BCTA Transit Management Center

Status: Existing

Description

This element consists of the Beaver County Transit Authority Expressway Travel Center and surrounding facilities and includes systems and personnel that provide centralized transit and emergency management, advanced transit information (including on–site trip planning kiosks), vehicle maintenance, and security operations for the BCTA.

Stakeholders

StakeholderRoleRole Status
Beaver County Transit Authority (BCTA)OwnsExisting

Physical Objects

Transportation Information Center
Transit Management Center
Emergency Management Center
Archived Data User System
Data Distribution System

Functional Objects

Functional ObjectDescriptionUser Defined
Emergency Call–Taking'Emergency Call–Taking' supports the emergency call–taker, collecting available information about the caller and the reported emergency, and forwarding this information to other objects that formulate and manage the emergency response. It receives 9–1–1, 7–digit local access, and motorist call–box calls and interfaces to other agencies to assist in the verification and assessment of the emergency and to forward the emergency information to the appropriate response agency.False
Emergency Data Collection'Emergency Data Collection' collects and stores emergency information that is collected in the course of operations by the Emergency Management Center. This data can be used directly by operations personnel or it can be made available to other data users and archives in the region.False
Emergency Dispatch'Emergency Dispatch' tracks the location and status of emergency vehicles and dispatches these vehicles to incidents. Pertinent incident information is gathered from the public and other public safety agencies and relayed to the responding units. Incident status and the status of the responding units is tracked so that additional units can be dispatched and/or unit status can be returned to available when the incident is cleared and closed.False
Emergency Environmental Monitoring'Emergency Environmental Monitoring' collects current and forecast road conditions and surface weather information from a variety of sources. The collected environmental information is monitored and presented to the operator and used to more effectively manage incidents.False
Emergency Notification Support'Emergency Notification Support' receives emergency notification messages from vehicles or personal handheld devices, determines an appropriate response, and either uses internal resources or contacts a local agency to provide that response. The nature of the emergency is determined based on the information in the received message as well as other inputs. This object effectively serves as an interface between automated collision notification systems and the local public safety answering point for messages that require a public safety response. This capability depends on an up–to–date registry of public safety answering points/response agencies by coverage area, the type of emergency, and hours of service.False
Emergency Response Management'Emergency Response Management' provides the strategic emergency response capabilities and broad inter–agency interfaces that are implemented for extraordinary incidents and disasters that require response from outside the local community. It provides the functional capabilities and interfaces commonly associated with Emergency Operations Centers. It develops and stores emergency response plans and manages overall coordinated response to emergencies. It monitors real–time information on the state of the regional transportation system including current traffic and road conditions, weather conditions, special event and incident information. It tracks the availability of resources and assists in the appropriate allocation of these resources for a particular emergency response. It also provides coordination between multiple allied agencies before and during emergencies to implement emergency response plans and track progress through the incident. It also coordinates with the public through the Emergency Telecommunication Systems (e.g., Reverse 911). It coordinates with public health systems to provide the most appropriate response for emergencies involving biological or other medical hazards.False
Emergency Secure Area Alarm Support'Emergency Secure Area Alarm Support' receives traveler or transit vehicle operator alarm messages, notifies the system operator, and provides acknowledgement of alarm receipt back to the originator of the alarm. The alarms received can be generated by silent or audible alarm systems and may originate from public areas (e.g. transit stops, park and ride lots, transit stations, rest areas) or transit vehicles. The nature of the emergency may be determined based on the information in the alarm message as well as other inputs.False
Emergency Secure Area Sensor Management'Emergency Secure Area Sensor Management' manages sensors that monitor secure areas in the transportation system, processes the collected data, performs threat analysis in which data is correlated with other sensor, surveillance, and advisory inputs, and then disseminates resultant threat information to emergency personnel and other agencies. In response to identified threats, the operator may request activation of barrier and safeguard systems to preclude an incident, control access during and after an incident or mitigate impact of an incident. The sensors may be in secure areas frequented by travelers (i.e., transit stops, transit stations, rest areas, park and ride lots, modal interchange facilities, on–board a transit vehicle, etc.) or around transportation infrastructure such as bridges, tunnels and transit railways or guideways. The types of sensors include acoustic, threat (e.g. chemical agent, toxic industrial chemical, biological, explosives, and radiological sensors), infrastructure condition and integrity, motion and object sensors.False
