**~\*~STARNET**

**Concept of Operations**

**Version 1.0**

**June 23, 2006**

Prepared for the **Sacramento Area Council of Governments**

and associated agencies in the Sacramento region

by Siemens ITS

> ![](media/image1.png){width="1.9993055555555554in" height="1.31875in"}

![](media/image2.png){width="2.125in" height="0.5in"}

**Document History**

  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
  **Document Description**                        **Date**        **Version
                                                                  Number**
  ----------------------------------------------- --------------- -----------
  First draft release of Concept of Operations    February 6,     0.1
  (Strawman) for review and preparation for       2006            
  workshop.                                                       

  Second draft of Strawman Concept of Operations, February 28,    0.2
  incorporating edits during Feb 22 workshop.     2006            

  First draft of complete Concept of Operations,  April 17, 2006  0.3
  incorporating input from the second workshop                    
  March 8, input from emergency responders, and                   
  adding User Needs.                                              

  Modified to incorporate comments from May 9,    June 23, 2006   1.0
  2006 ITS Partnership meeting, and to add                        
  material related to 511 node.                                   
  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Table of Contents**

[1 Executive Summary 1](#executive-summary)

[2 Introduction 5](#introduction)

[3 What is the Concept of Operations?
6](#what-is-the-concept-of-operations)

[4 The Purpose of STARNET 10](#the-purpose-of-starnet)

[5 Stakeholders and Their Facilities
11](#stakeholders-and-their-facilities)

[5.1 Computer Aided Dispatch Systems
14](#computer-aided-dispatch-systems)

[5.2 Caltrans Highway Traffic Management Systems
15](#caltrans-highway-traffic-management-systems)

[5.3 Traffic Signal Management Systems
16](#traffic-signal-management-systems)

[5.4 Transit Management Systems 16](#transit-management-systems)

[5.5 Closed Circuit Television Systems
16](#closed-circuit-television-systems)

[5.6 Regional Travel Information System
17](#regional-travel-information-system)

[5.7 Maintenance Management Systems 17](#maintenance-management-systems)

[5.8 311 Systems 17](#systems)

[5.9 Parking Management Systems 17](#parking-management-systems)

[5.10 Communications Infrastructure 17](#communications-infrastructure)

[6 Other Environmental Factors 19](#other-environmental-factors)

[6.1 Physical Conditions 19](#physical-conditions)

[6.2 Political Conditions 20](#political-conditions)

[6.3 Technology Conditions 21](#technology-conditions)

[6.4 Other Factors 22](#other-factors)

[7 Operation Scenarios 23](#operation-scenarios)

[7.1 Routine Operation 23](#routine-operation)

[7.1.1 Freeway 99 Closure at Consumnes
24](#freeway-99-closure-at-consumnes)

[7.1.2 Planned Roadwork and Bus Detour
27](#planned-roadwork-and-bus-detour)

[7.1.3 Light Rail Transit Bus Bridge 28](#light-rail-transit-bus-bridge)

[7.1.4 Transit Information 28](#transit-information)

[7.1.5 Local Freeway Detector Data 29](#local-freeway-detector-data)

[7.1.6 Changeable Message Sign Status
29](#changeable-message-sign-status)

[7.1.7 Freeway Ramp Meter Status 30](#freeway-ramp-meter-status)

[7.1.8 Video Used by Operators 30](#video-used-by-operators)

[7.1.9 Video Used by the Public 33](#video-used-by-the-public)

[7.1.10 Traffic Responsive Signal Pattern Selection
33](#traffic-responsive-signal-pattern-selection)

[7.1.11 Traffic Signal Status 34](#traffic-signal-status)

[7.1.12 Transportation Planning Database
34](#transportation-planning-database)

[7.1.13 Emergency Responders Use STARNET
35](#emergency-responders-use-starnet)

[7.1.14 Regional Transportation Operations Review
36](#regional-transportation-operations-review)

[7.1.15 Static Data Update 37](#static-data-update)

[7.1.16 Incident Report Creation and Display
37](#incident-report-creation-and-display)

[7.1.17 Local Truck Restrictions 39](#local-truck-restrictions)

[7.1.18 Parking Availability 40](#parking-availability)

[7.1.19 Travel Information 40](#travel-information)

[7.1.20 Subscriptions 43](#subscriptions)

[7.1.21 STARNET Facilitator 43](#starnet-facilitator)

[7.2 Failures and Other Unusual Events
45](#failures-and-other-unusual-events)

[7.2.1 Node System Status 45](#node-system-status)

[7.2.2 Maintenance 46](#maintenance)

[7.2.3 Adding or Deleting a Node Reference
46](#adding-or-deleting-a-node-reference)

[7.2.4 Third Party Access 46](#third-party-access)

[7.2.5 Adding or Deleting a Regional Display User
47](#adding-or-deleting-a-regional-display-user)

[7.2.6 Security Challenges 47](#security-challenges)

[7.3 Design, Implementation, and Upgrades
48](#design-implementation-and-upgrades)

[7.3.1 Initial System Design 48](#initial-system-design)

[7.3.2 System Implementation 48](#system-implementation)

[7.3.3 Procedures, Training, and Documentation
49](#procedures-training-and-documentation)

[7.3.4 Connecting a System to STARNET
49](#connecting-a-system-to-starnet)

[7.3.5 Upgrading a Node 50](#upgrading-a-node)

[7.3.6 Expanding and Upgrading the Whole System
50](#expanding-and-upgrading-the-whole-system)

[7.3.7 STARNET Management 50](#starnet-management)

[7.3.8 Regional ITS Architecture Updates
51](#regional-its-architecture-updates)

[7.3.9 ITS Standards Feedback 51](#its-standards-feedback)

[8 User Needs 52](#user-needs)

[9 Evaluation Metrics 62](#evaluation-metrics)

[10 References and Terminology 63](#references-and-terminology)

[10.1 References 63](#references)

[10.2 Terminology 64](#terminology)

**Table of Figures**

[Figure 1 - Major Data Flows in STARNET 4](#__RefHeading___Toc139033952)

[Figure 2 - Overview of the STARNET Concept of Operations
7](#__RefHeading___Toc139033953)

[Figure 3 - Map of Transportation Management and Emergency Response
Facilities 20](#__RefHeading___Toc139033954)

# Executive Summary

The Sacramento Transportation Area Network, or STARNET, is an
information exchange network and operations coordination framework that
will be used by the operators of transportation facilities and emergency
responders in the Sacramento region of California. STARNET will enable
the real-time sharing of data and live video, and refinement of joint
procedures pertaining to the operation of roadways and public transit,
and public safety activities.

STARNET will build upon the previous Intelligent Transportation System
(ITS) investments by using, with little to no modifications, the
existing field infrastructure (cameras, changeable message signs,
traffic signals, vehicle location systems, etc) and central systems
(freeway management systems, traffic signal systems, transit management
systems, computer aided dispatch systems, etc) already operated by each
agency. As part of the STARNET implementation, interfaces will be
developed to these existing systems to enable them to share data and
video with each other, provide data and video to the public via the 511
regional travel information system, and provide operations and emergency
response personnel with a map-based regional transportation management
display.

This document identifies the concept of operations which represents the
STARNET stakeholders' envisioned day-to-day conditions and activities
(operation) during the on-going use of STARNET. The development of a
concept of operations involves the following major steps:

1.  Describe the environment in which STARNET must be built and must
    operate. The environment describes the existing systems,
    communications infrastructure, climate, terrain, and expected
    regional growth. These are factors over which the STARNET team has
    little, or no, control. The description of the environment is found
    in Sections 5 and 6.

2.  Identify real-life scenarios illustrating what data should be
    exchanged between agencies, how they will be used, and joint
    procedures involved. The scenarios also discuss who will be
    responsible for the operations and maintenance of the system. The
    discussion of scenarios is found in Section 7.

3.  From the operation scenarios, user needs are identified and found in
    Section 8. User needs are those items or features the STARNET team
    needs to provide or make happen.

4.  To determine the effectiveness of STARNET, a list of metrics for the
    STARNET performance evaluation has been identified. These metrics
    are used after the system is operational to determine if the system
    is performing as expected. The performance metrics are found in
    Section 9.

The STARNET team is composed of all parties involved in the design,
implementation, operation, and maintenance of STARNET. The team is lead
by the Sacramento Region ITS Partnership, which designates a STARNET
Technical Advisory Committee. The following agencies are part of the
STARNET Team and are being considered as possible participants (to
provide and/or receive data) on STARNET: California Highway Patrol,
Caltrans District 3, El Dorado County, El Dorado County Transit
Authority, Placer County, Sacramento Area Council of Governments,
Sacramento County, Sacramento Regional Fire/EMS Communications Center,
Sacramento Regional Transit District , Yolo County Transportation
District, Yolo County Communications Emergency Service Agency, and the
Cities of Citrus Heights, Elk Grove, Folsom, Rancho Cordova, Rocklin,
Roseville, Sacramento, and West Sacramento.

Through the operational scenarios, it has been identified that the
following types of data will be exchanged on STARNET and available to
operators on the Regional Display: incidents (including planned lane
closures), changeable message sign message content, traffic signal
status, vehicle detector data, transit service disruptions, automated
vehicle location data, transit vehicle arrival times, ramp metering
status, video, and camera control. A suitably filtered subset of the
available data and live video (without camera control) will be provided
to the regional travel information system where the data can be
incorporated in a publicly accessible web page and a 511 phone system.
Each agency will control what data and video they make available to each
other agency and to the public travel information system.

To realize the full benefit of STARNET, along with enabling information
to be exchanged among the partner agencies, STARNET will help develop
procedures to enhance the coordination of activities between agencies.
The procedures will focus on how to integrate STARNET, and the data and
capabilities provided by it, into agencies' existing operating
procedures. The intent is to not involve any significant additional
effort for personnel in participating agencies, and to simplify the task
of obtaining information and coordinating inter-agency activities.

Through the combination of data sharing and improved operating
procedures, STARNET will enhance the effectiveness of real-time
transportation management and emergency response in the following ways:

-   Provide procedures for enhanced coordination of activities between
    agencies.

-   Provide additional real-time information, including live video from
    roadside cameras, needed for operations personnel and emergency
    responders to make faster and better decisions.

-   Provide information exchange, a map-based integrated view of data
    from all agencies, and joint procedures needed for agencies to
    better coordinate their activities.

-   Provide more comprehensive, accurate, and timely information to the
    public concerning the current status of transportation facilities
    and incidents.

-   Enable better coordination of transportation management and
    emergency response activities during major emergencies such as flood
    evacuations.

-   Provide the data exchange needed between computer systems to enable
    automated coordination of traffic signal timings across
    jurisdictional boundaries even when using traffic responsive pattern
    selection.

-   Enable agencies to more easily share resources (equipment, software,
    communications links, and personnel) thus reducing costs and freeing
    funds for other enhancements.

-   Enable automated collection of compatible data from all agencies for
    use in regional transportation modeling and performance evaluation.

The major types of data exchanged using STARNET are summarized in the
following diagram.

[]{#__RefHeading___Toc139033952 .anchor}Figure 1 - Major Data Flows in
STARNET

![](media/image3.png){width="5.999305555555556in"
height="7.998611111111111in"}

# Introduction

The Sacramento Transportation Area Network, or STARNET, is an
information exchange network and operations coordination framework that
will be used by the operators of transportation facilities and emergency
responders in the Sacramento region of California. It will enable the
real-time sharing of data and live video, and refinement of joint
procedures pertaining to the operation of roadways and public transit,
and public safety activities.

STARNET will enhance the effectiveness of real-time transportation
management and emergency response in the following ways.

-   Provide procedures for enhanced coordination of activities between
    agencies.

-   Provide additional real-time information, including live video from
    roadside cameras, needed for operations personnel and emergency
    responders to make faster and better decisions.

-   Provide information exchange, a map-based integrated view of data
    from all agencies, and joint procedures needed for agencies to
    better coordinate their activities.

-   Provide more comprehensive, more accurate, and more timely
    information to the public concerning the current status of
    transportation facilities and incidents.

-   Enable better coordination of transportation management and
    emergency response activities during major emergencies such as flood
    evacuations.

-   Provide the data exchange needed between computer systems to enable
    automated coordination of traffic signal timings across
    jurisdictional boundaries even when using traffic responsive pattern
    selection.

-   Enable agencies to more easily share resources (equipment, software,
    communications links, and personnel) thus reducing costs and freeing
    funds for other enhancements.

-   Enable automated collection of compatible data from all agencies for
    use in regional transportation modeling and performance evaluation.

This Concept of Operations document includes the following elements:

-   The vision for STARNET, its goals, and its role in the delivery of
    world class transportation services in the Sacramento region.

-   A list of all stakeholders and involved parties, and the existing
    and planned transportation management systems that may be connected
    to STARNET.

-   A description of other aspects of the environment in which STARNET
    will be built and will operate.

-   A description of representative uses and operation of STARNET, and
    implementation, configuration and maintenance activities by the
    stakeholders. These are described within the context of real-world
    operation scenarios and written in the present tense to help
    stakeholders relate to the examples.

-   A list of stakeholder needs (called user needs) derived from the
    operation scenarios.

-   A list of metrics for STARNET performance evaluation (validation).
    These are used after the system is operational to answer the
    question "Is it performing as expected?"

This Concept of Operations document is intended to be read by
transportation operations and planning personnel at STARNET stakeholder
agencies, and by any contractors hired to assist with design,
implementation, operation, or maintenance. As with nearly all documents
used in the management of STARNET, this document will be used throughout
the life of the system and will be updated as needed. During the
planning and design stage of STARNET, it reflects the stakeholders'
vision for how the system will be used and the role of various support
measures. After the initial system is operational, this document will be
updated to reflect how the system is actually used, to describe the
support measures actually in place, and to help plan expansion or
enhancements.

# What is the Concept of Operations?

The concept of operations represents the STARNET stakeholders'
conceptualization of day-to-day conditions and activities (operation)
during the implementation and on-going use of STARNET. It describes the
purpose of STARNET, the environment in which it will be implemented and
operated, how it will be used, roles and responsibilities of involved
parties, and what capabilities the stakeholders need in STARNET and in
the personnel involved in its implementation and operation -- called
"user needs".

Each stakeholder may start with a different concept in their mind of
STARNET and who will be responsible for what. The process of developing
the formal concept of operations ensures that all stakeholders agree on
a common view of STARNET. It also provides a comprehensive description
of that consensus view for the benefit of new team members, including
new stakeholder agency employees and contractors brought in to help with
STARNET implementation, operation, or maintenance.

User needs are a check list of items, written from a user or stakeholder
perspective. The stakeholders can read and understand the user needs and
check that they are a reasonable and comprehensive summary of needs.

Later, these User Needs will be used to identify system requirements
that will guide design and implementation of the system. The user needs
will also guide provision of support measures such as the scope of work
for an integration contract, policy-level authorizations, agreements
between STARNET users, on-going funding sources, etc.

[]{#__RefHeading___Toc139033953 .anchor}Figure 2 - Overview of the
STARNET Concept of Operations

![](media/image4.png){width="5.084027777777778in"
height="5.498611111111111in"}

The concept of operations involves three major steps:

5.  Describe the environment in which STARNET must be built and must
    operate. These are the externalities over which the STARNET team has
    no, or little, control.

6.  For things that the STARNET team can control, use operation
    scenarios to describe how they should perform under different
    environmental conditions. In these scenarios, consider all stages of
    STARNET design, implementation, operation, and maintenance.

7.  From study of the operation scenarios, identify user needs -- those
    things the STARNET team needs to provide or make happen.

The STARNET team is composed of all parties involved in the design,
implementation, operation, and maintenance of STARNET. The team is lead
by the Sacramento Region ITS Partnership, which designates a STARNET
Technical Advisory Committee. This committee in turn forms subcommittees
as needed for specialty activities.

The concept of operations answers questions such as the following.

-   What is the purpose of STARNET?

-   Who will use it?

-   What will they use it for?

-   How will they use it?

-   When will they use it?

-   Where will they use it?

-   In what environments will it be used?

-   How will it be maintained?

-   Who will pay for its maintenance?

-   What support measures are needed?

-   What are the roles and responsibilities of each party?

-   What resources will each party contribute?

-   How will we know if it is effective?

