Transportation communications interoperability : phase 2, resource evaluation.

642218189Final report; July 2005-Dec. 2006.PDFTech ReportFHWA-AZ-06-569SPR-PL-1 (065) 569R0569 16P (FY 2004)RadioMobile radioCommunication systemsWireless communication systemsCommunication devicesArizonaArizona. Dept. of TransportationTannehill, RickHenry, MicahITS Engineers and Constructors Inc.Arizona. Dept. of TransportationUnited States. Federal Highway AdministrationNTL-PLANNING AND POLICY-Technology TransferNTL-INTELLIGENT TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS-Traveler InformationUS Transportation CollectionBased on the Arizona Department of Transportation\ue2\u20ac\u2122s (ADOT) previous SPR-561 \ue2\u20ac\u2dcNeeds Assessment\ue2\u20ac\u2122 study, thisreport continues the efforts to enhance radio interoperability between Department of Public Safety (DPS) HighwayPatrol officers and ADOT field personnel. Ideally, any DPS officer should be able to communicate with any ADOThighway worker in the rural areas. The SPR 561 project recommended two pilot programs: (a) testing ofsecondary VHF radios to be installed in several squads of DPS patrol cars, and (b) testing of dispatch consoleinterties, or \ue2\u20ac\u2dccrosspatching,\ue2\u20ac\u2122 by regional DPS dispatchers and by ADOT\ue2\u20ac\u2122s Phoenix Traffic Operations Center.This report outlines the implementation and evaluation aspects of the radio interoperability pilot program, to includeevaluation of user needs, suggested deployments, development of training and evaluation plans, and defining apractical evaluation period for assessment of the programs. User needs were developed through a series ofstakeholder meetings and follow-up discussions and interviews to identify critical areas. Previous attempts atinteroperability were reviewed and analyzed to determine successes and challenges. A train-the-trainer plan wasdeveloped to support an on-going program such that refresher courses would be available, as well as opportunitiesto train new employees. The evaluation plan identifies the feedback methods used for the program, which includedfield interviews, dispatch log sheets, and interoperability field reports. Data reduction was performed to determineresponse times, message latency, any follow-up meetings needed, level of confusion, frequency of use, and userperception. An evaluation period of seven months was sufficient to support the analysis of radio interoperability.Of three final recommendations from this successful pilot program, the key point is to deploy secondary car-to-carVHF radios in all highway patrol units in the rural areas of the state for direct contact with ADOT personnel. Thedispatch console crosspatch resource is also in place as a tool for special events, incidents, or joint operationssuch as forest fires or winter storms. Ongoing training, testing, and feedback comprise a third key element