Toward a Multi-Modal

Advanced Traveler Information System

Kyriacos C. Mouskos, Joshua Greenfeld and Louis J. Pignataro Institute for Transportation New Jersey Institute of Technology This paper appeared in
NJIT Research, Vol. 4, Spring, 1996. This issue was dedicated to Infrastructure

dvanced Traveler Information Systems (ATIS) are an integral component

of the concept of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ATIS). ATIS are envisioned to enhance personal mobility, safety and the productivity of transportation. ATIS can play a pivotal role in reducing traffic congestion, a dilemma that goes far beyond delaying commuters. Traffic congestion slows down the distribution of goods, which, in the end, results in higher costs to the consumer and a negative effect on the national economy. Transportation systems provide a vital link to manufacturing facilities, materials, and a complex network of distribution. Cost advantages that a company might gain through the manufacturing process can be completely offset by inefficiencies in the distribution system. The importance of establishing Advanced Traveler Information Systems for reducing traffic congestion has been reflected in the efforts and funding recently provided by the public and private sector in the United States, Europe, Japan, Australia, Canada and other countries. The primary services of ATIS include pre-trip and/or en route traveler information concerning traffic conditions, route guidance, and "yellow pagetype" information related to traveling as well as entertainment, dining and other services. The development of these systems is primarily due to advancements in traffic surveillance, communication and computational technologies which enable the

monitoring of traffic and environmental conditions for the transportation network, transferring the data to a Traffic Operations Center (TOC), applying the necessary data processing algorithms at the TOC, and sending back information to users and the arterial or freeway system for traffic management. ATIS projects currently being tested in the United States include the CALTRANS Smart Traveler1 in Los Angeles; the Bellvue Smart Traveler in Seattle2; TravTek3 in Orlando, Florida; ADVANCE4 in Chicago; and FASTTRAC5 in Oakland County, Michigan. In our study, a Multi-Modal Advanced Traveler Information System (MATIS)6 was developed under a Geographic Information System data processing platform. Our MATIS provides travelers with access to information concerning route planning by private automobile, mass transit, and ridesharing. The system is accessed by telephone, fax, computer or pager, and would be maintained at a TOC. In this article, we present the principal components of a conceptual MATIS and the one developed in our study. Principal Components of MATIS A MATIS includes the following components: 1. Users of the system, which must be sensitive to their specific needs. 2. Transportation Network Surveillance to monitor traffic flow conditions such as speed, travel time and volume. It also detects incidents and roadway conditions such as ice, flooding and potholes, as well as weather, and construction and maintenance activities. 3. Communication links among the TOC, traffic surveillance system, and users of the system. 4. Data processing to provide timely and accurate responses to the queries of the users. As a result, algorithms and processes are needed for reducing data from the traffic surveillance system; combining data from various surveillance sources; travel time estimation and prediction; traffic assignment; route planning; vehicle location/identification; ride-sharing; incident detection; and input/output user interface. The principal databases for MATIS are a user profile database; a static database; and a dynamic database which provides information on real-time traffic flow patterns such as flow, speed, travel time, volume and incidents, as well as weather and roadway conditions and real-time user queries and travel characteristics.

In our model, we concentrated only on the data processing component of MATIS. Only the users profile and static network databases were developed under the traditional model. Our model also incorporated the following subsystems: Route Planning ATIS for private automobile users (RPATIS); Transit ATIS (TATIS); and Ride Sharing ATIS (RSATIS). Our system was developed under a Geographic Information System platform using ARC/INFO software and census and graphic data from the TIGER files for Union County, New Jersey. We then divided users of the system into subscribers and non-subscribers. Subscribers have their own user profile database which minimized input/output interface time. The users follow a menu-driven interface to put their queries and receive responses based on their preferred choices for each subsystem. MATIS Databases In the user profile database, personal and travel attribute information is stored and could be updated any time the user accesses the system. The user profile database contains the name of the user, home and workplace addresses and phone numbers, preferred departure and arrival times to work, age, gender, smoking habits, and frequently visited addresses. A more detailed description of MATIS can be found in Behnke.1 Additionally, each user could input his or her personal travel characteristics for each mode of transportation chosen. Our static network database is based on the TIGER database system for Union County. It contains the transportation roadway network and its attributes are represented geographically by nodes and links. Nodes represented either roadway intersections or origins and destinations. Links included both physical characteristics such as length, number of lanes, and parking, as well as historical travel time profiles. Also included is the transit network and its attributes, which include, in addition to the roadway network, transit links representing bus and train routes, as well as walking links to transit stops. Bus/train stops are represented as nodes. At times, the same physical link could contain several transit links representing a number of transit routes. The transit network database was created by using a sample of New Jersey Transit bus and train schedules for Union County. MATIS Sub-Systems The Route Planning ATIS (RPATIS) provides private automobile users with

