Wavetronixby Don Leavitt, Wavetronix, USA
The Wavetronix DataCollector gathers data from a network of detection devices and provides users with real-time, at-a-glance verification of system performance.
The one thing that all traffic management systems need is consistently accurate and reliable data. The intelligence of any ITS deployment is dependent upon the quality of the traffic data being generated, and data has little or no value if it cannot be collected, managed and distributed in an easy and efficient manner.
Data management systems are the brains of ITS, taking in data and parceling it out to the various applications and entities that need it. Effective data collection allows traffic operations centers to respond to real-time traffic; it allows commuters to receive real-time traffic alerts via 511 telephone systems and variable message signs (VMS), or by accessing current traffic information via speed maps on commuter information Web sites and wireless devices. It can also provide resulting data in a format ready for reporting and planning groups, two areas that are gaining more emphasis as transportation agencies strive to integrate and utilize the data collected to meet growing needs.
Wavetronix LLC has taken a new approach to data collection with an entire line of data management products designed to simplify the data collection process while ensuring the most accurate and reliable data possible. The Wavetronix CMD™ product line began as a way to easily collect data from the Wavetronix SmartSensor™, but after researching the industry, it became clear that just collecting data wasn't enough; what transportation agencies wanted was a complete data management system that is easy to install and operate; that integrates seamlessly with existing systems; and that can expand to meet an agency's growing, and changing, needs.
The result is CMD, or Command, an acronym for Collection, Management and Distribution. CMD provides departments of transportation and traffic operations centers with a complete solution for gathering and managing data, not just from SmartSensor but also from loops, acoustic sensors and other radar devices. Brian Hagen, Wavetronix' Chief Operations Officer and acting product manager of the CMD line, says the Wavetronix approach is the future of ITS data collection.
“The ITS industry is moving away from the big, end-to-end traffic management systems of the past, toward more well-defined, application-specific data subsystems designed to communicate very well with one another,” Hagen says.
Wavetronix CMD products are web-accessible over any networked PC and designed to work as individual components or as a complete system.
Gathering data from in-the-field detection devices into one, centralized location has been a challenge for the ITS industry for years. In the past, ATMS have been approached as custom projects designed for specific ITS installations. These custom projects are time-consumptive and very expensive, and often don't provide the level of service the transportation agencies expect. They are created to work with specific devices and to perform specific tasks, so adding new sensors, new technologies or new applications often requires a system redesign that takes even more time and costs even more money.
Wavetronix CMD products bridge the gap between detection devices in the field and data utility applications, such as incident management systems, existing ATMS and traveler information systems. The product line includes DataCollector™, a complete data collection and management tool; DataTranslator™, which converts data into the formats required by planning departments and traveler information systems; and DataMonitor™, which monitors system components and alerts operators to problems occurring anywhere in the system. Each product is designed to work alone as an individual component, or together as a complete system, and intuitive Web interfaces provide users access to all CMD products over any networked PC.
Hagen stresses the Wavetronix approach places the emphasis on products, not projects, and he stresses the importance of one of CMD's most distinct features: expandability. “What we offer are ready-to-use products with built-in customization, to meet an agency's specific needs,” Hagen says. “Our technology is a bridge for those old, custom ATMS because it introduces scalability into previously closed systems.”
As a data collection software application, Hagen says DataCollector is easy to use and provides the best value available in the industry. It includes a library of pre-built drivers for many of the most commonly used traffic detectors, and new, custom drivers can be quickly added to the library with no system downtime. DataCollector can be scaled to include multiple servers, so data can be collected from literally thousands of different detection devices. And, Hagen says, “DataCollector is designed to integrate easily into any ATMS, but it can also stand as the foundation for a completely new system.”
DataTranslator can feed data from data collection systems directly into traveler information applications, such as variable message signs or 511 phone systems.
The DataTranslator converts one data type into any number of different types: text to XML, XML to XML and database to database. This makes the data available to other devices, including traveler information systems, as well as other organizations, such as planning departments and reporting agencies. Users can create their own translations, which can be scheduled to run automatically.
DataMonitor verifies that sensors and other system components are fully operational. Tests can be set up, and scheduled to run automatically, for traffic incidents as well as system health; if test parameters are met, an alert is sent to immediately notify technicians and operators of the problem.
Hagen says CMD's scalability, accessibility and performance is possible because of enterprise components designed to address specific problems in transportation management. While each product specializes in fulfilling a specific need, they all work together to form a seamless solution. Hagen calls it the evolution of intelligence in ITS.
“The ITS industry has already made great strides in increasing the intelligence of detection devices and networks to the point where it no longer needs big back-end systems to compensate for unreliable data,” Hagen says. “Now, with CMD, we see smart devices connected to IP to push data back to application-specific subsystems. It is a much more efficient and reliable process.”
According to Hagen, CMD products are easy to use and easy to integrate, providing custom service with the ability to expand with the changing needs of modern transportation agencies. From the sensor in the field to the end-use applications that can affect the flow of traffic, CMD is proving that in ITS, the data makes all the difference.