With the pending market saturation of the smartphone looming, and the emergence of connected vehicles, peer-to-peer resource management, crowdsourcing and the implementation of collaborative platforms, one could easily surmise that the “consumerization” of significant components of Next-Gen Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) is well underway. What is not exactly clear is what the landscape will look like during the transition, as well as when consumerization is firmly rooted.
It’s clear that public mobility managers will continue to provide certain services to their constituents for the foreseeable future, however it is expected that some existing services will be provisioned through consumerization. Consumerization will also give rise to entirely new service needs. New areas of expertise will be required for data and information management, systems management and X2X networks, to name just a few. Will consumerization lead to less strain on agency coffers? Or will it simply generate new needs equal to or greater than existing financial burdens? We’ll take deeper dives on these issues in coming posts.
I originally investigated the potential synergies and resultant barriers and challenges for integrating public/commercial grade wireless communications in support of the “Connected Vehicle”, back in 2007. (then known as “Intellidrive”) A brief summary of the initial findings and a proposed architecture was presented in a blog post in August, 2011. Since the initial posting, the Connected Vehicle ecosystem has started to take shape and is gaining significant momentum on multiple fronts, including amongst the automotive and telecommunications industries, as well as the Federal Government. As a result, I thought it might be of some value to revisit and update the hybrid communications framework originally proposed for the Connected Vehicle.
Current Values
The primary attractiveness of commercial cellular continues to be maturity of technology and network coverage, including for most major urban areas, suburban areas and even significant coverage of rural areas. Dedicated Short Range Communications (DSRC) is currently limited to approximately 1200 feet, line of sight, and will require significant investment in new infrastructure. Commercial wireless and Wi-Fi technologies continue to show promise for providing secondary, tier-two services associated with the Connected Vehicle.
Current Barriers and Limitations
Substantial limitations still remain. The prevailing barrier is communications latency with regards to minimum requirements associated with V2V and V2I. In addition, commercial cellular networks remain vulnerable to network congestion issues (peak periods), including denial of service and dropped calls. Also, cost remains a significant hinderance, as the Federal Government has taken the stance that automotive safety should be free to the end-user.
Additional Resources
The Battle Between Cellular and DSRC – Panel Discussion from Telematics Update
The cloud-computing model continues to reshape business processes and reconfigure the technology architectures that run our cities. Cloud-computing is not only a new computing paradigm that is taking root, but the technologies are also enabling new collaborative and integrated solutions in the transportation industry by provisioning the fusion of existing (stove-piped) traffic management systems. By adding a new “top layer” to the operations stack, previously disparate transportation systems can be integrated for optimization of existing functions, as well as fused for new-found functionality, previously unattainable in “siloed” architectures. Over the past several years, Cloud computing has progressively made its way into mainstream ITS. In July, 2011, Terranautix looked at the progress of cloud-computing platforms within the ITS arena. Since then, the industry has made steady progress, increasing utilization of cloud-based technologies, as well as expanding services residing on cloud-based technologies. We now take a look at a couple of the latest innovations related to next-gen traffic management applications based on cloud-computing technologies. Instant Mobility Project
In April, 2011, A UK consortium kicked-off the “Instant Mobility” project, aimed at “developing and exploring a concept for transforming the mobility of persons and goods in the future through the application of advanced Internet Technologies”. The project is examining three development scenarios, including “Transport Infrastructure as a Service”. This scenario will demonstrate “dynamic traffic management and integrated urban space on how to use Future Internet technologies such as cloud data storage, cloud computing virtualization or services‐in‐the‐cloud.” More specifically, “it is aimed at the specification of functional and non‐functional requirements of the different services envisioned for urban traffic management systems, in order to take advantage of the core platform the Future Internet enables.”. You can read more on this next-gen ITS research project here. From Cloud Computing for Agent-Based Urban Transportation Systems
Cloud-Connected Vehicles
The Ford Motor Company (among other automakers) recently announced plans to deploy a cloud-based architecture for connecting to Ford vehicles. Ford is partnering with Microsoft to develop the cloud-based platform, which will provide a wide array of services to the vehicle, including traveler information, safety services and new infotainment services. Toyota has also recently announced a partnership with Microsoft to implement a new cloud-computing architecture based on MIcrosoft’s Azure Cloud-computing platform. Back in 2010, Chevy announced a partnership with Google to utilize Google’s Android platform and a cloud-computing architecture to develop a new cloud-based platform. Crowdsourced App Development
Cloud-computing platforms have also continued to provide the foundation for third-party application development through the use of open API’s. The Singapore Land Transport Authority (LTA) has teamed up with Microsoft and used their Azure platform to create a unified portal that can be accessed by the public called MyTransport.Sg. In this way, LTA is hoping that app developers will develop mobile apps specifically for a mobile services. At this year’s CES conference, GM announced that “it is selecting developers to be given access to an OnStar API for the creation of vehicle-specific and vehicle-safe apps for future OnStar-equipped vehicles.” RelayRides, the peer-to-peer car-sharing service, was the first official partner to announce development of an app from the OnStar API.