route planning information for their specific origin and destination (0-D) based on their personal criteria. RPATIS uses a subscribers profile database and the static roadway network database to respond to queries from users. The principal characteristics of RPATIS allow users to select or specify facilities he or she prefers to use such as all (default); freeways, or no tollways; travel cost criteria such as fastest (default) or shortest; his or her preferred route; intermediate visit points for the O-D pair; and frequently visited addresses. RPATIS always calculates the fastest route based on time, as well as the one provided based on the users selected criteria. The user has the option of viewing both and making a decision about which one to follow. The route planning procedure we used is embedded in the ARC/INFO software, utilizing fixed link travel time impedances. We believe an operational real-time RPATIS will need to incorporate a time-dependent route planning algorithm and ultimately a dynamic traffic assignment to take into consideration the dynamic behavior of traffic, as well as the users chosen characteristics. The Transit ATIS (TATIS) provides transit users with route planning and schedules for their specific O-D pair. An important contribution from our study was the development of a procedure which considers the intermodal aspect of transit route planning, as well as user specific criteria that are usually included in current TATIS. The primary characteristics of our TATIS are maximum number of transfers specified by the user; maximum time he or she is willing to wait at transfer locations; maximum distance he or she is willing to walk to make a transfer; and coding the transit network bus, train schedule and stops into the Geographic Information System through dynamic segmentation. In addition, the user could specify the preferred arrival time to a destination and the algorithm would provide both the fastest route and the required departure time. This is a unique and important feature of our TATIS and ATIS in general. The output provides the path to be followed which includes bus stops, transfer points, bus or train arrivals and departures at each station, en route travel time, and waiting time at each transfer station. In addition, the output provides three additional alternate routes based on the users criteria. The user has the option of seeing the path chosen or receiving it in the form of directions. The TATIS system that we developed is described in detail in Koncz.7

The Ride-Sharing (RSATIS) provides travelers with the option of driving with someone else from their origin to their destination. The principal characteristics of RSATIS allow drivers and passengers to match both trip schedules and personal characteristics. Trip schedules match drivers with passengers whose origin and destination are within a specific radius and or those who have a portion of their trip overlapping with the drivers O-D path. Trip schedule matching is also determined by commonly acceptable departure and arrival times. Personal characteristics are also matched, taking into consideration preferences such as gender, age, smoking habits and profession. RATIS also allows for confirmation or cancellation or ride-sharing. Drivers and passengers must inform the system once a match is confirmed or a ridesharing request is canceled. The system also reallocates passengers once a driver or passenger cancels his or her availability for ride-sharing. The algorithm that we developed for RSATIS is described in detail in Mouskos6 and Zheng.8 The output provides the path to be followed which includes bus stops, transfer points, bus or train arrivals and departures at each station, en route travel time, and waiting time at each transfer station. In addition, the output provides three additional alternate routes based on the users criteria. The user has the option of seeing the path chosen or receiving it in the form of directions. The TATIS system that we developed is described in detail in Koncz.7 The Ride-Sharing (RSATIS) provides travelers with the option of driving with someone else from their origin to their destination. The principal characteristics of RSATIS allow drivers and passengers to match both trip schedules and personal characteristics. Trip schedules match drivers with passengers whose origin and destination are within a specific radius and or those who have a portion of their trip overlapping with the drivers O-D path. Trip schedule matching is also determined by commonly acceptable departure and arrival times. Personal characteristics are also matched, taking into consideration preferences such as gender, age, smoking habits and profession. RATIS also allows for confirmation or cancellation or ride-sharing. Drivers and passengers must inform the system once a match is confirmed or a ridesharing request is canceled. A graphical representation of spatial matching is presented in Figure 3. The system also reallocates passengers once a driver or passenger cancels his or her availability for ride-sharing. The algorithm that we developed for RSATIS is described in detail in Mouskos6 and Zheng.8

