Bueller, Bueller…Maybe a DSS Could Have Helped

Ferris Bueller said, "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop to look around once in a while you could miss it." (What can I say, I'm a child of the 80's and from Chicago) I know it's just a movie, but that doesn't mean he was wrong. Life does move pretty fast; accidents do happen in an instant; traffic can change on a dime (how many sayings can I cram into one opening?!). When your job is to make decisions and respond to events in real-time, that fast movement can make your job, at times, feel like an impossible task. The thousands of Operators across this country that work in Transportation Management Centers (TMC) every day feel this speed of life deeply.

Decision Support Systems

A TMC operator's ability to make the right decisions decisively and respond quickly depends on having the right information. But if it's not delivered in a digestible way, too much information can also hinder effective decision-making. That's where decision support systems can help. Decision support systems (DSS) analyze large amounts of data and provide insights to help people make better decisions. DSS is used across a wide range of industries today including healthcare, finance, and supply chains. At their core, DSS systems are pretty simple (although don't ask me to build one!). They ingest data, apply a computer model or agent to analyze the data, and have some sort of user interface to support utilization of the insights. What they don't do is make decisions for us.

DSS in TMC

As more and more data has become extractable from our roadways, decision support systems for TMC Operators have become more widely available. We see several examples of this. One of the biggest areas we see DSS growing is in the first step for many Operators – deciding which incidents to manage first. For example, DSS may be able to update insights in real-time on whether an incident is still on the roadway, preventing Operators from spending time reviewing incidents that may have already been addressed. Another example may be a DSS that provides real-time updates on the impact an incident is having on surrounding traffic, supporting not only which incident is most critical to address but also providing insights into traffic mitigation strategies or even response strategies (which route should emergency vehicles take, etc.). Lastly, DSS can even take in multiple insights and help automatically prioritize which incidents appear at the top of a list, giving Operators a clear roadmap for addressing the most meaningful incidents first.

Another area we see DSS growing is in situational awareness. Incidents don't happen in a controlled environment, and often they lead to other incidents. DSS can help relate multiple incidents, including secondary incidents, and other disruptions like road closures or maintenance into a single event so that Operators can better manage response resources and provide critical context on the larger event, versus each individual incident, to the first responder team.

Conclusion

Ferris was right, life does move pretty fast, but when we embrace new technologies that help us stop and look around, we not only see more, but we can do more, faster, enabling TMC Operators to do what they do best, keep our roadways clear and enable a transportation system that is safe and reliable for everyone.