ITS device data is sent to the Nevada Data Exchange (NDEX)

Data Exchange & Data Warehouse

Reference: http://www.iteris.com/itsarch/html/appareas/ifclass1apparea12.htm

Data Distribution• The Nevada Data Exchange (NDEX): – The NDEX is the data warehouse for NDOT ITS– The state is broken down into three districts– Each district reports the status of every

device in its inventory– Reporting frequency is every 2 minutes

Data Distribution• NDEX (Continued):– The system uses a three-tier security architecture– The web service is available via HTTPS – The NDEX uses Institute of Traffic Engineers (ITE)

Traffic Management Data Dictionary 3.01– The NDEX is subscription and publication based

Reference – TMDD Standard: http://www.ite.org/standards/tmdd/3.01.asp

NDEX Network and Software Architecture

NDEX:• The External

Agency Interface (EDEX) handles all External agencies

• The Internal Agency Interface (IDEX) handles all Internal agencies

• Data can be bi-directional based on a Subscription and Publication model

Nevada Data Exchange (NDEX) - General Concept

Web Service

Data Distribution• NDEX Publishers and Subscribers

– The 511 System subscribes to all device types dialogs– The 511 System then posts the information to the 511

site – Events are entered into the 511 system and are

published to the NDEX for other to subscribe– We have multiple subscribers pulling NDOT

informationReference – TMDD Standard: http://www.ite.org/standards/tmdd/3.01.asp

Advanced Traveler Information Systems (ATIS)

Public Facing Information Systems

Advanced Traveler Information Systems

• ATIS Systems– Provides public information regarding road conditions– Commonly done by a regional or local Traffic

Management Center (TMC)– Coordinates with police, fire, & support services– Responds to events & enters information in an ATIS

system

Reference 1: http://nvroads.com

Mobile Application

USDOT requires every state to have a 511 / ATIS system per SAFETEA-LU, 23 CFR 511

Reference 2: Section 1201 of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU). 23 CFR 511: http://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/1201/factsheet/

IVR System: dial 5-1-1 in any State

DMS Signs

Construction Road Conditions

CCTV Cameras

Crashes / Events

Video-to-Public (Las Vegas) – Live Streaming Video – H.264 Upgrade in June of 2016

V2P (Internet Explorer Only at this time – 247 streams are available for Las Vegas Area, 59 cameras for Reno, and 24 cameras for Elko: http://www.nevadadot.com/Traveler_Info/Traffic_Cameras/Traffic_Cameras.aspx

OSS Weather Share (Caltrans) has access to all the Forum Member’s Information

Reference: http://oss.weathershare.org/#

In comparison to other DOTs we have a rather limited implementation of ITS in comparison to States like Colorado (comparable Land Mass) and Utah (comparable Population)

Advanced Traveler Information Systems

• The Future of ATIS and ATMS – The lines between these application types will

become blurred– As the ATMS gathers information the system will

autonomously notify vehicles in the field– Information will become bi-directional– This is already happening with Connected Vehicles

High Level Concept – Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) Communications

High Level Concept – Vehicle-to-Infrastructure (V2I) Communications

Examples of Autonomous Vehicles:• Self Driving Cars HD 2015: http://

www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEpPww4AXMI • BMW – Connected Vehicle (CV) – All Examples CV Features - 2013:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEpPww4AXMI• *BMW – 100Km Test - 2012: http

://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKqJccK_EkM• Cadillac – Machine View example - 2013: http

://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kW5AnrtVor8 • Volvo – Slow Driving Features - 2011:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MfOgwrhJG8A• Volvo Trucking – Vehicle Diagnostics in Real-Time: http://

www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=KwCOCBAibLs

Advanced Traveler Information

Systems

Collision Avoidance /

Collision Detection

Connected Vehicles / Vehicle- to-Vehicle Communications

Autonomous Vehicles / Adaptive Cruise Control

ITS Work Zones

Notifications

Active Traffic Management / Travel Times / Variable Speed

Limit

Advanced Traveler Information

Systems

The ITS industry has many categories, disciplines, and specialties

Advanced Traveler Information

Systems

Reference: http://www.etsi.org/index.php/technologies-clusters/technologies/intelligent-transport

Any questions?I want to thank all the NDOT Network and Server Guys for all their help, we would not be a successful without them.

Contact Information Regarding the Presentation:Israel Lopez: ilopez@dot.state.nv.usTelephone: 775-888-7132