Chapter 5. Benefits and Conclusions

As noted earlier, many agencies operating traveler information systems now rely on a RCRS as the central clearinghouse of information. This chapter first presents a summary of the benefits of RCRS use, as well as a summary of the benefits that public agencies could expect if they implemented some combinations of the industry practices described in this report. Concluding remarks are provided at the end of this chapter.

Overall Benefits

The creation of the Internet and the designation of the three digit 511 phone number for traveler information, together with federal initiatives to advance nationwide traveler information, were all catalysts for significant advances in traveler information. Still, although the Internet and 511 phone designation are key information dissemination options to deliver information to travelers, the quality and timeliness of the information relies on a stable source. RCRSs now serve as the stable repository for various data and information types associated with locations along the road network that make the creation of maps, text descriptions or spoken announcements straight-forward. Therefore, in many ways the creation and evolution of RCRSs is yet another catalyst that has helped advance traveler information to the state it is in today. Some benefits of RCRS use include:

• A structure that allows one central repository of data and information describing all types of transportation events that can feed multiple information dissemination mechanisms;
• Multiple users within multiple agencies can enter and edit events in one central RCRS, allowing for the fusion of data and dissemination of traveler information that includes multiple jurisdictions;
• RCRSs often locate events against an established road network, allowing for events to be described according to their starting and ending points along a highway, and enabling automated spoken announcements, text displays or map displays of events;
• RCRSs can serve as a clearinghouse, allowing data and information sharing with other traveler information providers who will disseminate the information to their customers; and
• As travelers’ expectations have changed with new technologies and the use of mobile devices, RCRSs have provided an easy transition into information delivery that now includes social media outlets. Looking toward the future, whatever the next generation information dissemination approaches are, RCRSs will most certainly provide the common clearinghouse of data and information.

Benefits of Industry Practices Described in This Document

Roadwork Information Assembly

Three industry practices were identified in this project specifically related to roadwork information assembly into an RCRS. These industry practices all related to increasing the number of roadwork events in the RCRS and improving the accuracy and comprehensiveness of the reports, therefore helping agencies achieve and maintain compliance with 23 CFR 511 requirements. Although the actual benefits will depend upon the specific practices deployed, the following are examples of the general benefits achieved through the industry practices related to roadwork information assembly:

• Reduced workload entering roadwork in multiple systems;
• Increased percentage of road work activities included; and
• Increased detail and timeliness of information describing road work.

Incident / Event Information Assembly

Nine industry practices were identified in this document related to incident and event entry into the RCRS. These practices include modules for automated incident entry as well as staffing approaches and partnership ideas that help encourage timely manual entry. Therefore, each of these practices can help agencies achieve the requirements of 23 CFR 511. The actual benefits will depend on the specific industry practice deployed, but following are examples of general benefits provided by the industry practices associated with information and event information assembly:

• Reduced workload and operator costs to perform incident entry;
• Increased number of incident/event information;
• Increased details about incidents and events included;
• Increased timeliness of incident/event updates;
• Automatic source of performance management information; and
• Improved sharing of resources between DOT and law enforcement centers to accommodate 24-hour coverage.

Road Weather Information Assembly

The research in this project identified a total of 12 industry practices that offer benefits to agencies in the area of road weather information assembly. The practices include approaches for automated ingest of road weather data, as well as strategies for assembling and entering manual reports. Each industry practice has the potential to help agencies meet the 23 CFR 511 requirements for road condition reporting. Depending upon which road weather related industry practices are deployed, agencies might expect the following benefits:

• Reduced workload and operator costs to perform road weather event entry;
• Increased coverage of road condition descriptions;
• Additional data from new sources adds new perspective to understanding road conditions;
• Increased accuracy and timeliness of road weather descriptions;
• Improved sharing of resources between DOT and law enforcement centers to accommodate 24-hour coverage; and
• Improved understanding of relationships between weather and crashes.

Travel Time Information Assembly

Five industry practices were cited to support travel time information assembly. Each described options for automated ingest of speed or travel time data, and each could help agencies achieve the requirements of 23 CFR 511. Depending upon which travel time related industry practices are deployed, agencies might expect the following benefits:

• Increased travel time and speed information available to travelers;
• Reduced workload and operator costs to manually enter traffic events;
• Increased accuracy and timeliness of travel time information; and
• Better operator observations of broader network traffic conditions.

Transit Information Assembly

Two industry practices were identified integration of transit information with RCRSs. Although there are no specific 23 CFR 511 requirements for transit information currently, these industry practices were documented to illustrate the following potential benefits if implemented:

• More comprehensive traveler information by combining transit and highway traveler information data in one source;
• Additional opportunity for travelers to compare information about and choose among modes of transportation; and
• Added benefit of allowing RCRSs to exchange data with Google Transit Trip Planner using the GTFS protocol.

Other Benefits of Industry Practices

In addition to the practices directly related to traveler information, a total of 18 additional practices were identified and categorized as industry practices related to:

• Regional integration and interoperability;
• Data reliability, accuracy, and timeliness;
• Funding and managing RCRS development and system changes; and
• Balancing between all the possible RCRS features and those that are most practical.

Collectively, these industry practices offer a variety of benefits, including:

• Reduced RCRS development and maintenance costs;
• More efficient management of RCRS changes and enhancements;
• Sharing of lessons learned with other agencies operating similar RCRSs;
• Leveraging enhancements across multiple agencies;
• Flexibility in software design; and
• Improved performance measure reporting.

Conclusions

In 2014, the vast majority of travelers throughout the United States are connected to sources of traveler information from the time they conceive a trip through the completion of the trip. Expectations are high for timely, comprehensive information that helps ensure efficient and safe travel. With support from several federal initiatives in recent years, state and local DOTs now operate comprehensive data and information assembly and dissemination systems that meet these expectations to the extent possible. An RCRS is a key element of the overall framework of systems that make traveler information possible. As a result, a typical DOT now includes the operation and management of their RCRS as a ‘mission critical’ function. Despite this designation, each DOT has to operate and manage their RCRS at a time when budgets are restricted and available funding is limited. Fortunately, the role of RCRSs is similar across most DOTs. This creates an environment where technology transfer and sharing of lessons learned from one agency to another can have tremendous benefits. As such, this document has identified numerous industry practices for RCRS development, use and management that have already benefitted transportation agencies and can be further leveraged by others.

The four most significant trends that appear throughout the industry practices are:

• A movement toward increased automated entry or ingest of data describing events and conditions;
• Combining reporting activities and forming partnerships to reduce workload and avoid duplicating activities;
• Joint development and collaboration to develop and enhance RCRSs; and
• Creating RCRS architectures that enable performance measure reporting directly from the RCRS.

Finally, the benefits documented in this report suggest that the compilation and implementation of industry practices can help reduce the burden of costs and personnel time placed on a DOT operating a RCRS.