The concept of operations does not identify the technology to be used or
STARNET's design -- that comes later. However, as part of the
description of STARNET's environment and operation scenarios, the
concept of operations will identify existing or planned facilities,
policies, funding sources, etc. that represent significant
opportunities, constraints, or challenges that need to be considered
during the design and implementation of STARNET.

At the core of the concept of operations is a narrative describing the
system in use including all the interactions between people involved,
the policies that influence operations, the resources that are brought
to bear, etc. This narrative is based on realistic scenarios or
examples. Each scenario describes STARNET-related activities. These
activities may be described in the context of a specific situation or
set of circumstances or in a generic sense where the description is
applicable to may different situations. Operation scenarios are written
in the present tense to help add to the realism. Together, they attempt
to illustrate the desired behavior or provisions of STARNET or the
STARNET team under all likely conditions.

The operation scenarios are then studied to identify the user needs.
Each need is recorded, in the plain language of the stakeholders, not
specialty technical jargon, together with a reference to the operation
scenarios it derives from. If a stakeholder proposes adding another need
to the list, they are challenged to identify its origin in the operation
scenarios. This process may result in an update to the operation
scenarios and perhaps to the environment description, if a stakeholder
can describe another condition that leads to a need that otherwise would
go unidentified.

In a later stage of the project, system requirements will be derived
from the user needs. They convert the general and qualitative language
of user needs into the precise and quantitative language of formal
system requirements. The system requirements are oriented to specialty
systems engineers. They are written in careful, terse, technical, and
somewhat legalistic language so as to be unambiguous and testable. They
will form the basis of one or more contracts for system implementation.
So the system requirements are a distillation of the user needs,
converting from high level, user-oriented language into lower level,
precise, technical statements. One user need may generate multiple
system requirements.

The operation scenarios will also be used to identify needed support
measures, many of which will be provided by the stakeholders themselves.
Examples of support measures include the scope of work for the STARNET
integration contract, implementation and operation funding that must be
secured, provision of training facilities to be provided by
stakeholders, assignment of appropriate duties to operations and
maintenance personnel, on-going configuration management, etc.

The operation scenarios will also be used to identify metrics for
measuring the performance of STARNET once it is operational -- a process
that is often called "system validation".

The concept of operations is a critical tool in the systems engineering
process. Much has been written on the ideal content and format of a
concept of operations. The format of this document has been chosen to
suit the nature of STARNET and its institutional environment. It is
important that this document capture all information important to the
development of requirements for, and design of, STARNET and its needed
support measures. Stakeholders are encouraged to find or create a place
in this document for all relevant material, even if it does not appear
to neatly fit under any existing heading. The format can and should
change as needed to accommodate the information.

# The Purpose of STARNET

Under the leadership of the Sacramento Area Council of Governments
(SACOG), the Sacramento region of California is coordinating the
implementation of intelligent transportation systems (ITS) as an
integral part of transportation and land use management in this rapidly
growing metropolitan area. The major agencies involved in transportation
in the Sacramento metropolitan region coordinate their ITS activities
via the SACOG-led Sacramento Region ITS Partnership. Members include
traffic, transit, and incident management personnel from all cities and
counties in the metropolitan area and representatives from Sacramento
Regional Transit Distirct, Caltrans District 3, and the California
Highway Patrol. Various regional agencies are also involved, such as
SACOG, Sacramento Regional Fire/EMS Communications Center, and Yolo
County Communications Emergency Service Agency.

The recently completed ITS Strategic Deployment Plan for the Sacramento
region confirmed the previously-identified need for a regional
center-to-center communications network to facilitate the sharing of
real-time transportation information (data and video) between agencies
and to enable collection of real-time travel information for the public.
This transportation information sharing network has been named the
Sacramento Transportation Area Network, or STARNET. In addition to
providing a data and video exchange network, STARNET provides an
institutional framework for developing and implementing enhanced joint
operating procedures enabled by those shared data and video.

The overall purpose of STARNET can be summarized as follows:

> *The purpose of STARNET is to enable real-time data and live video
> pertaining to the operation of roadways and public transit, to be
> shared between computers and people involved in transportation
> operations and emergency response in the Sacramento region, thereby
> assisting in the coordination of their activities and assisting in
> providing the public with a regionally focused source of comprehensive
> information about current travel conditions and options (511). STARNET
> is also intended to provide improved integration of operation
> procedures, including procedures that take advantage of the data and
> video sharing capabilities of STARNET and facilitate improved
> emergency response.*

During a journey, even a local one such as commuting to or from work or
a local freight delivery, travelers typically use transportation
facilities operated by different public agencies, and perhaps involving
a mixture of private automobile and public transit vehicles. These
travelers need a single source of information about current conditions
on all transportation facilities that they use or may consider using for
that journey. And when an incident occurs that causes disruption of
service affecting multiple agencies' facilities, travelers need those
agencies to quickly and effectively deal with it in a coordinated
manner. Their journey time is reduced and the risk of related accidents
is reduced, if the response actions of the involved agencies are
coordinated and consistent.

Providing one-stop regional travel information and coordinated real-time
operations activities represents current best practices in
transportation management. It is achieved by the involved agencies
working together to coordinate their operating procedures and by all
providing real-time data and video to each other and to a regional
travel information outlet. This real-time data and video exchange
involves continuous transmission of data and video between computers
owned and operated by different agencies.

STARNET is the name given to the physical and institutional
infrastructure needed to make the data and video flow between agencies
in the Sacramento region, and operation procedures that better
coordinate the activities of involved agencies. If it is done well, it
will contribute to an improvement in transportation efficiency and
safety in the region, and provide all the secondary benefits thus
generated for the area's residents and businesses.

# Stakeholders and Their Facilities

The real stakeholders in STARNET are the members of the public that use
the region's transportation system. Acting as their proxies, are the
public agencies that build and operate the region's transportation
facilities -- especially the roads, bus fleets, and light rail transit
lines. These agencies act on behalf of the public, providing the
planning, construction, operation, and maintenance resources needed to
keep the transportation facilities safe and efficient. This document is
focused on these public agencies, and their transportation facilities
and resources that may play a role in STARNET.

A particular agency may have multiple computer systems, software
packages, or closed circuit television (video) systems, each of which
can act as a source or sink for information transmitted via STARNET.
Each such source or sink is referred to here as a "STARNET node" -- that
is, a node on the STARNET network.

It is envisioned that agencies will add or delete nodes from the network
continually over time. STARNET will be a continually evolving system.

The following table describes some of the agencies that operate major
transportation or emergency response facilities in the Sacramento region
and the computer and video systems they now or may soon operate that are
candidates for being a STARNET node. This is not a comprehensive list
but an attempt to focus on some of the more likely early participants in
STARNET.

  -----------------------------------------------------------------------
  **Agency**       **Role and Facilities \*** **Potential STARNET Nodes**
  ---------------- -------------------------- ---------------------------
  California       Law enforcement, public    Computer aided dispatch
  Highway Patrol   safety, freeway service    system (incident reports).
                   patrol, \_\_ service       
                   patrol beats, up to \_\_   
                   patrol cars on duty in     
                   region, 2 fixed wing       
                   aircraft (with CCTV        
                   cameras), 2 helicopters.   

  Caltrans         Traffic management, 217    Freeway traffic management
  District 3       miles of freeway, 150      system, changeable message
                   detector stations          signs control system, front
                   including 50 ramp meters,  end field data processor
                   10 changeable message      (detector data and ramp
                   signs, 6 highway advisory  meter data), satellite
                   radios, 30 CCTV cameras,   operation center command
                   roadside weather           system, highway advisory
                   information stations, 20   radio control system,
                   motorist service patrol    closed circuit television
                   beats, 511 travel          systems, ramp meter control
                   information service (with  system, roadside weather
                   SACOG).                    information system, traffic
                                              signal management system,
                                              maintenance management
                                              system including computer
                                              aided dispatch, lane
                                              closure system (including
                                              real-time updates during
                                              the closure), chain control
                                              status system.

  Citrus Heights,  Traffic management, public Traffic signal management
  City             safety, 40 miles of        system, closed circuit
                   arterial roads, 95 traffic television system.
                   signals, \_\_ signal       
                   system detectors, 5 CCTV   
                   cameras.                   

  El Dorado County Traffic management, 30     Traffic signal management
                   miles of arterial roads,   system.
                   15 traffic signals,.       

  El Dorado County El Dorado Transit bus      Transit vehicle location
  Transit          service, 16 buses.         and fleet management
  Authority                                   system.

  Elk Grove, City  Traffic and transit        Traffic signal management
                   management, public safety, system, closed circuit
                   62 miles of arterial       television system.
                   roads, 110 traffic         
                   signals, 1 CCTV camera,    
                   e-tran bus service, 40     
                   buses.                     

  Folsom, City     Traffic and transit        Traffic signal management
                   management, public safety, system, closed circuit
                   15 miles of arterial       television system, transit
                   roads, 70 traffic signals, vehicle location and fleet
                   Folsom Stage Line bus      management system,
                   service, \_\_ buses.       maintenance management
                                              system including computer
                                              aided dispatch.

  Placer County    Traffic and transit        Transit vehicle location
  (including       management, 35 miles of    and fleet management
  Transportation   arterial roads, 15 traffic system, traffic signal
  Commission)      signals, Placer County     management system.
                   Transit bus service, \_\_  
                   buses.                     

  Rancho Cordova,  Traffic management, public .
  City             safety, 25 miles or        
                   arterial roads, 40 traffic 
                   signals.                   

  Rocklin, City    Traffic management, public 
                   safety, 20 miles of        
                   arterial roads, 65 traffic 
                   signals.                   

  Roseville, City  Traffic and transit        Traffic signal management
                   management, public safety, system, transit vehicle
                   87 miles of arterial       location and fleet
                   roads, 140 traffic         management system, closed
                   signals, 9 CCTV cameras,   circuit television system,
                   Roseville Transit bus      transit stop management
                   service, 34 buses.         system, transit trip
                                              planning system,
                                              maintenance management
                                              system including computer
                                              aided dispatch.

  Sacramento Area  Regional transportation    Regional travel information
  Council of       planning and funding, 511  system (511),
  Governments      travel information         transportation planning
                   service.                   database.

  Sacramento, City Traffic management, public Traffic signal management
                   safety, 400 miles of       system, closed circuit
                   arterial roads, 9 actively television system,
                   managed parking garages,   maintenance management
                   650 traffic signals, 50    system including computer
                   signal system detectors,   aided dispatch, parking
                   30 CCTV cameras.           management system.

  Sacramento       Traffic management, public Traffic signal management
  County           safety, 200 miles of       system, closed circuit
                   arterial roads, 300        television system,
                   traffic signals, 30 signal changeable message signs
                   system detectors, 40 CCTV  control system, maintenance
                   cameras, 5 changeable      management system including
                   message signs.             computer aided dispatch,
                                              detector data collection
                                              system.

  Sacramento       Dispatch for fire trucks   Computer aided dispatch
  Regional         in most of Sacramento      system.
  Fire/EMS         County.                    
  Communications                              
  Center                                      

  Sacramento       Regional Transit bus and   Transit vehicle location
  Regional Transit light rail service, 275    and fleet management
  District         buses, 97 light rail       system, transit stops
                   vehicles, \_\_ CCTV        management system, transit
                   cameras.                   trip planning system,
                                              closed circuit television
                                              system, service disruption
                                              notification system.

  West Sacramento, Traffic management, public Traffic signal management
  City             safety, 25 miles of        system.
                   arterial roads, 40 traffic 
                   signals, 2 CCTV cameras.   

  Yolo County      Yolobus bus service, \_\_  Transit vehicle location
  Transportation   buses.                     and fleet management
  District                                    system.

  Yolo County      Dispatch for fire trucks   Computer aided dispatch
  Communications   and some police in Yolo    system.
  Emergency        County.                    
  Service Agency                              
  -----------------------------------------------------------------------

\* Facilities are those within or serving the contiguous built-up area
surrounding the City of Sacramento.

The types and quantities of facilities shown for each agency above are
estimates of those that will be in place when STARNET is being built
during 2007-08. These are subject to change.

The following subsections provide an overview of the characteristics of
the various types of transportation management systems operated or
planned by the stakeholder agencies, including the types of data or
information they may send via STARNET. Detailed descriptions of each
system are maintained in separate documentation.

## Computer Aided Dispatch Systems

The California Highway Patrol (CHP) operates a computer aided dispatch
(CAD) system that records information about highway incidents reported
to the CHP. The CHP patrols all highways operated by Caltrans and some
roads operated by local jurisdictions. Incident reports are received
from CHP officers in the field, from Caltrans personnel, from other
public agencies, and from the public. The public most commonly report
incidents using the 911 emergency telephone number. The CHP at the
Sacramento Communications Center operates the region's cellular 911
Public Safety Answering Point. If the CHP 911 operator/dispatcher
receives a call concerning a roadway not patrolled by the CHP, the call
is switched to the appropriate local fire, police, or sheriff.

Both CHP and Caltrans personnel at the joint CHP and Caltrans
Communications Center in Rancho Cordova have direct access to the full
incident database. A subset of the information is also made available on
the CHP's traffic incident information web site
(<http://cad.chp.ca.gov/>). This information can be extracted from the
web page by other organizations and included with other information in
more general travel information web sites, such as that provided by the
Sacramento Bee
(<http://www.sacbee.com/cgi-bin/sacbee/traffic/showtraffic.cgi>).

Various police, sheriff and fire dispatchers in the region also use
computer aided dispatch systems. These include systems by Tiburon,
SunGard HTE, and Northrop Grumman/PRC.

The computer aided dispatch systems are sources of incident information.

## Caltrans Highway Traffic Management Systems

Caltrans District 3 operates vehicle detectors at more than 100 sites on
freeways in the STARNET area. These detectors are monitored by either a
dedicated vehicle detector station, or by a ramp meter that also serves
as a vehicle detector station. Count, occupancy and speed data from all
vehicle detectors are collected every 30 seconds by a computer called a
"front end processor". The front end processor is STARNET's only viable
source of lane-by-lane raw freeway detector data, including ramp
detector data.

Caltrans District 3's freeway management system (also called the
Advanced Traffic Management System or ATMS) receives raw detector data
from the front end processor and converts it to an hourly volume,
average occupancy, and an average speed for all lanes combined in each
direction at each detector site. These aggregated data are displayed on
the ATMS map display for Caltrans operators. Every minute, the ATMS
software uploads speed data to an FTP web site, together with the text
of any message currently displayed on each changeable message sign.
These data are then available for downloading by interested parties.
This is where the Sacramento Bee travel information web site obtains
traffic speed and changeable message sign data.

Some changeable message signs operated by Caltrans in the STARNET area
are controlled by Caltrans' freeway management system software (ATMS)
and others are controlled by software from the sign manufacturer,
Display Solutions. The goal is to have all signs controlled via the ATMS
software eventually. In the meantime, STARNET may need to obtain sign
message information from both systems.

Caltrans District 3 operates some highway advisory radio systems in the
STARNET area. These are controlled via Highway Information System's
DR2000 software, which is a potential source of advisory radio data for
STARNET.

Caltrans District 3 operates some roadside weather information systems.
These report visibility and wind speed and direction, precipitation,
pavement temperature, and other data. Central software by the
manufacturer of some of these systems, Vaisala, is a potential source of
such data for STARNET.

Caltrans has a web-based statewide Lane Closure System used to receive,
review, and approve applications for lane closures and to provide the
public with information about upcoming and current lane closures.

Caltrans has a Chain Control Status system.

Caltrans closed circuit television and traffic signal management systems
are discussed below.

## Traffic Signal Management Systems

Most of the involved traffic management agencies operate a traffic
signal management system. These systems are used to remotely monitor the
status of traffic signals (e.g., current color displayed by each phase,
current timing mode and pattern, and any faults or alarm conditions
being reported), issue pattern change commands to signals,
upload/edit/download signal timings, and collect volume and occupancy
data from selected vehicle detectors. Systems operated by the various
agencies include VMS330 by Multisonics (now US Traffic/Quixote),
Streetwise and ATMS Now by Naztec, TranSuite by TransCore, QuicNet by BI
Tran Systems (now McCain Traffic Supply), CTNET by Caltrans, and ACTRA
by Eagle Traffic Control (now Siemens ITS). These systems can provide
traffic signal status and detector data to STARNET.

