CTRMA Operations Center - Traffic Management Center Functionality

Subsystem Description

The 'Traffic Management Center' monitors and controls traffic and the road network. It represents centers that manage a broad range of transportation facilities including freeway systems, rural and suburban highway systems, and urban and suburban traffic control systems. It communicates with ITS Roadway Equipment and Connected Vehicle Roadside Equipment (RSE) to monitor and manage traffic flow and monitor the condition of the roadway, surrounding environmental conditions, and field equipment status. It manages traffic and transportation resources to support allied agencies in responding to, and recovering from, incidents ranging from minor traffic incidents through major disasters.

Functional Object: TMC Basic Surveillance

'TMC Basic Surveillance' remotely monitors and controls traffic sensor systems and surveillance (e.g., CCTV) equipment, and collects, processes and stores the collected traffic data. Current traffic information and other real-time transportation information is also collected from other centers. The collected information is provided to traffic operations personnel and made available to other centers.

Functional Object: TMC Data Collection

'TMC Data Collection' collects and stores information that is created in the course of traffic operations performed by the Traffic Management Center. This data can be used directly by operations personnel or it can be made available to other data users and archives in the region.

Functional Object: TMC Demand Management Coordination

'TMC Demand Management Coordination' provides the capability to gather information on regional toll, parking, and transit usage and request changes to pricing and other mechanisms to manage overall transportation demand.

Functional Object: TMC HOV Lane Management

'TMC HOV Lane Management' provides center monitoring and control of HOV lanes. It coordinates freeway ramp meters and connector signals with HOV lane usage signals to provide preferential treatment to HOV lanes. In advanced implementations, it automatically detects HOV violators.

Functional Object: TMC Incident Detection

'TMC Incident Detection' identifies and reports incidents to Traffic Operations Personnel. It remotely monitors and controls traffic sensor and surveillance systems that support incident detection and verification. It analyzes and reduces the collected sensor and surveillance data, external alerting and advisory and incident reporting systems, anticipated demand information from intermodal freight depots, border crossings, special event information, and identifies and reports incidents and hazardous conditions

Functional Object: TMC Incident Dispatch Coordination

'TMC Incident Dispatch Coordination' formulates and manages an incident response that takes into account the incident potential, incident impacts, and resources required for incident management. It provides information to support dispatch and routing of emergency response and service vehicles as well as coordination with other cooperating agencies. It provides access to traffic management resources that provide surveillance of the incident, traffic control in the surrounding area, and support for the incident response. It monitors the incident response and collects performance measures such as incident response and clearance times.

Functional Object: TMC Passive Surveillance

'TMC Passive Surveillance' collects time stamped vehicle identities from different detection zones, correlates the identities, and calculates link travel times and derives other traffic measures.

Functional Object: TMC Regional Traffic Management

'TMC Regional Traffic Management' supports coordination between Traffic Management Centers in order to share traffic information between centers as well as control of traffic management field equipment. This coordination supports wide area optimization and regional coordination that spans jurisdictional boundaries; for example, coordinated signal control in a metropolitan area or coordination between freeway operations and arterial signal control within a corridor.

Functional Object: TMC Service Patrol Management

'TMC Service Patrol Management' supports dispatch and communication with service patrol vehicles that monitor roads to aid motorists, offering rapid response to minor incidents.

Functional Object: TMC Situation Data Management

'TMC Situation Data Management' collects, assimilates, and disseminates vehicle probe data collected from roadside short range communications equipment and centers controlling transit vehicles, toll collection points, and route-guided vehicles. It estimates traffic and road conditions based on the aggregated probe data and disseminates this information to other centers.

Functional Object: TMC Speed Warning

'TMC Speed Warning' supports remote control and monitoring of reduced speed zone warning roadside equipment. It provides the location and extent of the reduced speed zone, the posted speed limit(s) with information about the applicability of the speed limit(s) (e.g., time of day, day of week, seasonality, relevant vehicle types) and information about associated road configuration changes including lane merges and shifts. It monitors field equipment operation and reports current status to the operator.

Functional Object: TMC Traffic Information Dissemination

'TMC Traffic Information Dissemination' disseminates traffic and road conditions, closure and detour information, incident information, driver advisories, and other traffic-related data to other centers, the media, and driver information systems. It monitors and controls driver information system field equipment including dynamic message signs and highway advisory radio, managing dissemination of driver information through these systems.

Functional Object: TMC Traffic Metering

'TMC Traffic Metering' provides center monitoring and control of traffic metering systems including on ramps, through interchanges, and on the mainline roadway. All types of metering are covered including pre-timed/fixed time, time-based, dynamic and adaptive metering strategies and special bypasses. Metering rates can be calculated based upon historical data or current conditions including traffic, air quality, etc.