D’ACCORD
www.hcg.nl/daccord

Development and Application of
Co-ordinated Control of Corridors

Project TR 1017

Telematics Applications Programme
TRANSPORT

 

Title : User requirements for DTM applications
Author(s) : Grol, H.J.M. van (HCG)
Lindveld, C.D.R. (HCG)
Co-Author(s) : Papageorgiou, M. (TUC)
Haj Salem, H. (INRETS)
Manfredi, S. (CSST)
Tognoni, G. (AINE)
Bonaldo, A. (AINE)
Bonetti, A. (ASM)
Deliverable No. : D03.1
Version : 1.0
Contract Date : June 1996
Submission Date : July 1, 1996
Dissemination Level : PU ¾ Public Usage
Deliverable Nature : RE ¾ Report
Deliverable Type : PD ¾ Programme Deliverable
Project Coordinator : Hague Consulting Group (HCG)
Contact Person : Eric Kroes
Address : Surinamestraat 4
2585 GJ Den Haag
The Netherlands
Telephone +31-70-3469426
Fax : +31-70-3464420
Consortium : HCG, CSST, INRETS, TUC, TNO-TPD, AINE
CWI, RWS-NH, TUD, ULANC, UNA, SIER, SRILOG, VP, AVE, CELCIUS, DRA, RWS-AVV, TECHN,
TNO-INRO, ASM, MIZAR

 

 

Technical Abstract

Executive Summary

Identification of users
User needs
User needs for the demonstrator

1. Introduction and Framework

1.1. D’ACCORD framework

1.2. Objectives

1.3. Structure of the deliverable

2. Users of Dynamic Traffic Management Applications

2.1. Definition of users

2.2. Common characteristics

3. User Requirements For Co-ordinated Control

3.1. The Notion of Co-ordinated Traffic Control

3.1.1. Traffic Control Objectives
3.1.2. The Traffic Control Loop
3.1.3. Co-ordinated Control
3.1.4. Co-ordinated Control within D’ACCORD

3.2. Scope of User Requirements

3.3. General Requirements Background

3.3.1. Features of Control Measures
3.1.2. Background Material

3.4. Specific Requirements

3.4.1. Policy Makers
3.4.2. Network Managers
3.4.3. System Operators
3.4.4. Drivers
3.4.5. RTD Needs

4. Testsite Amsterdam

4.1. Overall description of test-site

4.1.1. Location and network description
4.1.2. Current measures for dynamic traffic management
4.1.3. Current on-site equipment
4.1.4. Planned equipment

4.2. Identification of users

4.3. Overview of user needs

4.3.1. Short term user needs
4.3.2. Long term user needs

4.4. User needs for the demonstrator

5. Testsite Paris

5.1. Overall description of FRANCE test-site

5.1.1. Ville de Paris Network Description

5.1.1.1. On-site equipment

5.1.2. SIER Network Description

5.1.2.1. On-site equipment

5.2. Current measures for France DTM

5.3. Availability of the network for D’ACCORD

5.4. Identification of users

5.4.1. Policy makers:
5.4.2. Network Operators
5.4.3. System Operators:

5.4.3.1. Real time collected data screening
5.4.3.2. Traffic forecasting for travel time estimation
5.4.3.3. Ramp metering and motorway to motorway control verifications
5.4.3.4. Network Simulation tool: "METACOR"

5.4.4. Drivers:

6. Testsite Padua-Venice

6.1. Overall description of the test-site

6.1.1. The AINE motorway

6.1.1.1. The Brescia-Padova motorway
6.1.1.2. The Padova-Venezia motorway (The "Easy Driver" Control System)

6.1.2. The city of Brescia

6.2. Identification of users

6.3. Overview of user needs

6.3.1. Methodology adopted in determining the user needs

6.4. Results obtained

6.4.1. Policy Makers
6.4.2. Network Operators
6.4.3. System Operators
6.4.4. Emergency Services
6.4.5. Drivers

6.5. User needs for DTM application

6.6. User requirements for the demonstrator

6.7. Planned improvements to the existing situation

7. Synthesis and the relation to D04.1

7.1. Synthesis of User-Requirements

7.2. Relation to D04.1: Functional specifications

8. Keyword List

9. Bibliography

9.1. References for the Amsterdam testsite description

9.2 References for the Paris testsite description

10. Glossary

 

Technical Abstract

The deliverable summarises the user-needs concerning Dynamic Traffic Management systems for Interurban Motorways for the three test-sites participating in the project. First the possible ‘users’ of the system are identified, grouped into user-classes, and a working definition of the system’s users common to the three test-sites is extracted. Then the requirements for integrated and co-ordinated control are analysed given the need for integration and co-ordination. After that, the participating test-sites (in France, Italy, and The Netherlands) are described, and the user-classes are identified in each of the test-sites. Against the background of existing DTM systems, the user’s requirements are solicited and compared. The common elements are identified, and implications for the functional specifications of the respective DTM systems are formulated.

