Caltrans TMCs - Traffic Management Center Functionality
Subsystem Description
The 'Traffic Management Center' monitors and controls traffic and the road network. It represents centers that manage a broad range of transportation facilities including freeway systems, rural and suburban highway systems, and urban and suburban traffic control systems. It communicates with ITS Roadway Equipment and Connected Vehicle Roadside Equipment (RSE) to monitor and manage traffic flow and monitor the condition of the roadway, surrounding environmental conditions, and field equipment status. It manages traffic and transportation resources to support allied agencies in responding to, and recovering from, incidents ranging from minor traffic incidents through major disasters.
Functional Object: TMC Environmental Monitoring
'TMC Environmental Monitoring' assimilates current and forecast road conditions and surface weather information using a combination of weather service provider information, information collected by other centers such as the Maintenance and Construction Management Center, data collected from environmental sensors deployed on and about the roadway, and information collected from connected vehicles. The collected environmental information is monitored and presented to the operator. This information can be used to issue general traveler advisories and support location specific warnings to drivers.
Functional Object: TMC Passive Surveillance
'TMC Passive Surveillance' collects time stamped vehicle identities from different detection zones, correlates the identities, and calculates link travel times and derives other traffic measures.
Functional Object: TMC Regional Traffic Management
'TMC Regional Traffic Management' supports coordination between Traffic Management Centers in order to share traffic information between centers as well as control of traffic management field equipment. This coordination supports wide area optimization and regional coordination that spans jurisdictional boundaries; for example, coordinated signal control in a metropolitan area or coordination between freeway operations and arterial signal control within a corridor.
Functional Object: TMC Situation Data Management
'TMC Situation Data Management' collects, assimilates, and disseminates vehicle probe data collected from roadside short range communications equipment and centers controlling transit vehicles, toll collection points, and route–guided vehicles. It estimates traffic and road conditions based on the aggregated probe data and disseminates this information to other centers.
Functional Object: TMC Traffic Metering
'TMC Traffic Metering' provides center monitoring and control of traffic metering systems including on ramps, through interchanges, and on the mainline roadway. All types of metering are covered including pre–timed/fixed time, time–based, dynamic and adaptive metering strategies and special bypasses. Metering rates can be calculated based upon historical data or current conditions including traffic, air quality, etc.