Organisations that have traditionally dealt with the construction and maintenance of civil engineering infrastructure – such as highways, roads and bridges – will have a big adjustment to make when providing services through ITS technologies based on sensors, processors and communication technologies. Adapting to ITS technologies requires investment in human capital and organisational commitment – both of which will need organisational and political commitment.
ITS practitioners and decision-makers include the planners, designers, managers and technicians involved in developing, deploying and maintaining ITS systems. Each group will have its own ITS knowledge and competency requirements. For example:
Senior management must have a good level understanding of the functions, costs and benefits of ITS – if these technologies are to be embraced at the decision making level. Management will be responsible for planning, developing and directing the organisational changes in business culture and practice to ensure that ITS becomes a mainstream business activity. Mainstreaming helps ensure that ITS solutions and services are always considered as an option – but only selected, if it is better than other alternatives.
ITS specialists in a Road Authority should bring an in-depth understanding of ITS, able to plan deployments in some detail – perhaps with the help of the visiting experts. They will be expected to:
Interactive and distance learning through the internet has been effective – especially for those who have time or geographical constraints or want to learn at their own pace. Internal staff members can periodically review the web pages of vendors and trade associations – and attend meetings and exhibitions sponsored by ITS organisations (national ITS group meetings and the ITS World Congress).
A good way to strengthen an organisation’s ITS knowledge is to recruit recent graduates from reputed colleges with ITS curricula. Workshops and seminars/webinars can be provided to the management of an organisation – to build their awareness of ITS in terms of planning, services, costs and benefits. Other staff – especially those who may become involved with ITS in a non-technical capacity, such as contracts and administrative staff – will also benefit from ITS awareness training.
Staff turnover can be a serious problem – making it necessary to repeat the same training process over and over again. Frequently, new staff simply have to learn by doing, without having gone through a systematic training process.
Over the years the US Department of Transportation has developed a comprehensive programme of courses, webinars and workshops in ITS – as part of a professional capacity building program. Some are available for distance learning. (See USDOT ITS Website and ITS ePrimer)
Websites are also useful to gain an immediate (even if not, thorough) understanding of new technical terms and acronyms.
An important resource for developing an awareness ITS among senior staff is the World Bank ITS Toolkit (2011) – which is outlined in the display box below.
ITS Awareness and Senior Managers
The World Bank ITS Toolkit is described as a self-learning on-line resource for transport leaders and their advisers. It provides guidance in the planning, design, implementation, and evaluation of an ITS programme for urban transport.
Although designed for ITS in an urban context – with the emphasis on public transport – a number of the training modules are equally valid for ITS on major road networks and highways. Topics covered are:
A handbook and a companion guide are available for download.
Training for ITS specialists requires a multidisciplinary approach that is not confined to a single engineering programme, such as civil or electrical engineering. It should be geared towards educating professionals in a range of subjects – traffic engineering, computer networks, telecommunications and information technology – with in-depth training in specialist topics, such as traffic flow, system integration and technology evaluation.
Areas that are essential to become familiar with – for professionals working at an advanced level in planning and project management for ITS – include:
ITS educational and training programmes need to encompass multiple disciplines and application areas – such as planning, systems analysis and design, technology evaluation, data analysis and management, system integration and the organisational and institutional aspects of ITS.
ITS planning for a region will comprise documents developed using the methodology of “describing the answers to the questions”:
A regional ITS architecture and ITS standards supporting interfaces within the architecture can go some way in answering these questions. ITS architecture defines functions and associated subsystems, and interfaces, information and data flows between subsystems. (See ITS Architecture)
Capacity building in project appraisal will require an ability to perform the following tasks:
An investment appraisal before any decisions are made to implement an ITS deployment is an essential step in making the business case for ITS – and to secure funding for it. (See Finance and Contracts)
Evaluation of ITS Projects
An introduction to appraisal and evaluation of ITS projects has been developed by the organisation IBEC (the International Benefits, Evaluation and Costs group). It:
It is likely that ITS will require both traditional and non-traditional financing methods – as public funding for transport infrastructure tries to keep pace with the demand for mobility. For example, toll roads and traffic control centres are sometimes developed through a public-private partnership – and this may become more common in future.
