Intelligent Transportation Systems

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What is ITS?
Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) is the application of advanced technologies in an integrated manner for the operation of transportation systems.

You are traveling on an unfamiliar highway and you hear on the radio that a major accident has closed the highway ahead, what do you do? Its five o'clock, time to leave the office, and you wonder what is the best route to get home by six o'clock before day care closes. Or you are on a train running slightly late and worry whether the bus you transfer to will wait for you. As one of the more congested metropolitan areas in the country, these situations constantly happen. In the past, availability of travel information was haphazard and not always up to date, reflecting a lack of real-time information. With ITS, highway departments and transit agencies will be able to continually monitor travel conditions and disseminate real-time travel information to the public.

A major byproduct of ITS is the ability to better manage the transportation system through the sharing of information among public agencies and the public.

Real-time video feeds of an incident can be utilized by police, fire, and emergency management personnel to gauge the proper response to an incident. If traffic is detoured to local streets, arrangements can be made with local police departments to automatically modify traffic signal timings to handle the surge of traffic. Transit agencies will have the ability to reroute buses to avoid grid lock conditions, or if necessary operate additional buses or trains as motorists switch to other modes of transportation. Through variable message signs (VMS), highway advisory radio (HAR), or closed-circuit television, the public will have a more comprehensive picture of timely travel conditions and travel options. With private sector partnerships, traffic condition information on specific roads will be available via cellular phone, internet, or in-vehicle navigation devices.

With deployment of ITS, government agencies can now monitor the transportation system with more accuracy and provide more timely information to the traveling public as well as respond to incidents in a more timely manner.

Some examples of ITS:
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