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TRB A3A18 Meeting

Asilomar Conference Center

Mid Year Meeting Minutes

0800-1600

July 12-14, 1998

July 12, 1998

1. Welcome and Call to Order

Tom Urbanik called the meeting to order at 14:12.

2. Preliminary discussion of meeting format.

Urbanik proposed some working definitions for basic signal system terminology.

Urbanik reminded the committee that presenters were focusing on their algorithms and procedures, not before/after studies.

Rick Denney proposed discussing the architectural relationship between communication and the algorithms. For example, a distributed system may require less expensive communication because all controllers would not have to be polled at 1 Hz. Latency that the algorithm can tolerate.

Les Proposed adding capital and O&M costs as an attribute (cost per intersection). This would facilitate comparison to say a coordinated-actuated system.

Dave Henry proposed making the discussion more abstract then the hardware infrastructure required to support the alternative algorithms.

Dave and Rick proposed defining how the algorithm works specifically, what data is needed when. The hardware architecture will fall out next.

Rick Denny indicated As long as the requirements (data communications) are well defined, the costs will fall out.

Ed Rowe indicated their should be some discussion regarding under-saturated vs. over-saturated and the transitions.

David Hush indicated that closely spaced intersections should be explicitly discussed. Rick Denney indicated what we really want is the "Objective Function."

Urbanik read off the instruction to the presenters. See attached.

Presenters get 30 minutes for presentation and 30 minutes for questions.

3. Raj Gammon FHWA Update

FHWA R&D has recently published a CD with the Traffic Control Handbook and Communication Handbook.

FHWA has a budget defined for the next five years.

TMC Integration and Deployment Issues for ATMS have been dropped because of reduced research funding.

R&D would like to incorporate some rural ITS projects. Perhaps some LITE adaptive control projects sometime in the next 4-5 years.

DTA will be married with TSIS/CORSIM sometime after 2000.

R&D is preparing a proposal to test some of the standards such as NTCIP and dedicated short range communication.

ITS Cabinet draft documents have been sent to steering committee for final comments. As soon as it is approved by the committee, it will be distributed to the A3A18 committee members.

TS 3.1-3.6 are official national standards.

TS 3.7 and beyond are still in draft form.

4. Jon Obenberger FHWA Update

ITS budget will be $200-230 million annually (95-100M R&D, 120M for deployment)

Earmarks have limited 1998 model deployment initiatives. Perhaps model deployments will be continued in 1999 and beyond, depending upon congressional input.

MUTCD update info on web. New chapter on light rail.

5. Rich Cunard, TRB Update

Sheraton Hotel is now Marriott Wardman Park Hotel.

CD Rom will continue (last year 80% of preprints were on CD Rom).

Shorter sessions will continue.

Poster sessions will continue.

New 1997 HCM is complete, it can be purchased after July 13^th for $60 upgrade. New is $110 including CD Rom.

Circulars will now be published on the Internet.

Research Records will be published on the Internet within a year or two. Access will be fee based.

All 180 committees will have to put together a retrospective paper (7500 words) by June 1, 1999. Paper will be reviewed by various sections.

New TRB procedure. Each committee can have Emeritus membership for active members that have served the full 9 year term.

Committee status. Tom Urbanik will be serving as acting chair.

Last year the committee had almost 40 papers to review. Tom will be setting up a review procedure soon.

An LED workshop will be held October 26^thand 27^th in Beckman Center (Irvine, CA).

6. Miscellaneous Committee Business

Darcy Bullock is serving as acting secretary.

Tom Urbanik has requested that all reports be submitted in an electronic format.

The Web page has moved to http://www.engr.utk.edu/~signal/

Committee is looking for somebody to handle paper review. Larry Head agreed to handle the reviews for the 1999 annual meeting..

Committee is looking for a volunteer for organizing the 1999 mid year meeting.

Guidance from Rich Cunard. Do not attribute comments to individuals.

7. Don Dey: Strategic Plan Status Report

See handout.

Asked committee members to review their email address on our web page and submit changes to the webmaster.

8. Dave Henry: Signal Systems Research Database

Large National Projects

ITS Architecture
RT-TRACS

Expanded to include Graduate Students Thesis Topics/University Research efforts

People should send a summary to Dave Henry. Future versions of the document will be distributed on the web.
Raj Ghaman volunteered Debbie Curtis to give Dave Henry a list of FHWA research projects.

9. FHWA RTAG

Jon Obenberger solicited a nomination from the committee for a public sector employee to be on the FHWA RTAG committee. Nominations should be sent to Tom Urbanik and he will consult with Raj on selecting a representative. (Don Dey agreed to serve in this role.)

10. Traffic Models Circular Task Force:

Rich Cunard indicated Charlie Wallace is coordinating final edits and will forward it to Rich Cunard for publication on the Web by the end of the month.

11. CORSIM Release Schedule: Gene Daigle

New version of CORSIM (4.21) has been released that addresses freeways bugs and arterial networks. Micronodes will likely be going away. Special release is being developed that will have ramp metering.

Route 7 real time signal preemption will be demonstrated at ITE in Toronto.

12. Adaptive Traffic Signal Control Task Force: Tom Urbanik

Workshop scheduled for 7/18/98 is the current activity.

13. O&M Task Force: Don Dey

Bob Desanto sent a report in absentia (see attached).

Wants input from A3A18 members to see if the "How to Operate and Maintain a Successful Traffic Signal System" should be offered at the 1999 annual meeting.

Committee voted unanimously to again offer a half day session entitled "Traffic Signal System O&M in the 21^st Century" with a new advanced technology slant.

Raj Ghaman will consult with Bob Desanto regarding freshening it up.

Next year there will be an evaluation form distributed.