## Transit Management Systems

Sacramento Regional Transit District is in the process of providing its
light rail fleet with an automated vehicle location system incorporating
products from Radio Satellite Integrators, Inc. Central software is
located at the Network Operations Center at 1225 R Street near downtown
Sacramento. A real-time vehicle location system for the Regional Transit
bus fleet in being planned. Regional Transit is in the process of
launching a web-based transit trip planning system for the public. This
system is designed to accommodate other transit systems so that transit
riders have a single trip planning tool regardless of which transit
service providers are involved in a trip.

Other transit agencies are planning vehicle location systems.

## Closed Circuit Television Systems

Many of the involved agencies have deployed closed circuit television
(CCTV) cameras in the field to enable operators to remotely observe
current field conditions. Most of these cameras have remote pan, tilt,
and zoom controls, though some may be fixed-view cameras as used for
video detection at traffic signals, for example. The video feed is
transported from the camera to the agency's operations center by a
variety of communications links, including dial-up ISDN links for many
of Caltrans' cameras. Some camera feeds arrive at the operations center
as analog video, while others are digitized and compressed (encoded) at
the camera. Most agencies employ an analog video matrix switch and video
monitors at their operations center.

The California Highway Patrol has installed a Caltrans-supplied CCTV
camera on each of its two fixed wing aircraft, and the feed from these
will be available via the Caltrans CCTV system. The City of Sacramento
Police Department has a CCTV camera on at least one of its helicopters,
and there are plans to make the feed from this camera available via the
City's CCTV system.

Sacramento Regional Transit has installed closed circuit television
cameras on transit vehicles and at stations and other critical
infrastructure. These are used primarily for passenger security purposes
and are probably not suitable as video sources for STARNET.

## Regional Travel Information System

SACOG and Caltrans maintain the Sacramento region 511 travel information
interactive telephone service and web site. The telephone service
provides transit information, highway incident information, and access
to transit service call centers. The web site
(<http://www.sacregion511.org/>) has links to transit service provider
web sites, the CHP traffic incident information web site, the Caltrans
highway information web site, the Sacramento Bee travel information map,
Caltrans live traffic cameras, Caltrans planned road work, and rideshare
and cycling information. The recently-completed ITS Strategic Deployment
Plan calls for major upgrades to this travel information system. STARNET
will play a major role in those improvements.

## Maintenance Management Systems

Caltrans and Sacramento County operate maintenance management systems
that include computer aided dispatch. These are a source of real-time
information about maintenance activities that are disrupting traffic.

## 311 Systems

Sacramento County and the City of Sacramento are installing a 311
telephone service that allows residents to easily report non-emergency
requests for repairs or other services. These systems may be another
source of real-time incident information.

## Parking Management Systems

The City of Sacramento operates a parking management system for
city-owned parking garages.

## Communications Infrastructure

Most of the STARNET agencies have installed some fiber optic cable as
part of communication links between field equipment and their operations
centers. The ITS Partnership has coordinated interconnections between
the fiber optic cable owned by different jurisdictions in order to take
advantage of local fiber plant for inter-agency communications, such as
needed for STARNET. Some of the major fiber cable runs are shown on the
map of transportation management facilities in the following section.

The Cities of Sacramento, Roseville, and West Sacramento, Regional
Transit, and Sacramento County, are installing WiFi hotspots that could
be used for Internet access from the field.

# Other Environmental Factors

The stakeholders' transportation facilities and management systems are
the obvious and most important components of the environment in which
STARNET will be built and must operate. This section describes other
environmental factors that need to be considered -- those that may
directly or indirectly present significant opportunities, constraints,
or challenges for STARNET or the STARNET team.

The STARNET environment includes all the things that may affect STARNET
but are beyond the control of the STARNET implementation and operation
team. These are treated as externalities. They include physical
conditions (e.g., location of stakeholder facilities, terrain, etc.),
human activities (e.g., operators making mistakes, hacking attempts,
etc.), natural phenomena (e.g., weather extremes, vermin chewing through
a communications cable, etc.), institutional conditions (e.g., political
commitments and policies, agency staff turnover, etc.), technological
conditions (e.g., available technologies, technology change and
obsolescence, etc.). This is not a comprehensive list, and not all of
these items may be worthy of further consideration.

Environmental factors need to be considered in the context of each of
the various activities involved in STARNET implementation and operation.
These activities include initial design, initial implementation,
on-going operation, on-going maintenance, and significant expansions and
upgrades. Although we call it a concept of "operations", this document
is really about much more than just the literal operation of STARNET. It
addresses all activities associated with STARNET, at any stage in its
life cycle.

## Physical Conditions

The following map shows the location of transportation management
centers housing server computers for potential STARNET nodes and
agency-owned fiber-optic cable that may serve to link some nodes.

Although there are some agency-owned fiber optic cables in place or
planned that can support some STARNET links, agency owned communications
infrastructure will not be available for other STARNET links, at least
not initially.

The terrain in the Sacramento region is generally flat and amenable to
use of wireless communications. Areas adjacent to the Sacramento and
American rivers are subject to flooding. Levees and the Folsom dam are
estimated to provide protection from up to only a once in 77 years flood
according to the Sacramento Area Flood Control Agency.

The Sacramento area has a Mediterranean climate with dry summers and
mild winters. Annual rainfall averages approximately 17 inches. The
highest recorded temperature is 115 degrees Fahrenheit and the lowest
recorded temperature is 17 degrees Fahrenheit.

[]{#__RefHeading___Toc139033954 .anchor}Figure 3 - Map of Transportation
Management and Emergency Response Facilities

![](media/image5.png){width="5.872916666666667in"
height="7.006944444444445in"}

## Political Conditions

Sacramento is the capital of California. The population of the region
has grown rapidly to its present level of approximately two million
people, and is expected to nearly double again in the next 50 years.
Despite attempts to encourage "smart growth" population density outside
the downtown core is generally low and most of the growth is occurring
in low density suburbs poorly served by public transit and dominated by
automobile travel.

The region of interest to STARNET is comprised of the contiguous
built-up areas surrounding the City of Sacramento within parts of
Sacramento, El Dorado, Placer, and Yolo Counties. In addition to sizable
unincorporated communities, this urbanized area encompasses the
incorporated jurisdictions of Sacramento, Roseville, Citrus Heights, Elk
Grove, Rancho Cordova, Folsom, West Sacramento, and Rocklin.

Funding for public transportation facilities derives from a mixture of
local (city or county), State, and Federal government sources. There are
no significant privately owned transportation facilities other than
those for freight and parking. Transportation funding at all levels of
government is subject to change, in line with economic conditions and
political priorities. STARNET stakeholder agencies have typically used
Federal and State agency grants to supplement local funds for capital
investments, but often rely entirely on limited local funds for on-going
operation and maintenance.

Due to high-level policy changes, economic hardship, or other reasons,
any of the participating agencies may change, or at least want to change
(subject to agreements), its level of involvement in and support of
STARNET.

New agencies may wish to begin participation in STARNET.

## Technology Conditions

A participating agency may add or replace transportation system
components that are involved in STARNET. These could be nodes on the
system or agency-owned communication links used in STARNET. New
components may be quite different from any others currently involved in
STARNET.

STARNET will make use of various communications and computer
technologies. These technologies are evolving rapidly, resulting in
rapid changes in product choices, capabilities, price, compatibilities,
and level of available support. Many technologies, and especially
particular products, tend to have short life spans, often of the order
of only a few years.

In many instances, technology-based product manufacturers have agreed on
standards for various aspects of various types of products. Use of
standardized components can help reduce costs, facilitate
interoperability and therefore help in system expansions and upgrades,
and avoid early obsolescence.

Despite on-going improvements in technology and product reliability, any
of the components of STARNET may fail at any time, and some inevitably
will. It is also possible that multiple failures occur simultaneously.

Communication links used by STARNET and shared with non-STARNET
communications traffic, may experience overloading due to unusually high
amounts of non-STARNET traffic. Such overloading conditions may persist
for only a very short time (e.g., a second or less) or for a prolonged
period.

## Other Factors

STARNET may continue to operate for many years. During that time, the
quantity of data that need to be exchanged and stored may vary
significantly depending on factors such as the rate of implementation of
planned transportation management system elements by the involved
agencies, changes in uses of STARNET or in policies relating to what
data are transmitted to where, and the frequency of major disasters or
other events that may generate an abnormal quantity of exchanged data.

The personnel responsible for operating and maintaining STARNET will be
well qualified and trained, but will inevitably make mistakes from time
to time, as all humans always do. Such mistakes may result in unusual
and unpredictable conditions, some of which may not be well accommodated
by some STARNET components.

Beyond internal failures of hardware and software, the communications
links and end equipment involved in STARNET are subject to interruption
by events such as trenching operations that break underground cables,
earthquakes, floods, storms, line-of-sight obstruction of wireless
communication paths, vandalism, cabinet or pole knockdown, theft, power
outages, computer hacking, etc. An event that causes disruption of part
or all of STARNET may also disrupt transportation and personal
communications in ways that prevent maintenance personnel from
responding rapidly.

Personnel responsible for some important aspect of STARNET
implementation, operation, or maintenance, may suddenly leave the team,
due, for example, to a change in their work assignment, employment, or
health.

# Operation Scenarios

Operation scenarios are a conceptualization of future conditions and
events, and the resulting activities undertaken by members of the
STARNET team or by components of the STARNET system.

A scenario may apply to any stage of STARNET implementation, operation,
and upgrade. The STARNET team is composed of all parties involved in the
design, implementation, operation, and maintenance of STARNET, whether
an agency employee or a contractor employee. The defining events in a
scenario may be triggered external to STARNET and the STARNET team
(beyond our control), or may be triggered automatically by a STARNET
component (e.g., a computer) or by a STARNET team member (e.g., an
operator, a designer, an implementer, a maintenance technician, etc.).
The time period over which scenario activities occur may be anything
from a second or less to many years.

The operation scenarios are grouped into the following types:

-   Routine Operation

-   Failures and Other Unusual Events

-   Design, Implementation, and Upgrades

Scenarios attempt to cover all likely conditions reflected in the
STARNET environment description in the prior sections of this document.
However, scenarios can also involve realistic conditions that are not
directly traceable to the described environment.

The list of operation scenarios must be comprehensive, as any needs not
identifiable in one or more scenarios will not be included in the user
needs and therefore not allowed for in system implementation and support
measures.

Stakeholders can imagine very sophisticated functionality for STARNET
and related systems. Funding and time constraints have been considered
in limiting the assumed functionality. Even so, the functionality
reflected in these scenarios still may not be fully obtainable, and user
needs may have to be prioritized to guide compromise decisions and
staged implementation.

## Routine Operation

The following scenarios describe examples of situations that occur
routinely. The term "operator" here refers to an employee or contractor
of a participating agency that has been given a user name and password
for use of the shared Regional Transportation Management Display. Such
operators may be employees or contractors of cities, counties, the
State, and various regional agencies. These agencies are generally
involved in transportation management and emergency response.

### Freeway 99 Closure at Consumnes 

At 7:30 AM on a Tuesday morning, CHP 911 receives multiple emergency
cellular phone calls reporting a serious crash on northbound Highway 99
at the Consumnes River Blvd interchange. The accident reportedly
involves a truck potentially carrying a hazardous cargo and three cars.
The reports are conflicting as to the exact location of the accident,
some placing it south of the overcrossing and others placing it north.
There may also be one or more separate but related accidents caused by
approaching vehicles rear ending those stopped for the accident, adding
to the confusion.

CHP and Caltrans operators at the regional Communications Center are
quickly alerted to the incident. They notify the local fire department
and dispatch CHP patrol cars and Caltrans maintenance vehicles to the
scene. While waiting for field personnel to reach the site, they use a
Caltrans closed circuit television (CCTV) camera at this interchange to
survey the scene. Unfortunately, part of the accident scene is obscured
from the camera view by the overcrossing bridge. On a computer, they
bring up the Regional Transportation Management Display and log in. Once
logged in, the operator launches a regional map showing information for
transportation management operators (not the public). This map has
dynamic icons showing the location, owner, and current status of all
transportation management facilities accessible via STARNET.

After adjusting the regional map (pan and zoom at least as easily as in
Google Maps™) to obtain a reasonably scaled view of the area of
interest, they see that a County pan/tilt/zoom camera is located on the
north side of Calvine Road at the northbound off-ramp traffic signal,
and is currently operational and available for remote control. It may be
able to see the freeway immediately north of the bridge which is the
area obscured from the Caltrans camera. They use the regional map user
interface to view and control this camera and are able to see part,
though not all, of the obscured area. They see enough to confirm that
the truck is a tanker on its side and that no cars are getting past the
scene in mainline lanes. They also see that the eastbound Consumnes to
northbound 99 on-ramp is blocked, but the westbound Calvine to
northbound 99 on ramp is clear. The CHP officer uses this visual
confirmation to update the CAD entry with the on-ramp status
information. The Caltrans operator puts an advisory message on the
northbound 99 changeable message sign located south of Laguna Boulevard
in Elk Grove.

Meanwhile, the CHP CAD entry for this incident has been received by the
regional travel information (511) system, using STARNET, and made
available on the 511 web site and phone service. Once the CHP and
Caltrans operators have finished using the cameras for close-up
investigations of the accident, the cameras are parked to show an
overview of the scene and the feed is made available to the public via
the Caltrans and 511 web sites. The feed is delivered to the 511 system
via STARNET.

Commercial traffic information services become aware of the incident
using the CHP and 511 incident data feeds, and it is announced as a
closure of northbound 99 at Consumnes, on the next traffic report on
local radio stations. Motorists traveling north on 99 toward the
accident hear about it on the radio or see the closure advisory on the
changeable message sign. Most exit the freeway at Laguna Boulevard or
Sheldon Road, some going east to East Stockton Boulevard, Elk Grove
Florin, or Bradshaw, and some going west to I-5, or Bruceville Road and
Center Parkway. Since the early public reports are ambiguous as to
exactly where the accident is located and which northbound on-ramps at
Consumnes are blocked, most motorists using parallel streets stay on the
diversion route all the way to Mack Road. The East Stockton Boulevard
and Laguna/Bradshaw routes involves travel through Elk Grove and parts
of unincorporated Sacramento County. The Bruceville Road route involves
travel through Elk Grove and the City of Sacramento.

Looking for more information, a motorist approaching the incident area
from the east uses a cell phone to access the 511 travel information
system. They are told "Route 99 northbound at Consumnes there is an
accident, starting at 7:45 am", and "Elk Grove Florin Road at Stevenson
Avenue there is a traffic signal in flashing mode starting at 7:50 am".
The driver then elects to enter Route 99 at Mack Road.

Other commuters, before leaving home on their morning commute, access
the 511 web page and view the map displaying the current speeds along
Route 99 and see the flashing active incident icon. The color of the
vehicle detector station icons indicates that speeds are very slow in
the vicinity of the incident. By zooming in on the map, and selecting
the incident icon commuters observe that the incident is a hazardous
materials spill. Via the web page, commuters consecutively click on the
icons representing the Caltrans and County closed circuit television
cameras in the vicinity of the incident and view the incident and
congestion. Had an agency operator flagged such a camera as
inappropriate for public viewing, the commuter would have received a
message indicating that the cameras were temporarily unavailable. By
mouse-over or clicking on an icon representing the northbound changeable
message sign on Route 99 in Elk Grove they are able to read the text of
the message currently displayed on that sign regarding the incident.
Armed with this information, at least some of the commuters elect to
avoid the incident area or change their time of departure.

Even before public travel information reports provide the details of
which ramps are blocked and the extent of the backup on Highway 99, the
Elk Grove e-tran operations supervisor uses CCTV camera feeds available
via STARNET, the freeway detector data, and the incident report on the
Regional Transportation Management Display to confirm that express buses
traveling north on Highway 99 should exit at Sheldon Road and use the
East Stockton Boulevard detour, and that buses can in deed return to the
freeway at the Calvine on-ramp. Freeway detector data show which
detectors have a low volume and speed, and high occupancy, thus
indicating queued or slow moving traffic. Even without use a mouse-over
to see the actual values, the user can see the approximate level of
congestion at each detector by virtue of the color of the detector icon
on the regional display map.

