The U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) Releases Publications Related to Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS)

The U.S. DOT recently released several reports highlighting its latest ITS research initiatives and findings:

• Connected Vehicle Pilot Deployment Program Independent Evaluation: Data Plan - Wyoming (FHWA-JPO-18-660): This report describes the data management plan that the Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) Connected Vehicle Pilot Deployment (CVPD) Evaluation Team, as the Independent Evaluator, plans to follow in conducting its evaluation of the Wyoming CVPD. This plan describes the data that the TTI CVPD Evaluation Team will use to identify operational scenarios to be examined in the analysis; conduct the mobility, environmental, and public agency (MEP) efficiency evaluation; and calibrate the simulation models used in the analysis. The plan also provides the team's approach to maintain privacy in the data it collects. Additionally, the plan highlights how the team is maintaining the quality of the data it collects.

• Connected Vehicle Pilot Deployment Program Independent Evaluation: Comprehensive Evaluation Plan - New York City (FHWA-JPO-18-670): This report summarizes the analysis plans that the TTI, in its role as the independent evaluator, will use to assess the MEP impacts of the New York City (NYC) CVPD. This document summarizes the plans for:
• Assessing the MEP benefits associated with the NYC CVPD
• Estimating the benefit and costs associated with the NYC CVPD
• Assessing stakeholder acceptance and satisfaction with the deployment
• Conducting stakeholder surveys and interviews
• Managing the data for the MEP analysis
• Using modeling and simulation evaluation to assess mobility-related performance
• Disseminating the evaluation results to various stakeholders and audiences.

• Connected Vehicle Pilot Deployment Program Independent Evaluation: Program Evaluation Plan (FHWA-JPO-19-760): Through the CVPD Program, the U.S. DOT initiated pilot deployments in three locations -- Wyoming, Tampa, and New York City -- to showcase the benefits of connected vehicles, mobile devices, and smart infrastructure data to improve safety and MEP efficiency. The CVPD Program works to achieve three goals focused on accelerating the deployment of interoperable connected vehicle technologies. These goals are to spur innovation among early adopters of connected vehicle application concepts; demonstrate the potential safety, mobility, and environmental benefits associated with connected vehicle deployments; and create sustainable momentum for nationwide deployment of connected vehicle technologies.

• Connected Vehicle Pilot Deployment Program Independent Evaluation: Program Evaluation Survey Plan (FHWA-JPO-19-761): This document describes the TTI CVPD Evaluation Team's approach for eliciting stakeholder feedback and lessons learned on the benefits and challenges of the CVPD Program structure and process. Stakeholders include those associated with U.S. DOT CVPD manager and deployment teams; site deployers; the safety evaluator, Volpe; and deployment site leads and evaluation team. The stakeholder data collection will implement qualitative interviews and a workshop.

• Connected Vehicle Pilot Deployment Program Phase 3, Operational Capability Showcase Plan - WYDOT (FHWA-JPO-18-721): The Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) Connected Vehicle Pilot is intended to develop a suite of applications that utilize V2I and V2V communication technology to reduce the impact of adverse weather on truck travel in the I-80 corridor. These applications support a flexible range of services from advisories, roadside alerts, parking notifications, and dynamic travel guidance. Information from these applications is made available directly to the equipped fleets or through data connections to fleet management centers (who will then communicate it to their trucks using their own systems). This document presents the plan used to execute the Operational Capability Showcase to ensure that the media is made aware of the capabilities, intent, and value of this pilot, including the interoperability implications.

• Connected Vehicle Pilot Deployment Program Phase 3, Operational Capability Showcase Summary - WYDOT (FHWA-JPO-18-722): This document presents a summary of the observations, results, and lessons learned from the WYDOT Operational Capability Showcase. The Operational Capability Showcase consisted of a presentation on the pilot and an on-road demonstration of the connected vehicle devices and applications.

• Cybersecurity and Intelligent Transportation Systems: A Best Practice Guide (FHWA-JPO-19-763): This report presents the best practices in ITS cybersecurity, particularly in planning and conducting a penetration test. The report details the methodology of scoping a test, including the objectives, requirements, success criteria, test type, management, and test readiness. The report includes a template test plan to start local and state departments of transportation (DOTs) in their own cybersecurity plan and penetration test. The National Institute for Standards in Technology Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity Framework and the Department of Homeland Security Implementation Guidance for Transportation provide context for using penetration testing as a mechanism to identify vulnerabilities and impacts driving risk with a DOT ITS deployment.

• Meta-Analysis of Adaptive Cruise Control Applications: Operational and Environmental Benefits (FHWA-JPO-18-743): With the increasing adoption of adaptive cruise control (ACC) and development of cooperative adaptive cruise control (CACC), their effect on traffic, energy, and emissions is an urgent concern. Using the rapidly growing body of research on these impacts, this report presents a systematic review and meta-analysis of 67 recent studies. The majority were simulation studies with a few field tests. While the assumptions and methodology among studies in the review differ widely, a meta-analysis of maximum-reported capacity improvements and fuel savings confirmed that CACC applications tend to increase capacity and fuel savings over manual driving due to shortened following time gaps and greater string stability from connectivity. In contrast, ACC applications do not always show capacity improvements and, if so, these improvements are more modest on average than for CACC systems.