Government Technology

Smarter Evacuations


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October 21, 2007 By

As intelligent transportation systems (ITSs) evolve, the benefits include more than reductions in traffic congestion, fuel savings and fewer accidents. More efficient evacuations and emergency response are also counted among the benefits of using technology to manage traffic.

Though ITS plans are designed first for traffic management, the evolution includes the ability to plan for disaster scenarios and develop plans for evacuations based on real-time data and 21st-century tools, like evacuation software, rather than conjecture. New-age ITS tools allow officials to manage highways and roadways efficiently and mitigate ever-changing emergency situations in real time.

 

At the Controls
In the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area, industry-standard tools for traffic management and cutting-edge software help traffic and emergency managers keep their eyes on the road. Closed-circuit TV (CCTV) cameras allow observation of the freeway, frontage roads and the arterial network to provide assessments on incidents. Dynamic message signs, located on freeways and arterials, provide a way for the traffic management centers to get information to the public about travel problems.

The region is using the National ITS Architecture as a model for developing its system. The Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century, enacted in 1998, requires the development of systems that conform to the National ITS Architecture, which provides a common framework for planning and integrating ITSs. The standards enable transportation agencies to share and benefit from traffic management systems beyond their own, meaning traffic and emergency managers can gain a big picture view of transportation challenges and respond accordingly.


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