The Advanced Traffic Management System (ATMS) field is a primary subfield within the
Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) domain. The ATMS view is a top-down management perspective that integrates technology primarily to improve the flow of vehicle traffic and improve safety. Real-time traffic data from cameras, speed sensors, etc. flows into a
Transportation Management Center (TMC) where it is integrated and processed (e.g. for incident detection), and may result in actions taken (e.g. traffic routing,
DMS messages) with the goal of improving traffic flow. The
National ITS Architecture defines the following primary goals and
metrics for ITS:
* Increase transportation system efficiency,
* Enhance mobility,
* Improve safety,
* Reduce fuel consumption and environmental cost,
* Increase economic productivity, and
* Create an environment for an ITS market.
History
In 1956, the National Interstate and Defense Highways Act initiated a 35-year $114 billion program that designed and constructed the Interstate highway system. This hugely successful program was mostly complete by 1991, and the era of build-out was over. In the mid to late 1980s transportation officials from Federal and State governments, the private sector, and universities began a series of informal meetings discussing the future of transportation. This included meetings held by the
California Department of Transportation
The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) is an executive department of the U.S. state of California. The department is part of the cabinet-level California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA). Caltrans is headquartered in Sacram ...
(Caltrans) in October 1986 to discuss technology applied to future advanced highways. In June 1988 in Washington, DC, the group formalized its structure and chose the name Mobility 2000. In 1990, Mobility 2000 morphed into
ITS America
The Intelligent Transportation Society of America (ITS America) is a Washington, D.C. based membership and advocacy group for the development and deployment of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) in the United States. ITS America was estab ...
, the main ITS advocacy and policy group in the US. The initial name of ITS America was IVHS America and was changed in 1994
to reflect a broader intermodal perspective. The 1991
Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA) was the first post-build-out transportation act. It initiated a new approach focused on efficiency, intelligence, and intermodalism. It had a primary goal of providing “the foundation for the nation to compete in the global economy”. This new mixture of infrastructure and technology was identified as an
Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) and was the centerpiece of the 1991 ISTEA act. ITS
is loosely defined as “the application of computers, communications, and sensor technology to surface transportation”. Subsequent surface transportation bills have continued ITS funding and development. In 2005 the
SAFETEA-LU (Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users) surface transportation spending bill was signed
into law.
Functional areas
*
Real-time traffic monitoring
*
Dynamic message sign monitoring and control
* Incident monitoring
*
Traffic camera monitoring and control
*
Active Traffic Management (ATM)
* Chain control
*
Ramp meter
A ramp meter, ramp signal, or metering light is a device, usually a basic traffic light or a two-section signal light (red and green only, no yellow) together with a signal controller, that regulates the flow of traffic entering freeways accordi ...
monitoring and control
* Arterial management
* Traffic signal monitoring and control
* Automated warning systems
*
Road Weather Information System (RWIS) monitoring
*
Highway advisory radio
*
Urban Traffic Management and Control
Systems
*
IRIS open-source ATMS Project
*
Georgia Navigator
* Kimley-Horn Integrated Transportation System (KITS)
See also
*
Traffic optimization
*
Speed limit: Variable speed limits
*
Variable-message sign
A variable- (also changeable-, electronic-, or dynamic-) message sign, often abbreviated VMS, CMS, or DMS, and in the UK known as a matrix sign,
is an electronic traffic sign often used on roadways to give travelers information about special ...
*
Ramp meter
A ramp meter, ramp signal, or metering light is a device, usually a basic traffic light or a two-section signal light (red and green only, no yellow) together with a signal controller, that regulates the flow of traffic entering freeways accordi ...
* PTV Group
PTV Group
/ref>
References
{{reflist
Transportation engineering
Intelligent transportation systems
Road traffic management