Another International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is in the books, and once again, Next-Gen ITS was a key contributor to the news of the week. One of the interesting aspects to this year’s CES was the fact that it was held the same week as the Detroit Auto Show, a key event on the automakers calendar. However, even with the overlap in event scheduling, automakers including Ford, GM, BMW, Mercedes and Toyota were all in attendance at CES, further amplifying the importance of the recent shift in consumer transportation technologies.
Some of the key ITS-related trends from CES this week included:
The emergence of open APIs from automakers for crowdsourced app development,
The continued rapid growth of in-vehicle connectivity/telematics systems,
Deeper, enhanced integration of consumer devices with vehicle-based information systems,
Continued proliferation of context-aware, geofencing-based applications,
Continued integration of wireless providers with vehicle information systems,
Continued migration to cloud-based vehicle networking, and
Continued convergence of mobile software and application platforms.
The following provides a listing of some of the ITS-related news that surfaced at CES this week.
2011 was another excellent year for ITS innovation, with significant advancements along multiple market segments, and most indicators point to similar advancements for 2012. The following provides a 12-month overview for Next-Gen ITS in 2012. The summary is a result of multiple assessments, including analysis of market patterns, technology relationships and dependencies, adoptability and overall market timing with regards to emerging solutions and technologies. As always, your thoughts are welcomed and encouraged.
NEW ENTRIES FOR 2012
2012 will see a number of new entries for Next-Gen ITS technologies and solutions. Some of the following may have been born in 2011, or were initially planned and/or identified for continued development 2011, yet 2012 will mark the first real significant showing of these technologies or represent the point at which these technologies and solutions become pervasive.
New Data and Information API’s from the Automotive Industry – The rapidly expanding telematics and vehicle “infotainment” industry, coupled with continued explosive growth of the commercial connected vehicle will see the emergence of new data streams, provided by the auto industry, and openly accessible to the developer community. The open data streams will facilitate the development of additional applications and services, and represent the industry’s first extensive, real-time, anonymized data set sourced from traditional passenger vehicles. We will also continue to see enhanced partnering between the automotive industry and the big software and computing companies such as Microsoft’s partnerships with Ford and Toyota, as Detroit moves to the cloud.
Smartphone Data Integration for System Operations – To date, mobile data sources such as smartphone GPS and Bluetooth data have been primarily utilized for “passive” system use, such as traveler information systems like DMS travel times. 2012 will see the expanded use of public and private data sources for “active” systems operations, where public safety is involved (legal issues). The new data sources will see the first integration with signal systems and freeway management systems for “active” support of systems such as variable speed limits, ramp metering and traffic signal operations. This new use of sourced data will require significant regulatory and policy assessments, however, for private data to make the next step, it will need to be approved for more critical uses.
Transportation Data and Information Management – A relatively new staffing position within operating entities will begin to take shape in 2012. This new position will be responsible for the aggregation, processing, storage and management of all transportation data and information. As data availability and data-reliant services explode, agencies will be faced with increasing internal needs with regards to architecting and managing their transportation data and information systems. Agencies will need to begin considering outsourcing, or staffing this role internally. 2012 will show the initial signs of this trend starting to emerge, as “big data” hits both transportation as well as the enterprise.
