FAX Public Information Office - Information Service Provider Functionality
Subsystem Description
The Information Service Provider Subsystem (ISPS) collects, processes, stores, and disseminates transportation information to system operators and the traveling public. The subsystem can play several different roles in an integrated ITS. In one role, the ISP provides a data collection, fusing, and repackaging function, collecting information from transportation system operators and redistributing this information to other system operators in the region and other ISPs. In this information redistribution role, the ISP provides a bridge between the various transportation systems that produce the information and the other ISPs and their subscribers that use the information. The second role of an ISP is focused on delivery of traveler information to subscribers and the public at large. Information provided includes basic advisories, traffic and road conditions, transit schedule information, yellow pages information, ridematching information, and parking information. The subsystem also provides the capability to provide specific directions to travelers by receiving origin and destination requests from travelers, generating route plans, and returning the calculated plans to the users. In addition to general route planning for travelers, the ISP also supports specialized route planning for vehicle fleets. In this third role, the ISP function may be dedicated to, or even embedded within, the dispatch system. Reservation services are also provided in advanced implementations. The information is provided to the traveler through the Personal Information Access Subsystem, Remote Traveler Support Subsystem, and the Vehicle Subsystem through available communications links. Both basic one-way (broadcast) and personalized two-way information provision are supported. The ISP is most commonly implemented as an Internet web site, but it represents any traveler information distribution service including systems that broadcast digital transportation data (e.g., satellite radio networks) and systems that support distribution through Field-Vehicle Communications networks. The ISP accomplishes these roles using constantly evolving technologies like the Internet (World Wide Web pages), direct broadcast communications (email alerts, pagers, satellite radio network data broadcasts), communications through Field-Vehicle Communications networks, etc.
Functional Area: Basic Information Broadcast
Broadcast dissemination of traffic, transit, maintenance and construction, event, and weather information to traveler interface systems and vehicles.
| ID | Requirement | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | The center shall disseminate transit routes and schedules, transit transfer options, transit fares, and real-time schedule adherence information to travelers. | Planned |
Functional Area: Infrastructure Provided Trip Planning
Generation of pre-trip and enroute trip plans for travelers (and vehicles) based on current traffic conditions, work zones, weather, and travelers constraints and preferences. Includes end-to-end trips using multiple modes, such as bicycle, transit, etc.
| ID | Requirement | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The center shall provide the capability to provide specific pre-trip and enroute directions to travelers (and drivers), including costs, arrival times, and transfer points. | Planned |
| 3 | The center shall support on-line route guidance for travelers using personal devices (such as PDAs). | Planned |
| 5 | The center shall support on-line route guidance for specialty vehicles, such as commercial vehicles. | Planned |
| 7 | The center shall generate route plans based on transit services, including fares, schedules, and requirements for travelers with special needs. | Planned |
| 10 | The center shall generate route plans based on ferry, rail, air, or other multimodal transportation data. | Planned |
| 11 | The center shall exchange route segment information with other centers outside the area served by the local center. | Planned |
| 12 | The center shall generate trips based on the use of more than one mode of transport. | Planned |
| 13 | The center shall use the preferences and constraints specified by the traveler in the trip request to select the most appropriate mode of transport. | Planned |
| 14 | The center shall provide the capability for the traveler to confirm the proposed trip plan. | Planned |
| 15 | The center shall log route plans, particularly for special vehicles such as those containing hazardous materials, over-sized vehicles, or motorcades, with a traffic center. | Planned |
| 16 | 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 to determine vehicle and non-vehicle routes, trip planning, and on-line vehicle guidance. | Planned |
| 17 | The center shall provide the capability for center personnel to control route calculation parameters. | Planned |
Functional Area: ISP Emergency Traveler Information
Distribution of emergency information to the traveling public, including evacuation information and wide-area alerts.
| ID | Requirement | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The center shall disseminate emergency evacuation information to the traveler interface systems, including evacuation zones, shelter information, available transportation modes, road closures and detours, changes to transit services, and traffic and road conditions at the origin, destination, and along the evacuation routes. | Planned |
| 2 | The center shall provide evacuation information to shelter providers. | Planned |
| 3 | The center shall disseminate wide-area alert information to the traveler interface systems, including major emergencies such as a natural or man-made disaster, civil emergency, child abductions, severe weather watches and warnings, military activities, and law enforcement warnings. | Planned |
| 4 | The center shall provide the capability for a system operator to control the type and update frequency of emergency and wide-area alert information distributed to travelers. | Planned |
Functional Area: ISP Traveler Data Collection
Collects traveler information from other centers, consolidates and refines the collected data, and makes this data available to traveler information applications.
| ID | Requirement | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The center shall collect, process, and store traffic and highway condition information, including incident information, detours and road closures, event information, recommended routes, and current speeds on specific routes. | Planned |
| 2 | The center shall collect, process, and store maintenance and construction information, including scheduled maintenance and construction work activities and work zone activities. | Planned |
| 3 | The center shall collect, process, and store transit routes and schedules, transit transfer options, transit fares, and real-time schedule adherence information. | Planned |
| 4 | The center shall collect, process, and store parking information, including location, availability, and fees. | Planned |
| 5 | The center shall collect, process, and store toll fee information. | Planned |
| 6 | The center shall collect, process, and store current and forecast road conditions and surface weather conditions. | Planned |
| 7 | The center shall collect, process, and store event information. | Planned |
| 8 | The center shall collect, process, and store air quality information. | Planned |
| 9 | The center shall collect, process, and store border crossing information. | Planned |
Functional Area: Traveler Telephone Information
Distribution of traveler information and wide-area alerts to traveler telephone information systems such as 511, based on voice-based traveler requests.
| ID | Requirement | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The center shall provide the capability to process voice-formatted requests for traveler information from a traveler telephone information system, and return the information in the requested format. | Planned |
| 2 | The center shall provide the capability to process dual-tone multifrequency (DTMF)-based requests (touch-tone) for traveler information from a traveler telephone information system. | Planned |
| 3 | The center shall provide the capability to process traveler information requests from a traveler telephone information system. | Planned |
| 4 | The center shall provide information on traffic conditions in the requested voice format and for the requested location. | Planned |
| 5 | The center shall provide work zone and roadway maintenance information in the requested voice format and for the requested location. | Planned |
| 6 | The center shall provide roadway environment conditions information in the requested voice format and for the requested location. | Planned |
| 7 | The center shall provide weather and event information in the requested voice format and for the requested location. | Planned |
| 8 | The center shall provide transit service information in the requested voice format and for the requested location. | Planned |
| 9 | The center shall provide yellow pages services information in the requested voice format and for the requested location. | Planned |
| 10 | The center shall provide current ferry and rail schedule and airport status information in the requested voice format and for the requested location. | Planned |
| 11 | The center shall provide the capability to support both specific caller requests as well as bulk upload of regional traveler information. | Planned |
| 12 | The center shall receive and forward region-specific wide-area alert and advisory information to the traveler telephone information system, including major emergencies such as a natural or man-made disaster, civil emergency, child abductions, severe weather watches and warnings, military activities, and law enforcement warnings. | Planned |