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TMC Evacuation Support Equipment Package

Architecture Geographic Scope

Description:

Development, coordination, and execution of special traffic management strategies during evacuation and subsequent reentry of a population in the vicinity of a disaster or major emergency. Interfaces with emergency management and other traffic management centers.

 

Included in:

City of Livingston Traffic Operations Center
City of Lufkin Traffic Operations Center
City of Nacogdoches Traffic Operations Center
LADOTD
Municipal or County Traffic Operations Center
TranStar and Other Texas Region TMCs
TxDOT Lufkin District TMC

Functional Requirements:

1The center shall coordinate planning for evacuation with emergency management centers - including pre-planning activities such as establishing routes, areas to be evacuated, timing, etc.
2The center shall support requests from emergency management centers to preempt the current traffic control strategy, activate traffic control and closure systems such as gates and barriers, activate safeguard systems, or use driver information systems to support evacuation traffic control plans.
3The center shall coordinate information and controls with other traffic management centers.
4The center shall coordinate execution of evacuation strategies with emergency management centers - including activities such as setting closures and detours, establishing routes, updating areas to be evacuated, timing the process, etc.
  

User Service Requirements (fully or partially addressed):

1.0TRAVEL AND TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT
1.6TRAFFIC CONTROL
1.6.0ITS shall include a Traffic Control (TC) function. Traffic Control provides the capability to efficiently manage the movement of traffic on streets and highways. Four functions are provided, which are, (1) Traffic Flow Optimization, (2) Traffic Surveillance, (3) Control, and (4) Provide Information. This will also include control of network signal systems with eventual integration of freeway control.
1.6.2TC shall include a Traffic Surveillance function.
1.6.2.5The wide area surveillance shall acquire sufficient data to provide the system with the knowledge of the existing conditions.
1.6.2.5.2The data process function shall process traffic data to generate near term predictions of traffic conditions.
1.6.3TC shall include a Device Control function.
1.6.3.5Device Control shall provide the operator with the capability to manually override the system's automatic controls.
1.6.3.6Device Control shall provide the operator the capability to adaptively change system response in order to provide a response that is coordinated with other TMCs responding to incidents.
1.6.4Device Control shall provide traffic control information to other elements of the ITS, including but not limited to the following:
1.6.4(a)In-vehicle navigation.
5.0EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
5.3DISASTER RESPONSE AND EVACUATION
5.3.0ITS shall provide a Disaster Response and Evacuation (DRE) function that provides for effective, coordinated management of the surface transportation system during all types of disasters including natural disasters (hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, severe winter storms, tsunamis, etc.), terrorist acts, and other catastrophic events (e.g., nuclear power plant disasters). Two primary subservices are provided: (1) Disaster Response and (2) Evacuation Coordination. The Disaster Response Subservice provides support for planning, transportation management, resource sharing, and information coordination between transportation agencies and principal responding agencies (emergency management, public safety, and other allied agencies) to improve the effectiveness and safety of a disaster response. The Disaster Response Subservice consists of eight major functions: 1) Coordinate Response Plans, 2) Monitor Alert Levels, 3) Detect and Verify Emergency, 4) Assess Infrastructure Status, 5) Coordinate Response, 6) Critical Service Restoration, 7) Manage Area Transportation, and 8) Disaster Traveler Information. The Evacuation Coordination (EC) Subservice efficiently manages an evacuation and provides evacuees with the information they need during evacuation and subsequent reentry to the evacuated area. The Evacuation Coordination (EC) subservice includes four additional major functions: 9) Evacuation Planning Support, 10) Evacuation Traveler Information, 11) Evacuation Transportation Management, and 12) Evacuation Resource Sharing.
5.3.2Disaster Response shall provide a Monitor Alert Levels (MAL) function.
5.3.2.2MAL shall increase system preparedness as the alert level or the likelihood of a disaster increases, taking actions including:
5.3.2.2(g)Implement traffic management strategies and traffic control plans
5.3.5Disaster Response shall include a Manage Area Transportation (MAT) function that manages the transportation system in the vicinity of the disaster. Depending on the nature of the disaster and the status of the infrastructure, the following actions may be taken.
5.3.5.4Special traffic control strategies to manage traffic in the vicinity of the disaster shall be implemented to limit and/or manage traffic in the area to include signal timing modifications and special traffic signal modes used in conjunction with personnel manually directing traffic.
5.3.5.5Special traffic management strategies shall be implemented in surrounding areas to support efficient movement of personnel and resources into the disaster area.
5.3.7Disaster Response shall include a Coordinate Response (CR) function to coordinate the disaster response between transportation, public safety, emergency management, and other allied agencies. Information may be shared with individual agency centers, emergency operations centers, and unified command systems at the scene.
5.3.7.1CR shall provide information about the transportation system including:
5.3.7.1(c)Traffic management strategies in effect, including closures, detours, tolls, and HOV restrictions.
5.3.11Evacuation Coordination shall provide an Evacuation Transportation Management (ETM) function to assist evacuation coordination personnel as they manage evacuation operations.
5.3.11.3ETM shall include a strategy selection function that maximizes efficiency during evacuation and reentry operations and supports the overall response plan of the principal responding agencies.
5.3.11.3.1The strategy shall integrate the control of freeways and surface streets.
5.3.11.4ETM shall provide the control of devices as required by the evacuation management plan, including:
5.3.11.4(a)traffic signals,
5.3.11.4(b)dynamic message signs,
5.3.11.4(c)ramp meters,
5.3.11.4(d)reversible lane signs,
5.3.11.4(e)turning restriction signs,
5.3.11.4(f)road closure devices,
5.3.11.4(g)lane closure devices,
5.3.11.4(h)HAR,
5.3.11.4(j)shoulder use signs.
5.3.11.12ETM shall implement special traffic control strategies including traffic diversions and closures if emergency termination of an in-process evacuation is required.
7.0INFORMATION MANAGEMENT
7.1ARCHIVED DATA FUNCTION
7.1.0ITS shall provide an Archived Data Function to control the archiving and distribution of ITS data. The Archived Data User Service provides the Historical Data Archive Repositories and controls the archiving functionality for all ITS data with five major functions: 1) the Operational Data Control function to manage operations data integrity; 2) the Data Import and Verification function to acquire historical data from the Operational Data Control function; 3) the Automatic Data Historical Archive function for permanently archiving the data; 4) the Data Warehouse Distribution function, which integrates the planning, safety, operations, and research communities into ITS and processes data products for these communities; and 5) the ITS Community Interface which provides the ITS common interface to all ITS users for data products specification and retrieval. ADUS helps achieve the ITS information goal of unambiguous interchange and reuse of data and information throughout all functional areas.
7.1.3The Archived Data Function shall include a Data Import and Verification (DIV) function to acquire historical data from the Operational Data Control function.
7.1.3.1DIV shall be capable of importing selected ITS Operational data from the ITS Operational Repositories.
7.1.3.1.9DIV shall be capable of importing data on ITS Physical Characteristics of Transportation Infrastructure to include:
7.1.3.1.9(d)Transportation facilities.
  
The detailed process and user service requirement traceability information on this page was extracted from the National ITS Architecture. Consult the National ITS Architecture web site for more information.

Last updated on 05-25-2005 using Ronald C. Ice and Associates Web Spinner Technology.