Transit Operations Decision Support Systems (TODSS) Overview and Current State of the Industry

Transcription

1 Transit Operations Decision Support Systems (TODSS) Overview and Current State of the Industry

2 TODSS Introduction and History

3 TODSS Introduction and History TODSS was created to solve several issues in the transit industry: AVL/CAD systems generate large quantities of data Dispatchers do not have sufficient time to digest the data for decision making in a normal operating environment Dispatchers are unable to recognize patterns of operational problems Available data and AVL/CAD capabilities are not fully utilized

4 TODSS Introduction and History The Problem (Continued) Late! All Routes Early! Off Route Malfunction ALARM! Request To Talk? What are the impacts to later service?

5 TODSS Introduction and History The Solution: TODSS Develop enhanced capabilities and tools to help dispatchers and field supervisors: Identify and prioritize problems as they occur Make decisions to resolve operational issues before they become problems Manage problems or incidents as they arise Restore service with minimal disruption to the transit system

6 TODSS Introduction and History The History of TODSS Requirements Development FTA and ITS JPO launched an effort to help develop TODSS: Met with transit agencies to vendors to identify problems and develop TODSS concept and core requirements Pace Suburban Bus System Pilot developed a prototype TODSS employing the core functional requirements Development of a How To Guide to implement TODSS Systems started in 2013 Guide will be released in the next couple of months

7 TODSS Pilot

8 TODSS Pilot Awarded to Pace Suburban Bus Service Pace Suburban Bus operating and service characteristics are representative of the transit industry and good demonstration site 9 Operating Divisions Small and large divisions from 30 to 200+ vehicles Transit Bus, Van Pool, ADA Service Serves 6 county Chicago Metropolitan area with over 240 fixed routes Total ridership in 2008 over 45 million Service area population 5.2 million

9 TODSS Pilot The Project Started 4/06 and the Operational Test Ended 5/2009 Pace and FTA defined the Project Plan Pace and Continental (Now Trapeze) entered into contract that included the Statement of Work This was difficult process due to all parties unfamiliar with mechanics of an R&D project Pace Developed Concept of Operations and Local High Level Requirements for TODSS Operational Scenarios Used the generic TODSS requirements developed by USDOT A series of Team TODSS Meetings identified the needs and operational requirements Continental Developed Detailed Requirements and System Architecture April 08 through Sep 08 System Development and Testing July 2008 through February 2009 Implementation and Operational Test Period Went live March 3, 2009 Performed a self evaluation for which the results will be discussed later in this presentation.

10 TODSS Pilot The approach to the pilot was to build the TODSS engine beside the CAD/AVL system using the Decision support engine as the interface Pace Fleet Messages Sources of Information Existing PACE IBS Vehicle Events TransitMaster IBS Routes and Schedules System Administration Manual Events Events IBS Event Management TODSS Configuration Rules Checklists Recover Plans Transit Operations Personnel TODSS Incident Management Incidents TODSS Prototype TODSS Dispatcher

11 TODSS Pilot Project data shows IDS had the desired effect of managing the flow of information and better use of the system by dispatchers Statistic Pre-TODSS TODSS # Data Messages displayed to dispatchers down over 60% Dramatic decline (30%) in voice communications between drivers and dispatchers Request to Talk (RTT) Response Time Average (hmm...) RTT Response Time 7,927 (without adherence warnings) 2,515 (including adherence warnings ~14,000 ~10, sec 88 sec 253 sec 171 sec Standard Deviation (but...) Incident reports decreased 36% due to automated notifications Drivers use of canned messages increased 7% (there was a 2/3 reduction in available canned messages) ,286 13,187

12 TODSS Guidance

13 TODSS Guidance Purpose and Objective of the TODSS Guidance Project Develop a How-To Guide to: Incorporate outcomes, benefits, and lessons learned from the TODSS Prototype and recent technological advances Assist transit agencies in planning, designing, deploying, operating and maintaining TODSS

14 TODSS Guidance Project Methodology The TODSS Guidance project included three primary tasks: Literature review of current transportation decision support system documentation Consultation with transit agencies, vendors, and key stakeholders with decision support system experience Industry review of draft How-To Guide prior to release of final document

15 TODSS Guidance Guide Organization : The guide is organized with an introduction and reference information followed by best practices for each phase of project deployment: Chapter 1 Introduction: provides an overview of TODSS and describes the organization of the guide Chapter 2 Support Materials: provides reference material that is pertinent to TODSS and is available online Chapter 3 Planning: provides guidance on taking a TODSS project from concept initiation through the Concept of Operations Includes several key lessons learned and examples of key deliverables during this period Uses the TODSS Pilot project planning as a case study for development of the Concept of Operations Chapter 4 Requirements Definition & Design: provide guidance for the development of system requirements, architecture, and design Walks the reader through how to develop requirements for the system Includes case study examples of common issues agencies encounter defining TODSS systems

16 TODSS Guidance Guide Organization (Continued) Chapter 5 Implementation: provides guidance on the key steps to deploy, test, and validate TODSS Includes several key lessons learned and examples of key deliverables during this period Uses the TODSS Pilot project testing phase as a case study, and includes testing documentation from that project in the How-To Guide appendices Chapter 6 Operations & Maintenance: provides guidance and best practices to transform an agency from mastering the maintenance of the application through becoming a data driven business Will assist an agency on setting up the processes and procedures to adequately operate and maintain the new system

17 TODSS Guidance Key Features and How You Can Obtain this Guide Report number FHWA-JPO National Transportation Library ( )

18 Contacts: David Jackson (319) Steve Mortensen (202)