When traveler information systems were first developed, the ATIS business model – or organizational structure and policies defining the role of an entity in a traveler information system partnership – typically consisted of public sector agencies taking responsibility for the data collection aspect of ATIS, as well as disseminating information through public-sector owned devices, such as dynamic message signs and highway advisory radio. Public sector agencies usually fulfilled this data collection role by making use of data collection infrastructure and systems that were initially designed for traffic management and operations purposes (such as freeway detectors). It was then the typical role of the private sector to take the available raw traveler information data and aggregate, fuse, and disseminate it through a variety of channels; private sector typically had more flexibility with emerging technologies than public sector departments of transportation. The media (radio and television) are among the first „private partners‟ for traveler information, and media remains one of the primary ways that many travelers receive pretrip and en-route traffic and road conditions information. Other private partners used a model that would add value to the raw data, and package it for delivery through mobile devices, in- vehicle systems or other technology applications. Many of these services required a subscription, which would then generate revenue for the private sector. Few private sector companies were able to generate a sustainable amount of revenue using this business model.
Many early applications were regional in nature, and required a significant investment for a very limited target audience. Today‟s models (such as those through NAVTEQ/Traffic.com, INRIX, and others) are taking more of a national approach, which allows private companies to leverage their technology investment over multiple markets, and through several partnerships within the
With the evolution of technology, raised awareness of traveler information among the public, creative partnering approaches from both the public and private sides, and a strong push toward broader coverage of traveler information programs and enhanced accessibility for users, there have been distinct shifts in these roles.
As public sector transportation agencies have transitioned from almost exclusively focusing on roadway construction and operations to now focusing on an integrated multimodal transportation system, public agencies are taking on more responsibility for aggregating data to support systems that provide more robust and comprehensive information to internal users as well as the traveling public. 511 phone and web services have created a recognizable “brand” of traveler information disseminated by the public sector. Several public sector agencies also are developing innovative applications to deliver personalized and enhanced information to travelers, either through web-based resources or through „push‟ technologies, such as alerts delivered to mobile phones or microblogs using web services like Twitter or Flickr. These new data fusion and dissemination roles for the public sector were once considered the domain of the private sector, although are becoming very commonplace as agencies seek out new ways to reach the traveling public.
At the same time, the private sector ATIS roles are shifting to also focus on data collection, including infrastructure-based probe vehicle data and aggregated multisource data. In an effort to provide additional value beyond what currently is available from public sector data collection infrastructure, the private sector is looking at innovative ways to obtain data over broader geographic areas, such as multistate freeway corridors. This shift has turned the public sector into a potential consumer for private sector data. It also has put an important responsibility on the public sector to be able to safeguard commercial value of private sector data and services. Some of the most successful private sector ATIS business models have been ones that have multiple levels of revenue potential; in other words, there is a need for the private sector to look at the range of potential consumers – the traveling public, other private sector companies, as well as public sector agencies.
The private sector continues to pursue good business models, and there is continued interest in subscription services, as evidenced by the growing number of partnerships to combine real-time traffic data with navigation applications, either mobile or in-dash units. Subscription models are not without their challenges and despite growing interest in personalized mobile applications, there is still a need to balance the threshold of what consumers are willing to pay for traffic information. Media continues to be a powerful private sector partner for traveler information, and with media comes a range of potential business model options and business-to-business partnering opportunities.
There are several examples that illustrate the aforementioned shifts in public and private sector roles and ATIS business models, including the following:
The I-95 Corridor Coalition‟s Vehicle Probe project involves public sector agencies within the I-95 Corridor Coalition purchasing freeway and arterial travel time and speed data from a private sector company, INRIX. This project became operational on July 1, 2008 and covers approximately 1,500 miles of freeway and 1,000 miles of arterials in the I-95 corridor from New Jersey to North Carolina. Probe technology obtained from commercial fleet systems provides the travel time and speed data, with additional data collected from other sources to augment and validate the data provided by the probes. The I-95 Corridor Coalition member agencies then use the travel time and speed data to support their dissemination of traveler information on their ATIS web sites and 511 phone systems as well as on DMS.
The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) in 2008 began using Twitter, a microblogging web service, to post alerts regarding road closures, adverse road weather, and other large-scale travel impacts. WSDOT also uses Flickr, a photo sharing site, to provide picture updates of major incidents (such as a road closure due to a landslide) or of progress made on major construction projects. Usage and interest in the Twitter and Flickr postings has increased dramatically in the few months since WSDOT began providing this form of traveler information dissemination. Other DOTs using similar services to disseminate traveler information include TxDOT, Rhode Island DOT, and Kansas DOT.