USDOT upgrades Connected Vehicle Test Bed

The US Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) Connected Vehicle Test Bed in Novi, Michigan, is undergoing an upgrade, in order to address the latest advances in vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communications. The test bed, which is run through the Research and Innovative Technology Administration’s (RITA) ITS Joint Programs Office (ITS JPO), has altered the physical configuration and location of its roadside equipment (RSEs) to enable users to test applications using close or dispersed communications. Servers have also been reconfigured to comply with the new core architecture. New-generation RSEs that support updated signal phase and timing (SPaT) and Geometric Intersection Description (GID) messages are being tested for deployment. Three new portable RSEs, mounted on movable trailers, are also available to developers to test their applications at their own facilities. Test bed resources will also include vehicles that allow easy installation of new onboard equipment platforms and can test aftermarket safety and vehicle awareness devices.

The upgrades will continue in response to the evolving needs and requirements of the connected vehicle program and both the public and private sectors. USDOT says the central theme that has helped guide the improvements to the Novi test bed is ‘interoperability’. The test beds across the country, which are located in Florida, Virginia, Tennessee, California, New York, and Arizona, are working together to ensure standardization and consistency between communication protocols. This will enable users to test their applications across multiple facilities, using the different applications and physical conditions at each location. The public and private sectors are using the test bed for testing and development of various applications and components, which includes testing and development of SPaT applications along Telegraph Road in Novi and preliminary testing of hardware and software components for the Safety Pilot Model Deployment that commences on August 21.

3 August 2012