The Caltrans operator tracking this incident recognizes that the extreme
traffic congestion likely to be occurring on the diversion routes could
be alleviated somewhat by adjusting the timing of traffic signals on
those routes. Attempts to contact the Elk Grove traffic signal
management staff fail, but they are able to speak to traffic signal
personnel at both Sacramento County and the City of Sacramento. These
local agency operators use their respective traffic signal management
systems and CCTV cameras to make appropriate changes to the timing of
traffic signals along the diversion route. The County also makes changes
to Elk Grove signals by remotely accessing the Elk Grove traffic signal
system. The procedures for such remote control between agencies are
defined and allowed by cooperative agreements. County personnel are also
able to check field conditions and the effectiveness of signal timing
changes, using an Elk Grove CCTV camera on Sheldon at Highway 99.
STARNET makes this camera accessible to the County operator.

The on-call Elk Grove traffic signal operator subsequently picks up a
phone message from the County operator advising of the remote control
actions taken. The Elk Grove operator speaks to the County operator by
phone to obtain a summary of events so far and to say that he will now
take over control of the Elk Grove signals. This operator is still at
home, and uses his home computer and Internet connection to access the
regional transportation management map, which is enabled by STARNET. He
logs in and launches the regional map. By clicking on icons representing
Caltrans, County and City CCTV cameras, an icon representing the
Caltrans changeable message sign at Laguna, and an icon representing the
incident report, this operator is able to quickly confirm current
conditions.

This incident report was automatically added to the regional display map
using data obtained from the CHP incident report. The Caltrans, County,
and City of Sacramento operators have since added information explaining
their actions and updates on conditions as they become available from
personnel in the field or CCTV cameras. He clicks on the Add Information
button in the incident report window and makes an entry that indicates
that he is actively monitoring and managing the Elk Grove signals. He
determines that a further adjustment is needed to one of the Elk Grove
signals, and makes a secure remote connection to the City traffic signal
system to effect that change.

The Caltrans, County, Sacramento, and Elk Grove operators continue to
monitor the situation using the regional map, which gives them access to
vehicle detector data, incident data, changeable message sign data, and
the status and video feeds from CCTV cameras. From time to time, these
local agency operators add relevant information to the regional incident
report. As the CHP computer aided dispatch incident report is updated,
those updates are automatically reflected in the regional incident
report.

Using STARNET, each operator is able to view and control all cameras
regardless of the owner. Joint procedures used by the STARNET agencies
provide for the owning agency to take control of a camera they own at
any time, while non-owner agencies must wait until they know the owning
agency is no longer using it, and they can then control it on a
first-come-first-served basis. Procedures provide a means for an
operator to use a camera movement sequence that identifies them as the
owner, both to take control and relinquish control. All operators are
trained to occasionally make a refresh movement to indicate continued
use of a camera. The Regional Transportation Management Display also
shows the name and agency of the two most recent operators to send
control commands (e.g., pan, tilt, or zoom) via the regional system to a
camera, and the time of the last command from each. This enables
operators to identify current users so they can contact them if needed.

When the freeway is re-opened, the public are notified in the same ways
that they were notified of the closure, and they stop using the
diversion routes. The involved agencies restore normal signal timings. A
Caltrans operator makes a final entry in the incident report in the
Regional Transportation Management Display, indicating that the incident
is over, and updates the End Time field and checks the "actual" flag
next to that time. The incident automatically remains as an icon in the
regional map and table views for the remainder of the day, but with a
color or other means of indicating that the incident is inactive. This
enables operators to confirm that the incident was recorded and has
ended, as opposed to not being recorded and possibly still active. An
incident in this post-closure state (End Time is actual and in the past)
can be re-opened if necessary by removing the actual flag for the End
Time. Incidents with an End Time flagged as actual and in the past are
removed from the 511 web site and phone service. Once the incident is
removed from the regional display (e.g., automatically at midnight), the
full incident record is archived, including status changes that occurred
while it was active and the time of such changes.

Each operator involved in these activities makes an entry in an
operations event log, briefly recording the nature of the incident, the
actions taken, an assessment of the effectiveness of those actions,
lessons learned, and any recommended follow-up actions. Some agencies
add such information to the regional incident tracker whiteboard for the
incident (often after the incident has ended) while others use other
event logging mechanisms that do not involve STARNET.

### Planned Roadwork and Bus Detour

Operations staff at Regional Transit, Roseville Transit, e-tran (Elk
Grove), Folsom Stage Line, YoloBus, Placer County Transit, and El Dorado
Transit routinely review the list of planned lane closures available to
STARNET agency operators via the Regional Transportation Management
Display. They check for work that may interfere with transit operations,
such as a lane closure that may block access to a bus stop. They use
this information to coordinate with the public agency approving the
street work, making arrangements for temporary detours or bus stop
relocations when needed.

The agency creates the planned lane closure record in the regional
system even before the encroachment permit is issued. The permitting
process offers another opportunity to coordinate the bus stop
relocation, and the regional record of this closure is updated when the
formal arrangement is finalized. Lane closures shown in the Caltrans
Lane Closure System are automatically imported to the regional display.

As with other dynamic information available via the Regional
Transportation Management Display, lane closure information can be
viewed in a table format or via icons on a regional map. The table view
enables rapid scanning of a particular data type, regardless of
location. Each row in the table provides at least the type, identifier,
owner, and location of a transportation management object, such as a
camera, an incident, a lane closure, etc. and is a clickable link to
further information about that object. The operator can choose between
different sorting options for the table, based on any column.

The map view enables rapid scanning of all objects in a geographic area.
Clicking on an object on the map provides the same pop-up details window
as clicking on the object row in the table view.

### Light Rail Transit Bus Bridge

Regional Transit\'s light rail system occasionally suffers from power
substation failures during hot summer months.  During these failures,
buses ferry passengers from one Light Rail station to another, thereby
bridging the \"dark\" section of track.  The situation is entered in
RT's service disruption notification system from where it is
automatically picked up by STARNET's regional incident tracker, shown as
an incident (type = "transit service incident") on the operators'
Regional Transportation Management Display (map), and passed to the
regional travel information (511) system for dissemination to the
public. Other transit agencies are manually alerted of the service
disruption and alter inter-system passenger transfer plans. Some transit
agencies use the web services offerings of other transit agencies to
automatically receive such notifications, separate from STARNET.  

To facilitate coordination between agencies, the Regional Transportation
Management Display shows all transit routes (in an optional layer) and
the current location and direction of travel of in-service light rail
vehicles (the location of buses may also be added in the future when
available). Adjacent freeway drivers are alerted via Caltrans and County
changeable message signs prior to exiting the freeway system or major
arterials to an affected light rail station. These messages are
activated using each agency's existing sign control software.

### Transit Information

A member of the public is about to leave her home and catch the bus for
a trip. She goes to her computer and the Sacramento Region 511 web site,
and accesses the "Next Train or Bus" page. She enters her location
(street address) and is presented with the location of the nearest bus
and LRT stops and the time of arrival of the next few buses and trains
at each, sorted by route, and within each route by direction of travel,
and within each direction by arrival time.

Provision of this information by the 511 web site is made possible by
automated vehicle location data collected from the buses and trains, and
a regional transit stops database, the arrival times calculated, and the
information made available to the traveler on the 511 web site. Each
transit agency generates arrival time data for its vehicles and sends
these to the regional travel information (511) system via STARNET. The
511 system uses the regional transit stops database to determine the
stops closest to the user and obtains transit vehicle arrival time data
from the transit agencies serving those stops. Results presented to the
user show, for each vehicle, the service provider, route number,
destination, and an indication as to whether the arrival time estimate
is based on actual vehicle location data or only the scheduled arrival
time.

Travelers not already familiar with the region's transit services click
on a link on the 511 web page that takes them to a regional transit
services map maintained by SACOG using its Geographical Information
System, with the collaboration of the region's transit agencies. It
shows all current scheduled transit routes and transfer points,
indicates the transit agency providing each service, and the route
number. Links are provided to summary information about each agency, and
to more detailed web sites maintained by each agency.

### Local Freeway Detector Data

The traffic operations personnel at a city or county obtain from
Caltrans a description of all vehicle detectors on the freeways in that
local jurisdiction for which real-time traffic flow data are available
via STARNET. They create links or other appropriate entities in their
traffic management system to represent the traffic flow data from these
detectors, and they establish a STARNET subscription for both the static
and dynamic data for those detectors.

As the Caltrans traffic data collection system obtains new data from
these detectors, those data are automatically transmitted to all
subscribers. The traffic management system at a subscribing agency
receives these data and automatically updates the display of link status
and values, or other entities configured to display, use, or store such
data.

A city or county incorporating freeway detector data in their local
traffic management system configures alarms or other triggers (in their
node system) to alert operators to abnormal congestion or low traffic
volume on the freeway; as such conditions may reflect an incident or
traffic-generating event that could result in significant diversion of
freeway traffic to local streets.

### Changeable Message Sign Status

The current status of changeable message signs, used to advise travelers
of current conditions, automatically appears on the operators' Regional
Transportation Management Display (map) via a changeable message sign
icon, and is automatically reported to the regional travel information
system which reports it to the public on the travel information (511)
web site. On the regional display map, the color and perhaps other
attributes of the sign icon reflect its status (e.g., out of service, in
service but no message, routine message, incident message). A mouse-over
reveals the text of the current message, and static information about
the sign, such as type, identifier, owner, and location. As with other
dynamic data, the same information is also available in a list view,
where all changeable message signs in the region are listed together,
and the user can sort the list based on any column.

To enable reporting of sign status, all agencies with a central sign
management system link their system to STARNET and allow the regional
display map and regional travel information (511) system to obtain
appropriate sign status data. Sign status information is shown on the
511 web site map and tables (list view), similar to the regional
display.

In the initial implementation of STARNET, the regional display cannot be
used to change the message on a sign. That must be done by remote access
to the owning-agency's sign management software. Mutual aid operating
procedures developed under the STARNET program facilitate sharing of
signs between agencies when and where appropriate.

### Freeway Ramp Meter Status

The current status of freeway ramp meters automatically appears on the
operators' Regional Transportation Management Display (map) via ramp
meter icons. At least some subset of such information is automatically
reported to the regional travel information system which reports it to
the public on the travel information web site and 511 web site maps, the
color and perhaps other attributes of the ramp meter icon reflect its
status (e.g., out of service, in service but currently not metering, now
metering). A mouse-over confirms the operating status in text, reveals
the current metering rate if any, and static information about the
meter, such as type, identifier, owner, and location. As with other
dynamic data, the same information is also available in a list view,
where all ramp meters in the region are listed together, and the user
can sort the list based on any column.

To enable reporting of ramp meter status, Caltrans District 3 links
their ramp meter management system to STARNET and allows the regional
display and regional travel information (511) system to obtain and
display appropriate ramp meter status data.

### Video Used by Operators

When an operator wants to view a camera to which they do not have direct
access via a local video management system, that operator goes to a
computer and logs in to the Regional Transportation Management Display.
They click on a camera icon on the regional map or a camera name in the
table of cameras, to activate the display of the video feed from that
camera. If the camera provides pan-tilt-zoom control, they use on-screen
remote controls to achieve the desired field of view.

An operator thus views the video and controls the camera from any
ordinary computer with an Ethernet connection to the Internet or
directly connected to the STARNET side area network. Video is viewed and
controlled via a web page using popular web browser software so as to
avoid limiting system access to computers with pre-installed software.
The video feed is initiated quickly after the camera is selected.

An operator at any involved agency may have a need to use a camera that
is outside its jurisdiction. For example, the camera may be at an
intersection on or near the boundary between adjacent jurisdictions, or
they may need to check traffic conditions within a neighboring
jurisdiction to predict the impact on their own intersections. In some
cases, the County or another agency may provide traffic signal operation
and maintenance services on behalf of the owning agency, and may need to
observe conditions as part of that function.

It is estimated that up to six operators may be viewing the same camera
simultaneously. Each agency may have multiple operators, and the
estimated total number of operators from all involved agencies is
estimated to be not greater than forty. It is possible that all cameras
available via STARNET could be being viewed simultaneously.

Where available, an operator takes advantage of high quality (television
quality) video from a camera to observe details that are not readily
evident in poorer quality video. Where only poorer quality video is
available, due to communications bandwidth constraints for example, the
operator still uses the camera, even though the same details may not be
discernable. Where bandwidth permits, an operator displays multiple
camera feeds simultaneously, by choosing to not close prior feeds prior
to launching the next one.

The cameras are often programmed with presets. For example nine presets
might be programmed at a four legged intersection -- one showing an
overview of just the intersection itself, one for each leg showing an
overview of the entire leg, and one for each leg zoomed in and showing
more detail of part of the leg. Operators may use such presets when
operating their own cameras and when operating a camera owned by another
agency. After choosing a preset from a list, the operator may refine the
field of view using individual pan, tilt and zoom controls. The camera
controls are intuitive and avoid confusion by not showing controls for
cameras that cannot be controlled by that user due to user privileges.
Similarly, the user interface does not show camera controls for cameras
that do not have remote control capabilities.

Operators control a camera by an on-screen action controlled by the
computer's mouse or other pointing device. While doing this, the
operator monitors the video display to confirm that the desired action
has taken place and so as to know when to cease a sustained or repeating
action (the camera has reached the desired position). This process is
easy, accurate, and fast if there is minimal latency (time delay)
between when the operator commences the control action and when the
video display shows the resulting change in the camera's field of view.
If this latency exceeds one second, precise control becomes difficult
and time consuming, and precise camera control becomes particularly
challenging if the latency exceeds two seconds.

Operators in different agencies with shared use of cameras use mutually
agreed procedures to avoid contention and interference when two or more
operators want to use a camera simultaneously. For example, cameras are
programmed to automatically "park" at a particular preset after a period
of no movement, or users are trained to manually park it. Agreed
procedures may require a non-owning operator to not move a camera that
is not so parked. In any case, if while using another agency's camera,
an operator sees the camera moved by someone else, they assume the other
user is unaware that it is already in use, and they move the camera back
again, thus informing the other user that it is already in use. However,
if an owning agency operator moves the camera, they can make a
distinctive series of camera movements that informs others that this is
an owning agency operator. In this case, others abandon their use of the
camera in favor of the owning agency. The owning agency can make a
different distinctive set of camera movement to signal that they are
finished with the camera. They may also park it at the default view.

If the regional camera control system provides control locks and
overrides, these may be used instead of, or in addition to, such
procedures. However, owning agency operators may use a camera control
system that is separate from that provided in the regional system, and
therefore it may not be convenient for them to use locks and overrides
in the regional system. Their local camera control system may or may not
have lock out capabilities. If it is critical that other users do not
attempt to control the camera during a use session, such as a television
station using the camera during a live traffic conditions broadcast,
either a lock is set or the feed is temporarily disconnected from the
regional video distribution system.

When an operator considers the current camera view to be unsuitable for
public viewing, they click on the Cut Public Feed button for that camera
in the Regional Transportation Management Display. This causes the
public to see a message such as "This camera is temporarily unavailable"
instead of the video feed. To restore the public feed, they click on the
Restore Public Feed button.

The communications link used for transporting the video feed from its
source to the operator may vary in effective bandwidth (i.e., the lowest
throughput at this time at any point in the link) for different
camera/operator pairs, and will vary depending on the location of the
operator. If the feed does not automatically scale to suit the available
bandwidth, a system administrator may configure the system to provide
two or more different video feeds from the same camera, one optimized
for low bandwidth links and the other for high bandwidth links. An
operator can choose between such alternative feeds.

A Regional Transportation Management Display operator with suitable
permissions may assign different privileges to different users or user
groups to limit their access to a camera or camera group. Some agencies,
or users in that agency, may be restricted to view-only access, while
others are given view and control privileges for that camera or camera
group.

A failure in a communications link, or in video distribution hardware or
software, may result in the loss of access to another agency's camera.
This condition is recognized by an operator when attempting to use that
remote camera. The operator reports the problem to the appropriate
maintenance personnel, who work cooperatively with involved parties to
diagnose and correct the problem, using typical communications,
hardware, and software troubleshooting techniques.

Transmission of video via STARNET is enabled by encoding the analog
video to a compressed, digital stream. Agencies installing video
encoders can select from multiple manufacturers, as the system uses
popular standards for video compression and supports multiple encoders.

The video distribution system tolerates some jitter in the delivery
network. Even though varying levels of network traffic rapidly change
the amount of bandwidth available for the video packets and packet
delivery times vary, the final video image is nearly always of
reasonable quality and usable.

