The modernization of traffic management and information systems and the introduction of integrated user interfaces allow for comprehensive, integrated, and efficient traffic management.
VMIS 2.0 Master Design: Advanced, operation-oriented design of traffic management centers
The civil and traffic engineers of PTV Transport Consult GmbH support and accompany the planning, design, and operation of traffic management centers.
Project description
The VMIS 2.0 project focuses on the modernization of the traffic management and information system as well as the creation of a common user interface for all ASFINAG traffic management centers. ASFINAG is an Austrian infrastructure operator specializing in the fields of toll collection, traffic and road safety and construction. As part of the project, it was necessary to modernize all eight regional traffic management centers.
ASFINAG commissioned the creation of a "master design" for the workstations in order to ensure that all control centers are equipped uniformly.
PTV Transport Consult GmbH developed a general guideline for this purpose. The objective: Adapting the operator workstations in the eight traffic control centers (VMZ) which also control the tunnel operations. Room-specific details for each control center supplement the guideline.
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Work steps
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The planning included four stages:
- Definition of the master design specifications
- Inventory and analysis of the current situation
- Design options; tailored to needs of each VMZ
- List of measures and estimated cost of modification
Together with the client, the PTV consultants created a master design considering the specifications for the equipment and design of a desired control room. Based on the systematic assessment and evaluation of the current state of the individual control centers, various flexible solutions for the modernization of the individual rooms were created, followed by a technical and economic evaluation.
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Inventory
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With the help of the existing inventory documents of the traffic control centers, the project team looked at possible structural features to be taken into account for the site-specific implementation. In order to compare the existing as-built plans and to collect additional measurements and information, the team inspected the eight regional project sites in Klagenfurt, Wels, St. Michael/ Lungau, Plabutsch, St. Jakob/ Arlberg, Bruck, Ardning and Hohenems.
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Planning
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During the planning process it became evident that site-specific adjustments were required so that a universal master design for all traffic control centers was not feasible. The existing facilities have developed differently both in terms of space and system technology. The centers are usually built or modernized in cycles of about 10 years, so that the control centers’ state of technology is not the same. However, in the field of information and communications technology, the time factor is all the more relevant due to technological progress. This mainly affects components such as displays, user interfaces and transmission media – despite extensive standardization via ASFINAG planning manuals.
Therefore, it was essential to develop a flexible design which could be adjusted and optimized according to the specific requirements of each control center. The aim was to make future use and operation as convenient as possible for the operator on site and at the same time to ensure feasibility on site.