Private Data Tools and Services – 2012 will also see new market segment growth in response to the growing need for tools and applications that utilize private data sources. Agencies purchasing private data will be looking to maximize the functional value of the costs associated with the procurement of the private data. This will include stand-alone planning and analytical tools, as well as operational support applications.
CONTINUED GROWTH FOR 2012
A number of next-gen ITS technologies and solutions that emerged in 2011 will see further incubation and in some cases, explosive growth in 2012. The following provides a brief overview of what is expected for the coming year.
DATA Next-Gen Data – Next-Gen Data, including Bluetooth and GPS-based (smartphone) data will continue to take root and expand within the ITS community, as well as provide data and information for the development of Next-Gen ITS. Both public agencies and private vendors will continue to aggregate and integrate mobile, real-time data with current and next-gen ITS. The next 12 months will see increased focus on the big data “piñata”, as both public and private entities come to the realization that the big data “grab” is on, with ownership, usage rights and data openness hanging in the balance. Data coverage and densities will continue to expand at rapid pace, facilitating the emergence of higher-resolution Next-Gen ITS services such as arterial travel-time information systems. Privately sourced data will also see increased use for transportation planning purposes. “Big Data” applications and algorithms will also gain in importance of the next 12 months.
Data Liberation Front – The “Open Data” movement will continue to expand, facilitating continued citizen engagement and establishing fertile ground for the development of applications and solutions generated from the “hive-mind”. “Open Data” initiatives will continue to expand world-wide as we will see continued democratization of many transportation-related data resources. However, some new challenges will also confront the data liberation movement, including Next-Gen issues such as maintenance of crowdsourced applications and resistance from traditional vendors to openly release data that was traditionally private (controlled) under existing contractual agreements.
TRAVELER INFORMATION Next-Gen ATIS – Next-gen traveler information systems will also continue to emerge and mature in 2012. The FHWA’s EnableATIS program, coupled with private industry advancements based on location and mobile technologies, will make 2012 a pivotal year for Next-Gen AITS applications and solutions. As previously noted, Context-Aware, location based applications will begin to firmly take root, and fortify earlier versions of GPS-based traveler information applications. Peer-to-Peer (P2P) data and information exchange, coupled with social analytics and integration data and information from other related ecosystems will continue to enhance the resolution of data collected and information disseminated.
Context-aware, Location-based Services – Next-gen ITS will continue to pivot from earlier technologies and methodologies, and continue migration to mobile, user-based data and information systems, tailored to each individual users (traveler) unique requirements. Traveler information based on individual user-preferences, sentiment analysis, user-history and hyper-local environmental conditions will continue to mature. Geo-tagged, location-based traveler information will also emerge, allowing the provision of traveler information to be pinned (virtually reside) at specific coordinates, and be ingested by those passing through/near those coordinates.
Predictive Analytics and Forecasting – Predictive analytics and forecasting will move to center stage in 2012. Coupled with context-aware solutions, predictive analytics and forecasting will enable further development of user-unique traffic and traveler information systems. Predictive analytics will be enhanced with the addition of social engineering and behavioral management principles, in addition to the arrival of continuously enriched real-time data sets, robust data histograms and advanced modeling and analytics. Embedded predictive analytics will also be implemented in conjunction with gaming mechanics to generate user recommendations that are best suited holistically for the overall efficiency of the transportation network, thus optimizing operational efficiencies.
CONNECTED VEHICLE Connected Vehicle Research and Testing – 2012 will see significant development of the Connected Vehicle program, from the Government’s perspective, including the official launch of the Safety Model Deployment project in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Next-gen ITS initiatives including AERIS and EnableATIS will continue to create the foundation for the pending decisions to be rendered by NHTSA in 2013/2014, as well as continue to frame the technological environment for numerous Next-gen ITS solutions. 2012 will also include further research and advanced development of Dynamic Mobility Applications, which will closely integrate with Context-aware, location-based applications and the Connected Vehicle program. Networking protocols and standards (architectures), both in-vehicle and interfacing with vehicles, will also begin to take shape in 2012.
