In Virginia, ADMS stakeholders (i.e., VDOT administrators, planners, and researchers) were pleased with the ability of the system to provide a variety of data, but wanted more information on traffic counts, turning movements, and work zones, as well as broader coverage.
Date Posted
04/11/2008
Identifier
2008-B00560
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National Evaluation of the TMC Applications of Archived Data Operational Test - ADMS Virginia

Summary Information

In Virginia, a Web-based archived data management system (ADMS) was deployed to provide decision makers and other transportation professionals with traffic, incident, and weather data needed for planning and traffic analyses. The ADMS Virginia project was evaluated to assess the following:

  • How ADMS Virginia supported TMC uses of archived data in order to effect improved operations
  • How ADMS Virginia was used to improve the functions of non-operations stakeholders
  • How the approach chosen to develop ADMS Virginia resulted in a successfully operating system

Initially, ADMS Virginia was implemented at the Hampton Roads Smart Traffic Center (June 2003) and then operations were expanded to include support for the Northern Virginia Smart Traffic Center (October 2004). The Virginia DOT (VDOT) led the deployment with help from the University of Virginia (UVA) and George Mason University (GMU). ADMS software systems were developed by Open Roads Consulting, Inc., with hardware and equipment provided by the Smart Travel Laboratory (a joint facility of VDOT and UVA).

Key features of ADMS Virginia included:

Data Processing and Management Functions

  • Procedures for quality control, and management of relational database data input processes and formats.
  • Managerial statistics, charts, and reports

User Functions and Applications

  • Standard data queries from traffic, incident, weather, and transportation management system databases
  • Mobility measures of effectiveness from archived data to retrieve information on traffic speed, flow rate, volume/capacity ratio, speed standard deviation, and vehicle miles traveled
  • Operations and maintenance information to evaluate current road conditions, data quality at sensor stations, and compare current incidents with past incidents
  • Evacuation and special events planning services
  • HOV monitoring and evaluation data
  • Transportation planning tools to support air quality analysis (long-range planning)
  • DynaMIT simulation modeling support

Hypotheses and measures of effectiveness were developed, and then system data, archived data, interviews, analyst observations, and labor logs were collected and evaluated to assess system performance.

There were a total of 77 active users that used the system during the evaluation. The participants were categorized into six user groups: project stakeholders, researchers, external users, FHWA, evaluation team, and development team.

Stakeholders included facility administrators, planners, air quality analysts, researchers, transit operators, and private sector groups.


RESULTS

Highlights from stakeholder interviews
  • Overall, users were pleased with the ability to obtain a variety of data; but they wanted more data on traffic counts, turning movements, and work zones, as well as broader coverage.
  • Having event data (e.g., incidents, work zones, weather, and sporting events) in addition to traffic data (e.g., roadway traffic volumes, speeds, and occupancies) stored in an ADMS enhances its usefulness to system operators and planners.
  • Potential users of ADMS must have confidence in the quality of the data provided before they will actively use it. In addition, the data must be readily available.
See Also:

Smith, Brian L. and Ramkumar Venkatanarayana. "Usage Analysis of a First Generation ITS Data Archive: Lessons Learned in the Development of a Novel Information Technology Application," Paper Presented at the 85th Annual Transportation Research Board Meeting. Washington, DC. 22–26 January 2006.

This conference paper provided additional statistics on ADMS Virginia Web site user activity during the project (2003–2005). Eighty (80) percent of stakeholder Web site usage was devoted to downloading simple plots or maps that summarized "raw data" that could be used by other analysis tools.