Inside the TERL

The SunGuide Disseminator
is a publication of:

Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT)
Traffic Engineering and Operations Office
605 Suwannee Street, M.S. 36
Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0450
(850) 410-5600
www.dot.state.fl.us.com

Introducing the SunGuide™ Report Repository

The end of 2007 was marked by a significant contribution from the SunGuide™ Software’s newly developed module—the reporting subsystem—to the ITS community in the state of Florida. With 50+ new and uniform ITS reports, generated from an enormous amount of traffic data through the SunGuide Software, this new subsystem turns raw data collected by and stored in the SunGuide Software into useful and usable information, such as tables, graphs and charts. In today’s environment, it is critical that information is easily available whenever needed, especially traffic system performance measures that require accurate reporting for continued feedback.

More than half of these reports were developed from the iFlorida project legacy reports and from District 4’s reports. There is a need to have documentation of all new reports (e.g. purpose, intended audience, definitions etc.). The SunGuide Report Repository (SRR) will provide the FDOT with a centralized storage area for report templates and documentation. The SRR and its guidelines were developed to ensure efficiency, ease of use, and uniformity of the FDOT traffic-related reports being produced and used in Florida. The SRR provides a fast and effective way of viewing and sharing reports generated through the SunGuide Software. The SRR acts as a “playground” for Districts and state agencies to share information and experiment with various preformatted documents on the purpose, users, definitions, and data source of each report. In short, SRR is a supplemental tool that allows the FDOT Central Office to manage all SunGuide Software reports and allows the Districts and state agencies to share/exchange these reports.

Other supplemental objectives of SRR are to:

• Create uniform traffic related reports;
• Provide a fast and effective way of viewing and downloading reports;
• Validate the accuracy of report data;
• Share information/experiences among Districts and state agencies;
• Document the purpose, users, definitions, and data source of each report; and
• Control report versions.

Districts, state agencies, and other FDOT offices (Planning, Statistics, etc.) will be able to create their own report templates using the Crystal Report software. All of the report templates, sent by the Districts and other SunGuide Software users, to be kept in the SRR will be checked for compliance and validation by the FDOT Traffic Engineering and Operations Office (i.e., correct version of Crystal Reports, redundancy with existing reports, etc.).

The SRR is being deployed on the FDOT SharePoint. Microsoft® Windows SharePoint is a collaborative tool for convenient document sharing in the workplace. This application allows multiple users to review and edit documents in the same location; as well as allowing those who are geographically separated to work together productively as a team via the internet. Sharepoint is easily deployed and is compatible with everyday Microsoft Office applications.

This article was provided by Trey Tillander, FDOT Traffic Engineering and Operations. For more information, please contact Mr. Tillander at (850) 41--5617 or email Trey.Tillander@dot.state.fl.us.

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Commercial Security of ITS Microwave Facilities

Government agencies, telecommunications companies, builders, and private residences are increasingly becoming the victims of copper theft burglaries. Recently, the value of raw copper has increased to $4.00 per pound—and is still increasing. This surge in the material’s cost has made items containing copper, such as telecommunications cables, electrical wiring, and water and air conditioning system plumbing, highly desirable targets for thieves. Some industry estimates indicate that incidents of copper theft have increased over 1000 percent per year since 2005. In 2007, the United States Department of Energy called copper theft a $1 billion problem that was growing larger.

Copper theft is costly to everyone. It is important to recognize that the true cost of copper theft is not the copper material value lost, but the cost to replace and restore systems to normal operation. The average material value of a telecommunications site copper heist may be $1,000, but the typical replacement cost can exceed $50,000. While air conditioning and water systems robbed of their copper piping may cause discomfort and high replacement costs, other outages caused by copper theft can prevent communications with critical public safety and emergency services. Disruption of critical telecommunications services could ultimately impact national security interests.

Recent vandalism and burglaries at three of the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) ITS microwave sites have shown a need to upgrade the existing security measures in place at these remote communications facilities. In these incidents, the primary target was the theft of copper grounding material used in the electrical grounding, bonding, and lightning protection scheme of the communications site. The copper grounding material is used to protect the site against direct lightning strikes, transient surges, and to provide proper electrical bonding for proper operation and protection of the vital ITS communications equipment located at the site. Additionally, and equally important, the grounding system provides for the safety of any persons that may come in contact with equipment or other metallic objects at the site.