Each agency is responsible for making any video recording they may need.
There is no central or automatic recording of any video. As with all
data and information collected via STARNET, an agency that captures
video from another agency's camera does not release such recordings to
third parties without written permission from the source agency.

### Video Used by the Public

The public use the Internet to view the live video feed from any CCTV
camera in the region by clicking on a link to that camera on a 511 web
page, or other web pages that arrange to provide links to the region's
transportation cameras. Some cameras that are available to agency
operators may not be suitable for public viewing (e.g., security cameras
on transit station platforms), and these are configured to be
permanently not available to the public. Others can be normally
available for public viewing but can have their public feed temporarily
cut by an agency operator when the view is considered unsuitable for
public viewing. This causes the public to see a message such as "This
camera is temporarily unavailable" instead of the video feed.

To limit bandwidth use, the public can view only one camera at a time
and a camera stream automatically terminates, unless manually refreshed,
after a time limit set by the video distribution system administrator.

The public cannot control cameras. The public do not have to log in or
otherwise identify themselves to view a camera.

If the video does not automatically scale to fit the available
bandwidth, at least two different video feeds are offered to the public
for each camera. One is suited to low bandwidth connections and the
other to high bandwidth connections. If the time to start of viewing is
high, or the minimum bandwidth is unsuitable for some low-speed Internet
users, a snapshot option is available either automatically while the
stream is loading or as the only video display.

### Traffic Responsive Signal Pattern Selection

The City of Sacramento's traffic signal management system continuously
receives traffic volume and occupancy data from the Sacramento County
traffic signal management system on Arden Way and Alta Arden Expressway,
and uses these data, together with data from its own detectors, to
select the most appropriate traffic signal timing pattern for signals on
Arden Way and Exposition Boulevard. The City signal system automatically
implements the selected timing pattern in its own involved signals and,
if feasible, uses STARNET to issue a "request for action" to the County
signal system to implement the same pattern in its involved signals. At
other times or locations, the roles of the two signal systems are
reversed so that the County system obtains the detector data, makes the
selection, and implements the pattern.

### Traffic Signal Status

While a traffic signal is flashing red due to a failure (not programmed
flash) it automatically appears on the operators' Regional
Transportation Management Display (map) as an incident, and is
automatically reported to the regional travel information system which
reports it to the public on the travel information (511) web site and
phone service.

To enable reporting of signals in flash, all agencies with a central
traffic signal management system link their system to STARNET and allow
the regional display system to obtain signal flash status data. The
regional display system automatically creates an incident (type =
roadway incident) and hence it is automatically reported on the 511 web
map and 511 phone service.

Each traffic signal appears on the operators' regional display map as a
traffic signal icon. The color, and perhaps other attributes, of the
icon indicate its current operating mode (e.g., off-line, flash due to
failure, police manual control, programmed flash, preempt, free,
coordinated). A mouse-over reveals the current basic timing parameters
(e.g., plan or pattern number, cycle length if coordinated, offset if
coordinated), and static information about the signal, such as type,
identifier, owner, and location. As with other dynamic data, the same
information is also available in a list view, where all traffic signals
in the region are listed together, and the user can sort the list based
on any column.

To enable reporting of traffic signal status, agencies link their
traffic signal management system to STARNET and allow the regional
display map to obtain appropriate traffic signal operating mode and
timing data. An operator uses such information to confirm that a group
of coordinated traffic signals spanning a jurisdictional boundary is
operating as jointly planned by the two involved agencies. Fire truck
dispatchers use the display to confirm that traffic signal preemption is
working as expected. Transit operations supervisors use the display as
part of investigations into possible causes of a late-running bus.
Emergency or event managers use the display to confirm that police are
controlling a traffic signal as expected.

### Transportation Planning Database

As a STARNET node system collects traffic flow data (any combination of
volume (by vehicle class where feasible), occupancy, and speed) from
vehicle detectors on the freeways and arterial roads, those data are
automatically transmitted to other STARNET nodes that have subscribed
for such data. One of the nodes that subscribes for such data from all
nodes providing them, is the SACOG transportation planning database.
Each transmission of data collected from a detector includes the
operational status of the detector, data values (e.g., any of volume,
occupancy, and speed), a unique identifier for the detector, duration of
the time period over which the values apply, the date and time at the
end of that measurement period, and if possible, an indication of the
data quality.

The SACOG transportation planning database node also subscribes for
static data describing each vehicle detector. The static data include at
least the detector identifier, type, owner, and location. A STARNET node
automatically transmits static data to subscribers following any change
in those data.

The transportation planning database also subscribes for incident data
from the Regional Transportation Management Display system, and transit
data (e.g., ridership statistics, vehicle location, vehicle arrival
times, perhaps on-time performance statistics, facilities locations
(including bus stops), service disruptions/cancellations, routes
database including temporary diversions/detours, schedules, etc., as
appropriate and agreed to by the source agency),

SACOG uses the data for validation and other aspects of its regional
transportation model maintenance. Incident data are used to exclude or
explain unusual traffic volumes, caused by an incident.

As with all data collected via STARNET, SACOG does not release such data
to third parties without written permission from the source agency.

### Emergency Responders Use STARNET

An emergency response dispatcher views live video from transportation
agency cameras, transmitted via STARNET, to confirm the location,
direction, type, extent, etc. of a reported incident, hence enabling a
more appropriate choice of resources for dispatch. 

An emergency response dispatcher views traffic congestion and lane
closure information on STARNET's Regional Transportation Management
Display (map) before choosing which unit to assign to the incident or
which route to recommend that unit use to reach the incident site.

Emergency response personnel on site at an incident or in a temporary
command post, use an in-vehicle terminal or laptop computer with
wireless Internet access to view live video and traffic flow data via
STARNET in order to determine conditions just out of sight, such as the
extent of a traffic queue backup, confirmation of a reported secondary
incident, the message being displayed on a changeable message sign on
approach to the area, etc.

Emergency response personnel view entries by transportation agencies and
other emergency response agencies on the STARNET incident whiteboard to
increase their awareness of the situation (information not already
reported to them via voice radio) and actions of other agencies, and to
coordinate activities with those other agencies. The whiteboard is a
free-form text area in the regional incident tracker used to record any
information considered useful.

Emergency response personnel overseeing an active incident make entries
on the STARNET regional incident whiteboard to inform other agencies and
the public of the status of the incident and response activities.  The
information they enter for other agency personnel may be different from
that which they enter for the public if any. 

During a major emergency, incident command staff at an emergency
operations center view live video from transportation agency cameras,
transmitted via STARNET, to assess the extent of the damage or secondary
impacts.

During a major emergency or event, incident or event management staff
use STARNET's Regional Transportation Management Display (map) to
illustrate the area currently affected by the incident (e.g., area
flooded, area being evacuated due to a flood or toxic spill, area closed
for a parade or other event, etc.), and choose to make this graphical
information available just to other agency personnel (choose event type
"operations") or to the public too. 

During a major emergency or event, transportation department
representatives at an emergency or event operations center use STARNET's
Regional Transportation Management Display to keep the incident command
staff informed of transportation conditions, and to enable an operator
to answer questions such as \"what routes are currently best to evacuate
people from area A to facility B?\"

To help relate incident impacts to street geometry and surrounding land
uses, operators make use of the aerial photograph background option in
the Regional Transportation Management Display (similar to the
"satellite" view in Google Maps™).

Operators use links on the Regional Transportation Management Display to
access web sites maintained by third parties such as the National
Weather Service, the United States Geological Survey (stream gage
readings), and the Office of Emergency Services.

### Regional Transportation Operations Review

At a meeting of the Sacramento ITS Partnership, the agencies perform a
review of regional transportation operations activities -- those
activities involving the cooperation and coordination of multiple
agencies. In preparation for this meeting, each agency reviews its
operations event logs (recorded either in the regional incident tracker
whiteboard or in any other form the agency chooses) for the period since
the previous review, and extracts information pertinent to the
discussion. They also obtain the number of messages sent and received by
each node. SACOG extracts and summarizes records of incidents from
STARNET's regional incident tracker and gathers statistics from the 511
system for both phone and web services, in accordance with the 511
Deployment Coalition's Implementation and Operations Guidelines for 511
Services
(http://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/511/resources/publications/511guide_ver3/511guide3.htm#topdoc).

Items discussed include what worked well, what didn't, and how can
regional operations be improved. Out of this discussion come
recommendations for changes to STARNET and regional transportation
operation procedures. Subsequently, SACOG takes the lead in evaluating
the feasibility of making the recommended changes to STARNET.

In addition to these periodic reviews, after a major incident involving
multiple agencies, an incident-specific performance review is conducted
to analyze and learn from that experience.

### Static Data Update

An operator at an agency operating a STARNET node that is a source of
data, edits a database to add, change, or delete static information
about a field device or the node system. Such static data are sent to
other nodes that subscribe for them. Static data include information
such as identifier, type, owner, and location. The data fields vary
depending on the type of element being described.

If feasible, the automatic exchange of static data extends to providing
a uniform view of traffic signal timing and street geometry such as that
used in signal timing analysis software such as Synchro.

### Incident Report Creation and Display

An accident occurs in Citrus Heights at the intersection of Greenback
Lane and San Juan Avenue. The accident is first reported by a cell phone
911 call. The CHP call taker routes the call to the Sacramento Regional
Fire/EMS Communications Center where it is entered in their computer
aided dispatch system and paramedics are dispatched. Citrus Heights
police are also notified and dispatch a police car. The fire truck is
the first to arrive on scene and finds that a traffic signal pole has
been damaged and traffic can get past the accident scene in only one
lane and very slowly. The fire truck crew has their dispatch center
notify Citrus Heights traffic engineering personnel who dispatch a
signal maintenance crew.

Alerted to the situation, a Citrus Heights traffic management center
operator uses a CCTV camera to survey the scene. To inform travelers and
other transportation and emergency response agencies, he goes to the
Regional Transportation Management Display and ensures the incident is
entered in STARNET's regional incident tracker. He finds that it has not
already been created by other personnel or by the automatic feed from
the Sacramento Regional Fire/EMS Communications Center, so he clicks on
the Create Incident Report option. In the dialog window, he selects an
incident type code (e.g., roadway incident, transit service incident,
disaster (e.g., flood, fire, toxic plume), planned event, planned lane
closure, truck restriction, operations), enters the approximate date and
time it started (and checks "actual" flag next to that time), enters an
estimate of when it will end (but does not check its "actual" flag),
enters a description of the location including travel direction (the
public hears this on the 511 phone service), enters a brief description
of the incident (the public hears this on the 511 phone service) , makes
an entry in the 511 phone message if appropriate (usually left blank),
checks the Major Incident flag (since this is considered a major
incident), and clicks the Save button. By clicking on the regional map,
he selects the placement of the incident icon for this incident. The
system automatically assigns a unique identifier for the incident,
records the latitude and longitude of the icon placement, and records
the user's name and agency as the creator of the incident report. An
operator wishing to fine tune the location of the incident icon can
enter a mode that allows the icon to be dragged to another location. The
centroid latitude and longitude fields can also be edited.

This new incident immediately appears on the Regional Transportation
Management Display and 511 web site as both an icon on the map and an
entry in the table of incidents. The map and table views automatically
refresh periodically or upon change. The text shown in the table of
incidents shows the unique identifier, the incident type, the owner
(originator), the location, start time and end time and whether each is
estimated or actual, and the description. This same information is
displayed as a mouse-over bubble on the map. Both the icon on the map
and text or other indicator in the row in the table view, are colored
red and are flashing to indicate that this is an active major incident.
If it were a minor incident it would not flash. If it were not currently
active it would not be red. An incident is considered active if its
Start Time is actual and in the past, and its End Time is estimated or
actual-and-in-the-future.

As soon as the incident is flagged as "major", the Regional
Transportation Management Display system automatically sends a text
message to the cell phones of those operators who have subscribed for
such notifications. These subscriptions allow the operator to select the
types of incidents that will trigger a message when it is flagged as
"major". Where feasible, the severity or other attribute of the data
source used to automatically create an incident is used to automatically
flag a new incident as "major", but an operator can always manually
change this flag.

Shortly thereafter, a second incident record for the same incident is
automatically created in STARNET's regional incident tracker by virtue
of filtered data transmitted from the Sacramento Regional Fire/EMS
Communications Center computer aided dispatch system, and a second
incident icon appears next to the first on the regional display map. If
the accident had not impacted the traffic signal or otherwise prompted
emergency responders to alert the city traffic management personnel,
this automatic entry from the computer aided dispatch system would be
the only way the incident would appear on the regional display. The
process of extracting data from the emergency response computer aided
dispatch system includes removal of unnecessary and inappropriate
information by filtering by fields, codes, and key words.

In this case, the creator of the manually-entered incident record sees
that a duplicate record has been created and performs a merge action to
combine the information into one. All entries in the whiteboards of each
incident record are time stamped and automatically listed in
chronological order when combined in the merged record. All entries also
show the source. Further free text information about this incident
flowing from the computer aided dispatch system is automatically
inserted in the whiteboard of the merged incident record, as are any
further manual entries by the Citrus Heights traffic operator or any
other agency operator having useful information to contribute.

A subset of the incident entries (free text in the "whiteboard") in the
regional incident tracker for each incident, are transmitted (as soon as
the entry is made) to the regional travel information (511) system for
dissemination to the public via the 511 web site (not via the 511 phone
service). At the time of data entry, within the Regional Transportation
Management Display system, each entry is manually or automatically
flagged as suitable for public distribution depending on its content or
source. For example, information automatically obtained from the CHP's
public incident information web site is automatically flagged as
suitable for public dissemination.

The same process is used to create "incidents" that represent planned
future events, such as lane closures and special events that may
generate unusual traffic or disrupt traffic flow. These are simply
different incident types. The icon and text for a distant future
incident are colored light gray, for a near future incident (e.g.,
commencing within say two days) are colored darker gray, and for an
impending future incident (e.g., commencing within say two hours) is
colored black. The icon and text for a current incident are colored red,
and for a closed incident (End Time is actual and in the past) are
colored green. Any user can click on the icon or text and use the pop-up
dialog to edit any of the data fields, including adding further
information about the incident or actions being taken. In this way, the
incident record is a shared whiteboard on which all parties can share
their information.

When an operator adds an information entry, they have the option to flag
it as public information. If they don't do this, it is not passed to the
regional travel information (511) system and not displayed on the 511
web site, converted to speech for the 511 phone server, nor passed to
third party travel information disseminators. Operators sometimes make
two entries pertaining to some new information -- one with details
needed by cooperating transportation agencies but not appropriate for
the public, and another that is an appropriate message for the public.
Entries that are flagged as public are differentiated by color. All
operators can see what the public sees.

When an operator adds an entry to the incident report (whiteboard
entry), the date and time that the entry is made is captured (timestamp)
and appended to the beginning of the entered text. The system also
automatically records the name and agency of the operator making the
entry. This name and agency information is displayed on the report when
viewed by other operators, but is not given to the public by the 511
system nor passed to third party travel information disseminators.

The user clicks on the incident icon to see information not available in
the mouse-over, and to add, change, or delete information. Entries in an
incident report, both public and non-public, can be edited or deleted by
any operator, subject to mutually agreed procedures. The name and agency
of the operator making a change or deleting an entry is automatically
recorded. Deleted whiteboard entries remain visible to all agency users
(not to the public) while that incident remains in the database, but are
clearly distinguished as deleted. Deleted entries are used in post
mortems and training to better understand the dynamics of real-time
incident management and reporting.

If the incident location is blank or outside the map area, the incident
icon appears in a corner of the map (both operators display and 511 web
page). Multiple such icons can be stacked but distinguishable there if
necessary.

### Local Truck Restrictions

An operator at a local jurisdiction uses STARNET's regional incident
tracker to record a temporary or permanent truck restriction, such as a
height, weight, or size limit. It is just another incident type. This
information shows on the Regional Transportation Management Display for
operators, but more importantly, it is also automatically sent to the
regional travel information (511) system where "incidents" of this type
are automatically added to the truck restrictions layer of the 511 web
site map.

