Houston-Galveston Area Council Transportation Systems Management & Operations Clearinghouse
Houston-Galveston Area Council Transportation Systems Management & Operations Clearinghouse
This section of the TSMO Program Clearinghouse Website provides a high-level overview of the primary regional TSMO strategy, ITS. The section documents ITS deployment in the Houston-Galveston region, documents the need for ITS in the area, presents some of the types of ITS deployments that can help us address our transportation and air quality issues, and summarizes the concept of a Houston-Galveston Area RITSA.
The Houston-Galveston region has a nearly 30 year history using ITS to mitigate congestion and provide traveler information. The TxDOT and many counties and cities have implemented various ITS systems for improved traffic and incident management. The METRO has used ITS to provide more efficient transit operation. Four agencies in the region (TxDOT, METRO, Harris County, and City of Houston) have partnered to operate Houston TranStar, the regional transportation and emergency management center that functions as the everyday hub of incident management and traveler information, and the focus of emergency management during significant regional events.
The deployment of ITS technology has different requirements when compared to traditional traffic engineering or roadway design projects. The backbone communications infrastructure, the remote operation of field devices, the need for information collection and sharing opportunities, necessitate a systems engineering approach to ITS planning. The RITSA is a good tool to organize information and plan for the most efficient use of resources in the deployment of ITS technologies. It will be used:
ITS projects (and transportation or security projects with ITS elements) which are Federal funds eligible, both highway and transit-related, are required to be consistent with the Regional ITS Architecture. These projects must also comply with the systems engineering requirements and applicable Federal standards adopted for the deployment of ITS. This document discusses the methods used to achieve compliance in the Houston-Galveston region.
ITS is combining information and communications technologies with transportation infrastructure and vehicle systems in an attempt to maximize mobility, safety, and efficiency, while minimizing cost and environmental impacts.
It is the application of sensors, computers, electronics, and communication technologies in combination with management strategies in a regionally integrated manner. This definition is quite general, covering a wide range of systems, data processing needs, and communications technologies – all which are tailored based on the needs of the deploying agency and hopefully, the region as a whole. As the 1997 version of this document stated:
In the simplest form, ITS places the right information in the right hands at the right time to allow the user to make the most informed and effective decision about their use of the transportation system.
Since 1997 however, ITS as a practice has grown exponentially in capability. ITS systems can be relatively simple, but more often than not, they are complicated by the use of multiple technologies, numerous data flows, databases and data archives, and tens to thousands of system requirements, all of which may cross jurisdictional boundaries.
There are five primary strategic themes for ITS deployment as presented in the 2015-2019 ITS Strategic plan, as developed by USDOT. These five goals are very high-level statements of how ITS can help transportation, the environment and the economy.
Enable Safer Vehicles and Roadways by developing better crash avoidance for all road vehicles, performance measures, and other notification mechanisms, as well as mechanisms to protect consumer privacy; commercial motor vehicle safety considerations; and infrastructure-based and cooperative safety systems. This strategic theme will include activities within the CV and automation areas, exploring how those technologies can help people avoid crashes through new safety advisories, warnings, messages, and ultimately, automated responses, in addition to exploring ways to enhance traffic incident management and responder safety when a crash does occur.
Enhance Mobility by exploring methods and management strategies that increase system efficiency and improve individual mobility. This will be achieved through a variety of programs and applications, including improved traffic management, work zone and incident management, transit management, freight management, and road weather management, among others. It further leverages the full potential of CVs, travelers, and infrastructure to provide additional information and technologies that better facilitate mobility for all users of surface transportation systems.
Limit Environmental Impacts by better managing traffic flow, speeds, and congestion and using technology to address other vehicle and roadway operational practices. This strategic theme explores how to reduce the environmental impacts of each trip by assisting system users and operators with “green” transportation alternatives and options such as avoiding congested routes, taking alternate routes, using public transit, or rescheduling a trip — all of which can make trips more fuel-efficient and eco-friendly.
Promote Innovation by fostering technological advancement and innovation across the ITS Program; continuously pursuing a visionary/exploratory research agenda; and aligning the pace of technology development, adoption, and deployment to meet future transportation needs. This strategic theme further explores leveraging strategic partnerships with public and non-public entities to enable ongoing targeted outreach, engagement, and knowledge/technology transfer efforts. Promoting innovation will necessitate that the ITS Program focus on market scanning to increase awareness of new technology developments so that the ITS JPO is always on the cutting edge of current and upcoming innovations developed by others.
Support Transportation System Information Sharing through the development of standards and systems architecture, and the application of advanced wireless technologies that enable communications among and between vehicles of all types, the infrastructure, and portable devices. Those communications break down barriers through shared transportation processes, shared resources, and common rules of operation. This work will support connectivity among vehicles, infrastructure, organizations, systems, and people to support more efficient and effective transportation.
Additionally the newly published strategic plan provides a program of categories for ITS. These Program Categories necessary to facilitate research, development, and adoption and include:
More detailed information about the National Themes and Programs can be found here.
The basic need for ITS in the Houston-Galveston region is to enable agencies to use technology to optimally operate and manage their facilities in the most efficient and safe manner possible. Once the physical infrastructure is built (freeway or roadway) or placed into operation (a transit vehicle or ferry), the agency or entity then has the responsibility to operate that asset in the most efficient and safe manner. ITS can be the enabling concept to facilitate safe and efficient operation.
ITS technologies enable local agencies to operate and manage their infrastructures more safely and efficiently than before. ITS applications that have the potential to address the major transportation issues of the region should be considered for deployment. These issues include:
Examples of ITS applications that have helped the region in the last several years include over height detection system, Bluetooth travel time technologies, and general applications such as the travel time reporting systems and closed-circuit television cameras monitoring Houston-area freeways and tollways. These systems have proved extremely useful in detecting real time traffic conditions (including congestion and incidents) and providing a framework to get travel information to the public through roadside, pre-trip (television and internet), and during-trip (personal digital devices and radio broadcast) means. More details on these existing systems and the future potential for them are presented in subsequent sections.
HGAC developed this website using current outreach activities with input from the many stakeholders and participating agencies and past RITSA efforts. It consisted of documenting the needs for the region and gathering input from the stakeholders tasked with the responsibility to deploy, operate and maintain TSMO strategies such as ITS. More on TSMO can be found here.
