Overview
These days, drivers mostly come to know up-to-date traffic information only through the radio station they are listening to and they cannot be sure that the information is exact and verified. People behind the wheel often don't even find out that traffic problems at a given stage of communication have already dissipated. High-quality traffic information nevertheless is within the competence of many public service bodies. But this information does not always reach the place where it is needed most - the people behind the wheel.
The Integrated Traffic Information System project will make it possible for this information to reach all drivers, organisations connected with Integrated Rescue Systems and other institutions. The state has arranged coordinated collection, processing, sharing and forwarding of traffic information in a unified data format. Digitally localised geographic data in the system will relate exactly to a specific location and will use international exchange protocols.
The main aim of JSDI is the creation of a complex integrated system environment for collection, processing, sharing and providing traffic information through active participation of the widest subject spectrum possible:
- primarily from public service ranks (Police of the Czech Republic, Czech Firefighter's Brigade, Emergency Rescue Service, Road Administrative Authorities, road managers, municipal police, Czech Hydrometeorological Institute, network administrators etc.)
- furthermore from transport-telematics application operators (meteorological systems, tunnel systems, EFC, traffic detector systems etc.) to ensure information support of the processes,
- and from other sources.
Traffic information (collected according to the monitored traffic situation) from each source is stored in a Central Data Warehouse within the frame of JSDI. Information is processed into the form of authorised, verified, digitally geographically located and in Alert-C protocol coded information in the National Traffic Information Centre. It is available for road users, media, traffic information service operators, Integrated Rescue System, public service subjects, carriers and haulers and other users through data distribution interface. Publications of data from the JSDI data warehouse are guaranteed by Portal of the Public Administration (PPA).
There will be interconnection of information from public administration and from drivers and their mutual verification taking place. The state will guarantee accuracy and quality of traffic reporting.
Funding
Results
The project resulted in unification of so far fragmented traffic reporting, i.e. integration of data from sources that already operate own information systems (such as e.g. Czech Police or Fire Rescue Squad), applicable data from regional information centres and establishing of information systems by the sources that did not have their own system yet or where it was decentralised (e.g. creation of Central Road Register). Information from traffic reporters has also been used.
Technical Implications
1. Accident information
If there is an accident on the highway today, drivers report it at the emergency line. IRS bodies start a rescue action. Voluntary reporters or random drivers don't always provide exact and verified traffic information to "their" radio stations. Of all the IRS bodies, only Police of the Czech Republic brings information, provided that radio station takes advantage of its service. Some radio stations try to gain further information "on their own" and they ask employees of IRS bodies' management for further data on a situation by phone. That way they complicate and delay the action, removal of the aftermaths and traffic renewal, in fact. Other drivers do not know what happened and what the restrictions and deviations are and how long it will take until the traffic is renewed, based on those reports.
The integrated system however will make it possible to automatically receive continuous information on the accident emergence and events on the location from all momentarily activated bodies. Traffic Information Centre of The Road and Motorway Directorate will be centrally responsible for authorisation, verification and control. They will be the sole receivers of information from intervening IRS bodies' management. The centre will immediately provide it to all who need it through a data distribution interface (e.g. through RDS-TMC technology) and through further connected traffic information services of private as well as public sources. The information will appear at the Portal of the Public Administration at the same time. Information will be guaranteed and verified by more public administration sources. Drivers will no longer have to rely on "what the driver passing by has seen".
2. Information on road closures
According to the law, the road closure process in the administrative procedure includes: marking up of the application, evaluation of remarks, publication of the administrative decision and its delivery to the affected bodies. In some cases, e.g. when making first class road closure at the regional level, it represents dispatching more than a hundred missives (also for every change during the course of construction) with administrative decision.
JSDI will arrange the formation of a National Register of Road Closures and Public Use Restrictions. An important part of the administrative procedure will be transferred to an electronic form in several steps. That way continuously updated, publicly available list of closures and traffic restri
Policy implications
The Czech government has approved the Integrated traffic information system for Czech Republic (ITIS/JSDI) in its resolution no. 590 from 18 May 2005, based on material elaborated by department of transport, interior and informatics. The state will guarantee collection, processing, sharing and providing of traffic information on the road situation to all their users as a public service. The integrated traffic information system for the Czech Republic is being built under authority of Act no. 361/2000, at the same time it is part of Traffic policy of the Czech Republic for the years 2005-2013, approved by the Czech government, and part of Emergency traffic management strategy to 2013, approved by National Security Council in July 2005.
Potential benefits of the traffic information system:
- higher road traffic fluency,
- lower risk of congestion occurrence,
- increased road traffic safety,
- increased effectivity of IRS,
- reduced time for the rescue service to appear at an accident,
- higher driver comfort and less stress on Czech roads,
- distribution of verified, quality and well timed driver information by a guaranteed system.
Mutual information exchange with local centres, such as e.g. Transport Information Centre of Prague, is being prepared.
Another thing to be gradually implemented in cooperation with the CONNECT Euro-regional project is the traffic information system for drivers based on RDS-TMC (Radio Data System - Traffic Message Channel).