1. Identify potential natural and human-caused disaster scenarios that might have significant impacts on Rhode Island and its neighboring states.
2. Study the vulnerabilities of communication in the state’s current transportation emergency response system per different scenarios.
3. Examine the feasibility of employing VMS as an emergency communication system in each of the identified scenarios and determine key deployment locations in these scenarios.
4. Gain insights into the variations in peoples’ understanding of emergency messages and variations in the interpretation of different messages.
5. Design and conduct driving simulation experiments to assess peoples’ response to various types of VMS messages in different scenarios.
6. Analyze the experiment and develop a scenario-based VMS message library for quick and effective deployment of messages per each scenario.
7. Summarize, conclude and make recommendations.
Highway
Recent natural and human caused disasters present new challenges for public transportation systems. One of the most obvious problems that surfaced in several past human and nature caused disasters is the lack of clear and efficient communication. The public demands timely information and guidance during and after a catastrophic event. It is important that decisions and responses made by officials in the transportation system be promptly disseminated to the general public especially in the process of mass evacuation. An effective and responsive transportation system would not only keep the traffic moving but also assure the security and safety of the public on the roads. The system would be prepared for and protected against these disasters, and ensure the ability to move people and goods during the crisis. This study will examine the state’s emergency response and management capabilities with a focus on the transportation system. The objective is to enhance the current system so it is prepared for these disastrous situations. The study will help transportation management authorities provide an efficient traffic and evacuation guidance to responders and to the general public in case of emergency. In addition to the recent 511 telephone system and fixed warning/evacuation signs, it is proposed to employ variable message signs (VMS) in those disastrous events, not only to help keep motorists updated regarding the situation but also provide them with timely guidance and directions.
One critical point in this study is to assess the preparedness of the state’s transportation system prior to a natural or human caused disaster. It will start with understanding the scope and magnitude of several potential disastrous scenarios pertaining to Rhode Island. The possible threats and the resultant vulnerabilities will be identified for each scenario. A vulnerability analysis will be conducted to identify the shortfalls in the transportation system per different scenarios. It will study existing evacuation plans that state agencies have prepared and assess their fitness per these scenarios. It will examine current evacuation routes set to direct people toward predetermined shelters and/or safer places with respect to these scenarios. It will help draw plans regarding the use and placement of VMSs to advise and guide motorists to proper evacuation routes for each scenario.
Overall, this study intends to provide answers to the following questions. How prepared is our transportation system with respect to different scenarios of natural or human caused disasters? How vulnerable is our transportation infrastructure in these scenarios? How feasible are our current evacuation and response plans? What are the available means of communication in case of emergency? How could VMS be deployed to improve emergency response in these scenarios? What kind of messages could be displayed and disseminated to the public in these scenarios? And in general, to what extent are we ready, and in what ways are we not ready, for any of these potential human or nature caused disasters?
The project will take eighteen months to complete. Specific tasks addressing each of the project’s objectives are described below.
Task 1 - Identify potential natural and human-caused disaster scenarios that might have significant impacts on Rhode Island and its neighboring states.
This task will launch a comprehensive review on existing publications and articles, both in the US and internationally, related to any past natural and human-caused disasters. Interviews and focus group discussions will be held with the state’s traffic management authorities and emergency management agencies to identify a list of catastrophic events that could have significant impacts on Rhode Island and its neighboring states. Through questionnaire surveys, it will identify the top three disaster scenarios that would be examined further in this project.
Task 2 - Study the vulnerabilities of communication in the state’s current transportation emergency response system per different scenarios.
This task involves a vulnerability study of the existing emergency response system in Rhode Island. The study will be carried out collaboratively with various state and local agencies responsible for emergency responses. It will evaluate the preparedness level of the current transportation system to respond to different catastrophic scenarios. It will review the agencies’ ability to recognize and announce that an attack or a disaster is underway or has occurred. The current evacuation plans will be studied and the designated evacuation routes will be assessed in various emergency scenarios. Moreover, it will assess the current emergency communication system designed to support these evacuation plans. It is expected that, through this study, the vulnerabilities and shortfalls of the current emergency response system will be identified. These vulnerabilities will be classified based on different scenarios and feasible remedies will be sought per each situation.
Task 3 - Examine the feasibility of employing VMS as an emergency communication system in each of the identified scenarios and determine key deployment locations in these scenarios.
This task will conduct a comprehensive review on existing research and literature related to the deployment of VMSs in ordinary as well as in emergency situations. It will gather information on current VMS operation practices in Rhode Island and other states. A detailed investigation will be carried out on various technologies of VMS systems and their merits will be identified. Consultation with traffic engineers, ITS specialists, and local authorities will be sought during this investigation. A summary of current practices and research findings on VMS messaging deployment in natural and human-caused disasters will be produced. This summary will help determine the feasibility of deploying VMSs per different emergency scenarios. It will also help determine strategic deployment locations for portable VMS per different emergency scenarios.
Task 4 - Gain insights into the variations in peoples’ understanding of emergency messages and variations in the interpretation of different messages
This task requires a survey on peoples’ understanding and interpretation of various VMS messages in different scenarios. A web-based questionnaire survey will be developed to collect peoples’ opinions. Surveys will be performed via the websites of URITC and will be opened to the general public. Through this survey, information will be obtained regarding peoples’ understanding and interpretation of various VMS displays, choice of evacuation route influenced by the message, and potential problems associated with individual emergency messages. Participants will also be asked to provide certain demographic information including gender, age, native language, driving experience, and local knowledge. Together with findings from the previous task, it expects to provide a solid foundation to design the driving simulation experiment that could help assess the pros and cons of VMS messaging in time of crisis.
