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area will be vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V)
communication and the potential of
detecting potential crashes.
“In addition to that, we have
also provided FDOT with a list of
areas to test that go beyond the base
requirements for the project and
these include signal priority,
emergency vehicle pre-emption
and even smartphone-based updates
for pedestrians.”
Technology focus
A smorgasbord of CV technologies
will be supplied by Siemens Mobility
for the project, including; roadside
units (RSUs), on-board units (OBUs)
as well as CV and RSU central
management software. “Our RSUs
were the first to receive OmniAir
certification in the US two
competitor units have since then also
been certified and feature built-in
functionality to provide travel times
between intersections via wi-fi and
DSRC,” explains Nemirovski.
With 27 road intersections along
the Gainesville ‘trapezium’ road
network, he expects to have his work
cut out. “It is a very diverse
road configuration on the
campus. You’ve got some
really wide roads that go
directly through the campus
with lots of trees and lots of
pedestrians and traffic, so
finalizing the actual location
of the RSUs to optimize
coverage is something we
envisage will require a lot of thought.
“Something else that will require
a lot of attention will be the traffic
controller, which will have to be able
to communicate with the RSUs,
manage and then synchronize the
updates as and when they come.”
Above left: The
trapezium road layout
involved in the pilot
give it its name
Above right: The
University of Florida is
situated in the center
of the pilot area
www.TrafficTechnologyToday.com
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??? September/October 2019 Traffic Technology International
The Gainesville Trapezium project
may well be one of the largest
state-funded projects of its kind
in the US, but it is by far from the only
trial of connected vehicle technologies
that the Florida Department of
Transportation is involved in. Under
the banner of the Florida Connected
Vehicle Initiative, the DOT is affiliated
with 23 independent initiatives
planned across the Sunshine State.
Currently just three of the schemes
are up and running (including the welldocumented
USDOT Connected Vehicle
Pilot project taking place in Tampa,
in conjunction with the Tampa
Hillsborough Expressway Authority),
but 12 are in the design phase and
close to deployment, with another
seven in the pipeline and still under
consideration. The expectation is that
any loose ends from all 23 of them will
be tied up by 2021. At that point, the
FDOT will have a considerable bank
of knowledge and experience
encompassing a broad range of
technologies that fall under the
connectivity bracket.
With completion of installation
nearly achieved, the expectation is
that the project will be wrapped up
by the end of 2021.
Interoperability targets
Many of the technologies chosen for
the project have already previously
been successfully tested, proving to
be interoperable and compatible with
third party devices and software.
But, as Nemirovski explains, that
doesn’t mean there won’t be new
lessons to learn about CV technology.
“Regarding V2V systems, there
are probably similarities in every
location they are used in, however
when you consider the infrastructure
required it will undoubtedly be very
different in each place.
“What makes sense to do in New
York City, doesn’t make sense in
Wyoming, so the applications that
can provide benefits without higher
penetration from OBUs or those for
emergency vehicles and pedestrian
safety, those applications can really
be implemented right now.
“I think the Trapezium project is
ideal for testing CV technologies
with large infrastructure and it will
be very interesting to see exactly by
how much we will be able to improve
overall levels of safety, the accuracy
of travel time predictions and
traffic congestion generally around
the campus.”
Finalizing the actual location
of the RSUs to optimize
coverage is something we envisage
will require a lot of thought
Iouri Nemirovski, project manager, Siemens Mobility
Connected Vehicles |
058 Traffic Technology International September/October 2019
PHOTOGRAPHS: SEANPAVONEPHOTO, EARL ROBBINS/STOCK.ADOBE.COM
State-wide connectivity
/www.TrafficTechnologyToday.com
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