Detailed Justification for the Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Program: Wireless Innovation and Infrastructure Initiative

What Do I Need To Know Before Reading This Justification?

This FY 2012 request is for a new $100 million initiative in conjunction with the President's Wireless Innovation and Infrastructure Initiative, Wireless Innovation (WIN) Fund. A separate legislative package will transmit this mandatory request of $100 million. This is in addition to the $110 million Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) core research and technology transfer program. The separate ITS core program funding request of $110 million remains unchanged from prior years.

What Is The Request And What Will We Get For The Funds?

Request: $100 million to be used over a five year period, to establish a new multi-modal wireless technology initiative to create a safer, less congested, more flexible, efficient and resilient transportation system.

Actions: The proposed wireless research, technology, testing and model deployment program will develop living laboratories while leveraging the existing transportation infrastructure, where innovative wireless communications methods and applications can be developed safely to advance into deployment.

FY 2012 Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS):
Wireless Innovation and Infrastructure Initiative
Budget Request
($000)

Key actions:

• Demonstrate living laboratories in a competitively-selected region/corridor that leverage other public private investments for safety, mobility, emergency response, energy and environmental benefits of real-time wireless applications, including passenger and freight benefits in autos, trucks, rail, transit, ports and inland waterways, and at border crossings.
• Create wireless fast lanes for multi-modal applications for real time inspections, reporting, and access nationwide, including underserved rural areas and border crossings.
• Work with state inspection and public safety partners, along with other Federal agencies to deploy rural wireless access points in areas of critical need for enhanced emergency communications.
• Require that all applications discourage distracted driving/operations.

Key Outputs: Additional details of this proposal will be presented in the legislative package that will contain this $100 million mandatory request. However, possible deployments could yield the following: enhanced cybersecurity of vehicle communications; location of alternative energy stations, electric vehicle charging stations, and other wireless power transfer units (e.g., auxiliary power units, port power); real-time, wireless traffic management centers with wireless information sharing with emergency operations centers; real-time traffic management strategies driven by vehicle-infrastructure wireless communication at local access points; multi-modal route planning, optimization and notifications (e.g. road, rail, transit, commercial vehicle, freight flow, fleets, etc); real-time information and safety enhancements for drivers, commercial vehicles, transit passengers, pedestrians, motorcyclists, and bicyclists; safety compliance checks of commercial motor vehicles at highway speeds; accessibility for disabled, elderly, or disadvantaged individuals; and universal parking and transit payment applications.

Key Outcomes: Increased safety, efficient, capacity, and in all modes of surface transportation; improved energy use and environmental performance from the transportation system; improved livability through better transit, disability access, emergency response and bicycle/pedestrian use, reduced emissions, and decreased congestion.

What Is The Program?

Strategic goals: Safety, Environmental Sustainability, Livable Communities, and Economic Competiveness.

Purpose/beneficiaries: This program will develop living laboratories in the existing infrastructure, where innovative wireless communications methods and applications can be developed safely in-situ and may be rapidly advanced into deployment.

Partners: DOT surface modes: FHWA, NHTSA, FMCSA, FTA, FRA, MARAD; other Federal departments (e.g. DoD, DOE, EPA, DHS etc.); public and private safety advocates; academia; university transportation centers; and industry.

Description: This additional $100 million from the WIN fund will be used over a five year period, and will provide the Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) program and its stakeholders the ability to seek new and innovative opportunities to pursue ground-breaking research and competitive deployments of wireless technology applications. 

Base budget/prior year accomplishments: This is a new initiative.

Why is This Particular Program Necessary?

Benefits: Deployment of the resulting proven ITS applications will greatly advance the safety, efficiency, convenience, and environmental sustainability of surface transportation. 

Consequences of lack of funding: Missed opportunities to pursue ground-breaking research and competitive deployments of wireless technology applications.

How Do You Know the Program Works?

Effective: Demand for safe, reliable and resilient communications, cybersecurity, and computing infrastructures from transportation advocates, and technology developers.

Research: DOT proposes to work with innovators to address the need for market development in wireless-based transportation applications. Potential research includes competitively selecting one or more regions or travel/freight corridors as an integrated, multi-modal national testbed for wireless applications; identification of locations across the U.S. where these applications could be demonstrated; secure, reliable and resilient communications; applications that discourage distracted driving/operations; wireless fast lanes for vehicle inspections, wireless research, technology, testing and model deployment program. Requiring that all applications discourage distracted driving/operations.

Sub-program balance: N/A

Efficient: The ITS JPO, RITA, is the designated federal agency for the pursuit of intelligent transportation systems research and technology transfer and leads multi-modal ITS research across the DOT surface modes.

Why Do We Want/Need To Fund The Program At The Requested Level?

Funding options: $100 million over a five year period.

History/outyear needs: None