The following Functional Areas are associated with the "Caltrans District 8 Transportation Management Center" element.   Each functional area includes a brief description and a bulleted list of detailed functions.   The common icon provides a link to other systems in the region that include the same functional area.

 

Collect Traffic Surveillance

Management of traffic sensors and surveillance (CCTV) equipment, and distribution of the collected information to other centers and operators.

• The center shall monitor, analyze, and store traffic sensor data (speed, volume, occupancy) collected from field elements under remote control of the center.
• The center shall monitor, analyze, and distribute traffic images from CCTV systems under remote control of the center.
• The center shall monitor, analyze, and store pedestrian sensor data collected from field elements under remote control of the center.
• The center shall monitor, analyze, and distribute pedestrian images from CCTV systems under remote control of the center.
• The center shall monitor, analyze, and store multimodal crossing and high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane sensor data under remote control of the center.
• The center shall support an interface with a map update provider, or other appropriate data sources, through which updates of digitized map data can be obtained and used as a background for traffic data.
• The center shall distribute road network conditions data (raw or processed) based on collected and analyzed traffic sensor and surveillance data to other centers.
• The center shall respond to control data from center personnel regarding sensor and surveillance data collection, analysis, storage, and distribution.
• The center shall maintain a database of surveillance and sensors for freeways, surface street and rural roadways.

Rail Operations Coordination

Coordination between rail operations and traffic management centers - exchanging train schedules, maintenance schedules, as well as incidents and priority messages which result in highway-rail intersection (HRI). Supports advanced traffic control strateg

• The center shall exchange highway-rail intersection (HRI) information with rail operations centers. This information may include event schedules, requests for information from the Rail Operators, incident notification based on rail operations messages, and priority messages like notifications of a HAZMAT spill, equipment failure, or an intersection blockage.
• The center shall receive highway-rail intersection (HRI) maintenance schedules, train schedules, and incident notifications from rail operations centers.
• The center shall use the rail operations information to develop forecast HRI closure times and durations which may be applied in advanced traffic control strategies or delivered as enhanced traveler information.

TMC Freeway Management (User Defined)

Remotely controls lane control signals or ramp meters on freeways. The ramp meter control may be based on upstream and downstream traffic flow and ramp queue length algorithms.

• The center shall remotely control systems to manage use of the freeways, including ramp meters, mainline metering/lane controls.
• The center shall collect operational status from ramp meters, mainline metering/lane controls and compare against the control information sent by the center.
• The center shall collect fault data from ramp meters, mainline metering/lane controls.
• The center shall implement control strategies, under control of center personnel, on some or all of the freeway network devices (e.g. ramp meters, mainline metering/lane controls), based on data from sensors monitoring traffic conditions upstream, downstream, and queue data on the ramps themselves.

TMC Incident Detection

Remotely controls traffic and video sensors to support incident detection and verification; exchange information with other agencies including emergency management, maintenance and construction, alerting and advisory systems, event promoters, intermodal f

• The center shall collect and store traffic flow and image data from the field equipment to detect and verify incidents.
• The center shall receive inputs concerning upcoming events that would effect the traffic network from event promoters, traveler information service providers, and intermodal freight depots.
• The center shall exchange incident and threat information with emergency management centers as well as maintenance and construction centers; including notification of existence of incident and expected severity, location, time and nature of incident.
• The center shall support requests from emergency management centers to remotely control sensor and surveillance equipment located in the field.
• The center shall provide road network conditions and traffic images to emergency management centers to support the detection, verification, and classification of incidents.
• The center shall provide video and traffic sensor control commands to the field equipment to detect and verify incidents.

TMC Incident Dispatch Coordination/Communication

Center-based capability to formulate an incident response that takes into account the incident potential, incident impacts, and/or resources required for incident management including proposing and facilitating the dispatch of emergency response and servi

• The center shall exchange alert information and status with emergency management centers. The information includes notification of a major emergency such as a natural or man-made disaster, civil emergency, or child abduction for distribution to the public. The information may include the alert originator, the nature of the emergency, the geographic area affected by the emergency, the effective time period, and information and instructions necessary for the public to respond to the alert. This may also identify specific information that should not be released to the public.
• The center shall coordinate planning for incidents with emergency management centers - including pre-planning activities for disaster response, evacuation, and recovery operations.
• The center shall support requests from emergency management centers to remotely control sensor and surveillance equipment located in the field, provide special routing for emergency vehicles, and to provide responding emergency vehicles with signal preemption.
• The center shall exchange incident and threat information with emergency management centers as well as maintenance and construction centers; including notification of existence of incident and expected severity, location, time and nature of incident.
• The center shall receive inputs concerning upcoming events that would effect the traffic network from event promoters, traveler information service providers, media, and rail operations centers.
• The center shall provide road network conditions and traffic images to emergency management centers, maintenance and construction centers, and traveler information service providers.
• The center shall exchange road network status assessment information with emergency management and maintance centers including an assessment of damage sustained by the road network including location and extent of the damage, estimate of remaining capacity, required closures, alternate routes, necessary restrictions, and time frame for repair and recovery.
• The center shall coordinate information and controls with other traffic management centers.
• The center shall receive inputs from emergency management and transit management centers to develop an overall status of the transportation system including emergency transit schedules in effect and current status and condition of the transportation infrastructure.
• The center shall support an interface with a map update provider, or other appropriate data sources, through which updates of digitized map data can be obtained and used as a background for traffic incident management.
• The center shall exchange alert information and status information (including disaster information, child abduction information, the nature of the emergency, public responder instructions and information not available to the general public) with emergency
• The center shall respond to requests from emergency management to provide traffic management resources to implement special traffic control measures, assist in clean up, ord verify an incident (which may involve coordination with maintenance centers).

