Essential Communications: A Guide to Land Mobile Radio (LMR)

Transportation agencies and other public safety organizations face an array of funding and technology choices with respect to methods and levels of communications. State, local, tribal, and territorial departments of transportation (DOTs) have invested heavily in Land Mobile Radio (LMR) communication systems to support their field staff during daily activities and incident response or emergencies, and LMR communication continues to be the backbone of infrastructure protection, coordination, and emergency management. With the proper planning and design, those same communications systems may be able to acquire and provide information from field elements. Field elements such as Dynamic Message Signs, Traffic Signal Systems, Road Weather Information Systems (RWIS), and other sensor networks are frequently dependent on leased services (e.g., cell phone technology, private telephone lines). Relative to wireless networks operating on exclusive government frequencies, cell phone technology and private telephone lines are often unreliable during communications surges in emergencies and may be unavailable in rural, less traveled areas. The ability to communicate and gather travel information is critical to field crews that, for example, increasingly base winter highway treatment decisions and traveler information on reliable information. The recurring costs associated with cell phone technology and private telephone lines can hinder investments in field elements required to adequately monitor a corridor or specific areas of a roadway. Use of LMR technology is a means to assure availability and reliability. Additionally, the incoming Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network (First Responder Network Authority or FirstNet) system may be available to provide some data communications services to public safety providers throughout the nation. Research is needed to provide comprehensive guidance to DOTs to inform decision-making for the design, funding, and selection of wireless communications systems. The objective of this research is to create a guidebook to be used in design, funding, procuring, and governing statewide, regional, or local Land Mobile Radio (LMR) systems. The guidebook and associated resources will assist state, local, tribal, and territorial departments of transportation; transit; and other public safety entities in understanding and making key decisions with respect to the selection of wireless voice and data communication systems. Three aspects are of particular interest: Operability, Intra-operability, Inter-operability. Examples of systems of interest are found in Wyoming, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Texas, and South Carolina. The audiences for this guide will include state, local, tribal, and territorial DOTs; road and bridge authorities; traditional public safety agencies such as police, fire, and emergency medical services; state emergency management; state emergency medical; school districts; transit systems; state military departments; and water authorities--essentially, all publicly funded agencies that utilize wireless communications.

• Record URL:
  http://apps.trb.org/cmsfeed/TRBNetProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=4353
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Sources of proposed project: AASHTO Special Committee on Transportation Security and Emergency Management and AASHTO Special Committee on Wireless Communications Technology. Contract to a Performing Organization has not yet been awarded.

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Proposed
• Funding: $550000
• Contract Numbers:

  Project 03-129

• Sponsor Organizations:

  National Cooperative Highway Research Program

  Transportation Research Board
  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001

  American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO)

  444 North Capitol Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001

  Federal Highway Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Project Managers:

  Parker, Stephan

• Start Date: 20180416
• Expected Completion Date: 0
• Actual Completion Date: 0
• Source Data: RiP Project 41596

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Emergency response time; Incident management; Mobile radio; Radio frequency; Real time information; Reliability; Road weather information systems; State departments of transportation; Variable message signs; Wireless communication systems
• Subject Areas: Data and Information Technology; Highways; Operations and Traffic Management;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01634645
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Transportation Research Board
• Contract Numbers: Project 03-129
• Files: TRB, RiP
• Created Date: May 12 2017 1:00AM