### Parking Availability

Prior to starting a trip, or en route, travelers use 511 to determine if
a parking garage they intend to use in downtown Sacramento is already
full. This is enabled by STARNET linking the City's parking management
system to the regional travel information (511) system. The 511 web site
includes a page showing the current occupancy of parking garages --
those garages for which data are currently provided to the 511 system
via STARNET. The Regional Transportation Management Display web page
includes a link to this parking information page. The 511 phone system
reads the parking information to users when they select the Parking
option. Initially, the only parking garages monitored are those that are
part of the City of Sacramento's parking management system.

For a planned event (e.g., parade, fair, air show, concert, sporting
event, etc.), event management personnel use the Regional Transportation
Management Display to create an incident (type = "planned event") to
provide travel information to the public related to that event. Such
information includes transit services, parking availability as well as
any street closures or access restrictions. The "511 phone message"
field is used to either summarize such information or direct callers to
the 511 web site for more information. As with other incident types,
planned event "incidents" are available for viewing by operators on the
regional display and by the public via the 511 system. When a planned
event results in a significant disruption to traffic or transit
services, operators might also create another incident type (e.g.,
roadway incident, or transit service incident) to report it, so that it
is separately brought to the attention of travelers on the main 511 web
map and directly under the Traffic and Transit options in the 511
interactive telephone service.

### Travel Information

To check current travel conditions and opportunities, travelers use a
computer or telephone to access travel information made available by the
511 system. Telephone users dial the number 511. Upon accessing the
recorded greeting, they are prompted with the options to select whether
they want information regarding Traffic, Transit, Parking, Help, or
Other. After selecting Other, the user can choose between Rural
Highways, Bay Area 511, Other Areas, Amtrak,
Ridesharing/Bicycling/Telecommuting, Events, Weather, and Help. The user
selects an option by either speaking the menu item or pressing a key on
the phone keypad. The touchtone menu is accessed by pressing the zero
key.

If there are any active incidents of type "disaster", these are read to
the phone user immediately, before any menu options are presented.

After selecting Traffic, the user is asked to specify the highway route
number or area (such as Central, Northeast, East, South, West, or North)
for which they would like to receive traffic information. Once a
selection is made, the system responds with a spoken list of current
incidents and slow downs on that route or in that area. Incidents are
filtered to eliminate transit incidents, truck restrictions, "disaster"
incidents, "operations" incidents, and incidents that are not currently
active (except for planned event incidents). Of the remaining incidents,
those flagged as Major are presented first. Incidents are secondarily
sorted by start time, where the most recent are presented first (except
that planned events are listed last). The information provided for each
active incident are the location, description, start time, estimated end
time, and 511 phone message fields, read directly from the incident
record received from the Regional Transportation Management Display
system. The "511 phone message" field is used by agency operators to
provide additional information or advice that is important to have
included in the 511 phone message for an incident. It is also provided
in the 511 web site report for the incident. No whiteboard entries are
read to 511 phone users.

Significant slowdowns are presented after all incidents. Slow down
information is derived from freeway detector data from Caltrans,
transmitted to the 511 system via STARNET. Slowdown reports provide the
highway route number, the approximate start and end points of the slow
section, and an indication of the slowest average speed at any detector
station in this segment (e.g., "20 to 40 mph" or "less than 25 mph").

After selecting Transit, the user is asked for the name of a county.
They then hear a spoken list of any current transit service incidents
(incident type = "transit service incident") and all planned event
incidents (even if not yet started) relevant to that county. The user is
then asked to specify a transit agency in that county for which they
want information. After selecting an agency, the user is transferred to
the customer service phone line for that agency.

After selecting Parking, the voice message reads the list of currently
monitored garages, providing the percent occupancy of each. The garages
are heard in order of occupancy, starting with the highest occupancy.

At any time while listening to a list of traffic or parking conditions,
the user can say Skip to immediately move to the next item, Repeat to
start over at the beginning of the current item, Back to back up to the
previous item, or Stop to return to the prior menu. If there is no
information to report, the user hears "There are no significant events
reported at this time -- returning to the main menu" or similar.

After selecting Rural Highways, the user is transferred to the Caltrans
Highway Information Network interactive telephone service
(800-427-7623). After selecting Bay Area 511, the user is transferred to
the San Francisco Bay area 511 interactive telephone service
(510-817-1717). Other options similarly cause the user to be transferred
to the relevant third party customer support phone line.

A user unfamiliar with the 511 phone system can say "help" at any time
to hear a recording that explains how the interactive phone system
works, how to hear the touchtone options, and tips for better results.

Hearing impaired users can access the 511 phone system either through a
parallel Telecommunications Device for the Deaf (TDD) teletypewriter
(TTY) service or, by using the 711 relay services that have been
established to enable the hearing-impaired to call any phone number,
regardless of whether it is TDD-TTY-equipped.

The 511 phone system is built with sufficient capacity to avoid callers
getting a busy tone 95% of the time. The number of lines is adjusted
over time according to changes in demand.

Rather than using the telephone service, some users go to the 511 web
site (www.sacregion511.org) to obtain travel information. The web site
provides, in text and/or graphical form, all the information available
directly by telephone (not information provided indirectly via third
party interactive phone service or customer support phone lines) and
more. The 511 web site also provides links to third party web sites
providing travel related information useful to the public (e.g., San
Francisco Bay area 511 web site -- www.511.org, National Weather
Service, Office of Emergency Services, Caltrans District 3 chain control
information website --
[www.dot.ca.gov/dist3/projects/chainmap/chain_control_map.pdf](http://www.dot.ca.gov/dist3/projects/chainmap/chain_control_map.pdf)).
The 511 web site also provides telephone numbers for travel information
services.

The 511 web site provides a map of the Sacramento region similar to that
displayed to operators by the Regional Transportation Management Display
system. The 511 map and tabular views of data contain a subset of the
information available to operators. The public cannot see video from
closed circuit television cameras that are currently flagged as
unsuitable for public viewing. The public have no ability to control
cameras, create or edit incident records, or otherwise affect devices or
data. The public cannot see those entries in an incident whiteboard that
have been flagged as unsuitable for public viewing. The public cannot
see incidents of type "operations". These are intended for information
sharing between agency operators only, such as reporting STARNET system
or critical field equipment faults and follow up. The public cannot see
the name of the operator who created the incident or who made a
particular entry in the whiteboard.

By default, incidents with a start time in the future, and incidents
that record truck restrictions, are not shown on the 511 map. However,
the user can reveal such incident types and hide other incident types by
clicking check marks in a list of display options. The public cannot see
traffic signals, either on the map or in a table. The public cannot see
the current location of buses, but can see the location of Regional
Transit's light rail vehicles.

To facilitate further dissemination of the information, and use by
researchers and other interested parties, the 511 system makes
continuous computer-to-computer data feeds available to third parties
including commercial information service providers. These feeds are
based on the NTCIP Center-to-Center XML standard. All data received by
the 511 system are offered to third parties via this data feed. Third
parties can subscribe for all or a subset of the data.

### Subscriptions

To allow for data to be pushed "on change" rather than pulled via
continuous polling and to avoid having all available data flowing at all
times from and to all nodes, operators can establish subscriptions for
the data they want a node to receive from each other node. To create,
edit, or delete a subscription, an operator launches the subscription
editor dialog provided by the node system. This functionality may be
provided by an auxiliary software and hardware package adjacent to the
node server rather than modifying the node system itself to add this
functionality.

The subscription editor allows the user to enter or edit fields such as
the identifier of the source node, the type of data requested, and
whether it should be sent once, repeatedly at a fixed interval, or
whenever any part of it changes. Most operators choose the change driven
option for most purposes, as it ensures the least delay in receiving
data changes while minimizing unnecessary network traffic. The
subscription management system at each node automatically sends a "keep
alive" message periodically if no message has been sent by virtue of
current subscriptions.

Each node that is capable of exporting data in accordance with a
subscription also has the ability for a user to accept or reject
subscription requests from other nodes. Such acceptance or rejection can
be effected one subscription at a time, or by a blanket acceptance or
rejection for all subscriptions of a certain type or from a certain
node. This functionality may be provided by an auxiliary software and
hardware package adjacent to the node server rather than modifying the
node system itself to add this functionality. Prior to attempting to
establish a subscription, or during the subscription process, a user at
a subscribing node will manually coordinate with their counterpart at
the publishing node to ensure the subscription is accepted.

An operator of node A can request any other node (e.g., node B) to send
a list of active subscriptions it currently holds for node A. This is
used to confirm that subscriptions were successfully established and is
also used in troubleshooting when expected data are not received.

### STARNET Facilitator

The Regional Transportation Management Display system and the 511 travel
information system normally operate unattended. However, during peak
travel times and during normal work hours, at least one experienced
operator with a STARNET agency facilitates the use and maintenance of
these systems and other components of STARNET. This includes activities
such as the following:

-   Monitor a local radio station, emergency response voice radio
    traffic, and other information sources, for reports of relevant
    incidents. If not already done automatically or by an agency
    operator, create an incident in the Regional Transportation
    Management Display for significant incidents. Such incident reports
    are automatically made available to the public via the 511 system.

-   Monitor the progress of incidents currently reported on the Regional
    Transportation Management Display and update information if not done
    automatically or by an agency operator.

-   Identify duplicate incident records and communicate with involved
    operators to facilitate having such records appropriately merged.

-   Communicate with agency operators if needed to ensure relevant
    personnel are aware of major incidents or problems, and to help
    coordinate activities of all involved agencies.

-   Monitor the status of the Regional Transportation Management Display
    system and the 511 system to ensure all automated functions are
    operating correctly. This includes routinely looking at all material
    on all web pages produced by these systems and exercising all parts
    of the 511 interactive telephone service.

-   Receive and follow up on problems reported by system users. Provide
    real-time interactive help to agency operators upon request by
    telephone or e-mail. The 511 web site provides a non-real-time
    feedback facility whereby users can report problems, describe their
    experience with the system, and suggest improvements.

-   Investigate and diagnose problems found in the Regional
    Transportation Management Display and 511 systems.

-   Monitor the status of STARNET nodes, field devices critical for
    multi-agency cooperation, and STARNET communications, and report any
    problems to the agency responsible for the problem component.

-   Follow up on previously reported problems to help ensure corrective
    action is taken in a timely manner.

-   Provide advice and assistance to agency personnel involved in
    problem follow up.

-   Identify potential improvements in regional coordination procedures.

-   Identify corrections and updates needed to web pages including the
    regional map used in the Regional Transportation Management Display
    and in the 511 web site.

-   Maintain a database of all significant events, activities, feedback
    from the public and agency users, and other information relevant to
    any aspect of STARNET, the Regional Transportation Management
    Display system and the 511 system.

The personnel providing this facilitator service are not responsible for
any aspect of direct transportation operations (at least not by virtue
of this role -- they may be so responsible in other roles within their
employing agency, for facilities owned and operated by that agency).
They are not responsible for any STARNET node systems other than the
Regional Transportation Management Display and the 511 travel
information system. They do not make operational decisions or take
operational actions. They have no authority over the operational
personnel in the various transportation agencies. They are merely an
information collector and disseminator, where that information includes
real-time travel information, and real-time and historical information
about the STARNET system and regional coordination. They help ensure
STARNET is effectively used and maintained, and assist in coordinating
activities between STARNET agencies.

## Failures and Other Unusual Events

### Node System Status

The Regional Transportation Management Display system monitors the
status of communications with each STARNET node (e.g., by sending "are
you alive" requests when no message has been received from that node for
a certain amount of time) and performs appropriate health monitoring. If
a node is not communicating, it is flagged as such and the node icon on
the map and text in the table view change to a gray color to reflect
this state. Also, a message is sent to any other nodes that have
subscribed for node health messages. When communications resume, the
node icon changes back to the normal color, and a "communications
restored" message is sent to subscribers. This facility is used by
operators to check the status of nodes they are expecting to see data
from on the regional display or in direct subscriptions, and is also
used by maintenance personnel.

At least some other nodes also have the ability to detect loss of
communications with other nodes and to report it in messages sent to
subscribers. The Regional Transportation Management Display system
collects such node communication status reports from other nodes, and
reports these in a pop-up window launched by clicking on the icon for a
node on the map or the row in the table view. This pop-up window might
show, for example, that nodes A and B have lost communication with node
C, but node D is communicating with node C just fine (presumably via a
different communication link). Such information is used by maintenance
personnel to isolate the problem, in this case obviously a
communications link problem rather than a node failure.

The Regional Transportation Management Display system also logs all such
loss of communication incidents, recording the date and time that a
problem is first recognized and the date and time it is corrected. This
information is used in periodic system performance evaluation and to
identify equipment that needs to be replaced or upgraded because the
same failure occurs repeatedly.

When the Regional Transportation Management Display system detects a
node communication failure, it automatically sends an alert e-mail or
text message to a designated maintenance person. If this person does not
acknowledge the message within a certain time, a message is sent to a
second person. The system allows different people to receive alerts at
different times, according to work schedules. An operator of the
regional display system creates, edits, and deletes alert configuration
data as needed.

When the Regional Transportation Management Display system detects a
node communication failure, it also denotes such condition for any
device icon on the map or other view of data normally coming from that
node.

### Maintenance

Each agency maintains its own STARNET nodes, the STARNET interface, and
communications equipment used by STARNET that it owns. Shared nodes such
as the Regional Transportation Management Display and associated
regional incident tracker, are treated as being owned by SACOG for the
purpose of maintenance. The agencies agree to give appropriate priority
to STARNET-related maintenance activities in recognition of its
importance to other agencies and the region.

When any aspect of the STARNET system is found to be malfunctioning, the
operator discovering the problem contacts designated maintenance
personnel in other agencies that may be able to assist in correcting the
problem. All involved parties work cooperatively to restore normal
operation.

Maintenance personnel refer to system configuration records to determine
what equipment and software may be involved in a problem and how it is
currently configured. After any changes are made as part of the
maintenance activity, these configuration records are updated.
Configuration management procedures (see STARNET Configuration
Management Plan) require joint approval of any change, even one made for
maintenance purposes, which may impact other users.

### Adding or Deleting a Node Reference

Nodes join and leave the network without other nodes having to make any
change in configuration data. However, when existing node A needs to
obtain data from new node B, a node A administrator enters the name of
the new node B in a configuration database and can then select that node
in subscription configurations. The name of the new node and which data
messages it supports are obtained manually.

Similarly, if new node B wants to obtain data from node A, a node B
operator must add node A to its list of known nodes and establish
appropriate subscriptions. If either node is manually filtering
subscription requests, that is, authorizing acceptance of subscriptions
only if approved by an operator, then an operator at the node receiving
a subscription request will receive an e-mail advising that a
subscription is awaiting approval. That operator will check that the
subscriber is a valid recipient of the requested data, and accept the
subscription. A node may configure their STARNET interface to
automatically accept all or certain types of subscriptions from certain
nodes. Agencies agree to not withhold approval of subscriptions without
reasonable cause.

Design and implementation activities associated with the addition of a
new node are discussed in the next section.

### Third Party Access

Organizations that are not a part of the STARNET team request access to
at least some data. Such organizations might include, for example,
commercial or non-profit travel information providers, Caltrans
Headquarters, the San Francisco Bay Area 511 system, the Federal Highway
Administration, Department of Homeland Security, researchers at
universities, other regional systems wishing to test interoperability,
etc.

The STARNET agencies agree on a general policy on this issue in advance,
and consider the merits of each request in light of that policy. The
policy might, for example, preclude certain types of organizations or
purposes from having access to STARNET data on the assumption that their
needs are more appropriately met by tapping the Sacramento 511 data feed
rather than the more extensive data available directly from STARNET. The
requirements of other organizations or purposes may be satisfied by
access to SACOG's regional transportation database which includes
historical data collected via STARNET. Others warrant a guest user
account on the Regional Transportation Management Display system as they
want only human access to the information. Appropriate privileges can
limit what data they see, if needed, and can preclude camera control for
example. Other organizations may be justified in having a system added
as a node on the network so that their system can automatically obtain
data at all times.

In all cases, the request is discussed by all STARNET participating
agencies before a joint decision is made as to how to respond to the
request. If the request is to be satisfied by allowing access to data
from a non-source data store, such as SACOG's regional transportation
planning database, the data store owner (SACOG in this example) may
require written approval from the source agencies before providing
access to the data.

### Adding or Deleting a Regional Display User

An operator with administrator privileges for the Regional
Transportation Management Display system adds and deletes users
(operators) of that system when needed. The information stored for each
user include their name, agency, role, telephone numbers, e-mail
address, login name, password, and system access privileges (directly or
via their assignment to a user group). An administrator occasionally
edits the data stored for a user to reflect changes.

