Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Subcommittee meetings are inter-agency meetings between federal, state, and local stakeholders.  The Intelligent Transportation System Subcommittee coordinates ITS stakeholder activity, and makes recommendations to the Transportation Coordinating Committee (TCC).  The TCC then makes recommendations to the Metropolitan Transportation Board.     

What is ITS?

Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) involves the application of technology to enhance and coordinate travel management with such items as advanced communications, synchronized traffic lights, and dynamic message signs (DMS).  Travel conditions (i.e. incidents, congestion, weather, etc.) are reported to agencies and travelers for agency response and to better inform the public in their travel decision making.  Further, enhanced communication improves coordination between agencies to better respond to travel conditions.

Benefits of integrated ITS include improved mobility, reduced congestion, improved safety, enhanced emergency response, and better overall system efficiency. Much of these benefits result from the coordination and cooperation of all ITS “stakeholder” agencies within the region.  Therefore, the MRCOG ITS Committee has been established as a forum for ITS planning among MRCOG member agencies and other ITS stakeholders interested in participating.  In addition, the ITS Committee provides valuable input to the transportation project development processes such as the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) and the Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP)in support of local, state, and federal requirements.

Throughout the region, member agencies as well as non-member agencies such as police/911 are integrating their systems into a coordinated regional Intelligent Transportation System following recommendations included in the AMPA Regional ITS Architecture. This guidance document is kept current with periodic updates performed on a biennial basis consistent with MRCOG transportation planning process.

Meetings

Meetings occur at the offices of the Mid-Region Council of Governments at 809 Copper Ave., NW in Albuquerque.  They are generally held at 1:30pm - 3:30pm in the afternoon.  Please contact Nathan Masek (nmasek@mrcog-nm.gov) if you wish to receive meeting agendas.  

ITS Planning, Regional Architecture, and ITS Project Support for the AMPA

The latest update to the AMPA's Regional ITS Architecture has been completed. The architecture establishes a regional framework for coordinated ITS deployment for projects within the AMPA. Developed by the ITS Subcommittee, this addendum to the AMPA Regional ITS Architecture is developed as part of the ITS Architecture Maintenance responsibilities of the Mid-Region Council of Governments' ITS Subcommittee in close coordination with the New Mexico Department of Transportation (NMDOT) ITS Bureau pursuant to FHWA/FTA ITS Architecture and Standards Final Rule (Rule 940.11).

AMPA's ITS regional stakeholders are involved to ensure that ITS deployments are developed and implemented in a manner that meet's identified user needs and functionality, and that any components are integrated to support data sharing, coordinated and/or phased development, and are consistent with regional goals. The Baseline Architecture establishes a "consensus blueprint" for all ITS deployment to meet the identified transportation needs of the region. The subsequent Addendums serve to integrate the architecture into the MRCOG's transportation planning and project programming process through project review in the MTP and TIP.

AMPA ITS Regional Architecture

AMPA ITS Regional Project Documents 

 AMPA Regional ITS Architecture Addendum V1.2

 Appendix I - Change Request Forms

 Appendix II - Useful Links 

 Appendix III - Market Package Names, Summary Change Status

 Appendix IV - Membership Roster

 Appendix V - TIP Project Tables by Category

 AMPA ITS Corridors Map 5.54 Mb 

 ITS Implementation Plan

 ITS Implementation Plan Map   

ITS Publications and Presentations 

 ITS Planning at the MRCOG MPO

** ITS Corridor Profiles **

Beginning this year, the ITS Subcommittee will develop "ITS Corridor Profiles" which will provide detail on existing and near-term ITS infrastructure deployments on top-ranked congested corridors from the Congestion Management Plan. The group is capitalizing on its multi-agency composition of ITS Stakeholders to ensure all deployments are identified and all planning efforts are coordinated. In this manner, congestion mitigation strategies involving ITS will be ensured to be as efficient as possible in order to maximize the benefits of ITS. The "inventory" includes ITS infrastructure such as signal and controlling software type, CCTVs, DMS, timing plans, Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs), and transit service/enhancements.

The following corridors have been identified thus far:

Please click on the Corridor Map and Inventory Summary under each to review the results.

 **Regional Transportation Management Center**

ITS Stakeholders within the AMPA region are in the process of establishing a Regional Transportation Management Center (RTMC) that will serve as a central command facility for regional transportation management. The project is sponsored by the NMDOT with support from ITS stakeholders in the AMPA and is programmed in the 2012-2017 Transportation Improvement Program. Benefits of a coordinated RTMC include:

• Instantaneous weather and traffic/incident management
• Co-location/presence for transportation, dispatch, and first responders
• Coordinated response on travel conditions to the benefit of the traveling public
• The utilization of existing ITS deployment among all agencies within the AMPA

The list of committed and/or potential stakeholders includes:

FHWA, NMDOT, NM State Police, Bernalillo, Valencia and Sandoval Counties, City of Albuquerque and Rio Rancho, MRCOG, Pueblos, Local law enforcement agencies (APD, RRDPS, BCSO), Transit entities including ABQ Ride, Rio Metro, and the NM Rail Runner Express.  

The project is in early planning stages, and a Concept of Operations is in development that will identify stakeholder roles and responsibilities, functional needs and staffing, as well as phased preliminary cost estimates — completion Summer 2011.  Summary presentations can be accessed by clicking the links below: 

 Joint Dispatch/Transportation Operations Centers, Benefits and Considerations

 RTMC PROJECT SUMMARY to MTB, 1/21/11

Other ITS and System Engineering Certification Resources

Mission

The Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) Subcommittee coordinates the development of ITS elements into the regional transportation system. The committee recognizes the bridge that ITS can support between planning and operations. This work includes ensuring project consistency with the regional ITS architecture, coordinating the technical aspects of transportation projects to make sure ITS elements are considered on “non-ITS” roadway projects, coordinating the technological logistics necessary to enhance traffic flows, and monitoring the deployment of the Metropolitan Area ITS Implementation Plan.

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

• Identifying ITS infrastructure opportunities for non ITS projects
• Recommending and promoting ITS projects for the Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP) and Transportation Improvement Program (TIP)
• Reviewing TIP projects with ITS elements for consistency with MTP and compatibility with the Regional ITS Architecture
• Monitoring and evaluating ITS deployment
• Managing the Metropolitan Area ITS Implementation Plan
• Maintaining the AMPA Regional ITS Architecture
• Facilitating ITS deployment and data sharing between Stakeholders
• Providing a forum for Stakeholders to initiate and establish agreements necessary to facilitate ITS deployment and data sharing within and across jurisdictional boundaries.  

Contact:  Nathan Masek (nmasek@mrcog-nm.gov)

We thank the following agencies for their involvement: