Greg Winfree, JD, company director of the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI), a former US assistant secretary of transportation, and a member of ITS America’s board of administrators, provides his perception into how integration of next-generation information will assist to enhance security, effectivity, and mobility – his imaginative and prescient is of a seamless community at our fingertips that may imply stakeholders proper throughout city and inter-urban transportation techniques shall be linked collectively immediately
I’m sufficiently old to recollect when a phone was used solely to name individuals. Today, I depend on my smartphone for numerous duties, together with texting, offering instructions, and looking the web. I, actually, have the world at my fingertips.
What makes the one-stop-shop actuality attainable is the Web of Issues (IoT) connecting all the pieces to all the pieces else. Transportation has embraced improvements that rely on the web to perform, like AVs, sensible infrastructure and drone-enabled next-day deliveries. Generally the transportation system writ massive has a pairing drawback, although, and completely different elements are unable to speak to 1 one other. What if we may translate the smartphone’s one-stop-shop idea into the realm of seamless information switch throughout transportation techniques, no matter supply or mode or perform?
As a state-of-the-practice instance, contemplate site visitors administration facilities (TMCs), which not solely optimize site visitors circulation, but in addition notify EMS when a crash happens. What if EMS and the native hospital have been alerted mechanically, as quickly because the crash occurs? What if an ER physician may, by telemedicine, direct therapy on the scene in actual time?
“Reaching extra environment friendly, extra dependable information alternate throughout all the information community is TTI’s final aim”
The subsequent inflection level for transportation information administration entails reaching higher, extra seamless integration of data from completely different sources. To realize instantaneous response and real-time therapy on the scene requires discrete techniques (and the information they share) working collectively flawlessly, reliably and securely. It means coordinating rising quantities of knowledge and higher synergizing them. Think about our crash state of affairs supported by such a system. The time saved in treating crash survivors on-site would save lives. Or sort out the long-time problem of rural communities, the place inadequate digital infrastructure usually limits entry to well timed providers. When an individual wants a hospital, 20, 50 or 100 miles is a great distance. Telemedicine and prescription deliveries by drone might help clear up that drawback.
The Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) is growing a next-gen site visitors operations laboratory to assist harmonize completely different information sources, together with roadside sensors, AVs, crowdsourced apps, and many others, in order that they extra successfully talk with each other. The lab’s imaginative and prescient is to enhance mobility whereas optimizing the transportation community and maximizing security. Each system stakeholder can profit from the insights our lab produces. Reaching extra environment friendly, extra dependable information alternate throughout all the information community is TTI’s final aim and can assist our shared system work higher for everybody.
This column first appeared within the August 2025 version of TTi journal
