Texas A&M ITS Research Center of Excellence Narrative Summary Report: Fiscal Year 1995–96

Krammes, Raymond A.; Turnbull, Katherine F.; Urbanik II, Thomas; Bartoskewitz, Richard T.; Middleton, Dan; Blumentritt, Charles W.; Lobaugh, Gary · 1996 · ROSA P / Texas Transportation Institute. Texas A&M University

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Summary

This report summarizes the accomplishments of the Texas A&M Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Research Center of Excellence (RCE) during Fiscal Year 1995–96. Recognized by ITS America for leadership in advancing ITS development, the RCE’s work was organized around three missions: research, technology transfer, and human resource development. The research program targeted the intelligent transportation infrastructure, focusing on three technical thrusts—public transportation, transportation management, and international border transportation—alongside two crosscutting concerns: institutional/non-technical issues and technology integration. In public transportation, the RCE assessed the Houston METROLift Automated Vehicle Location (AVL) system, finding that it improved fleet management and operational efficiencies despite limited resources. The center also developed a rural AVL demonstration and conducted a workshop to integrate transit with Advanced Traffic Management Systems. In transportation management, significant progress was made in field-implementing the Smart Diamond traffic-adaptive control system, which uses video detection and adaptive software to optimize diamond interchange operations, reducing delay and congestion. Researchers also developed interfaces to integrate Positive Train Separation data with highway-rail grade crossing controls to reduce collisions and delays. Additionally, the RCE enhanced open-architecture communication systems in police vehicles to expedite incident response and improve commercial vehicle enforcement through roadside weigh-in-motion integration. For international border transportation, the RCE drafted an ITS plan for the Texas-Mexico border, evaluated institutional barriers to implementation, and assessed the impact of telecommunications deregulation. Staff contributed to the North American Trade Automation Prototype and the Binational Transportation Planning Study. Crosscutting research examined institutional arrangements to streamline ITS deployment and developed frameworks for technology integration, including studies on wireless communications, video surveillance compression using fractals and wavelets, and vehicle routing algorithms. The RCE actively promoted technology transfer through newsletters, web resources, and presentations at major conferences, generating numerous technical reports and papers, including one that won an Outstanding Paper Award. The Integrated Transportation Management Center laboratory supported real-time monitoring and control studies before transitioning to the TransLink™ program. Human resource development efforts included short courses on wireless communications, recruitment of faculty and researchers, and support for dozens of undergraduate and graduate students, including minority fellows, to expand the breadth of ITS expertise among transportation professionals.

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• v2x connected vehicle

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• Applied Guidance: countermeasure evaluation