### Security Challenges

Security mechanisms and procedures provide reasonable protection against
predictable threats, including the following examples:

-   An authorized operator logs into the Regional Transportation
    Management Display and then walks away from the computer without
    logging out. An unauthorized person in the room can now use this
    logged-in interface to access the system.

-   After terminating his employment with a STARNET agency, a prior
    operator attempts to access the Regional Transportation Management
    Display system using the user name and password used while he was an
    agency employee.

-   An on-line hacker attempts to determine a valid administrator or
    guest password for the Regional Transportation Management Display
    system.

-   A hacker attempts to find a written record of a user name and
    password by sifting through trash from a transportation management
    facility or by physically entering and searching within the
    building.

-   A hacker attempts to connect to, disable, or damage a node computer
    via the STARNET network, using techniques such as spoofing, denial
    of service, packet fragmentation, password cracking, FTP bouncing,
    and various configuration or operating system vulnerabilities.

Firewalls and other appropriate measures are used to avoid STARNET
creating increased vulnerabilities for nodes systems, or computers and
databases on the local area networks to which they are connected.
Firewalls are configured in accordance with local agency network
security policies.

Each time an operator uses the Regional Transportation Management
Display they do not have to log-in again, unless they have not used the
interface for a long time, or they are performing an unusual action that
warrants particularly stringent security requirements.

## Design, Implementation, and Upgrades

### Initial System Design

The user needs identified in this document are used to derive system
requirements and a scope of work for a system integration contract.
Stakeholders review and approve these items. The requirements are used
by the STARNET team (consultant and stakeholders) to develop a high
level design and system architecture. These are used to estimate the
system cost and to guide the system integrator.

The requirements, high level design, and scope of work are included in a
Request for Proposals for initial system integration services. The
proposals include a proposed conceptual design, which are compared by
stakeholders as part of the evaluation of proposals. Proposers are
encouraged to adopt design approaches that make maximum use of existing
systems operated by the agencies, off-the-shelf software, and popular
standards.

The first task of the selected system integrator is to prepare a
detailed system design based on the conceptual design included in their
proposal and any changes agreed to during contract negotiations.
Stakeholders and the STARNET technical assistance consultant review the
detailed design.

### System Implementation

Once the detailed design is approved, the system integrator proceeds to
build the system. Stakeholders and the technical assistance consultant
review progress by reading progress reports, reviewing prototype
demonstrations, reviewing each release of functional modules, checking
hardware installations, and performing software code reviews where
appropriate.

During system implementation, involved agency personnel cooperate with
the integration contractor as needed to facilitate implementation of the
interface to each node system. Where necessary, they facilitate
involvement of the manufacturer of node systems, at least to provide
information about the system needed to build an interface to it, and
possibly to make software modifications.

Agencies also cooperate with the integration contractor to establish the
necessary communications links, whether this involves use of
agency-owned communications plant, leased dedicated links, or shared
commercial data services including the Internet. Each agency ensures
that its network configuration and security policies are known well in
advance and adhered to. The STARNET network will connect with local area
networks at each agency and to the Internet, and appropriately secure
interfaces are provided.

### Procedures, Training, and Documentation

Prior to system startup, the STARNET agencies develop joint regional
transportation operations procedures. The technical assistance
consultant helps in this effort. These procedures include those for
shared use of CCTV cameras, STARNET subscriptions, creation and editing
of incident reports using the Regional Transportation Management
Display, remote access to other agencies' transportation management
systems, etc.

During implementation of the initial STARNET system, operations and
maintenance personnel in the STARNET agencies take every opportunity to
be involved with the system implementation as part of the learning
process. In addition to this informal learning, formal training sessions
are help where the system integrator, the technical assistance
consultant, and agencies contributing communications or other
facilities, provide hands-on training in the use of the software,
configuration of hardware and software, operation and maintenance
procedures, maintenance techniques for all components (hardware and
software), and configuration management procedures. Formal training is
also used an opportunity to practice the regional transportation
operations procedures.

Materials, presentations, and hands-on demonstrations during formal
training are all specific to the implemented system and its particular
configuration and concept of operation, not generic. All training is
conducted by effective trainers familiar with the details of the STARNET
implementation and concept of operations. Where possible, training
involves use of the actual system. Off-line, test, or dummy devices and
nodes are used as needed during training to ensure all aspects of system
operation and maintenance are demonstrated where training can't be done
using the actual system.

All aspects of the system and related procedures are thoroughly
documented. A new employee joining the team is able to read the
documents and fully understand the system and needed procedures. The
documents are also effective as reference materials during system use
and maintenance, enabling the user to quickly find needed information.
On line help is provided in software where appropriate.

### Connecting a System to STARNET

The STARNET interface specifications are well documented and made
available to any agency wishing to add a node to the network. These
specifications provide all the information needed to provide and
configure an interface between any node system and the rest of STARNET.

The initial system integrator provides software that serves as a test
node against which new nodes can be tested in an off-line environment.
This is used by the integrator during development of the initial system,
becomes SACOG property at the end of the contract, and continues to be
available for use in subsequent node additions. Use of this test
software helps avoid disruptions that can result when, for example, a
new node floods the network with repeated connection attempts or data
transmissions due to software bugs.

The initial system integrator can be hired to facilitate implementation
of a STARNET interface on new nodes. However, system documentation, the
test node, and use of industry standards are sufficient to allow new
nodes to be provided with a compatible interface without requiring the
involvement of the initial system integrator.

### Upgrading a Node

A STARNET agency upgrades a node system. In this process, they ensure
the STARNET interface is fully supported on the upgraded system. They
use off-line testing and other procedures similar to those used when
adding a new node. They also keep the existing system on-line until the
new system is ready to take over, and arrange an efficient cutover
process that minimizes interruption to STARNET participation.

### Expanding and Upgrading the Whole System

STARNET is built in stages due to funding constraints. The initial
system provides the fundamentals and connects some nodes. Subsequent
expansions add both functionality and more nodes. The whole STARNET
system eventually becomes obsolete and needs replacement or a major
upgrade.

For each expansion, upgrade or replacement, the STARNET agencies go
through a process similar to that used for the initial system
implementation, hiring consultants and integration contractors if
necessary, and using the systems engineering process. A major difference
in this case is that the process must allow for continued operation of
the existing STARNET and efficient cutover to the new system with
minimal disruption. Costs, and the need for hiring consultants and
contractors, in subsequent expansions and upgrades are minimized by
designing for expansion, comprehensive documentation and training, and
use of open standards, in the initial implementation. Agencies plan for
predictable upgrades and identify needed funding.

### STARNET Management

STARNET components are managed by the owning partner agencies after
taking into account regional considerations as advised by the Sacramento
Region ITS Partnership. This committee is composed of Intelligent
Transportation Systems (ITS) and emergency response personnel from local
agencies. They meet regularly and discuss issues related to STARNET
among other things. They appoint a STARNET Technical Advisory Committee
that engages in more in-depth discussion and research of issues.

During the initial implementation of STARNET they use the needs
identified in this Concept of Operations to arrange support measures as
needed. These include funding for implementation and on-going operation,
development of joint operation and maintenance procedures, development
of guiding policies, and signing of cooperative agreements where
necessary. Each agency's representative on the Partnership briefs the
appropriate policy makers in their agency, gets their input, and
actively seeks to gain agency support and approval for the measures
needed for STARNET, including on-going funding of the operation and
maintenance of the portion of STARNET owned by that agency.

### Regional ITS Architecture Updates

When appropriate, a STARNET configuration change is reflected in an
update to the Sacramento Regional ITS Architecture.

### ITS Standards Feedback

Experience during the initial implementation and subsequent upgrades of
STARNET is used to provide feedback to relevant standards development
agencies as to the efficacy of ITS standards used or attempted to be
used, and recommendations for changes to standards where appropriate.

# User Needs

The following user needs are derived from the operation scenarios. Needs
are in random order and the order does not imply priority. At the end of
each need statement are hyperlinks to the operation scenarios from which
it is derived. These appear between braces and use italics.

Lower priority needs are identified as such by wording, such as "if
feasible" or "lower priority".

1.  Provide a STARNET interface to transportation management systems,
    databases, and computer aided dispatch systems (or web page derived
    there from) operated by the following agencies:

    a.  California Highway Patrol.

    b.  Caltrans District 3.

    c.  Sacramento Area Council of Governments (511 system, and
        transportation planning database).

    d.  Sacramento Regional Fire/EMS Communications Center

    e.  Yolo County Communications Emergency Service Agency

    f.  Sacramento County

    g.  Ed Dorado County

    h.  Sacramento Regional Transit District

    i.  Yolo County Transportation District

    j.  City of Sacramento

    k.  City of Citrus Heights

    l.  City of Elk Grove (traffic and transit)

    m.  City of Folsom

    n.  City of Rancho Cordova

    o.  City of Roseville (traffic and transit)

    p.  City of Sacramento

    q.  City of West Sacramento

> *{Freeway 99 Closure at Consumnes, Light Rail Transit Bus Bridge,
> Transit Information, Local Freeway Detector Data, Changeable Message
> Sign Status, Freeway Ramp Meter Status, Traffic Responsive Signal
> Pattern Selection, Traffic Signal Status, Transportation Planning
> Database, Parking Availability}*

2.  Provide a Regional Transportation Management Display system. This is
    also another STARNET node. It provides a regional map with clickable
    icons representing transportation management facilities operated by
    STARNET agencies and current and planned incidents, a table view of
    the same facilities and incidents, a means for manual entry of
    incident information, and configuration dialogs for use by system
    administrators. *{Freeway 99 Closure at Consumnes, Planned Roadwork
    and Bus Detour, Video Used by Operators, Incident Report Creation
    and Display, etc.}*

3.  Subject to availability, and the capabilities of a node system to
    export such data, make the following real-time raw data available
    for exchange between appropriate nodes (including the 511 system)
    and viewable in the Regional Transportation Management Display where
    appropriate. Where appropriate, data displayed on the regional
    display and made available via the 511 system may be an aggregated
    and translated version of the raw data sent between nodes.

    a.  Vehicle count, per detector (per lane) per count period per
        vehicle class.

    b.  Vehicle detector average occupancy, per detector (per lane).

    c.  Vehicle average speed, per detector (per lane).

    d.  Traffic signal operating mode (e.g., off-line, flash due to
        failure, police manual control, programmed flash, preempt, free,
        coordinated).

    e.  Traffic signal current basic timing parameters (e.g., plan or
        pattern number, cycle length if coordinated, offset if
        coordinated).

    f.  Traffic signal pattern command (request to implement a certain
        pattern at selected signals).

    g.  Ramp meter status (e.g., out of service, in service but
        currently not metering, now metering, flow rate if metering).

    h.  Changeable message sign status (e.g., out of service, in service
        but no message, routine message, incident message) and the text
        of the current message if any.

    i.  Incident data (e.g., location description, icon location
        (latitude/longitude) incident description, incident type (e.g.,
        roadway incident, transit service incident, disaster, planned
        event, planned lane closure, truck restriction, operations),
        start time (can be in future, and whether projected or actual),
        end time (and whether projected or actual), whether major or
        not, 511 phone message, remarks or whiteboard entries, and
        source agency and operator name).

    j.  Transit vehicle arrival time at upcoming stops.

    k.  Transit vehicle location (latitude and longitude), direction of
        travel, and speed (initially only light rail vehicles).

    l.  Transit service disruptions (e.g., route, direction,
        location/extent, projected duration,

    m.  Transit ridership statistics.

    n.  Parking garage occupancy data.

    o.  Video source status (e.g., available for viewing, available for
        control, ID of two most recent users and time of last control
        command by each).

> {Freeway 99 Closure at Consumnes*, Light Rail Transit Bus Bridge,
> Transit Information, Local Freeway Detector Data, Changeable Message
> Sign Status, Freeway Ramp Meter Status, Traffic Responsive Signal
> Pattern Selection, Traffic Signal Status, Video Used by Operators,
> Video Used by the Public, Transportation Planning Database, Parking
> Availability}*

4.  Provide a web-based video distribution mechanism that enables all
    agencies' closed circuit television cameras to be viewed and
    controlled (as and when appropriate) by any agency operator via the
    Regional Transportation Management Display and enables all cameras
    to be viewed but not controlled by the public. *{Freeway 99 Closure
    at Consumnes, Video Used by Operators, Video Used by the Public,
    Incident Report Creation and Display}*

5.  Provide suitable communication links between nodes. *{Freeway 99
    Closure at Consumnes, Light Rail Transit Bus Bridge, Transit
    Information, Local Freeway Detector Data, Changeable Message Sign
    Status, Freeway Ramp Meter Status, Traffic Responsive Signal Pattern
    Selection, Traffic Signal Status, Video Used by Operators, Video
    Used by the Public, Transportation Planning Database, Parking
    Availability}*

6.  Provide access to the Regional Transportation Management Display and
    live video, from the Internet. *{Video Used by Operators, Video Used
    by the Public}*

7.  Provide authorized user access to the Regional Transportation
    Management Display (which includes the regional incident tracker and
    live video) for operators from all involved agencies. Allow users to
    be added and deleted and assigned to user groups with appropriate
    privileges. *{Adding or Deleting a Regional Display User}*

8.  Don't allow the public to have access to the Regional Transportation
    Management Display (they use 511). *{Freeway 99 Closure at
    Consumnes, Video Used by the Public, Incident Report Creation and
    Display}*

9.  Allow authorized user access to the Regional Transportation
    Management Display from a computer in any location with Internet
    access, without the computer needing any special software installed,
    other than a popular web browser. *{Freeway 99 Closure at Consumnes,
    Video Used by Operators}*

10. Require authorized users (operators) to log-in to the Regional
    Transportation Management Display including entry of a password.
    *{Adding or Deleting a Regional Display User, Security Challenges}*

11. Allow users to pan and zoom the regional display map, preferably
    using techniques similar or superior to Google Maps™. *{Freeway 99
    Closure at Consumnes}*

12. Allow users to turn on or off an aerial photo background on the
    regional display map (similar to Google Maps™). *{Emergency
    Responders Use STARNET}*

13. Objects displayed in both the map and table views of the regional
    display include incidents (including planned lane closures and truck
    restrictions), vehicle detectors, traffic signals, CCTV cameras,
    changeable message signs, ramp meters, and STARNET node systems.
    *{Freeway 99 Closure at Consumnes, Light Rail Transit Bus Bridge,
    Changeable Message Sign Status, Freeway Ramp Meter Status, Traffic
    Signal Status, Video Used by Operators}*

14. In the table view of the regional display, show at least the object
    type, identifier, owner, and location, in addition to dynamic data.
    *{Freeway 99 Closure at Consumnes, Changeable Message Sign Status,
    Freeway Ramp Meter Status, Traffic Signal Status, Video Used by
    Operators, Incident Report Creation and Display}*

15. Allow regional display users to sort the objects table view by any
    column.

16. A mouse-over of an object icon on the regional display map reveals
    all data available in the table view, to the extent feasible.

17. In both the map and table views, the regional display uses the color
    and perhaps other attributes of the icon or text to indicate if the
    object is active or inactive (including loss of communication or
    otherwise unavailable), and where feasible, its status (e.g., signal
    operation mode, sign has a message displayed, level of congestion at
    a vehicle detector, transit vehicle behind schedule, etc.). In the
    case of incidents, colors are also used to distinguish future,
    current, and past incidents, and flashing icon or text to highlight
    major active incidents.

18. When a user clicks on an object on the regional display map or
    table, a pop-up window reveals additional details relevant to the
    object type if appropriate, and allows editing of displayed
    information (e.g., in the case of incidents).

19. The Regional Transportation Management Display system continually
    monitors computer aided dispatch systems (or a web site derived
    there from), traffic signal management systems, and transit service
    disruptions systems, parses and filters the data, and automatically
    creates a new incident in the regional display system on appearance
    of a new event meeting selection criteria. Any subsequent additions
    or changes to the source incident report are automatically reflected
    in an update to the regional display version of the incident as the
    new information is received.

