Intelligent transportation system (ITS) software systems have been evaluated, developed, deployed, and verified by the ITS Department of Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) since 1992. ITS staff members are heavily involved in ITS standards and well versed in ITS systems deployed throughout the country.

Software engineers have designed and deployed dynamic message sign (DMS) subsystems in many traffic management centers (TMC). These subsystems integrate different DMS protocols to give TMC operators a seamless operation in displaying to the public messages such as Amber Alerts.

Traffic Management Control Center

Our staff has been involved in the development, deployment, and maintenance of ITS Traffic Management Control Center software and communications systems. We are focused on intelligent vehicle development activities including vehicle-to-vehicle communications, vehicle-to-infrastructure communications and autonomous vehicles.

SwRI staff has been involved in the development, deployment, and maintenance of ITS Traffic Management Control Center software and communications systems.

Support for ITS Software Systems

SwRI has developed many ITS software systems including support for:

• Automated vehicle identification (AVI)

• Automated vehicle location (AVL)

• Center-to-center (C2C)

• Closed-circuit television (CCTV)

• Data fusion

  	Using information gathered from closed-circuit television cameras and other traffic sensors, the fiberoptic freeway communication system distributes data to determine travel speeds and traffic congestion. The data are then used to update travel time messages on dynamic message signs.

• Data warehouse

• Dynamic message signs (DMS)

• Express lanes (variable pricing)

• 511 information dissemination

• Highway advisory radio

• Incident detection and response plan generation

• Integrated graphical maps

• License plate recognition

• Maintenance databases

• Traffic conditions detection

• Travel time

• Variable speed limit

• Video switching

• Weather sensor/data integration

• Web-based ATIS