ITS staff must also be capable of selecting and managing ITS contracts, which differ from those required for procurement and contract management in construction projects. ITS professionals should be able to select contractors, develop test plans, conduct product acceptance testing, and identify warranty requirements for ITS projects. (See Finance and Contracts)
Details of the technical specifications for the equipment used in providing the service are open for the contractor to propose. With information and communications technology developing apace, this flexibility is needed to ensure that the ITS equipment is fit for purpose and not obsolete or likely to become obsolete in the near future.
ITS service specifications need to be written using the legal language of contract documents (such as using a “shall” statement for a requirement) and in a format that can be readily adapted to form a schedule of technical requirements. ITS professionals can develop these skills with practice and by working alongside technical experts who have the know-how.
In a performance-based contract, payment depends on achieving satisfactory service performance – and not on a bill-of-quantities. Payment to the contractor is determined by how well the service output requirements are met – these are fundamental to the contract for:
Financial penalties will be specified in the contract – that would be triggered if service requirements are not met or maintained. These penalties have to be reflected in the service payment mechanism – which is another area where an agency needs to develop expertise or create an Expert Advisers Panel for support.
Very often an organisation or agency that is developing an ITS programme for the first time will need experience of selecting and working with international suppliers of ITS equipment and services. For example, it is likely that a road authority will wish to form a partnership with a preferred supplier – such as a systems integrator – who can work alongside the authority to assist with ITS deployments and operations. Typically the process of selecting a partner organisation will go through a number of stages.
Stage 1 Informal Discussions
These can be held with potential partners on a bilateral basis without prejudice to the final outcome of the procurement process. Potential candidates will often be a consortium, based on a local company paired with a major international ITS service operator or ITS systems integrator.
Stage 2 Pre-qualification
When the client organisation is ready to commit to an ITS project it will issue a public notice and a request for proposals from companies and consortia with the required knowledge and experience for formal prequalification.
Stage 3 Evaluate Proposals
To be accepted for pre-qualification, a candidate will be expected to supply evidence showing a comprehensive track record which demonstrates the consortium’s ability and technical capacity to deliver the project requirement. Candidates will usually be assessed against three main criteria:
Based on the information provided – and after further inquiries, if necessary – the organisations that meet, in full, all the prequalification requirements, are accepted on the tender list.
Stage 4 Request Tenders
Organisations who pre-qualify (and only those who pre-qualify) will be requested to submit tenders to provide ITS services against the authority’s service requirements specifications
Stage 5 Evaluate Tenders
Tenders are evaluated and the selection of a partner organisation proceeds on the basis of formal negotiations with a preferred partner – leading to a “best and final offer”. Sometimes negotiations take place in parallel with the second place candidate in order to have a supplier in reserve if negotiations with the leading contender fail unexpectedly.
(See Procurement’ and Contracts)
ITS specialists need to be very familiar with the fundamentals of road traffic flow and the interactions between different roadway elements such as the vehicles, drivers, pedestrians, passengers, environment, traffic control and road geometry. They need to know how to manage and control the negative impacts of interactions – such as congestion, accidents and collisions. This knowledge is vital for many road-based ITS applications. It requires a knowledge of the basic characteristics of traffic flow at both a:
Most academic textbooks on traffic engineering and traffic flow theory offer a useful resource for developing knowledge of the fundamentals of traffic flow and traffic control. Traditional civil engineering programmes at colleges and universities offer undergraduate courses on transport engineering – which focus on road and traffic engineering. Graduate courses tackling traffic engineering and traffic flow theory are also available.
At a conceptual level, system design refers to the process of defining what system components are necessary to satisfy the user requirements. In practice, system design requires more detailed investigations to determine:
A part of system design is integration. System integration requires connecting different components seamlessly to provide the required services with the lowest possible investment.
As ITS is a complex system – a systems engineering process should be followed in each stage of the life cycle of an ITS project. (See Systems Engineering)
A useful document on this process in relation to ITS, "Systems Engineering Guidebook for ITS", is published by USDOT.
Successful data analysis and management requires a knowledge of data collection and how to store, manage and distribute it – so that useful information can be extracted. ITS professionals should be able to develop and execute a data management plan, which includes the following:
The core ITS applications for road network operations include:
Professionals associated with ITS operations need to develop capabilities in all these areas. Similarly, maintenance engineers and technicians need to develop skills to enable them to troubleshoot and fix ITS devices when necessary. ITS maintenance differs significantly from traditional highway maintenance activities for bridges and road pavements. A practical training programme is needed.
