Skip to main content

SwRI and USDOT operate connected vehicle affiliated test bed

In the US, the Texas-based Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) is operating a connected vehicle affiliated test bed in cooperation with the US Department of Transportation (USDOT) Research and Innovative Technology Administration. The DOT test bed project facilitates information exchange as well as access to tools and resources across other test bed facilities to support and encourage consistent future deployment of connected vehicle technologies. The project aims to advance the technology for full deplo
December 9, 2013 Read time: 2 mins
In the US, the Texas-based 5690 Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) is operating a connected vehicle affiliated test bed in cooperation with the 324 US Department of Transportation (USDOT) 321 Research and Innovative Technology Administration.

The DOT test bed project facilitates information exchange as well as access to tools and resources across other test bed facilities to support and encourage consistent future deployment of connected vehicle technologies. The project aims to advance the technology for full deployment through information sharing and developing a common technical platform.

A connected vehicle network, where vehicles exchange information with the highway infrastructure and other vehicles using safe, interoperable wireless communications, could improve traffic safety, mobility and environmental impacts.

SwRI is one of multiple sites across the country that will support ongoing research, development, testing and demonstration of connected vehicle applications, standards and innovative products. SwRI has numerous facilities and capabilities to support this research, including a 5.9 GHz DSRC antenna test field, a test track and dedicated intelligent vehicle laboratories.

The DOT estimates that traffic congestion costs the US economy US$87.2 billion annually, with 4.2 billion hours and 2.8 billion gallons of fuel wasted sitting in traffic. Connected vehicle applications can potentially provide transportation agencies with dramatically improved real-time traffic, transit and parking data, making it easier to manage transportation systems for maximum efficiency and minimum congestion.

“Advanced traffic management systems have been shown to reduce secondary collisions, mitigate congestion and, most importantly, save lives,” said Michael Brown, a staff engineer in SwRI’s Intelligent Systems Department. “Integrating 5.9 GHz dedicated short range communications (DSRC) infrastructure will further enhance these systems. As an affiliated test bed, SwRI will continue to serve the intelligent transportation community by conducting advanced research and development in connectivity.”

“SwRI has been a pioneer in connected vehicle applications and technology,” said Brown. “Our experience and capabilities in intelligent systems research run the gamut from advanced traffic management and traveller information systems, to commercial vehicles, connected vehicles, vehicle automation and connected automation. These technologies collectively serve to realise the benefits of a fully cooperative transportation system.”

Related Content

  • May 1, 2012
    Connected Vehicle Technology Demonstration
    Connected Vehicle Cooperative Safety Systems use 5.9 GHz Dedicated Short Range Communications (DSRC) to enable vehicle active safety systems which may help drivers avoid crashes. The United States Department of Transportation (US DOT) has partnered with the Crash Avoidance Metrics Partnership (CAMP) Vehicle Safety Communications 3 (VSC3) Consortium to research, develop and test the technologies that form the framework for these systems.
  • July 11, 2016
    ITS America, automakers call on FCC to protect the safety spectrum
    ITS America, along with automakers and intelligent transportation organisations, has filed comments with the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC), urging the FCC to focus on safety first when considering changing the rules of the 5.9 GHz Safety Spectrum band. The 5.9 GHz Safety Spectrum was allocated by the FCC in 1999 for the purpose of intelligent transportation systems (ITS) designed to bring safety benefits for consumers. The FCC is considering a proposal to reconfigure the 5.9 GHz band that w
  • August 15, 2019
    USDoT’s NETT is welcome – but Toyota unhappy at V2X development
    The US Department of Transportation has announced a new council to champion emerging mobility tech – but one car manufacturer is currently not feeling that such support is everything it might be The announcement of a brand new body to champion autonomous vehicles (AVs) - among other innovations – is a potentially welcome development for mobility and transit providers. Elaine L. Chao, US secretary of transportation, says that the newly-created Non-Traditional and Emerging Transportation Technology (NETT)
  • April 22, 2013
    Kapsch secures business with 5.9GHz expertise
    Kapsch TrafficCom appears at the 23rd ITS America Annual Meeting with an important recent validation of the versatility of its 5.9 GHz DSRC multi-modal, integrated and interoperable technologies. Earlier this month, the company announced it had been selected by HNTB and the Michigan DOT (MDOT) to deliver a Truck Parking Connected-Vehicle System at five sites along the I-94 corridor in Michigan. The Kapsch solution consists of a 5.9 GHz Dedicated Short Range Communications (DSRC) in-vehicle unit and roadside