Ph.D. candidate Edsel Daniel and Professor Mark Abkowitz discuss digital map generation.

The word "intelligent" does not readily spring to mind as one navigates the often-snarled and nearly chaotic streets and highways of modern America.
       Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering Mark D. Abkowitz is working to bring order to the chaos. He and his associates at Vanderbilt are developing Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) to help communities and states make traffic flow more smoothly and safely.
       "Communities are running out of space and money to expand our transportation systems," Professor Abkowitz says. "So we need to find more efficient ways to use what we have, harnessing the rapid expansion in technology to solve transportation problems."
       Professor Abkowitz is helping to design and develop integrated intelligence systems that draw from sophisticated information technologies such as global positioning systems (GPS), geographic information systems (GIS) electronic maps, detection and surveillance devices and quick-response emergency and message systems.
       "We are looking for practical ways to harness these technologies to provide more timely and accurate information that supports effective traffic management decisions," Professor Abkowitz says.
       These technologies, however, can be of little value if system administrators succumb to the temptation of furnishing more data than people want or can practically use.
       "Technology shouldn't be the tail that wags the dog," Professor Abkowitz points out. "It may be overkill to generate a map on the console of a car when a dedicated radio station can give out the same information. The problems we're experiencing with the use of cell phones leading to unsafe driving practices is a good example of how important it is to find the balance between technological capability and satisfying what people really need."
       Once the Vanderbilt team has a good grasp of the customer's needs and desires, it can design a system that meets them through a tailored package of cutting-edge technology and more conventional tools and techniques.
       Combining various media with existing and emerging computer technologies, Professor Abkowitz and his associates have designed specialized ITS systems for such clients as the Organization of American States (OAS), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) and the Ingram Barge Company.
       "What we've learned in designing these systems for different customers is that it's just as important to streamline and customize the information as it is to develop a rich data base," Professor Abkowitz says. "We're not just utilizing the rapidly expanding universe of new technology, we're marrying it with existing equipment and information technology, such as the Internet, cell phones, signage, radio and television. The goal is to give people the information they need in a format that is meaningful, so that they can make effective decisions."
       The strategic plan Vanderbilt developed for TDOT uses a variety of methods to help manage traffic. "TDOT has already instituted some improvements based on this plan," Professor Abkowitz says. "Real-time information on road closures is available on the Internet and at displays in selected rest areas and welcome centers. Most Tennessee interstates now have two-tenth-mile markers to allow for cellular communication on exact position when there is an accident, breakdown or other incident. The recently implemented Freeway Service Patrol system puts emergency assistance trucks on the roads in our major cities during rush hour to rapidly respond to problems."
       The next phase of TDOT activity will be to install ITS detection and surveillance equipment on heavily traveled interstate routes, which will be linked to a traffic management center that can notify travelers of real-time traffic conditions and direct immediate responses to conditions as they arise.
       Professor Abkowitz's group is applying a similar approach to the issue of transportation of nuclear wastes. As part of the Consortium for Risk Evaluation with Stakeholder Participation (CRESP), Vanderbilt researchers are focusing on environmental risks associated with transportation of nuclear wastes and on how best to communicate these risks to residents, businesses and emergency response personnel in communities located along shipment corridors.
       "As part of the nation's remediation program, nuclear waste shipments will increase," he says. "We want communities to know what to expect and to be prepared in the event of an incident."
       Professor Abkowitz says that the increasing standardization of different technology systems will make possible significantly better integration of information. This will allow for more comprehensive and instantly accessible information on traffic and weather conditions, construction sites, hazardous incidents such as chemical spills, demographic data on how populous an area is and where emergency response services are located.
       "What we envision is a seamless system that allows people to have ready access to exactly the information they need, in an easy-to-comprehend format, just when they need it."