Smartphone Integration with the Vehicle – 2012 will see enhanced refinement and resolution with regards to the integration of the vehicle and smartphone, continuing migration towards a seamless user (traveler) experience. The OBD-II and the Smartphone’s wireless (Bluetooth) and hardwired ports will be better defined and optimized. The automotive industry will continue to rapidly deploy the commercial infotainment market sector, which will include traveler information and other overlapping ITS-related services via deeper integration with smartphone applications and enhanced embedded vehicle data and information systems. 2012 will also continue to identify, define and refine data and information architecture for the automobile. Ethernet and HTML5 will likely lead the way in the automobile protocol stack.
TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT Systems Integration – 2012 will continue the push towards the integration of ITS. The Integrated Corridor Management (ICM) Systems Initiative will continue to develop and disseminate guidance to assist local agencies with implementing integrated corridors. Demonstration and evaluation of the Pioneer Sites will continue through 2012 (and into 2013). Next-Gen ITS will also continue a slow but assured march towards the integration of existing “stove-piped” transportation systems. Cloud-based applications will facilitate the transition from siloed, stand-alone transportation systems, to fully-fused and homogenous operating systems (further down the road). A key facilitator will reside in the development of applications that interface and integrate with existing instrumented stand-alone systems. The new applications will eventually include multimodal predictive analytics and multimodal management and decision support systems. We will also begin to see the emergence of complex adaptive systems begin to emerge during the initial fusion of systems.
Next-Gen Parking Systems – 2011 saw the continued testing and development of a number of next-gen parking systems throughout the Country. 2012 will see the mainstreaming of new technologies and applications for next-gen parking management. This will include refinement of congestion-pricing schema, further integration with personal mobile devices, as well as integration of parking management systems with adjacent traffic management systems.
LEGISLATIVE Reauthorization – The next transportation bill is expected to pass before the summer of 2012. We’ve heard this a few times before, and there are no guarantees that existing legislation gets extended once again, but most key indicators point to something getting done in Q2 or Q3 of 2012. Of course, the final version of the Bill will greatly impact ITS program development and subsequently steer the direction of many Next-Gen ITS solutions for the coming years. Reauthorization will build around the four Surface Transportation Safety Bills, including S.1953, the Research and Innovative Technology Administration Reauthorization Act of 2011, which extends funding for RITA, that were introduced in December of 2011.
Distracted Driving – 2012 will be a critical year for the continued discussion, definition and legislating of the distracted driving issue. NTSB’s call to ban the use of all electronic devices, although greatly impactful, will ultimately get down to decisions made at the state level. The initial call by the NTSB is already receiving a great deal of push back from the scientific and technology communities, as well as the safety community with regards to actual data supporting the NTSB claims.
COMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY Web-based (Cloud) Solutions – Probably the largest IT-related influencer in 2012 will be the continued movement of central networking and systems to the cloud, as agencies and businesses discover the tremendous cost savings and benefits associated with cloud-based services. Maturing consumer and enterprise services such as Amazon’s EC2 and Microsoft Azure are making it painless and attractive, both fiscally and technically. Current lean economic conditions, coupled with vendor-based goals for developing cloud-based applications will facilitate the initial transitions. Cloud-streaming and cloud-processing will also enrich functional (processing) capabilities at the mobile-user level.
Wireless – 2012 will continue with the wide-scale deployment of so called “4G” cellular services. Naming and specification criteria aside, the bottom line will be increased commercial wireless bandwidths. Also, Wi-Fi will begin initial migration to newer 802.11 protocols, including 802.11ac and 802.11ad. Near Field Communications (NFC) will continue to be demonstrated for next-gen ITS solutions in 2012.
