Intelligent Transportation Systems

Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) is a component of the Transportation Systems Management (TSMO) set of roadway operations strategies designed to manage congestion, improve safety, and provide travelers and operators with real-time information on roadway conditions.

ITS involves the application of technology to collect and monitor roadway-conditions data and provides the technological means to disseminate this information to the traveling public. Travel conditions such as crash incidents, congestion, and weather are reported to travelers to assist with routing and trip decision making. This enhanced communication also improves coordination between agencies in responding to travel conditions and improves the traveler experience. ITS includes technology such as synchronized traffic lights and dynamic message signs (DMS). Benefits of ITS include improved mobility, reduced congestion, improved safety, enhanced emergency response, and better overall transportation system efficiency.

Stakeholder Coordination and the ITS Subcommittee

The benefits of ITS result first and foremost from the coordination and cooperation of all ITS stakeholder agencies within the region. A MRCOG ITS Subcommittee was established as a forum for ITS planning among MRCOG member agencies and other ITS stakeholders. The ITS Subcommittee is composed of federal, state, and local stakeholders. The ITS Subcommittee follows recommendations included in the AMPA Regional ITS Architecture. This guidance document is kept current with updates performed on a 5 year basis, with interim updates as necessary to maintain consistency with the MRMPO Transportation Improvement Program.

The overarching goals of the ITS Subcommittee are the coordination of travel management strategies and projects among different agencies in the region and to make recommendations to the Metropolitan Transportation Board. The ITS Subcommittee is responsible for the promotion and coordination of ITS applications through the development of ITS elements from those in the AMPA Regional Architecture, applicable federal rules, and the systems engineering process.

The ITS Subcommittee's mission is to coordinate ITS activity in the AMPA by:

Providing a regional forum for agencies and entities in the AMPA to promote and coordinate ITS projects
Recommending and promoting ITS projects for the MTP and TIP
Reviewing TIP projects for consistency with the MTP and compatibility with the AMPA Regional ITS Architecture
Monitoring and evaluating ITS implementation across all jurisdictions
Identifying ITS infrastructure opportunities for non-ITS projects