Emergency Secure Area Surveillance'Emergency Secure Area Surveillance' monitors surveillance inputs from secure areas in the transportation system. The surveillance may be of secure areas frequented by travelers (i.e., transit stops, transit stations, rest areas, park and ride lots, modal interchange facilities, on–board a transit vehicle, etc.) or around transportation infrastructure such as bridges, tunnels and transit railways or guideways. It provides both video and audio surveillance information to emergency personnel and automatically alerts emergency personnel of potential incidents.False
TIC Data Collection'TIC Data Collection' collects transportation–related data from other centers, performs data quality checks on the collected data and then consolidates, verifies, and refines the data and makes it available in a consistent format to applications that support operational data sharing between centers and deliver traveler information to end–users. A broad range of data is collected including traffic and road conditions, transit data, emergency information and advisories, weather data, special event information, traveler services, parking, multimodal data, and toll/pricing data. It also shares data with other transportation information centers.False
TIC Interactive Traveler Information'TIC Interactive Traveler Information' disseminates personalized traveler information including traffic and road conditions, transit information, parking information, maintenance and construction information, multimodal information, event information, and weather information. Tailored information is provided based on the traveler's request in this interactive service.False
TIC Operations Data Collection'TIC Operations Data Collection' collects and stores information that is collected about the transportation information service including data on the number of clients serviced and the services that were provided. This data can be used directly by operations personnel or it can be made available to other data users and archives in the region.False
TIC Traveler Information Broadcast'TIC Traveler Information Broadcast' disseminates traveler information including traffic and road conditions, incident information, maintenance and construction information, event information, transit information, parking information, and weather information. The same information is broadcast to all equipped traveler interface systems and vehicles.False
TIC Traveler Telephone Information'TIC Traveler Telephone Information' services voice–based traveler requests for information that supports traveler telephone information systems like 511. It takes requests for traveler information, which could be voice–formatted traveler requests, dual–tone multi–frequency (DTMF)–based requests, or a simple traveler information request, and returns the requested traveler information in the proper format. In addition to servicing requests for traveler information, it also collects and forwards alerts and advisories to traveler telephone information systems.False
TIC Trip Planning'TIC Trip Planning' provides pre–trip and en route trip planning services for travelers. It receives origin, destination, constraints, and preferences and returns trip plan(s) that meet the supplied criteria. Trip plans may be based on current traffic and road conditions, transit schedule information, and other real–time traveler information. Candidate trip plans are multimodal and may include vehicle, transit, and alternate mode segments (e.g., rail, ferry, bicycle routes, and walkways) based on traveler preferences. It also confirms the trip plan for the traveler and supports reservations and advanced payment for portions of the trip. The trip plan includes specific routing information and instructions for each segment of the trip and may also include information and reservations for additional services (e.g., parking) along the route.False
Transit Center Connection Protection'Transit Center Connection Protection' manages the coordination of transit transfers between routes within a single transit agency, between routes of different transit agencies, or between different modes (e.g. a bus transit route and a ferry route). This functional object also supports the capability for an individual traveler to obtain connection protection throughout a specific transit trip. This application may be implemented through peer–to–peer sharing between agencies control systems or as a central transit transfer request brokerage that facilitates the management and coordination of transfers across multiple agencies and control systems.False
Transit Center Data Collection'Transit Center Data Collection' collects and stores transit information that is collected in the course of transit operations performed by the Transit Management Center. This data can be used directly by operations personnel or it can be made available to other data users and archives in the region.False
Transit Center Environmental Monitoring'Transit Center Environmental Monitoring' assimilates current and forecast road conditions and surface weather information from a variety of sources, including both weather service providers and vehicle probes. The collected environmental information is monitored and used to support transit operations.False
Transit Center Fare Management'Transit Center Fare Management' manages fare collection and passenger load management at the transit center. It provides the back office functions that support transit fare collection, supporting payment reconciliation with links to financial institutions and enforcement agencies for fare violations. It collects data required to determine accurate ridership levels, establish fares, and distribute fare information. It loads fare data into the vehicle prior to the beginning of normal operations and unloads fare collection data from the vehicle at the close out of normal operations.False
