Resources for Students and Instructors

ITE Student Chapter Series

The ITE Student Chapter series provides current ITS information to students at the undergraduate and graduate level within civil engineering/transportation programs. These presentations demonstrate to students the interdisciplinary nature of highways, transit, infrastructure, and other multimodal requirements within roadway systems.

Presentation 1
Intelligent Transportation Systems: Is it the Right Career Choice for You?

Note: The content on this page is a 508-compliant version of the PowerPoint presentation. The PowerPoint file and a PDF of the PowerPoint presentation are available for download to the right.

 

Slide 1: Intelligent Transportation Systems: Is it the Right Career Choice for You?

(Extended Text Description: Image of Slide 1 of this presentation. Across the top is a blue graphic header bar with the ITE Institute of Transportation Engineers logo on the left and a textbox on the right which reads, A Community of Transportation Professionals - Your source for expertise, knowledge and ideas. In the main body of the slide is the text: Developed for the ITS Joint Program Office - Intelligent Transportation Systems: Is it the Right Career Choice for You? ITE Student Chapter Series.)

Developed for the ITS Joint Program Office
ITE Student Chapter Series

 

Slide 2: How Did We Get Here?

The Century of the Traffic Jam?
Is this our destiny?

Image Source: ThinkStock/USDOT

 

Slide 3: A Fast Forward Trip Through Time

• Pre-history through 1781 (Watt’s Steam Engine)
  • Animal (including our two legs)
  • Wind
• 1800’s -The Century of the Railroad
  • 1830 - 40 miles of track in the US
  • 1880 - 163,560 miles of track in the US
• 1900’s - The Century of the Automobile
  • Enabled by the invention of the internal combustion engine (and cheap oil)
  • US Primary System (Built 1925 - 1956) 157,724 miles
  • Interstate System (Built 1956 - 1991) 47,856 miles
• Where we are today is neither -
  • Sustainable nor
  • Livable

Image Source: ThinkStock/USDOT

 

Slide 4: The Challenges are Flesh and Blood Real

(Extended Text Description: This slide is divided into three sections, from top to bottom, depicting the slide’s topic: The Challenges are Flesh and Blood Real. The first section is entitled Safety with the following text: 32,719 highway deaths in 2012, 5.7 million crashes in 2012, Leading cause of death for ages 4, 11-27. To the right of the first section there is a photo of a serious collision between two cars. The second section is entitled Mobility with the following text: 5.5 billions of travel delay, $121 billion cost of urban congestion. To the right of the second section is a photo of a multi-lane freeway with massive traffic. The third section is entitled Environment with the following text: 2.9 billion gallons of wasted fuel, 56 billion lbs of additional CO₂. To the right of the third section is a photo of various cars and trucks in traffic.)

Data Sources:
Traffic Safety Facts 2013, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (June 2014) 2012 Urban Mobility Report, Texas Transportation Institute (Dec 2012)

Image Source: ThinkStock/USDOT

 

Slide 5: Can We Answer These Challenges?

• If we could…
  • "See" what is going on
  • Communicate what we see in real time
  • Apply cutting-edge analytics and modeling
• We could…
  • Create smarter management and control actions
  • Give travelers timely and valuable information to help them make smarter travel decisions
  • Allow everyone to travel more safely, smoothly, and sustainably

Can We Do This?

• Thanks to Intelligent Transportation Systems…We can!

Image Source: ThinkStock/USDOT

 

Slide 6: What are Intelligent Transportation Systems?

