Description

Short technical description: The Transportation Operations Laboratory(TOL) is a national asset at the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA’s) Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center. The TOL serves not only as a laboratory but as a gateway where Federal, contractor, and student researchers can experience a synergy of ideas and experiences. TOL is comprised of three testbeds: a Data Resources Testbed, a Concepts and Analysis Testbed, and a Cooperative Vehicle-Highway Testbed. The three testbeds within the TOL will help FHWA fulfill the operations research missions. As an example, a test requirement might be conceived through an Exploratory Advance Research (EAR) scan, have fundamental technology capabilities validated through tests at the CVHT, have the data needed for proof of concept assembled through the DRT, have the concept of operation validated and benefits assessed though microscopic simulation at the CAT, and then have the concept field validated at an Connected Vehicles testbed or on a highway facility of a State or local Government partner. The laboratory will enable FHWA to validate and refine new transportation services and technologies before committing to larger scale research, development, testing, and deployment phases. Eventually, the laboratory will also provide a unique venue for outreach of the innovative service concepts and technologies, in that technology transfer can be supported through first-hand knowledge of the technologies and physical examination of prototype systems and simulations of concepts of operations. Unique features: The Transportation Operations Laboratory contains the following testbeds. Data Resources Testbed (DRT) The DRT provides researchers with access to live and archived multisource transportation data to support transportation system performance measurement and transportation system management applications. This multisource data includes data from traditional roadway sensors, data from vehicle probes including the detailed data available from vehicles equipped with “Connected Vehicles” types of technologies, data from personal mobile devices, and data from transit and freight operators. The testbed will assemble and archive data, host traffic data sets, analyze operations and performance, provide advanced visualization tools to improve situational awareness, and aid strategic program and tactical operations decisionmaking. The testbed will host data from a variety of sources to support transportation system performance measurement and transportation system management. The testbed will provide the data environment and resources needed by internal and external researchers to develop and test new cooperative services under the intelligent transportation systems (ITS) research initiatives. Concepts and Analysis Testbed (CAT): The CAT incorporates a repository of transportation models at the macroscopic, mesoscopic, and microscopic levels to allow simulation runs and visualizations of representative traffic networks and experimental strategies to improve performance, including measures of safety (to some extent), mobility, and environmental performance. The testbed provides a repository of authoritative and representative model application datasets that will enable technical and performance measures to be compared in realistic scenarios and across projects, regardless of partner and perhaps even choice of model platform, so that valid assessments can be made. The testbed will allow FHWA research staff to refine the experimental strategies through direct interaction with the models and to determine the potential value of potential strategies to various stakeholders. The outputs of simulation analyses can, for example, provide an authoritative basis for conducting benefit/cost analyses of experimental strategies. The testbed and its resources can be used by consultants supporting FHWA research projects, and other onsite or external researchers, to improve the consistency, quality, efficiency, transparency, and availability of research results and U.S. Government deliverables. The testbed also provides a venue for hosting technical and outreach meetings at which the above results could be reviewed and discussed by producers, FHWA research staff, other U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) staff, and stakeholders. Cooperative Vehicle-Highway Testbed (CVHT): The CVHT will enable FHWA to explore the enabling technologies for Connected Vehicles and to assess the potential of new transportation services based upon cooperative communication. The CVHT will leverage previous investments by the USDOT in the Intelligent Intersection and can encourage additional investments by FHWA, the ITS program, and others in facilities, equipment, and services that will enable the CVHT to support critical research priorities and projects. The facilities, equipment, staff support, and other resources of the CVHT will enable FHWA researchers to develop prototypes, install systems in the infrastructure and on vehicles, and conduct tests directed to investigate and answer key research questions needed to further the research efforts. The CVHT will initially use existing facilities at the TFHRC, including service roads that allow access to the Intelligent Intersection, but the need to conduct more extensive tests, including service concepts involving various stages of vehicle control and automation, will likely require additional specialized test track facilities at TFHRC. Latest research: The Transportation Operations Laboratory