Task 5 - Design and conduct driving simulation experiments to assess peoples’ response to various types of VMS messages in different scenarios.
This task will develop a simulated, virtual driving experiment to examine peoples’ comprehension of and response to various VMS messages employed in different emergency scenarios. Based on the results of the vulnerability study, literature review and questionnaire survey, draft VMS messages will be composed and further tested through driving simulation in the Driver Performance Laboratory. The testing program will focus on determining if specific message enhancement could help people to understand and comprehend information being provided via VMS. Of particular interest are the interpretations of similar messages presented in different ways such as graphic-aided messages versus text-alone messages. A real-time video-based driving simulation will be employed in the experiment where simulation video clips are created by merging real driving videos with digitally created VMS images. The test subject, sitting in the driver’s seat of a test vehicle, is required to identify each VMS message by pressing an appropriate key or a sequence of keys mounted on the steering wheel. Subjects’ response times and accuracy for each tested message will be recorded for further analysis. A minimum of 48 subjects with different demographics will be recruited to participate in the experiments.
The simulation study will also examine potential safety risks with respect to individual emergency VMS messages by further assessing the response time, accuracy, and eye movements to these messages.
Task 6 - Analyze the experiment and develop a scenario-based VMS message library for quick and effective deployment of messages per each scenario.
Upon the completion of the above tasks, statistical analyses will be performed to analyze and summarize the survey and experiment results. The analyses will identify significant messaging factors and/or their interactions in the survey and driving simulation experiments. Optimized settings for individual messaging factors and their combinations per different scenarios will be determined. Findings will be summarized with recommendations regarding the deployment of VMS messages for different emergency scenarios. Thus, a foundation will be provided for the development of a scenario-based VMS message library that could be used by traffic management and emergency response authorities for quick and effective deployment of messages.
Task 7 - Summarize, conclude and make recommendations
A final report will be prepared, including a summary, conclusions and recommendations regarding the preparedness and response of our state’s transportation system in case of natural or human-caused disasters. The report will also give an assessment regarding the feasibility of employing VMS messages in several disaster scenarios. This report will indicate the VMS messages that work the best and those that do not work per identified scenarios. It will provide an analysis of the findings of related studies or undertakings including any difficulties encountered in these studies. Overall, the final report will provide answers to the following questions. How prepared is our transportation system with respect to different scenarios of natural or human caused disasters? How vulnerable is our transportation infrastructure in these scenarios? How feasible are our current evacuation and emergency response plans? What are the available means of communication in case of emergency? How could VMS be deployed to improve emergency response in these scenarios? What kinds of messages could be displayed and disseminated to the public in these scenarios? And in general, to what extent are we ready, and in what ways are we not ready, for any of these potential human or nature caused disasters?
1. Identify potential natural and human-caused disaster scenarios
2. Study the vulnerabilities in current transportation emergency response system
3. Examine the feasibility of employing VMS system in emergency scenarios
4. Design questionnaire to survey peoples’ opinion toward emergency VMS messages
5. Conduct driving simulation to test peoples’ response to emergency VMS messages
6. Analyze test data and develop a scenario-based VMS message library
7. Summarize, conclude and make recommendations
8. Prepare final report and manuscripts to disseminate the project results
$204,644.00
Students will be recruited to carry out different tasks of this project via independent studies, class projects, internships, and thesis researches. Both undergraduate and graduate engineering students will be involved in these activities. Special efforts will be made to attract minority and female students to participate in various phases of this project.
This project conducts research to assess the preparedness and response of our state’s transportation system in case of natural or human-caused disasters. It seeks means to enhance communication via the VMS system in case of catastrophic events. This research has close ties with many other studies on homeland security and emergency evacuation. It has also tight links with many other research projects on ITS and VMS. Specially, it is built upon previous research work carried out by the PIs. The success of these studies, as evidenced by many publications and presentations resulted from the research, is predictive of success for this project.
This project will be conducted by a team of experienced researchers led by the Pis who have expertise in dynamic message signs, emergency evacuation, experimental design, psychology, and human factors studies. With a proven record in this research area, they will ensure that the objectives of this project be fully achieved. Upon completion, a final report will be submitted to URITC and be duplicated and distributed to all interested parties through URITC. Besides printed reports, arrangements will be made with state DOT agencies and emergency management agencies, via URITC, to publicize the results and findings through presentations, teleconferencing, and workshops. The Pis have given many presentations and seminars to RIDOT and URI Transportation Center and has worked closely with the Traffic Management Center personnel in RI in the past. The Pis will work with any interested state DOT and EM agencies to help them implement the recommendations.
Technical papers based on the final report will be prepared and submitted to TRB, ITE and other professional transportation meetings and conferences. With permission from URITC, the project findings could also be packaged into CDs and be published through the world-wide-web for greater distribution. The findings of this project will be shared with the transportation engineering community as conference presentations and journal publications. Special efforts will be made to present the project findings to high school and college students to stimulate their interests in transportation engineering research.
This study is unique and important to Rhode Island and her neighboring states due to their geographic location and relationship. We anticipate this project to benefit highway management authorities, emergency management agencies, and the general public as a whole, and help attain the mission of URITC. It is believed that this project will lead to many interesting findings in this field and stimulate more research in the area.
Emergency Response, Intelligent Transportation System, Variable Message Sign, Emergency Management, Advanced Preparation, Transportation Management, Human Factors.