In late September 2007, copper thieves burglarized a remote central Florida ITS microwave site causing extensive damage to the facility’s interior and exterior copper grounding system. The thieves apparently accessed the microwave site compound by cutting the fence fabric and entering the southwest corner of the secured perimeter fence. All above-ground exterior copper grounding was cut and removed along with the transmission line grounding bus bar at the base of the tower. The shelter door was severely damaged by the intruders. All grounding conductors inside the shelter were cut and removed. The motorist aid system (traveler’s roadside call box system) transmission lines were cut and the associated lightning protection devices were stolen along with the interior ground halo.

At the time of the burglary, all normal site security measures were in place, including the site’s secured compound perimeter fence, dual language “No Trespassing” signs, Federal Communications Commission radio frequency radiation warning signs, exterior site lighting, and magnetic door intrusion alarm. The magnetic door contacts are interconnected to the NetBoss microwave alarm monitoring system, providing a computerized record of door entry into the communications shelter.

The ITS microwave network comprises 64 standalone station facilities. Some of the sites are located in areas with heavy traffic and in state agency compounds. Others are located in remote areas off of major roadways or in secluded interchanges. Passers-by and trained law enforcement may not be aware that a site burglary is taking place based merely on viewing site access activities. In some instances thieves dress as maintenance-type personnel and are equipped with tower climbing gear, safety equipment, and vehicles that appear to be those used for routine maintenance or construction activities which take place at an operational site. Detecting burglaries in progress and apprehending criminals engaged in copper thefts are daunting problems with no absolute solutions.

Cost-effective measures are being taken to enhance surveillance of FDOT’s remote ITS microwave facilities to actively deter copper burglaries. A variety of outdoor sensors, such as sonar motions detectors, fence seismic detectors, and closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera, are under consideration to complement indoor security sensors. Often, adequate criminal activity education, security personnel training, and effective communications procedures can be far more economical than technical solutions.

Statewide procedures are now established for handling unexpected site intrusion alarms. Each remote microwave site is equipped with an ITS network “Red Phone” that enables authorized personnel to place site access notification calls. The “Red Phone” also enables security personnel to call and interrogate any site to investigate unexpected intrusion alarm activations that may occur. A statewide law enforcement emergency contact list is in place enabling security personnel to notify particular law enforcement agencies based on site location and jurisdiction.

In an effort to further deter site intrusions, additional security signs are being posted on each microwave compound perimeter fence to educate and warn would-be burglars of security surveillance devices in operation at the site. Daily teleconferences are conducted to communicate site activity awareness and status.

FDOT personnel and contractors are prompted to keep a watchful eye on assets and report any suspicious activities. ITS engineers will continue to monitor and work to improve the security and functionality of our statewide communications system and facilities.

This article was provided by Randy Pierce, FDOT Traffic Engineering and Operations. For more information, please contact Mr. Pierce at (850) 410-5608 or email Randy.Pierce@dot.state.fl.us.

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Moving 95 Express Forward With ITS

As part of the Florida Department of Transportation’s (FDOT’s) continuing efforts to improve mobility, an important congestion management concept has been added to the FDOT’s tool box. Managed lanes is the concept of increasing freeway efficiency and maximizing existing traffic capacity by using various operational strategies. In southeast Florida one major strategy is the 95 Express high occupancy toll (HOT) lanes. This effort will give the FDOT greater ability to proactively manage traffic and provide FDOT’s customers, the traveling public, with enhanced trip choices.

The 95 Express project converts the existing high occupancy vehicles (HOV) lanes along 21 miles of I-95, from I-395 in Miami-Dade County to I-595 in Broward County, to limited-access managed lanes, called express lanes. By converting HOV lanes into HOT lanes, 95 Express provides a viable option to South Florida motorists for consistent and dependable travel conditions, particularly during peak travel times. These HOT lanes are separated from regular traffic lanes and motorists can choose to use them when their time is more valuable than the cost of the toll. Bus rapid transit; registered HOVs with three or more people, registered hybrid vehicles, registered over the road buses, motorcycles, and emergency vehicles may use the express lanes at no cost. Single occupant vehicle (SOV) customers can choose to use the express lanes by paying the toll electronically through SunPass®. Variable toll pricing will fluctuate to maintain traffic in the express lanes at a target speed of approximately 50 miles per hour or greater while maximizing flow rate.

Congestion management projects, such as 95 Express, are not possible without enabling intelligent transportation systems (ITS) technology. ITS components that enable 95 Express include dynamic message signs (DMS), electronic toll collection (ETC), vehicle detector systems (VDS), closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras, ramp signals, communications infrastructure, and central software.