TMC Regional Traffic Control

Coordination between traffic management centers in order to share traffic information between centers as well as control of traffic management field equipment. This may be used during incidents and special events and during day-to-day operations.

• The center shall exchange traffic information with other traffic management centers, includes incident information, congestion data, traffic data, signal timing plans, and real-time signal control information.
• The center shall exchange traffic control information with other traffic management centers, includes remote monitoring and control of traffic management devices (e.g. signs, sensors, signals, cameras, etc.).

TMC Environmental Monitoring

Management of environmental sensors and assimilation of collected data with other current and forecast road conditions and surface weather information from weather service providers and roadway maintenance operations.

• The center shall remotely control environmental sensors that measure road surface temperature, moisture, icing, salinity, and other measures.
• The center shall remotely control environmental sensors that measure weather conditions including temperature, wind, humidity, precipitation, and visibility.
• The center shall assimilate current and forecast road conditions and surface weather information using a combination of weather service provider information (such as the National Weather Service and value-added sector specific meteorological services), data from roadway maintenance operations, and environmental data collected from sensors deployed on and about the roadway.
• The center shall provide weather and road condition information to weather service providers and center personnel.
• The center shall respond to control data from center personnel regarding environmental sensor control and weather data collection and processing.

TMC Traffic Information Dissemination

Controls dissemination of traffic-related data to other centers, the media, and travelers via the driver information systems (DMS, HAR) that it operates.

• The center shall remotely control dynamic messages signs for dissemination of traffic and other information to drivers.
• The center shall remotely control driver information systems that communicate directly from a center to the vehicle radio (such as Highway Advisory Radios) for dissemination of traffic and other information to drivers.
• The center shall collect operational status for the driver information systems equipment (DMS, HAR, etc.).
• The center shall collect fault data for the driver information systems equipment (DMS, HAR, etc.) for repair.
• The center shall retrieve locally stored traffic information, including current and forecasted traffic information, road and weather conditions, traffic incident information, information on diversions and alternate routes, closures, and special traffic restrictions (lane/shoulder use, weight restrictions, width restrictions, HOV requirements), etc.
• The center shall distribute traffic data to maintenance and construction centers, transit centers, emergency management centers, and traveler information providers.
• The center shall provide the capability for center personnel to control the nature of the data that is available to non-traffic operations centers and the media.
• The center shall provide traffic data to traveler information systems such as web sites.

Traffic Maintenance

Monitoring and remote diagnostics of field equipment - detect failures, issue problem reports, and track the repair or replacement of the failed equipment.

• The center shall collect and store sensor (traffic, pedestrian, multimodal crossing) operational status.
• The center shall collect and store CCTV surveillance system (traffic, pedestrian) operational status.
• The center shall collect and store sensor (traffic, pedestrian, multimodal crossing) fault data and send to the maintenance center for repair.
• The center shall collect and store CCTV surveillance system (traffic, pedestrian) fault data send to the maintenance center for repair.
• The center shall collect environmental sensor operational status.
• The center shall collect environmental sensor equipment fault data and send to the maintenance center for repair.
• The center shall support an interface with a map update provider, or other appropriate data sources, through which updates of digitized map data can be obtained and used as a background for traffic maintenance data.
• The center shall exchange data with maintenance centers concerning the reporting of faulty equipment and the schedule/status of their repair.

Traffic Data Collection

Collection and storage of traffic management data. For use by operations personnel or data archives in the region.

• The center shall collect traffic management data such as operational data, event logs, etc.
• The center shall receive and respond to requests from ITS Archives for either a catalog of the traffic data or for the data itself.
• The center shall be able to produce sample products of the data available.
• The center shall assign quality control metrics and meta-data to be stored along with the data.

TMC Evacuation Support

Development, coordination, and execution of special traffic management strategies during evacuation and subsequent reentry of a population in the vicinity of a disaster or major emergency. Interfaces with emergency management and other traffic management

• The center shall coordinate planning for evacuation with emergency management centers - including pre-planning activities such as establishing routes, areas to be evacuated, timing, etc.
• The center shall support requests from emergency management centers to preempt the current traffic control strategy, activate traffic control and closure systems such as gates and barriers, activate safeguard systems, or use driver information systems to support evacuation traffic control plans.
• The center shall coordinate information and controls with other traffic management centers.
• The center shall coordinate execution of evacuation strategies with emergency management centers - including activities such as setting closures and detours, establishing routes, updating areas to be evacuated, timing the process, etc.