• Think of the human body as the ultimate system, i.e. Many complex subsystems working together as a whole
• Intelligent Transportation Systems combine -

Sensing

Communications

Information Processing

to make smarter transportation a reality

Image Source: ThinkStock/USDOT

 

Slide 7: Sensors - The Eyes and Ears of ITS

• We can’t respond to what we can’t see or hear
• Sensors are now everywhere…in vehicles and throughout our roadway, transit, and parking systems…and in our hands
• The data provided by these sensors enables -
  • Better traveler information
  • Better traffic control and management
• Without the data from advanced sensors…we are literally in the dark

Image Source: USDOT

Image Source: ThinkStock/USDOT

Image Source: USDOT

 

Slide 8: Communications - The Nervous System of ITS

• The sensor data is of no value if we can’t get it from the field
• Our control and management decisions and enhanced traveler information are of no value unless we can get them back to the field
• Wired and wireless communications systems tie everything together

Image Source: ThinkStock/USDOT

 

Slide 9: Intelligence - The Brains of ITS

• Computers…of course
• Databases - On Dedicated Servers and in the Cloud
• Data Mining and Big Data Analytics
• Specialized and Sophisticated Management and Control Software

Image Source: ThinkStock/USDOT

 

Slide 10: Do You Want to Make a Difference?

• The problems are real
• ITS is bringing high tech, 21^st century solutions
• But success requires bright, creative, and motivated

LEADERS

• Are you ready to lead?
• If so, the ITS job market has job with your name on it
• Exciting opportunities exist in the public and private sectors

Image Source: ThinkStock/USDOT

 

Slide 11: Positive Outlook for ITS Job Market

• Job growth is forecast to continue to be very strong
• Employment levels have been robust through economic cycles
• Salaries are above national average from technician through management levels
• The ITS work force will provide key technical leadership for a transportation sector that is projected to need 4.6 million new hires between 2012 and 2022

(Extended Text Description: This figure contains a chart entitled Estimated Percentage of Total Job Openings due to Growth and Separations 2012-2022 (Ranked). The chart has a pull-out box with the text: Six Subsector Total, Growth 11%, Separations 108%, Total Openings 119%. The data in the figure is as follows, Estimated Job Openings due to Separations, followed by Estimated Job Openings due to Industry Growth: Transit 121%, 12%; Maritime 114%, 11%; Trucking 108%, 12%; Air 106%, 4%; Highway 94%, 12%; Rail 97%, 8%.)

Source: Subsector job openings due to growth based on TLC and JFF analysis of EMSI Industry Report. Data retrieved from EMSI June 2014. Subsector job openings due to separations based on TLC and JFF analysis of EMSI Industry Report and Separation Rates from BLS Employment Projections program. Projected occupational separation rates, 2012-22 experimental data set Released May 9, 2014.

 

Slide 12: It’s Not Just About Cars and Highways

Image Source: City of Raleigh (Used by Permission)

Image Source: ThinkStock/USDOT

 

Slide 13: We Are on the Cusp of an Explosion in ITS

• All the necessary pieces are in place --
  • The technologies are ready
  • The traveling public expects services and solutions
  • The private sector is primed for action
  • The federal government is beginning to push…Hard

Transportation Sec. Foxx announces steps to accelerate road safety innovation

• State and local governments are gearing up

Cisco’s The Last Traffic Jam

Image Source: ThinkStock/USDOT

 

Slide 14: It’s Happening Now -Vehicle Safety Technologies

(Extended Text Description: Graphic image depicting various Vehicle Safety Technologies. Photo shows a roadway with several vehicles with overlay graphics indicating various technologies, including Short Range Sensors, Long Range Sensors, Speed Harmonization, Platooning. Additional author’s notes indicate categories of collision avoidance technologies, including Forward collision warning, Autobrake, Lane departure warning, Lane departure prevention, Adaptive headlights, Blind spot detection.)

 

Slide 15: Personalized Travel - Crowd Sourcing

Image Source: Waze Inc. 2013

Image Source: Provided by Translōc Used by Permission

 

Image Source: USDOT

Slide 16: Connected Vehicles - Coming Fast

According to Analysys Mason

• 279 million connected road vehicles worldwide by 2021
• 185 million of these will be passenger cars

Image Source: Wilgengebroed on Flickr (CC-BY-2.0)

 

Image Source: ThinkStock/USDOT

 

Slide 17: i2D - Connected Vehicles in Europe

Eco-driving

 

 

• https://www.i2d.co/i2dpubportal/home.xvw

 

Slide 18: Dash - A US Example

 

(Extended Text Description: Graphic image showing Dash features with the following text: Social - Are you the best driver? Capture the fun behind the wheel, by sharing your road trip stories! Compare how you drive to your friends - and the better you drive, the more bumper stickers and promotions you unlock! To the right of the text is a listing of example users with their scores. Below are graphic images with bumper stickers, such as Hoo’s having a late night? Night Owl.)