The most visible and critical 95 Express ITS component are DMSs. In order for I-95 travelers to make informed choices, they must know the 95 Express price prior to using the facility. Since the toll rate changes based on real-time traffic conditions, DMSs are a critical ITS technology to keeping motorists informed. DMSs are used to display toll rate information prior to entering the express lanes and as a confirmation once a motorist is using the facility.

To ensure that motorists properly use the 95 Express lanes, the FDOT must maintain a violation enforcement program. SOV motorists who do not have a SunPass transponder will have their license plates photographed and may receive a notice or citation for failing to pay the toll. LPR technology is a primary component of the FTE violation enforcement system. LPRs facilitate the automatic recognition of vehicle license plates significantly reducing the labor required for the violation enforcement process.

To actively monitor and manage the 95 Express lanes, real-time traffic data is required. This data is provided by VDS technology. The VDS enables non-intrusive detection of vehicles allowing collection of volume, speed, and density data. This traffic data is used by the Miami Regional Transportation Management Center (RTMC) to detect incidents and proactively manage traffic. VDS technology is also used to detect vehicles at the ETC point for toll collection and enforcement.

CCTV cameras are a traditional ITS component that enable a new aspect required for the 95 Express operations. Because accurate, timely toll rate information is crucial to the express lanes operations, CCTV cameras allow the operators at the RTMC to verify that the toll rate displays update each time the toll rates change (or should be changed). CCTV cameras also provide real-time visual verification as traffic responds to the changing toll rates. Of course, cameras continue to assist in all of the traditional freeway operations tasks such as incident management.

The communications infrastructure and the central software are the ITS components that bring all the previously described ITS components together into a functioning system. 95 Express requires high-availability communications for express lanes operations, toll collection, and ramp signaling. This is satisfied by a high bandwidth and redundant fiber optic communications system. The communications system is an excellent example of a successful Public-Public-Partnership between the FDOT District 6, FTE, and the Miami-Dade Expressway Authority (MDX). Redundancy is provided by eight fiber optic cable strands along the FDOT District 6’s I-95 and Palmetto Parkway; FTE’s Turnpike Mainline and Homestead Extension; and MDX’s SR 836.

ITS central software is used to implement variable tolling based on congestion pricing and to manage ramp signaling. For 95 Express, this means that if travel speeds in the express lanes start to slow below approximately 53 miles per hour, the toll increases to maintain a free flowing condition. Implementing variable tolling requires automated and intelligent monitoring which is enabled by software.

In August 2007, the FDOT initiated central software enhancements to support the state’s HOT lanes efforts, and specifically the 95 Express project. The SunGuide TM Software is an advanced traffic management system that was chosen to provide key express lanes functionality and to leverage existing software technologies already used by the FDOT Districts 4 and 6.

The SunGuide Software applies variable toll rate changes, displays the toll rates on DMSs, and communicates the toll rates to FTE. SunGuide allows the configuration of toll rates by segment, time of day (TOD), day of week, and type of day. DMS messages include the cost of the associated segment and the cumulative total of upcoming segments. For normal operations, SunGuide Software applies toll rate changes based on a configurable TOD schedule.

For abnormal operational conditions, the RTMC operator has three override mode options. The “Congested” override mode is typically used if heavy demand causes congestion in the express lanes. The “Closed” override mode is enacted for maintenance or if there is a major lane-blocking incident in the express lanes. The “Zero Rate” override mode is used if traffic is diverted into the express lanes due to a major lane-blocking incident in the general purpose lanes or during emergency evacuations.

The FDOT continues to strive for new technologies and strategies to ease congestion and improve safety along Florida’s evolving freeways. The 95 Express project meets this call for action and ITS provides the technology base for efficient operations. Managed lanes and ITS enhance mobility in Florida, thereby providing better service to FDOT’s customers—the traveling public.

This article was provided by Rory Santana, FDOT District 6. For more information, please contact Mr. Santana at (305) 470-6934 or email Rory.Santana@dot.state.fl.us.

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Vehicle Infrastructure Integration Update

Safety has been, and will continue to be, the number one priority of vehicle infrastructure integration (VII). Despite great improvements in both vehicle safety features and our highway infrastructure, we continue to see more than 40,000 traffic fatalities and over $260 billion in economic losses annually. Active safety applications, which VII will provide by connecting vehicles with each other and the infrastructure utilizing dedicated short range communication at 5.9 GHz (DSRC 5.9), provide that breakthrough which will make our highways significantly safer.

