The centers that were visited varied widely in their approaches to automation. A Canadian center used automated responses to routine and incident-related congestion, but manual incident location and reporting to emergency agencies. All but the most highly automated centers depended heavily on the use of remote television cameras to identify congestion and traffic problems. Some centers provided the operators with large walls covered with dozens of television monitors, while other centers used relatively few. There are important questions about how television can best be applied to support the operators and how the remote cameras can best be controlled.
Centers also differ on the qualifications required of their operators.
Some centers require only a high school diploma. Others hire college students for part-time employment. Still others require a college engineering degree. One center was staffed entirely by police officers, while several had police liaisons on their staff. The design issues identified during the study will be addressed in a handbook of human factors guidelines and recommendations for ATMS design that is scheduled for 1995.