ITS Learning Partnership Programme
This one-off World Bank programme provides a model for ITS training and professional capacity development. It was offered in 2010 for Eastern Europe and Central Asia to raise institutional capacity in ITS. The goal was knowledge exchange to promote the development of ITS through dialogue with technical experts and centres of excellence. A series of six webinars was arranged.
1 – Introduction to ITS
2 – Interurban ITS applications
3 – Electronic tolling and payment
4 – Cross regional cooperation
5 – Freight and Logistics applications
6 – Urban ITS applications
A variety of training methods are available for transport professionals who wish to learn more about ITS – which make use of different training mediums. They include remote learning, training secondments, in-house training, internet-based mobile applications, social media, institutional knowledge exchange, and certificate programmes. Different training mediums suit different people.
Alternative media for building ITS capacity
Internet learning opens up significant opportunities for people to acquire knowledge in ITS necessary for their new professional duties. On-line courses and training provide an opportunity to develop skills in ITS planning, development, implementation and maintenance. Institutions where ITS professionals are employed can make a worthwhile investment into building their ITS capacities using remote learning. An example is the Consortium for ITS Training and Education (CITE) in the USA which provides five types of interactive web-based courses – as outlined in the display box below.
On-line educational programmes may cover core subjects – such as knowledge of ITS-based operations. The depth and breadth of teaching vary according to the level of expertise required – from entry-level technicians to graduate-educated professionals and managers. At all levels, participants need to understand how to interact with their peers and co-workers at different levels – and the part that each plays in the wider system.
The Consortium for ITS Training and Education (CITE)
CITE is an organisation with members from universities and industries. It is focused on providing flexible, convenient, and comprehensive advanced transport training and education for its users in academia (faculty members and students) and industry (such as managers, planners, engineers and technicians). CITE offers five types of interactive web-based courses.
Independent Study
Independent study courses allow participating students to register and take any course whenever they choose – with no set time frame to start or complete the course.
Blended courses
Blended courses combine the features of instructor-led training and on-line instructional training. It includes live discussions with an instructor through conference calls, interaction with other students, convenient on-line course materials, and a specific time frame to complete the course.
Certificates
CITE has bundled its courses into topic areas to provide students with four different certificate programs: ITS Project Management, ITS Systems, Road Weather Management, and Traffic Engineering & Operations. Participants need to complete six courses within one year.
Full Semester Program
CITE has bundled several individual courses together to develop two full semester programs of study. They are offered in the fall and spring semesters just like a college/university course.
Courses in Spanish
CITE has converted several courses into Spanish in response to the increasing demand for ITS training from Latin-American professionals.
After successfully completing their CITE courses, participants receive Continuing Education Units (CEU’s) from the University of Maryland. With the approval of CITE’s university partners, these courses may count towards a specific college degree.
Another example is the USDOT-sponsored Talking Technology and Transportation (T3) Webinars that are designed to help agencies to develop a skill set to solve challenges associated with ITS technology deployment and explore new opportunities. Its activities are outlined in the display box below.
USDOT Talking Transportation Technology Webinars
These free webinars are 90 minute, interactive online meetings that offer opportunities for knowledge sharing in ITS planning, design, procurement, deployment, and operations. The goal of this programme is to increase the capacity of ITS professionals in different institutions – by learning from each other’s experience in ITS.
Certification programmes in ITS can be developed at academic institutions or through partnerships between academic institutions and industry. An example is the University of California’s Intelligent Transportation Systems certificate programme – which is jointly sponsored by three departments: Civil and Environmental Engineering, Electrical Engineering, and Computer Science and Mechanical Engineering. Its activities are outlined in the display box below.
University of California Berkeley ITS Certificate Program
The University of California’s Intelligent Transportation Systems certificate provides formal recognition to students that achieve a basic understanding and expertise in ITS. It is designed to help students to study ITS in a systematic and focused way while they are at the university. Students are required to complete two core courses:
A student seeking a certificate in ITS is also required to take three courses from different departments (civil engineering, electrical and electronics engineering, mechanical engineering, computer science and industrial engineering and operations research). Two courses must be from outside the student’s home department.
The Consortium for ITS Training and Education (CITE) is an organisation with members from universities and industries,It also offers on-line certification programmes and courses in different areas of ITS.