Four main user-classes have been defined: (a) policy makers, (b) network operators, (c) system operators and (d) drivers. At all testsites the network and system operators were identified as being the most relevant users of DTM-applications. The user requirements for the demonstrator were equal for all testsites on four points: (a) data checking and monitoring, (b) traveltime estimation and prediction, (c) short-term traffic forecasting and (d) investigation towards integrated and co-ordinated control. Other requirements were motorway-to-motorway control, rampmetering, human machine interfaces and information exchange between traffic control centres.

Executive Summary

This report is a deliverable of the Fourth-Framework project D’ACCORD. This project is aimed to design, implement and validate a practical Dynamic Traffic Management System for integrated and co-ordinated control of inter-urban motorway corridors.

Given the emphasis within the Fourth framework on tangible and applicable results rather than ongoing research, close attention is paid throughout the programme to the needs of the prospective users of the system, and the extent to which the projects address those needs. For the D’ACCORD project, this means the user-needs of Dynamic Traffic Management (DTM) systems.

The aim of this deliverable is first to unambiguously identify the users, second to extract their requirements and expectations of DTM systems (‘user needs’), and to identify the common elements in these user-needs across the three test-sites. The third aim of this deliverable is to identify what the DTM system should be like to satisfy these user needs, and to formulate implications for the functional specifications of the DTM system.

Identification of users

Among the many stake-holders four main categories of users have been identified based on the requirements they impose on a future DTM system:

policy makers: Policy makers are recognised as a user, because they formulate the strategic goals that tools such as DTM’s should help achieve. Policy makers operate at the strategic level.

network operators: Network operators are bodies that translate the general policies formulated for road systems into practical goals, and co-formulate the operational doctrine. Network operators operate at a tactical level.

system operators: System operators are a distinct user-group because their task is to act on and refine the operational doctrine. System operators work at an operational level, and they actually control the DTM system.

drivers: Drivers are the direct users of the motorway network. Their behaviour can be considered egoistic as they are primarily interested in the most efficient journey for themselves. Clearly, drivers translate society’s need for transport into actual, measurable demand. Due however to the fact that the scope of their individual decision-making is severely limited, they are cast in a more passive role than the other users (without downplaying their importance).

User needs

The user needs of the policy makers tend to simply consist of the requirement that the executive bodies ‘optimise’ certain aspects of the operation of the transport system, such as performance, safety, accessibility, etc. and to minimise disruptive effects, so as to provide maximum benefit and minimum detriment to society as a whole.

The user needs of the network operators are to have a tool for facilitating optimum road use, and to effectively deal with disruptions, at reasonable cost to themselves.

The user needs of the system operators are to have a tool that allows them a quick and accurate overview of the traffic situation, and preferable allows them foresee developments, and to assess the impact of DTM measures.

The user needs of the drivers tend to be simply having the best possible service, and the best possible information when service is suboptimal to be able to reliably schedule or otherwise optimise their use of the road.

User needs for the demonstrator

For the demonstrator a number of specific user needs have been identified. The user needs are shown for each of the test-sites separately in the table below. The table clearly shows the common user needs for data checking and monitoring, the need for traveltime estimation and prediction, the need for short-term traffic forecasting and the need for an investigation towards the integrated and co-ordinated control. Additionally a number of site-specific user-needs have been identified.

x=outside D’ACCORD, -=not applicable

Amsterdam

Paris

Padua-Venice

Data Checking / Traffic Monitoring

ü

ü ü
Traveltime Estimation and Prediction ü ü ü
Short-Term Traffic Forecasting ü ü ü
Human Machine Interface

x

x

ü

Connection between TCC’s

x

x

ü

Motorway-to-Motorway Control

-

ü

-

Ramp metering

x

ü

-

Investigation towards Integrated and
Co-ordinated Control
ü

 

ü ü