Integration of Emergency and Weather Elements into Transportation Management Centers

Intelligent Transportation Systems Joint Program Office2006PDFTech ReportCluett, ChristopherKitchener, FredShank, DwightOsborne, Leon F.Conger, Steven M.Battelle Memorial InstituteUnited States. Federal Highway AdministrationUnited States. Federal Highway AdministrationUnited StatesTraffic control centersTransportation operationsIntelligent transportation systemsEmergency managementWeatherOrganizational effectivenessStrategic planningEmergency transportation operationsIntegrated corridor management systems (ICMS)Nationwide surface transportation weather observing and forecasting systemClarusVehicle infrastructure integration (VII)Traffic management centerFHWA-HOP-06-090DTFH61-01-C-00182Pisano, PaulFinal reportIntegration as applied to transportation management and operations is a concept that reflects how Transportation Management Center (TMC) operators, agencies internal to the TMC, external agencies and support systems interact to improve transportation operations, safety, security and customer satisfaction. Integration is a catalyst and a tool for enhancing operational performance and is one of a variety of strategies available to, and used by, TMCs. This study is part of an ongoing Federal Highway Administration research effort that seeks to document transportation operations across the country and identify strategies that can enhance the operational effectiveness of transportation management systems in general and TMCs in particular. The TMC Integration study documents how weather and emergency information and systems are being integrated into transportation operations now and the potential for applying practical, effective concepts and methods of integration in the future. The study investigated the needs and opportunities for TMC integration of emergency and weather information and systems, and further explored the concepts, methods and potential for integration to benefit operations. Thirty-eight TMCs across the country that demonstrated current best practices in integration were interviewed and ten of those selected for site visits. A concept of integration and measures of integration attainment were developed and described. The state of the practice was reviewed, and challenges to integration identified along with strategies for addressing those challenges. Benefits of integration were presented, best practices described, and recommendations offered for how weather and emergency integration in TMCs could be initiated or enhanced. The practice of weather and emergency integration in TMCs is in its infancy, but the examples of best practices in selected TMCs across the country offer examples of the long-term value of an integrated approach to transportation operations that other TMCs can emulate. It is hoped that the lessons learned in this study can help inspire and guide widespread efforts to achieve the benefits of integration in more TMCs in the future.119