contains the following testbeds. Data Resources Testbed (DRT) The DRT provides researchers with access to live and archived multisource transportation data to support transportation system performance measurement and transportation system management applications. This multisource data includes data from traditional roadway sensors, data from vehicle probes including the detailed data available from vehicles equipped with “Connected Vehicles” types of technologies, data from personal mobile devices, and data from transit and freight operators. The testbed will assemble and archive data, host traffic data sets, analyze operations and performance, provide advanced visualization tools to improve situational awareness, and aid strategic program and tactical operations decisionmaking. The testbed will host data from a variety of sources to support transportation system performance measurement and transportation system management. The testbed will provide the data environment and resources needed by internal and external researchers to develop and test new cooperative services under the intelligent transportation systems (ITS) research initiatives. Concepts and Analysis Testbed (CAT): The CAT incorporates a repository of transportation models at the macroscopic, mesoscopic, and microscopic levels to allow simulation runs and visualizations of representative traffic networks and experimental strategies to improve performance, including measures of safety (to some extent), mobility, and environmental performance. The testbed provides a repository of authoritative and representative model application datasets that will enable technical and performance measures to be compared in realistic scenarios and across projects, regardless of partner and perhaps even choice of model platform, so that valid assessments can be made. The testbed will allow FHWA research staff to refine the experimental strategies through direct interaction with the models and to determine the potential value of potential strategies to various stakeholders. The outputs of simulation analyses can, for example, provide an authoritative basis for conducting benefit/cost analyses of experimental strategies. The testbed and its resources can be used by consultants supporting FHWA research projects, and other onsite or external researchers, to improve the consistency, quality, efficiency, transparency, and availability of research results and U.S. Government deliverables. The testbed also provides a venue for hosting technical and outreach meetings at which the above results could be reviewed and discussed by producers, FHWA research staff, other U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) staff, and stakeholders. Cooperative Vehicle-Highway Testbed (CVHT): The CVHT will enable FHWA to explore the enabling technologies for Connected Vehicles and to assess the potential of new transportation services based upon cooperative communication. The CVHT will leverage previous investments by the USDOT in the Intelligent Intersection and can encourage additional investments by FHWA, the ITS program, and others in facilities, equipment, and services that will enable the CVHT to support critical research priorities and projects. The facilities, equipment, staff support, and other resources of the CVHT will enable FHWA researchers to develop prototypes, install systems in the infrastructure and on vehicles, and conduct tests directed to investigate and answer key research questions needed to further the research efforts. The CVHT will initially use existing facilities at the TFHRC, including service roads that allow access to the Intelligent Intersection, but the need to conduct more extensive tests, including service concepts involving various stages of vehicle control and automation, will likely require additional specialized test track facilities at TFHRC. Relevant standards: The Transportation Operations Laboratory(TOL) is a national asset at the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA’s) Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center. The TOL serves not only as a laboratory but as a gateway where Federal, contractor, and student researchers can experience a synergy of ideas and experiences. TOL is comprised of three testbeds: a Data Resources Testbed, a Concepts and Analysis Testbed, and a Cooperative Vehicle-Highway Testbed. The three testbeds within the TOL will help FHWA fulfill the operations research missions. As an example, a test requirement might be conceived through an Exploratory Advance Research (EAR) scan, have fundamental technology capabilities validated through tests at the CVHT, have the data needed for proof of concept assembled through the DRT, have the concept of operation validated and benefits assessed though microscopic simulation at the CAT, and then have the concept field validated at an Connected Vehicles testbed or on a highway facility of a State or local Government partner. The laboratory will enable FHWA to validate and refine new transportation services and technologies before committing to larger scale research, development, testing, and deployment phases. Eventually, the laboratory will also provide a unique venue for outreach of the innovative service concepts and technologies, in that technology transfer can be supported through first-hand knowledge of the technologies and physical examination of prototype systems and simulations of concepts of operations. Specified type of facility: Transporation Operations

Keywords

transportation operations

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