T3 Webinar Overview

Next Generation Traveler Information System

Date:   Wednesday, September 23, 2015
Time:  1:00 PM – 2:30 PM ET
Cost:  All T3 webinars are free of charge
PDH:  1.5   View PDH Policy

T3 Webinars are brought to you by the Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Professional Capacity Building (PCB) Program of the U.S. Department of Transportation's (U.S. DOT) ITS Joint Program Office (JPO). References in this webinar to any specific commercial products, processes, or services, or the use of any trade, firm, or corporation name is for the information and convenience of the public, and does not constitute endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the U.S. DOT.

Background

With the advances and evolution in information and communications technology, travelers have an ever-increasing desire and need for accurate, timely information on current travel conditions—pre-trip and en-route—to help them make informed transportation decisions.

The purpose of the webinar is to present a recently completed project called “Next Generation Traveler Information System: A Five Year Outlook.” The webinar will identify current and emerging technologies in traveler information systems for the next five years. It will also provide recommendations to transportation agencies for proactively addressing technology advancements, changes in traveler information business models and decisions, and public expectations as they occur, as well as provide recommendations for further research.

Agenda

Glenn Blackwelder will moderate the webinar as well as discuss the state of the traveler information industry in Utah and how the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) partners with neighboring states. UDOT's 511 phone line was launched in 2001, making it one of the oldest in the country. UDOT is at the crossroads of traveler information and focused on what the Next Generation will look like. When will we stop deploying Dynamic Message Signs? When will cars talk to each other? What is the expiration date on the value of 511 phone lines?

Michael Waisley will introduce the Next Generation Traveler Information Systems: A Five Year Outlook as well as the Transportation Management Center Pooled-Fund Study.

Valerie Shuman will provide an executive overview of Next Generation Traveler Information Systems: A Five Year Outlook. This report provides a current snapshot of status in key areas such as traveler needs, technology trends, and business model. The report also serves as guidance on operational and technical best practices that can be used by public agencies as they develop next generation traveler information systems (NGTIS).

John Hall will discuss the current status of Tennessee Department of Transportation's (TDOT) motorist information efforts and the state's future endeavors.

Learning Objectives

Attendees of the webinar will expect to learn about:

• Case studies involving travel information systems.
• The emerging and current traveler information systems technology.
• The importance of traveler information systems.

Target Audiences

• Transit operations and customer information managers, developers of transit applications, consultants, vendors, academia, government officials, including those in local, state, and Federal Departments of Transportation (DOTs), and any other individuals or entities involved in the design, procurement, deployment, integration, management, or evaluation of ITS and traveler information technologies
• Those wanting to learn more about traveler information systems

Host

Jimmy Chu, Transportation Specialist, U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)

Jimmy Chu is a Transportation Specialist on the Traveler Information Management Team at FHWA in Washington, D.C. In this position, Jimmy oversees the Travel Time on Dynamic Message Signs program. He also manages the Transportation Management Center Pooled-Fund Study. He provides technical support to State agencies relating to traveler information programs. Prior to joining FHWA, Jimmy worked at the Virginia Department of Transportation for 25 years and was the manager of the TMC in Northern Virginia. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Maryland.

Moderator

Glenn Blackwelder, PE, PTOE, Traffic Operations Engineer, Utah Department of Transportation

Glenn is UDOT's Traffic Operations Engineer. Since 2009, Glenn supervises the operations portion of UDOT's Traffic Management Division, including the Traffic Operations Center control room, weather room, Incident Management Team program, Express Lanes program, and ramp metering. Prior to coming to the Traffic Management Division, Glenn was a mobility engineer for UDOT, specializing in traffic data collection. Prior to his work at UDOT, Glenn worked for Fehr and Peers and Kittleson and Associates consulting firms in the areas of traffic impact studies, traffic signal design, traffic analysis, and roundabout analysis and design.

Glenn graduated Magna Cum Laude with a BSE in Civil Engineering from Walla Walla University in 1998. He earned his Master of Science in Transportation Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley in 1999. Glenn is a Professional Traffic Operations Engineer and a registered Professional Engineer in Utah and California. He is an active member of the Institute of Transportation Engineers.

Presenters

Michael R. Waisley, Senior Research Scientist, Battelle

Michael Waisley has 23 years of transportation engineering and project management experience with federal, state, and municipal clients in ITS, traffic engineering, traffic operations, transportation policy, transportation planning, and roadway safety. Mike is currently a Senior Research Scientist with Battelle, supporting a range of efforts including managing projects on Next Generation Traveler Information Systems, Connected Vehicles, Weather Responsive Traffic Management, and Integrated Corridor Management (ICM). In his previous positions, Mike has experience with Road Condition Reporting and Incident Management Systems, Transportation Management Center (TMC) guideline development, ITS Architecture development, Connected Vehicle Test Bed deployment, 511 systems planning, and TMC system and traffic signal system implementation.

Valerie Shuman, Principal, Shuman Consulting Group, LLC

Valerie Shuman is the Principal at Shuman Consulting Group, LLC. She has been involved with the intelligent transportation industry since its inception, helping to pioneer new products, new markets, and new ventures, including one of the earliest online real-time location-based traffic service platforms and a patented in-vehicle computing platform. Valerie is currently VP of Industry Programs at the Connected Vehicle Trade Association, a Subject Matter Expert supporting the FHWA Connected Vehicle Standards program, a Member of the TRB NCHRP IDEA innovation funding program, and a strategic advisor to global public and private sector clients in the connected vehicle space.

John Hall, Motorist Information Coordinator, Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT), Traffic Operations Division

A graduate of Lyon College in Batesville, Arkansas, with a bachelor of arts degree in music education, John is a 25-year veteran of radio broadcasting in Memphis and Nashville, including a decade as the Director of Operations at the Nashville office of Metro Networks. Employed by the state since 2004, John's duties include heading up TDOT's 5-1-1 and Twitter efforts distributing traffic and travel information to the public and media outlets across the state. In addition to working for Metro Networks, he previously worked for the following Tennessee Radio stations: WEZI-FM, WLVS-FM, WWEE-AM, WZEZ-FM, and WRMX-FM.