Advanced Traveler Information Systems September 1998

C
OST TO 
I
MPLEMENT
Since the FOTs began in 1991, new issues have
come into focus such as identifying
communications technologies and the feasibility
of ATIS. Funding outside of the FOT
initiatives, including the Federal Model
Deployment Initiative awards have promoted
further development of ATIS systems and have
addressed developing issues as well as new
issues not currently addressed by FOTs. The
private sector has shown interest in developing
business models to use advance traveler
information as part of several profit making
products and services.

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U.S. Department of Transportation
September
1998
Federal Highway Administration
Booz
·
Allen & Hamilton
Advanced Traveler Information Systems Field Operational Test Cross-Cutting Study
19
The TravTek evaluation noted that the private
sector should anticipate the costs to maintain
accurate navigation databases and local
jurisdictions must work together if information
infrastructures that can support cross-
jurisdictional traffic management initiatives are
to succeed.
The need to collect public sector life cycle costs
has been identified among all ATIS services. As
commercial products begin to emerge, the
private sector has been reluctant to discuss costs.
Participants who used the TravTek system said
they would pay for it if it were available.
Median estimates of willingness-to-pay for a
TravTek-like system in a new car were about
$1,000. This data becomes more meaningful
when it can be assessed with the current
products on the market that provide similar
services.
SUMMARY
The following paragraphs summarize several
lessons learned from the ATIS field tests. These
lessons may be considered by participants in
future deployment efforts.
•
The pre-trip traveler information systems
projects reviewed in this evaluation were
successful demonstrations of various
technologies and configurations of
technologies that can be deployed to provide
pre-trip traveler information to large
numbers of users.
•
Users generally reacted favorably to having
the capability to receive accurate, real-time
traffic information before they began trips.
Frequency of use will depend on the
system’s portability, accuracy, timeliness,
and daily cost. Increased public awareness
of these options will increase the number of
users of available services and make
evaluation of these services more accurate.
•
Pre-trip traveler information systems that
have been introduced in these projects
appear to perform well technically.
However, pre-deployment development
practices (systems testing and integration)
need to be more efficient to minimize
technical risk in order to succeed
commercially.
•
Each side of a public-private partnership
needs to understand the principles and ideals
that govern the other. There is a need for
team-member consensus regarding
development approach and the technical
tools to be used. An understanding of the
full range of technical obstacles, specifically
in regards to systems displays and
integration is vital.
•
The appropriate role of public agencies in
providing traffic information for re-sale by
commercial interests is still without
complete consensus. Lessons will be drawn
as present business models mature, as
federal grant money ceases, and as future
models are proposed.
•
Public-private partnerships can work but
they are difficult and costly to implement.
Project management structure may be a
contributing factor since it influences the
quality and timeliness of most decisions.
•
ITS system tests and current deployments
provide new models of intra-agency
working relationships, and innovative ways
of doing business with commercial firms.
•
Market research, user-system prototyping
and user training should be included in ITS
projects to ensure the systems are well
received.

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U.S. Department of Transportation
September
1998
Federal Highway Administration
Booz
·
Allen & Hamilton
Advanced Traveler Information Systems Field Operational Test Cross-Cutting Study
20
•
Communication between designers,
developers and integrators is essential as is
communication between partners both
public and private.
•
En-route data has the potential to reduce the
perceived barriers for customers or potential
customers to use public transit and to shift
SOV drivers to public transit or HOVs.
•
ADVANCE and TravTek have
demonstrated the feasibility of in-vehicle
traveler information. Turn-by-turn route
guidance with voice prompts ranked highest
in user ease, popularity and safety over the
other combinations of in-vehicle devices
tested.
•
Idaho Storm Warning System and Herald II
are continuing their work to alert drivers to
safe speeds in adverse conditions. Both the
VMS and the AM subcarrier broadcast are
proving to be successful media. DIRECT
should contribute significant evaluation
results later this spring.

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U.S. Department of Transportation
September
1998
Federal Highway Administration
Booz
·
Allen & Hamilton
Advanced Traveler Information Systems Field Operational Test Cross-Cutting Study
21