• https://dash.by/ - content is no longer available.

 

 

(Extended Text Description: Graphic image showing Dash features with the following text: Savings - Save while driving. We give you real time feedback, so you can improve your driving and maximize fuel efficiency. And by connecting you with great deals, you can save hundreds of dollars per year on gas, repairs and maintenance! We show you where the cheapest gas is nearby and provide accurate estimates for the most common repairs, so you get the fairest price from your mechanic. Next to the text is an image of a smartphone with the Dash app running and various Dash icons.)

 

Slide 19: What’s Coming - Will You Be in the Game?

• Epochal changes will occur…in your lifetimes
• You can play a role…in shaping the next 20-30 years
• Crystal Ball - Two of the Many Future Developments
  • Autonomous Vehicles
  • Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Image Source: ThinkStock/USDOT

 

Slide 20: Autonomous Vehicles

• Transition to full automation will -
  • Likely take several decades
  • Will be filled with difficult yet exciting challenges
• Will require a monumental cooperative effort between private and public sectors

(Extended Text Description: This figure shows a line graphic that depicts the progression of the transition to autonomous vehicles over the next several decades. On the y axis it shows percentage transition, on the x axis it shows a range of years from 2020 to 2070. The graphic shows the progression of sales, travel and fleet estimates, both optimistic and pessimistic. Sales steadily progresses from a few percentage to over 40% by 2040, with a sharp increase to >90% by 2050 and beyond for optimistic sales, or a more gradual increase to slightly less than 80% by 2050 for pessimistic sales. Travel follows a steady increase from a few percentage in 2020 to about 50% in 2050, followed by a sharp rise to about 90% by 2060 for optimistic travel, and a more gradual increase to about 70% through 2060 for pessimistic travel. Fleet follows a steady increase from a few percentage in 2020 to about 40% in 2050, followed by a sharp rise to about 80% by 2060 for optimistic fleet, and a more gradual increase to about 65% through 2060 for pessimistic fleet.)

Autonomous Vehicle Sales, Fleet and Travel Projections

Source: Autonomous Vehicle Implementation Predictions: Implications for Transport Planning, Todd Litman, Victoria Transport Policy Institute, February 2015

 

Source: ThinkStock/USDOT

Google Self-Driving Car Project Video

 

Slide 21: Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Image Source: ThinkStock/USDOT

 

Slide 22: We Need All Hands on Deck

• The winning team will need players from many fields

(Extended Text Description: This slide contains a graphic image with four stock art images surrounding a circular diagram in the center. The four stock art images include a traffic camera monitoring busy traffic in the background, a graphic representing Information Technologies ideas, an image with da Vinci’s Virtruvian Man representing people, and an image of the earth surrounded by a green leaf. The circular diagram in the center is comprised of four concentric circles, which are labeled, in order from inside to outside: Traffic Engineers, Computer Scientists, Eletext-centerical Engineers, Transportation Planners, Environmental Engineers, Public Policy Experts, Psychologists and Human Factors Experts.)

Image Source: ThinkStock/USDOT

 

Slide 23: The Mission - Will You Choose to Accept It?

• In the 19^th and 20^th centuries we let technology lead
• The unintended consequences have been piling up

• Intelligent Transportation Systems will be an important part of turning this around and using technology to build a sustainable and livable world
• You can help lead this effort…It will take all of us working together
• You can make a real and significant difference
• It’s up to you to seize the opportunity

Image Source: ThinkStock/USDOT

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