Workzones in a C/AV environment

First published at ITS America - June 6, 2019

Little standardisation of hardware, software and data management remains an obstacle to the development of workzone safety in the era of connected autonomous vehicles.

However, field trials are progressing in many US states with a goal to establish ubiquitous and open access to information on workzone safety, according to Todd Peterson, a transport specialist within the US Federal Highway Administration. The government’s Work Zone Data Initiative is working toward this goal, he told delegates in the debate session Navigating work zones in a CAV environment.

National standards will eventually be required, said Peterson. But first the usual obstacles of data management will need to be overcome. These include a lack of resources by agencies and contractors to integrate systems for a complete view of the work zone. Also, data may remain in silos within organisations, further hindering integration of information to get an overall picture of work zone infrastructure and activity.

Another challenge is to verify data as accurate, according to Jay Parikh, a principal investigator at Camp in V2I. Camp is responsible for research and prototype development of safety applications with the Federal Highway Administration. There is also the continuing challenge of having the physical node points on the road which send out data in the right place all the time, he told delegates.

A major field trial is showing up issues that might be otherwise overlooked, said Michele Mueller, senior project manager for connected and automated vehicles in the Michigan Department of Transportation. A pilot project with 3M is being conducted along the I-75 rebuild project – the first connected work zone in the US, she told delegates.

For example, said Mueller, the pilot project is exploring the issue of passing vehicles being able to always pick up location data from workers’ vests even if they are behind solid objects and not visible. Also, the DoT is working with 3M to ensure pavement markings are readable regardless of weather conditions and that road signs remain durable and data-readable throughout the years.

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