BEST OF THE REST FOR 2012 Next-Gen Policy – 2012 will increase dependencies on policy makers with regards to implementing, operating and maintaining the aforementioned next-gen ITS solutions. In addition to new data management policies, substantial regulatory modeling and framework will be required to address new connected vehicle technologies as well as utilization of private data sources for systems where public safety is concerned.
Social Tools – As previously noted, 2012 will see continued implementation of commercial peer-to-peer (traveler) solutions and applications. These user-based data and information systems (social) will mature in 2012 to include advanced behavioral management strategies, as well as potentially integrating with more formal traffic management systems.
KEY QUESTIONS FOR NEXT-GEN ITS IN 2012
Some of the key variables for 2012 will include:
• How will Reauthorization and continued budget shortfalls in all transportation arenas affect the innovation, realization and growth of next-gen ITS?
• Will mileage-based/usage-based (infrastructure-less) payment and tolling systems get a shot at a large scale deployment? The technology is in place, already being deployed by multiple insurance companies in numerous configurations. Test beds conducted by Oregon, Nevada, Minnesota, Colorado and the I-95 Corridor Coalition, will provide insights to potential deployments and overall viability.
• Will the “Open Data” movement energize existing “Open Source” platforms – will Android and/or the Arduino platform (Open Source) make significant inroads into transportation, and provide a valued resource for Next-Gen ITS?
• What will be the lasting impacts on Next-Gen ITS with regards to the continued “flattening” of organizational hierarchy’s, the “consumerization” of the enterprise, and the “fragmentation” of the internet with regards to proliferation of mobile computing platforms?
• How will Next-Gen ITS begin to address the digital divide that exists technically, socially and economically? As consumerization continues to provide the foundation for next-gen ITS solutions, how will the non-technoliterate adapt and be provided for?
• Will there be a need for an update to the National ITS Architecture, as a result of the recent emergence of aforementioned technologies and solutions?
The Connected Vehicle Safety Pilot Model Deployment Project, initiated as a part of the Connected Vehicle Safety Research Program, represents a new multimodal, joint partnership between the NHTSA, FHWA , FMCSA and the FTA. The primary purpose of the Pilot Project is to gather enough safety data to support NHTSA’s upcoming decisions in 2013 (Light Vehicles) and 2014 (Heavy Vehicles) regarding the viability and future direction of the Connected Vehicle Program. The $14.9 Million Pilot Project, awarded to the University of Michigan’s Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI) on August 19th, 2011, will be conducted in the City of Ann Arbor, Michigan, starting in early 2012,and lasting approximately 30 months.
Safety Applications to be tested will include: Forward Collision Warning (FCW), Emergency Electronic Brake Light (EEBL), Blind Spot/Lane Change Warning (BSW/LCW), Do Not Pass Warning (DNPW), Intersection Movement Assist (IMA) and Left Turn Assist (LTA). The applications will be supported by a number of next-gen devices including, but not limited to: 1) Vehicle Awareness Device (VAD) – device only transmits a safety message (position, speed, etc.), 2) Aftermarket Safety Devices – same functional capabilities as the VAD, but also issues visual and audible alerts; 3) Retrofit Safety Devices, which will connect to a vehicle data bus (OBD-II) and sensors; and 4) Integrated Safety Systems, which include all prior functional capabilities.
The model deployment will include 2,800 vehicles outfitted with 2,450 Vehicle Awareness Devices, 300 Aftermarket Safety Devices and 67 integrated Safety Systems. 73 Lane-miles of roadway will be instrumented, including the deployment of 29 roadside equipment installations. RSUs will be installed at freeway entrances and along freeway segments within the testing area. USDOT will retain ownership of all data generated from the Pilot Project, however, plans are in place to make this data available to the general public as soon as possible. Volpe will provide independent evaluation of the pilot test.
I recently came across a series of presentations that provided an update and deeper dive into the technologies utilized by Google’s Autonomous vehicle, or “self-driving car”. The first is part 2/3 of a keynote presentation by Sebastian Thrun and Chris Urmson on self-driving cars at IROS 2011. This video provides insight into the vehicle sensors utilized and how they interact with the vehicle environment.