Cooperative proof of concept testing between the public sector and the automakers is continuing in Detroit and Palo Alto, with published results due this fall. Preliminary results have been very positive. The Executive Leadership Team for the VII Coalition met on May 15 and unanimously agreed to continue their investment in VII and to accelerate efforts in the business, deployment, security, and governance areas.

The national VII program is focusing on developing active safety applications, such as intersection collision avoidance (red light running prevention) and electronic brake light warning (stopped traffic ahead) while still supporting mobility applications. DSRC 5.9 is the only media which fully supports active safety applications; while it and others, such as Wireless Fidelity (WiFi), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax), and cellular, are able to support mobility applications like traffic information.

One of the hottest selling items last holiday shopping season was after-market navigation units. This trend is expected to continue this coming season as prices drop and new suppliers enter the market. The use of global positioning system technology in these devices and others, such as cell phones, is providing for a consumer driven advancement of the VII concept as the VII Coalition continues moving forward with a coordinated national deployment that has active safety and mobility applications.

This article was provided by George Gilhooley, HNTB. For more information, please contact Mr. Gilhooley at (407) 805-0355 or email GGilhooley@HNTB.com.

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Inside the TERL

The FDOT has a goal to assure that only a safe and uniform traffic control and ITS are implemented in the state of Florida. The Traffic Engineering Research Lab (TERL) plays a part in obtaining this goal by satisfying Florida Statute 316.0745 - Uniform Signals & Devices. Below is a look Inside the TERL at activities that help accomplish our goal.

Product Evaluations
Signalized Intersection and ITS Products
As of July 2008, 79 applications have been submitted for listing on the Approved Product List APL). Out of these applications, 51 have been approved for product evaluation. Out of the 51 approved applications, 30 products have been received for evaluation. Of the 30 products received, 11 products have received approval, 9 products failed, and 10 product evaluations are pending. The remaining 21 products have not been received by the TERL and are awaiting first time submittal or resubmittal due to problems.

Approved products can be viewed at the following Web pages:

• Signalized Intersection products - www3.dot.state.fl.us/trafficcontrolproducts
• ITS products - www.dot.state.fl.us/TrafficOperations/Traf_Sys/ITS%20APL/TemporaryITSAPL.htm

Product Specifications
There are currently four product specification in the development stage and four planned for the near future.

APL Vendor Quality Assurance System Evaluation
A manufacturer is required to be qualified before a device can be evaluated for listing on the APL. There are currently a total of 82 qualified manufacturers, of which 29 manufacturers have recently been re-qualified. Re-qualification is due on a four year basis.

This article was provided by Jeff Morgan, FDOT Traffic Engineering and Operations Office. For more information, please contact Mr. Morgan at (850) 921-7354 or email Jeffrey.Morgan@dot.state.fl.us.

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ITS Florida: Transpo2008™—Piecing It All Together

How many of you out there have never attended any Transpo Conference?
Good, not too many hands up.

Now, how many of you have not yet registered for Transpo2008?
Bummer, too many hands up.

Well, there is still time to register before Monday, September 22, when the Transpo2008™ Golf Tourney tees off at 8:30 a.m. at the fabulous Rosen Shingle Creek Golf Club and the conference itself kicks off at 6:00 p.m. with an Ice Breaker Reception at the conference venue—the beautiful Rosen Centre Hotel—all on or near International Drive in sunny Orlando, Florida.

Why Should You Attend Transpo2008™?
Well, we believe it is the second or third largest ITS event in the nation, only behind the ITS America Annual Meeting and Exposition and the 2002 ITS World Congress in Chicago. This year, and likely from now on, those events will be held together, so we should remain number 2 from here on out.

So why do 450 to 500 transportation professionals attend Transpo every other years?