Transit Center Fixed–Route Operations'Transit Center Fixed–Route Operations' manages fixed route transit operations. It supports creation of schedules, blocks and runs for fixed and flexible route transit services. It allows fixed–route and flexible–route transit services to disseminate schedules and automatically updates customer service operator systems with the most current schedule information. It also supports automated dispatch of transit vehicles. Current vehicle schedule adherence and optimum scenarios for schedule adjustment are also provided. It also receives and processes transit vehicle loading data.False
Transit Center Information Services'Transit Center Information Services' collects the latest available information for a transit service and makes it available to transit customers and to Transportation Information Centers for further distribution. Customers are provided information at transit stops and other public transportation areas before they embark and on–board the transit vehicle once they are en route. Information provided can include the latest available information on transit routes, schedules, transfer options, fares, real–time schedule adherence, current incidents, weather conditions, yellow pages, and special events. In addition to general service information, tailored information (e.g., itineraries) are provided to individual transit users.False
Transit Center Multi–Modal Coordination'Transit Center Multi–Modal Coordination' supports transit service coordination between transit properties and coordinates with other surface and air transportation modes. As part of service coordination, it shares schedule and trip information, as well as transit transfer cluster (a collection of stop points, stations, or terminals where transfers can be made conveniently) and transfer point information between Multimodal Transportation Service Providers, Transit Agencies, and ISPs. An interface to Traffic Management also supports demand management strategies.False
Transit Center Paratransit Operations'Transit Center Paratransit Operations' manages demand responsive transit services, including paratransit services. It supports planning and scheduling of these services, allowing paratransit and other demand response transit services to plan efficient routes and better estimate arrival times. It also supports automated dispatch of paratransit vehicles and tracks passenger pick–ups and drop–offs. Customer service operator systems are updated with the most current schedule information.False
Transit Center Passenger Counting'Transit Center Passenger Counting' receives and processes transit vehicle loading data using two–way communications from equipped transit vehicles.False
Transit Center Security'Transit Center Security' monitors transit vehicle operator or traveler activated alarms received from on–board a transit vehicle. It supports transit vehicle operator authentication and provides the capability to remotely disable a transit vehicle. It also includes the capability to alert operators and police to potential incidents identified by these security features.False
Transit Center Vehicle Assignment'Transit Center Vehicle Assignment' assigns individual transit vehicles to vehicle blocks and downloads this information to the transit vehicle. It also provides an exception handling process for the vehicle assignment function to generate new, supplemental vehicle assignments when required by changes during the operating day. It provides an inventory management function for the transit facility which stores functional attributes about each of the vehicles owned by the transit operator. These attributes permit the planning and assignment functions to match vehicles with routes based on suitability for the types of service required by the particular routes.False
Transit Center Vehicle Tracking'Transit Center Vehicle Tracking' monitors transit vehicle location. The location information is collected via a data communication link between the transit vehicles and the transit center. The location information is presented to the transit operator on a digitized map of the transit service area. The location data may be used to determine real time schedule adherence and update the transit system's schedule in real–time. The real–time schedule information is disseminated to other information providers, which furnish the information to travelers.False
Transit Garage Maintenance'Transit Garage Maintenance' provides advanced maintenance functions for the transit property. It collects operational and maintenance data from transit vehicles, manages vehicle service histories, and monitors operators and vehicles. It collects vehicle mileage data and uses it to automatically generate preventative maintenance schedules for each vehicle by utilizing vehicle tracking data. In addition, it provides information to service personnel to support maintenance activities and records and verifies that maintenance work was performed.False

Interfaces To

(View Context Diagram)

BCTA Remote Traveler Support
BCTA Transit Vehicles
City of Pittsburgh Traffic Management Center (CityTMC)
City/County Emergency Operations Center
County 911 Centers
County EMA Centers
Local Fire and Rescue Services
MMVTA Offices
Park–n–Ride Facilities
PennDOT Central Office Organizations
Personal Traveler Information Devices
PRT Offices
PRT Operations Center
PRT Police and Security Services
Regional Media Outlets
Regional Transit Agency Offices
Regional Travel Information System
Western Region Traffic Management Center (PennDOT)