Initiating the Systems Engineering Process for Rural Connected Vehicle Corridors, Volume 1: Research Overview (2021)

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3   1.1 Background Across the United States, state and local agencies are preparing to deploy connected vehicle technologies to address some of transportation’s biggest challenges in the areas of safety, mobility, and eciency. For this research, connected vehicle technologies refer to applications, services, and hardware/equipment (embedded or portable) present in the vehicle and the envi- ronment that enable connection/communication across devices. While most connected vehicle projects have focused primarily on applications in urban areas, there is signicant interest and potential in deploying, operating, and maintaining connected vehicles on rural corridors. Rural corridors exist in all states, ranging from more traditionally rural states, like South Dakota, to states perceived to be more urban, like California. Rural corri- dors serve as a bridge to other states, support the agriculture and energy industries, connect economically challenged citizens in remote locations to employers, enable the movement of people and freight, and provide access to America’s tourist attractions. For purposes of this report, a rural corridor refers to highway facilities that range from limited access interstates in sparsely populated areas to principal roadways that connect small towns. e focus is on a linear travel pattern with limited infrastructure deployment. Rural corridors oen include (1) long stretches of highway with limited power, communications, and intel- ligent transportation systems (ITS) infrastructure, (2) long distances between cities or services for travelers, (3) dierent trac and roadway characteristics (e.g., higher posted speed limits, higher percentage of truck volume, and roadway geometry), and (4) signicant incident-related rerouting distances. Rural corridors face many transportation challenges unique to the rural environment. Conges- tion in rural areas is oen related to incidents, stalled vehicles, tourism, or special events. Rural congestion can have a signicant impact on freight movement, manufacturing processes, competi- tiveness, and productivity. Safety is also a major challenge on rural corridors; according to the 2016 American Community Survey, rural areas accounted for 50% of all trac fatalities in 2016. Fatalities are prevalent across the country with many states having large percentages of fatalities on rural roads compared with urban roads based on 2016 NHTSA data (1) (see Figure 1). Rural crashes are also of high signicance in the states where the road network is primarily rural. Rural incidents are more likely to be at higher speeds than urban incidents, and response times are longer. As connected vehicles continue their progress from research testbeds to operational deploy- ments, agencies must nd scalable ways to integrate connected vehicle technologies into their existing trac management systems (TMSs) and trac operations and management activities. Agencies will ultimately decide the extent to which connected vehicle technologies and appli- cations should be deployed to meet their local needs. To do this, eective long-term plan- ning is paramount for deploying, operating, and maintaining connected vehicle technology C H A P T E R   1 Introduction

4 Initiating the Systems Engineering Process for Rural Connected Vehicle Corridors infrastructure on rural corridors. Connected vehicle solutions have signicant promise to accommodate the unique characteristics and needs associated with rural corridors; however, these same technologies also carry signicant resources to buy, integrate, and test with existing systems and processes (see Figure 2). Successful connected vehicle deployments will ensure that local needs and challenges are addressed, measurable goals and objectives are set, and appropriate connected vehicle applica- tions and solutions are identied. For some, the tendency might be to forego upfront planning and jump straight into vendor-driven deployments. While many perceive this approach as a means to expedite deployment, this buy-install-hope mindset increases project risk. As a result, agencies will likely nd themselves backing into requirements that may or may not address the problem the agency is trying to solve. Some acquired solutions may be proprietary, which means they cannot be incorporated into an overarching solution that can be implemented across state and jurisdictional boundaries. Conversely, while the benets of following a systems engineering process are well-documented, many agencies continue to nd the process to be cumbersome. To help in these situations, model systems engineering documents oer a starting point for agen- cies as they begin to deploy connected vehicle technologies. e model concept of operations (ConOps) and system requirements specication (SyRS) documents developed in this project are intended to help agencies leverage the work of others to develop their tailored documents faster, better, and cheaper. 1.2 Research Objective As shown in Figure 3, input from a diverse group of rural and connected vehicle stakeholders captured in a model ConOps should clearly articulate the potential user groups, user needs, proposed systems, and operational concepts that are typical of a rural corridor. Agencies can use the model ConOps and SyRS as starting points to develop their customized, local ConOps and SyRS. (Source: Noblis 2020 based on NHTSA 2016 data.) Figure 1. Percentage of trafc fatalities on rural roads by state.

Introduction 5   (Source: Noblis 2020. Graphics developed by the U.S. DOT in support of the CV Pilot Deployment Program.) Figure 2. Rural corridor characteristics drive connected vehicle applications and infrastructure deployments. (Source: Noblis 2020. Graphics developed by the U.S. DOT in support of the CV Pilot Deployment Program.) Figure 3. Model systems engineering documents help ensure interoperable connected vehicle deployments. e model documents can save the implementing agency time and money while ensuring that their deployments address rural challenges and are effective, secure, and interoperable. As such, the objectives of this research are to identify the following: 1. Connected vehicle applications that will be most relevant on rural corridors; 2. Scalable ways connected vehicles may be integrated into transportation agencies’ trac opera- tions and management plans; 3. The requirements of connected vehicles and cyber-physical infrastructure within rural corridors; 4. e anticipated roles and responsibilities of agencies in authorizing, deploying, operating, and maintaining ITS and other transportation systems management and operations (TSMO) technologies within rural corridors; and 5. e related stang and resource needs.

6 Initiating the Systems Engineering Process for Rural Connected Vehicle Corridors 1.3 Purpose of This Report NCHRP Research Report 978: Initiating the Systems Engineering Process for Rural Connected Vehicle Corridors comprises three volumes. Volume 1: Research Overview describes the actions taken to obtain the information needed to develop model systems engineering documents, specically a model ConOps (Volume 2: Model Concept of Operations) and a model SyRS (Volume 3: Model System Requirements Specication). It should be noted that this report does not serve as a summary of the model systems engineering documents; instead, it explains the documents’ purpose, audi- ence, and how they should be used. Volumes 1, 2, and 3 will be published; Volumes 2 and 3 will also be available in downloadable Microso Word les with accompanying Microso PowerPoint les for context diagrams/illustrations. All volumes can be found on the TRB website (www.trb.org) by searching for “NCHRP Research Report 978”. Providing these project les in editable format will further support the implementation of the initial research. is report is intended for rural transportation agencies seeking to deploy connected vehicle technologies along their corridors. ose practitioners planning to implement connected vehicle projects are encouraged to read the model ConOps and model SyRS (Volumes 2 and 3, respectively). 1.4 Organization of Volume 1 of the Report e structure of this report is as follows: • Chapter 1 provides the background of this research. • Chapter 2 presents the approach used for developing the products of this research. • Chapter 3 details ndings from the literature review and several stakeholder outreach and engagement activities. • Chapter 4 builds on the information presented in Chapter 3 to conceptualize the connected vehicle environment, develop user needs, identify relevant applications of connected tech- nologies, and describe use cases for these applications. • Chapter 5 provides an overview of the research products. • Chapter 6 concludes the report and provides suggestions for further research.