• It always has a dynamite technical program. This year, in keeping with our theme, there are four super tracks—Plan, Implement, Manage, and Innovate (more on these later).
• Leaders in transportation and ITS always make important pronouncements at Transpo. This year, Transpo features the following VIP speakers:

• ITS America (ITSA) President and CEO, Scott Belcher, News from ITSA
• Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) International President (to be), Ken Voigt, News from ITE
• Assistant Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Division Administrator, James Christian, ITS in the Reauthorization
• Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) Secretary Stephanie Kopelousos, Keynote Address (tentatively, P3s—Connecting Florida Through New Planning, Implementation, Management, and Innovation Paradigms)

• The exhibition is always great; indeed several exhibitors have told us they get more bang for the buck at Transpo than, well you know, the “Hertz” ITS Conference.
• The host organizations and their members are the leaders in planning, implementing, managing, and operating—Florida Division of FHWA, FDOT, Florida Section/District 10 of ITE (FSITE), and ITS Florida (ITSFL).
• The banquet is a stellar event and FSITE and ITSFL present their awards to their most deserving members in the state.
• Last, but certainly not least, the networking is the best you’ll find. In fact, that’s what most delegates tell us is the best thing about Transpo—sharing new ideas with friends and colleagues.

Of course the blood stream of a conference is the technical program. As of the end of June, we have the following sampling of topics offered, by track:

Track 1 – Plan: Finding the Right Pieces

• Dynamic LiDAR Data Collection to Support Traffic Safety Initiatives
• Investment in Lightning Protection For Equipment Survival - What Cost?
• Data Mining Using Archived ITS Detector Data
• Sketch Planning Tool for the Evaluation of ITS within the Florida Standard Urban Transportation Model Structure (FSUTMS) Modeling Environment
• Performance Measures for the Hudson Valley Transportation Management Center (HVTMC)
• Assessment of Impact from Regional Special Events on a Small Town
• Reducing Congestion on Facilities with Heavy Pedestrian and Parking Activities
• Justification and Fine Tuning the Design of Managed Lanes Using Microsimulation to Assess Freeway Operations: The I-95 Express Experience in South Florida

Track 2 – Implement: Making the Pieces Fit

• Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA) ITS Signal Priority Program Study
• Improving Broward County Rail/Highway Grade Crossings Through ITS
• Design-Bid-Build vs. Design-Build ITS Deployment Projects, Lessons Learned
• Why Technological Innovation May Give the Private Sector an Advantage in the Acquisition of ITS Public Projects
• Effectiveness of Camera-based Backing Crash Avoidance Systems for Motor Carriers

Track 3 – Manage: Keeping the Pieces Together

• Integrating P3 Projects Within an ITS Operations and Maintenance (O&M) Framework
• Traffic Signal System Maintenance and Operations Level of Service (LOS) Study
• Travel-time Based Performance Monitoring
• ITE’s Informational Report on the Management and Operations of Intelligent Transportation
• Development of Maintenance of Traffic (MOT) Training Program for Incident Responders in Florida.
• Florida's Intelligent Transportation Systems Wide Area Network

Track 4 – Innovate: Building a Better Puzzle

• Real-time Risk Assessment and the Viability of Proactive Traffic Management
• Implementing Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) Graphics on Dynamic Message Centers
• Ramp Metering for Maximizing Freeway Throughput
• How Large Scale In-vehicle Technology Deployments Can Improve Driver Behavior
• Network Design of an Advanced Traffic Management System (ATMS) Using a Modular Hierarchical Approach.
• Software Development for Testing National Transportation Communications for ITS Protocol (NTCIP) Devices at the FDOT Traffic Engineering and Research Laboratory (TERL)
• Vehicle Infrastructure Integration (VII)

An open forum on VII—to learn more about the programmatic issues, such as: When will it happen? Who will pay for it? Were does the vehicle industry stand on the mobile side? What will states and local agencies have to deploy on the infrastructure side?—will complement the VII technical session. The open forum panel will consist of representatives from ITSA, FHWA, FDOT, the Safe Trip Program, and the OEM Consortium.

More information and on-line registration for Transpo2008 is available at http://itstranspo.org/.

This article was provided by ITS Florida (Charles Wallace, Telvent Farradyne) and the D10/Florida Section ITE (Angela Garland, HNTB). For more information, please contact Mr. Wallace at Charles.Wallace@telvent.com or Ms. Garland at AGarland@hntb.com.

For more information on ITS Florida, please check the ITS Florida Web site at http://www.itsflorida.org/ or contact Sandy Beck, Chapter Administrator, at itsflorida@itsflorida.org.

If you wish to contribute an article to the SunGuide Disseminator on behalf of ITS Florida, please email Mary Hamill at MaryKHamill@global-5.com.