20. The regional display system allows operators to manually create new
    incidents, including future incidents such as planned lane closures,
    in addition to those automatically created based on data received
    from nodes systems. A unique incident identifier is automatically
    assigned by the system. An incident can be manually flagged as
    "major". The creator's name and agency are automatically recorded,
    with "Automatic" shown as the operator name in the case of an
    automatically created incident. The user is able to position a
    standard icon on the map to represent the incident's location, or
    create a custom polygon on the map to represent the area affected by
    the incident. The operator can adjust the icon location. The icons
    for incidents with a location beyond the map extents are placed in a
    corner of the map in a way that they are individually accessible.

21. The regional display system allows an operator to select any two
    incidents and merge them into one incident.

22. For an incident recorded in the regional display system, operators
    from any STARNET agency are able to add textual information to a
    "whiteboard" history of such operator-provided information. The
    operator is able to designate the entered information as suitable or
    unsuitable for distribution to the public via the 511 system. The
    system records and displays time of entry and the name and agency of
    the operator adding the information. This operator name information
    is never distributed by the 511 system. If the incident originated
    from, or is merged with, an incident automatically originating from
    a computer aided dispatch system, any suitable remarks added by the
    dispatcher are automatically added to the whiteboard.

23. When an incident is flagged as "major", the Regional Transportation
    Management Display system automatically sends a text message to the
    cell phones of those operators who have subscribed for such
    notifications. These subscriptions allow the operator to select the
    types of incidents that will trigger a message when it is flagged as
    "major"

24. An agency can configure a STARNET node system to subscribe to any
    other node system for any data offered by that other node.

25. STARNET subscriptions can be for one instance of the data or for
    continued automatic delivery of the data by time period or when a
    change occurs.

26. Enable an operator to configure a node's STARNET interface to
    automatically accept none or all subscriptions from selected other
    nodes and for selected messages.

27. An agency can obtain from other nodes, a list of all subscriptions
    they currently recognize for that agency's system.

28. When an operator of a node system changes the node's database to
    add, change, or delete a field device, the changed static data
    relevant to other nodes (e.g., device type, identifier, location)
    are sent to other nodes that have subscribed for such data. If
    feasible, this functionality extends to providing a uniform view of
    traffic signal timing and street geometry such as that used in
    signal timing analysis software such as Synchro.

29. When a user clicks on a camera object in the regional display,
    pop-up a window with the live video feed from that camera.

30. When a user clicks on a camera object in the regional display, the
    pop-up video feed window (or elsewhere) provides on-screen pan/tilt,
    zoom, and preset controls for that camera, but only if the camera
    has remote control capabilities and the user is authorized to
    control that camera.

31. Pan/tilt and zoom camera controls in the regional display are
    actuated by the computer mouse or other pointing device, and are
    easy to use, preferably allowing click and drag/slide operations
    rather than repeated clicks.

32. A camera user can choose a camera preset view such as by clicking on
    the description of that preset in a presets list.

33. The video distribution functions of the regional display support up
    to six operators viewing the same camera simultaneously, and allows
    all cameras to be viewed simultaneously by at least one operator.

34. The regional display uses streaming compressed digital video to
    deliver video over the STARNET network and to remote operators
    (including camera control) over the Internet.

35. The regional display video distribution system supports multiple
    brands of video encoders, based on one or more popular video
    compression standards.

36. The video feed latency in the regional display is less than a
    second, thus facilitating remote camera control.

37. The video feed in the regional display has some tolerance to network
    jitter.

38. Streaming video is also made available to the public via the 511 web
    site, without any need to log-in, and without any camera controls.
    Latency is less critical in this application.

39. If the streaming video doesn't automatically scale to any available
    bandwidth, a regional display or public user can choose between at
    least two different bandwidth versions -- one suited to a high
    bandwidth link and the other suited to a low bandwidth link.

40. A regional display administrator can add or delete cameras,
    configure different bandwidth feeds, and assign different privileges
    to different users or user groups, including view-only restrictions
    when appropriate for selected cameras. Selected cameras can be
    precluded from ever being available to the public.

41. A regional display user (operator) observing a camera feed may click
    on a Cut Feed to Public button when the image is not suitable for
    public distribution. A Restore Feed to Public button is used to
    restore the public feed. When the public feed is cut, the public see
    a message such as "This camera is temporarily unavailable" in place
    of the video image.

42. The owner of a camera has priority for control of that camera and
    can override other users by agreed procedures and, if available, via
    locks and overrides provided by the video system.

43. Provide an upgraded 511 system that offers the public an interactive
    telephone service and a web site.

44. The upgraded 511 telephone service provides the caller with voice
    messages containing current incident information and significant
    slowdowns on the region's freeways.

45. In the 511 telephone service, provide options of Traffic, Transit,
    Parking, Rural Highways, Bay Area 511, Other Areas, Amtrak,
    Ridesharing/Bicycling/Telecommuting, Events, Weather, and Help.

46. If the 511 caller chooses Traffic, then ask them to specify the
    highway route number or area (such as Central, Northeast, East,
    South, West, or North) for which they would like to receive traffic
    information. Then provide incident and slowdown information for that
    route or area. Incidents are filtered to eliminate transit
    incidents, truck restrictions, "disaster" incidents, "operations"
    incidents, and incidents that are not currently active (except for
    planned event incidents). Of the remaining incidents, those flagged
    as Major are presented first. Incidents are secondarily sorted by
    start time, where the most recent are presented first. The
    information provided for each incident are the location,
    description, start time, estimated end time, and 511 phone message
    fields, read directly from the incident record received from the
    Regional Transportation Management Display system. The "511 phone
    message" field is used by agency operators to provide additional
    information or advice that is important to have included in the 511
    phone message for an incident.

47. Slow down information reported on the 511 telephone service is
    derived from freeway detector data from Caltrans. Slowdown reports
    provide the highway route number, the approximate start and end
    points of the slow section, and an indication of the slowest average
    speed at any detector station in this segment (e.g., "20 to 40 mph"
    or "less than 25 mph").

48. If the 511 caller chooses Transit, they are asked for the name of a
    county. Then announce any active transit service incidents and
    planned event incidents (active or future) for that county, before
    asking the caller for the name of a transit agency in that county.
    Once a transit agency is selected, the call is transferred to that
    agency's customer support line.

49. If the 511 caller chooses Parking, then announce the name, location,
    and current occupancy (percent full) of each monitored parking
    garage, starting with the highest occupancy garage.

50. If the 511 caller chooses Events, then announce any future or active
    planned event incidents.

51. If the 511 caller chooses Help, a recording provides an overview of
    the interactive telephone service, options, how to work it, and tips
    for better results.

52. If the 511 caller chooses any option other than Traffic, Transit,
    Parking, Events, or Help, then they are transferred to the
    appropriate third party information line.

53. If there is no information available for the 511 caller's choice,
    then announce "There are no significant events reported at this time
    -- returning to the main menu", or similar.

54. In the 511 telephone service, allow the public to make selections by
    either voice commands or touchtone key presses.

55. Allow 511 callers using voice commands to say Skip, Back, Repeat,
    and Stop while listening to a list of incidents, slowdowns, or
    parking garage information. These commands cause the voice message
    to jump to the start of the next item, start of the previous item,
    start of the current item, or to return to the previous menu,
    respectively.

56. When the 511 telephone system first answers, it announces any
    incidents of type "disaster" before explaining the first level menu
    options.

57. The 511 phone system is built with sufficient capacity to avoid
    callers getting a busy tone 95% of the time.

58. The upgraded 511 web pages show a map and table views similar to
    those in the Regional Transportation Management Display, except the
    following information is not shown:

    a.  Traffic signals.

    b.  Incident whiteboard entries currently flagged as unsuitable for
        public viewing.

    c.  The name of agency personnel entering incident data.

    d.  Incidents of type "operations".

    e.  The current location of buses (the public can see the location
        of light rail vehicles)

    f.  Video from cameras currently flagged as unsuitable for public
        viewing.

    g.  The public can view only one camera at a time and a camera
        stream automatically terminates, unless manually refreshed,
        after a time limit set by the video distribution system
        administrator

    h.  Cameras cannot be controlled by the public.

59. The 511 system uses the regional transit stops database and transit
    vehicle arrival time data from the transit agencies to allow a 511
    web site user to obtain, for each nearby transit stop, for each
    vehicle, the service provider, route number, destination, and an
    indication as to whether the arrival time estimate is based on
    actual vehicle location data or only the scheduled arrival time.

60. The 511 web site and the Regional Transportation Management Display
    provide links to third party web sites providing travel related
    information useful to the operators and to the public (e.g., San
    Francisco Bay area 511 web site, National Weather Service, Office of
    Emergency Services, Caltrans District 3 chain control information
    website, US Geological Service stream gage information, etc.). The
    511 web site also provides telephone numbers for travel information
    services, and explains the 511 interactive telephone service.

61. The 511 system makes continuous computer-to-computer data feeds
    available to third parties including commercial information service
    providers. These feeds are based on the NTCIP Center-to-Center XML
    standard. All data received by the 511 system are offered to third
    parties via this data feed.

62. The 511 system collects usage statistics.

63. The STARNET node interface includes a mechanism for counting the
    total number of messages transmitted and received to or from each
    other node. These data are used in STARNET evaluation and
    troubleshooting, and are readily accessed without resetting the
    cumulative counters.

64. The Regional Transportation Management Display system monitors the
    status of communications with each node (e.g., by sending "are you
    alive" requests when no message has been received from that node for
    a certain amount of time) and other appropriate health monitoring
    (e.g., reports from nodes of loss of communication with other nodes
    -- if feasible). If a node is found to be unavailable or otherwise
    malfunctioning, the icon for that node on the regional display map
    changes color (e.g., to gray) to reflect this state, a message is
    sent to other nodes that have subscribed for such messages, the
    change in status is logged, and an e-mail or text message is sent to
    a maintenance person designated to currently receive such alerts. If
    no acknowledgement of the message is received within a certain time,
    a message is sent to a second person. The system allows different
    people to receive alerts at different times, according to work
    schedules.

65. STARNET is built with appropriate security measures and implemented
    in accordance with each agency's network security policies.

66. System requirements are derived from these User Needs and are used
    in turn to produce system requirements and a high level design that
    are used in turn to procure the services of a system integrator.

67. The STARNET system integrator's scope of work requires that training
    of agency personnel be conducted by effective trainers knowledgeable
    of the details of the STARNET system and its concept of operations,
    and that all materials, presentations, and demonstrations be
    specific to the STARNET environment and configuration.

68. The STARNET system integrator's scope of work requires provision of
    comprehensive and effective documentation of all aspects of the
    system and related procedures.

69. Enable parts of STARNET to be added, upgraded, or replaced while the
    remainder of the system remains fully functional.

70. Provide system documentation, and especially interface
    documentation, which facilitate later addition of nodes to STARNET
    without requiring the involvement of the original system integrator.

71. Enable an operator to add new nodes to the list of known nodes.

72. Each STARNET agency provides on-going funding for the portion of
    STARNET for which that agency is responsible. SACOG is responsible
    for the Regional Transportation Management Display system (including
    regional incident tracker and shared video distribution server) and
    regional travel information system (511), and facilitates the
    cooperation of member and partner agencies as needed in maintaining
    these systems.

73. STARNET agencies jointly develop and adhere to operating procedures
    intended to make maximum use of STARNET's capabilities with minimal
    disruption to other facilities and operations.

74. STARNET agencies agree to not release data from other agencies to
    third parties without the permission of the source agency.

75. Form a STARNET Technical Advisory Committee to advise the Sacramento
    Region ITS Partnership which in turn coordinates and advises the
    participating agencies in their management of the resources owned by
    each agency.

76. During peak travel times and during normal work hours, at least one
    experienced operator with a STARNET agency facilitates the use and
    maintenance of the Regional Transportation Management Display
    system, the 511 travel information system, and other components of
    STARNET. This includes activities such as the following:

    a.  Monitor a local radio station, emergency response voice radio
        traffic, and other information sources, for reports of relevant
        incidents. If not already done automatically or by an agency
        operator, create an incident in the Regional Transportation
        Management Display for significant incidents. Such incident
        reports are automatically made available to the public via the
        511 system.

    b.  Monitor the progress of incidents currently reported on the
        Regional Transportation Management Display and update
        information if not done automatically or by an agency operator.

    c.  Identify duplicate incident records and communicate with
        involved operators to facilitate having such records
        appropriately merged.

    d.  Communicate with agency operators if needed to ensure relevant
        personnel are aware of major incidents or problems, and to help
        coordinate activities of all involved agencies.

    e.  Monitor the status of the Regional Transportation Management
        Display system and the 511 system to ensure all automated
        functions are operating correctly. This includes routinely
        looking at all material on all web pages produced by these
        systems and exercising all parts of the 511 interactive
        telephone service.

    f.  Receive and follow up on problems reported by system users.
        Provide real-time interactive help to agency operators upon
        request by telephone or e-mail. The 511 web site provides a
        non-real-time feedback facility whereby users can report
        problems, describe their experience with the system, and suggest
        improvements.

    g.  Investigate and diagnose problems found in the Regional
        Transportation Management Display and 511 systems.

    h.  Monitor the status of STARNET nodes, field devices critical for
        multi-agency cooperation, and STARNET communications, and report
        any problems to the agency responsible for the problem
        component.

    i.  Follow up on previously reported problems to help ensure
        corrective action is taken in a timely manner.

    j.  Provide advice and assistance to agency personnel involved in
        problem follow up.

    k.  Identify potential improvements in regional coordination
        procedures.

    l.  Identify corrections and updates needed to web pages including
        the regional map used in the Regional Transportation Management
        Display and in the 511 web site.

    m.  Maintain a database of all significant events, activities,
        feedback from the public and agency users, and other information
        relevant to any aspect of STARNET, the Regional Transportation
        Management Display system and the 511 system.

# Evaluation Metrics

The following are potential measures of STARNET performance.

-   Quantity of data exchanged per month.

-   Number of operator access events per month -- or data requests.

-   Number of camera control actions.

-   Number of subscriptions of each type.

-   Completeness of the regional transportation database.

-   Percentage of up time for the regional systems.

-   Percentage of time that each node pair are able to communicate.

-   Number of operation incidents per month in which STARNET played a
    role - divide into day types and time-of-day (e.g., peak periods),
    and duration/type of incident.

-   Description of actual operation scenarios involving STARNET.

-   Results of a survey of operators as to their experience with, and
    opinion of, STARNET.

-   How many agencies are participating.

-   How many multi-agency events.

-   Number of 511 users.

The evaluation metrics and procedures for gathering and evaluating the
information will be included in a separate STARNET Evaluation Plan
developed during system implementation.

# References and Terminology

## References

1.  Intelligent Transportation Systems Strategic Deployment Plan for the
    Sacramento Region, September 2005, Sacramento Area Council of
    Governments.

2.  STARNET Needs Assessment, November 2001, Sacramento Area Council of
    Governments.

3.  Systems Engineering Guidebook for ITS, version 1.1, February 2005,
    Caltrans and Federal Highway Administration.

4.  Guide for the Preparation of Operational Concept Documents, 1992,
    American National Standards Institute / American Institute of
    Aeronautics and Astronautics.

5.  Implementation and Operation Guidelines for 511 Services, 2005, 511
    Deployment Coalition.

## Terminology

The following table defines acronyms and uncommon terms used in this
document.

  -------------------------------------------------------------------------
  **Term**     **Meaning**
  ------------ ------------------------------------------------------------
  ATMS         Advanced Traffic (or Transportation) Management System

  Caltrans     California Department of Transportation

  CAD          Computer Aided Dispatch system that records incident
               information

  CCTV         Closed Circuit Television

  CHP          California Highway Patrol

  FHWA         Federal Highway Administration

  FTP          File Transfer Protocol

  ISDN         Integrated Services Digital Network -- a data communications
               service offered by telephone companies

  ITS          Intelligent Transportation Systems

  Jitter       Variation in the travel time of data packets on a network
               due to changes in conditions such as the available
               bandwidth, congestion at network switches, or routing of
               packets.

  RT           Sacramento Regional Transit District

  SACOG        Sacramento Area Council of Governments

  Spoofing     The falsification or misdirection of information on a
               network so that the information appears to have originated
               from someone or somewhere other than the actual source.

  STARNET      Sacramento Transportation Area Network

  Validation   Evaluation of degree to which a planned outcome was
               achieved. Validation of STARNET involves evaluating how well
               it achieved its purpose.

               
  -------------------------------------------------------------------------

-oOo-