The user interface of MATIS is intended to be used either directly by the users at kiosks, through computers at home and in the workplace, or by the operators of an ATIS service. Users can provide their input and receive the output through a a menu-driven interface which we developed by using the special functions of ARC/INFO. The input/output interface uses the X-windows platform of the SUN SPARC station. Subscribers to the system can either make changes to their user profile database or request information from any of the subsystems. The system then presents a response to the queries based on the users profile attributes for each mode of travel. Non-subscribers have to input the necessary attributes for a special mode they want information on in order for MATIS to provide a proper response. Comments MATIS primary contribution is the unified approach of integrating different modes of travel, providing flexibility to users for information selection on any mode of travel. Once implemented, MATIS could have significant impact on travel behavior. Our system may be used for off-line studies of a transportation network, as well as an ATIS platform where travelers may be surveyed to examine the systems different components. The system may be further improved to develop intermodal route planning algorithms which take into consideration any mixture of available travel modes; however, this is a non-trivial task. More importantly, MATIS will need to be improved to handle real-time operations. This will require the design of an efficient hardware/software platform to handle multiple queries within a short time frame and in an efficient manner acceptable to the user. Implementation of a full scale system may be accomplished in stages by adding more functions and services. Providing multiple alternatives to users for reaching their destinations, taking into consideration the variability among travelers, understanding their specific needs and preferences, and a userfriendly service environment are critical components for making MATIS attractive to the public. MATIS-type systems also will enable transportation planners to develop more accurate traffic assignment techniques by studying the users travel behavior. In addition, the traffic operators will be able to develop more efficient traffic control techniques, given the on-line traffic patterns of the users of the system.

Implementing MATIS will require considerable investments by users in such items as cellular phones, computers, in-vehicle navigation systems, and software to communicate with the system, perform data processing and receive responses to their queries. In addition, infrastructure investments will be needed for building facilities to house TOCs, purchasing hardware and software, installing communication systems (coaxial or fiber optic cables, antenna stations, and FM radio stations), and installing network surveillance systems (traffic and roadway sensors, weather stations). Investments also will e needed for maintenance and operation of the system. The users will dictate the services they want from MATIS and the level of funding they are willing to provide. Our study was funded by the Federal Highway Administration as part of a cooperative agreement with NJIT and the Institute for Transportation for the development of an ITS program at NJIT. The study also was partially funded by NJIT. Our model was developed using a SUN SPARC 10 workstation and PC compatibles at the Institute for Transportations computer laboratory. The following graduate research assistants from the Institute for Transportation contributed to this study: Peda Babu Kandru, Nicholas Koncz, Jilong Zheng and Qifeng Zeng. This study was also presented at the 2nd ITS World Congress in Yokohama, Japan, November 9-11, 1995.
References: 1. Behnke, R. (1992). California Smart Traveler System. (USDOT Report No. DOT-T-92-16), Washington, D.C. 2. Piarrati, D. et. al. (1993). Bellvue Smart Traveler and Cellular Telecommunications. (USDOT Report No. DOT-T-92-16), Washington, D.C. 3. Perez, W. et. al. (1993). TravTek field study results to date. Proceedings of IVHS America 1993 Annual Meeting. 667-673. 4. Ligas, J. et. al. (1993). An update on ADVANCE. Proceedings of IVHS America 1993 Annual Meeting, 621-625. 5. Barbaresso, J. and Grubba, J. (1993). Overview of the FASTTRAC IVHS program. Proceedings of IVHS America 1993 Annual Meeting, 630-637. 6. Mouskos K. et. al. (1995). Multi-Modal ATIS (draft Report to Federal Highway Administration, Newark, NJ. New Jersey Institute of Technology. Institute for Transportation. 7. Koncz, N. (1994) A GIS-Based Multi-Modal Multiple Optimal Path TATIS.

Unpublished masters thesis. New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, NJ. 8. Zheng, J., Greenfeld, J., and Mouskos, K. (1995). A GIS-based ride-sharing ATIS. Proceedings of GIS-T.