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Editorial Corner—A Change in the Way We Solve Urban Transportation Problems

Transportation systems management and operations (TSM&O) sounds like one more in a long line of too many traffic acronyms. This one is different. TSM&O is a wide-ranging system to manage congestion and maximize operation of our highways. TSM&O is not just the sum of its parts, many of which are intelligent transportation systems (ITS) related—it is a fundamental change in the way we solve the urban transportation problem.

That problem is clear:

• Urban traffic congestion is increasing.
• Travel time reliability is worse.
• Florida’s population has increased an average of 2.4 percent since 2000, while road miles have increased only 1 percent.

At the same time, our traditional solution of adding lane miles is failing:

• Highway construction costs have risen over 50 percent in the past five years.
• Gasoline consumption is down and gas tax revenues are declining.
• Florida’s urban areas are reaching highway build-out considering available or reasonable right-of-way.
• In the first five years of this century, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) added 1,333 new lane miles of highways. In the next five, we propose to add 637 miles, less than half that.

While we will still be building highway capacity, it is clear that this cannot be the full solution. Increased mass transit and changes in land use to higher density will be part of the answer. Maximizing the operation of our existing highway assets using TSM&O will also be an essential part of our response to these conditions.

This should be an exciting time for ITS professionals. National debate is turning to TSM&O as a cost-effective way of addressing urban congestion.

Some people hear the menu of TSM&O components and think it is just more ITS. It is more fundamental than that. This is a key change in approach from providing transportation capacity to providing mobility. Mobility is measured from the perspective of the traveler. How much delay is due to congestion? Is the trip time predictable? Measuring these user-based parameters and improving their performance will drive the use of different solutions.

TSM&O is also a different mindset because it must be real-time. The system must detect operating conditions on the network and be able to immediately deploy strategies to address problems.

The FDOT recognizes that the TSM&O philosophy is particularly applicable to its urban Districts. FDOT is developing a plan for developing and implementing a program that will lead to real-time, performance-based management and operation of urban transportation systems.

The FDOT’s anticipated statewide TSM&O plan will include the following major components:

• Definition of the urban area transportation networks to be managed
• Definitions of primary system user groups and associated performance measures
• Development of data collection and analysis systems to support performance measurement
• Development of a business plan to guide TSM&O program activities and resource allocation, including a performance ‘dashboard’ for use by FDOT’s upper management
• Identification of operation and management strategies to achieve network performance targets

These strategies will initially build on FDOT’s strengths and resources in traffic operations, ITS, maintenance, and construction. Examples include signal control, incident management, and work zone traffic control.

These components will lay the ground work for the FDOT’s TSM&O program. Because TSM&O is based on a performance-driven approach to system management definition, measurement and reporting of performance is critical to the long-term acceptance and success of the program.

The FDOT recognizes that a transition to TSM&O requires careful planning and is not likely to occur rapidly. The long-term benefits associated with TSM&O are significant and suggest a long-term perspective on its implementation. Over the next few months you will be hearing the recommendations of a task team working on this. Ultimately you will be hearing about the adoption of new measures. You will be hearing of specific action plans and reorganization. You will be part of the team that brings this about.

This is the first of what will be a series of articles documenting the FDOT’s implementation of Transportation System Management and Operations.

This editorial was provided by James Wolfe, FDOT District 4 Secretary, and Mark Plass, FDOT District 4. For more information, please contact Mr. Plass at (954) 777-4399 or email Mark.Plass@dot.state.fl.us.

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Announcements

Good Luck Lap!
If you haven't already heard, Lap Hoang is retiring effective September 5th. Take this opportunity to drop Lap a line or give him a call.

We all wish him a long, happy, and healthy retirement!

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Don't Miss This Great ITS Conference!
The 15th World Congress on Intelligent Transport Systems & ITS America’s 2008 Annual Meeting and Exposition is shaping up to be the largest event in the world for ITS leaders, policy makers, and other industry professionals. An expected 10,000 transport executives and ITS professionals from around the globe will come together at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City from November 16-20, 2008. Over 200 sessions will make for an outstanding program featuring more than 750 industry experts and world renowned speakers who will cover a broad range of ITS issues that are important to you.

This event will also feature the largest fully-integrated demonstration of deployed and marketable ITS technologies ever. Vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-roadside communication technologies and applications will be highlighted. This demonstration will include innovative mobility solutions operating on the streets and highways of New York. Live demonstrations will showcase advanced ITS technologies that provide effective management of public facilities, protect public investment in transport infrastructure, and enhance and expand mobility options.

For the latest information on the 15th World Congress on ITS, visit http://www.itsworldcongress.org/.

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