This is part 3/3 of the keynote presentation by Sebastian Thrun and Chris Urmson on self-driving cars at IROS 2011. This video takes a look at the future of self-driving vehicles, and how the technologies can be utilized.
The first video takes a look at the evolution of self-driving vehicles.
The recent emergence of new web and mobile computing technologies, coupled with the explosion of high-resolution, context-sensitive data sources has provided a set of powerful tools and resources for ITS practitioners. However, as a result, the implementation of these technologies are generating an expansive array of new policy demands associated with the selection, procurement, installation, operations and overall governance of new systems utilizing these new technologies. The Connected Vehicle, Big Data, Government 2.0 and Private Data are just a few of the next-gen solutions that will require significant policy development.
Big Data and Data Management
The explosion of viable data viable for ITS solutions has given rise to numerous policy challenges. So called “Big Data” represents the exponential growth of data available for ITS via new data sources such as smartphones, connected vehicles and other connected devices (infrastructure). The management of this data will initially present significant policy challenges for public agencies responsible for the entire vertical integration of data management strategies, from the collection (origin), aggregation and processing, to development and dissemination of actionable content (destination). Policy and governing guidelines will be required for basic configuration issues, such as data formatting, to the more complex issue regarding rights and ownership of the new data, throughout the entire “life cycle” of the data. The cloud computing model has also generated issues concerning data management policies.
Private Data
Private data is also generating substantial policy debate. Private data has proven successful for certain “passive” ITS solutions such as providing the data for travel time information. However, the continued integration and “active” use of private data, whether obtained from private citizens or third party data vendors, will pose challenges to those who curate and manage public policy. Can private data be used to supply data to feed traffic management systems where safety is involved? Can private data vendors assume the risk associated with signal systems, freeway management systems or other traffic management systems that require data to fuel operational applications (algorithms)? Traffic management systems are traditionally reliant on publicly owned and operated data sources, such as point detection devices (Microwave, Inductive loop, video, etc.). Legal issues associated with potential tort, negligence and liability will need to be addressed for all systems that “actively” utilize privately sourced data, particularly where human safety is involved.
Open Data
Opening data to the public for crowdsourcing new applications and solutions has yielded valuable transportation tools and applications, but who is responsible for problems associated with the publicly-generated application? Who owns the data that feeds the system? Is the data open and rights-free to anyone in the general public? What about private technology vendors that generate data through their proprietary applications, technologies and/or solutions? Many vendors claim sole rights to the data, which precludes the data from being “open”, even though the data was generated from public infrastructure or the public itself, thus “locking down” the data and precluding it from other, free uses.
Connected Vehicle
The utilization of connected vehicles is possibly the most complex technology that will require significant public policy and governance. Successful implementation of the connected vehicle ecosystem will require addressing substantial policy issues on a number of fronts, including privacy, driver-distraction, data ownership and usage rights, and probably most important, liability. Decisions regarding overarching governance will be required for data ownership and usage-rights for all data transmitted to and from a vehicle (V2V, V2I, etc.), to the cloud, and between public infrastructure and private devices. Who will be liable for accidents related to connected-vehicle data or technology errors?
Government 2.0
The emergence of “Government 2.0” strategies has also posed significant public policy debate. The engagement of the general public for the support of operating and managing public agencies, including transportation systems, has been highly successful in many respects, yet generated a new “breed” of policy issues. In addition, the use of social media tools to implement two-way engagement with the citizens has significantly challenged document management requirements, such as those associated with open records requests, or information management requirements associated with Sarbanes-Oxley.
Others
As always, privacy concerns will be a primary concern for all of the aforementioned policies that are developed. In addition, the “consumerization” of information technologies, where the citizen is taking on the rights and responsibilities of owning and operating their own computer devices, has shifted some of the enterprise strain to the consumer, and facilitated a “flattening” of organizational structures, yet what are the legal responsibilities for the overarching agency where data is generated, or operational efforts are conducted and issues arise? It’s clear that a strong policy framework and organizational governance will be essential in successfully implementing and managing next-gen ITS.
Terranautix 