14. NCHRP Traffic Signal Related Research Update: Rich Cunard

Railroad Grade Crossing Warning

Techniques for acquiring ITS Software (University of Virginia)

Modified MUTCD Signal Operation for Lead/Lag Left Turn

Evaluation of Traffic Signal Displays for Protected/Permissive

Dave Henry suggested convening at lunch on Monday to discuss pending problem statements and have the committee push it.

15. Manual and Publications Task Force; Rick Denney

No report.

16. Mid Year Meeting

Les suggested San Antonio or Minneapolis.

Don Dey suggested Atlanta & Las Vegas.

Raj Ghaman recommended Seattle – Rhodes Demo.

Raj Ghaman suggested Beckman Center.

Raj Ghaman suggested Turner Fairbanks.

Rich Cunard recommended Woods Hole.

Committee expressed an interest in going somewhere to see something.

Votes for midyear meeting Seattle (12) and Minneapolis (7).

Based upon local logistics, Minneapolis was selected for 1999 mid year. Seattle and Northern Virginia are back up sites

Woods Hole was selected for midyear 2000. Rich Cunard will check for available dates.

17. Meeting adjourned at 5:22pm.

July 13, 1998

18. Welcome and Introduction

Tom Urbanik called the meeting to order at 9am.

Format – all speakers get 30 minutes to present and 30 minutes for questions.

19. SCOOT: Ian Day

20. SCATS Adaptive Traffic System: Neil Gross

21. VFC OPAC: Farhad Pooran

22. Motion: Gunter Kruse

23. Raj Gammon: FHWA Update II

Advanced Traffic Management & Information System Program 1998-2010

Advanced Control System (ACS)

ACS "Lite"

Dynamic Traffic Assignment

Dynamic Control Software

TREL Plus will have standards testing

In 2010 TREL will be a Transportation Technology Test bed

24. RHODES: Larry Head

25. Practitioner Panel: Les Kelman, Don Dey, & Anson Nordby

Les Kelman: "Systems" issues dominate! Good engineering is very important when deploying adaptive control systems.

Anson Nordby: It is probably not worth the extra effort to squeeze that last little bit of performance out of our systems. However, it is very important to standardize how optimization modules plug into signal systems if they are to be given a chance.

Don Dey: Excited about adaptive control because it has the potential to reduce O&M Costs. Funding opportunities are for capital improvements not O&M. Institutional knowledge is critical – the staff must know how to operate the system.

26. Tom Urbanik distributed problem statements and a 1991 A3A18 ATSC report.

27. ATCS: Sean Skehan

28. Paper Reviews

Larry Head will handle.

29. RTAG Member

Don Dey will serve

30. Mid Year Meeting

Kent Kacir will head up planning.

31. Dissemination of Adaptive Control Workshop Knowledge

Peter Martin proposed a workshop on systems next year.

Rich Cunard proposed an abbreviated summary as a TRB session.

Tom Urbanik will look into a mechanism (circular or session) for disseminating the knowledge.

What to do NOW

Contact INFO
Bibliography
Models Format (circular)

32. Problem Statements

Brief discussion, no action

33. Millennium Paper

Don Dey proposed a task force be formed to prepare the paper.

34. Simulation

Evaluation & Testing Procedures

Guidelines

DP114 will address simulation

What is the state of the practice in traffic simulation models (Gene Daigle will help Charlie Wallace)

35. Common Elements of Adaptive Control Presentations

Loops or some type of detectors are required on either limit line or approach.

Most develop flow profiles

Most have a controlling master

Most rely on pre-programmed phase sequence selection

36. Phase Sequence

Dave Henry/Larry Head/Pitu suggested that human factors related to phase sequence flexibility should be put in the problem statement bin.

37. Problem Statements assigned for lunch discussion.

Group I (Dave Henry)

Phase Sequence
Foul Weather Timing
Coordinated Actuated Timing

Group II (Srini Sunkari)

Phase Sequence
Improved Data Management
Real Time Data Extraction

Group III (Kent Kacir)

Phase Sequence
RT Data Extraction
Closed Circuit Sythesis

David Hush and Larry Owen will write up the research problem statement entitled "Human Factors Related to Phase Sequence Flexibility."

38. TRB Schedule:

Supersession on Adaptive Control at TRB

Couple of paper sessions

Business Meeting (one midday, one evening)

39. Millennium Paper: Transportation in the New Millennium: A Look Forward (3500-7000 Words), Peer reviewed document, Dissemination would be some type of CD ROM

State of the art (yesterday)

State of the practice

A Look Forward

Challenges (O&M)

Subcommittee composed of Les Kelman, Bob Desanto, Jon Obenberger, Darcy Bullock, Tom Urbanik will be formed.

40. Adaptive Control Session:

Will be coordinated by Tom Urbanik. Needs names and addresses by September 1, 1998.

41. Ramp Metering NTCIP: Tom Urbanik

Draft Objects due in the next couple of months

42. Traffic Management Data Dictionary (TMDD): Farhard Pooran

43. Evaluation of Rest Parkway RT-TRACS Site: Larry E. Owen

There was a consensus that the evaluation tools used to evaluate VFC-OPAC should be available to the traffic engineering community.

The committee was very encouraged by the close correlation between simulation and field results.
Data sets (.TRF) are available at www.rt-tracs.org . (Webmaster, 11/13/00: site no longer available)
The A3A18 site will establish a link to the the rt-tracs data set.

44. Mid Year meeting

Tentatively scheduled for Minneapolis. It will be coordinated by Dennis Eyler, SRF Consulting Group; Minneapolis, MN;612/475-0010; 612/474-2429; deyler@srfconsulting.com

45. Meeting adjourned at 3pm.