Book Description

The Arizona Department of Transportation's (ADOT's) SPR-570: Rural ITS Progress Study - Arizona 2004 provided 20 key recommendations for improved utilization of the rural Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) infrastructure. Two years later, in reviewing the outcomes of the 2004 study and the ongoing rural technology deployments, the Department identified several of the key concerns as still being unresolved. In general, ADOT has been successful in implementing the recommendations of the 2004 statewide review, but five areas of unmet needs or unfulfilled potential remain. These five gap areas are the primary focus of this new research project, to fully implement the potential of all of the recommendations from the 2004 study. The five primary focus areas are: ITS maintenance, weather information systems, highway advisory radio, motorist assist patrols, and information sharing. The research team interviewed the project's stakeholders from Arizona's rural districts to identify recent changes in their ITS deployment, goals, and visions for future deployment, as well as current needs and desires since the previous 2004 study. The investigators also reviewed the current practices and concepts of rural ITS among other transportation agencies throughout the country. This included conducting personal interviews with recognized industry leaders, attending industry conferences, and performing extensive research in literature, products (both off-the-shelf and in-development), and on-line. Based on the interviews and state-of-the-practice research components, the investigators developed a list of ITS concepts that might service the rural needs of the Department. Each of the five focus areas contains several concepts that address needs identified as original project goals, or new topics identified during the field interviews. Each discussion section provides a conceptual approach and application of ITS technology or state-of-the-practice development, a breakdown of benefits and challenges for implementation, implementation recommendations and a breakdown of the engineer's opinion of cost. Each concept has been ranked by the project advisory group based on implementation priority. A potential process owner and potential resources for deployment are also identified.