Cyber Physical Systems – Situation Analysis - Energetics Meetings ...

Cyber Physical Systems – Situation AnalysisDRAFT – March 9, 2012situation is even worse in developing countries. In 2003, more than 104,372 Chinese died as a result oftraffic accidents—on average, 286 people around the world die each day.The ITS market covers the use of smart technologies such as electronics, communications, andinformation processing technology that are designed to improve aspects of surface transportation andcreate safer, smarter, and interconnected transport infrastructure. The DOT ITS Program seeks to―research and facilitate a national, multi-modal surface transportation system that features a connectedtransportation environment around vehicles of all types, the infrastructure, and portable devices to servethe public good by leveraging technology to maximize safety, mobility, and environmentalperformance.‖ 220 In this system, vehicles and infrastructure would ―talk‖ to each other and share keyinformation such as real-time traffic, location, or speed. If a vehicle could ―see‖ other vehicles around it,drivers could know when there is a car in a blind spot when changing lanes, or be alerted of upcomingroadway hazards or congestion. In such a system, drivers would be able to check a range of commutingtravel options before leaving home, such as travel times, costs, traffic, and environmental footprints. 221KEY DRIVERSCongestionBoth the nation‘s air and ground transportation spaces are crowded, and CPS can provide solutions ormethods to deal with congestion in the future. Congestion is a major problem for ground transportation.In 2010, commuters dealt with a cumulative delay of 4.8 billion hours—or an average of 34 hours perauto commuter for the year, with levels as high as 74 hours for the Washington, D.C. metro area. Thisexcess travel time due to congestion, plus the 1.9 billion gallons of wasted fuel, represents a cost of $101billion. 222 One cyber-physical system solution for ground transportation is the use of radiocommunications to report traffic and navigation information to individual vehicles. This empowers thedriver to decide upon alternate routes based on data. On a larger scale, this could lead to real-time trafficmanagement, in which the overall traffic system changes and adjusts based on the activities of individualvehicles. 223 In this scenario, vehicles could communicate with the traffic infrastructure to exchange timecriticaland less-time-critical traffic and route condition updates to help alleviate congestion. 224Congestion has also been increasing in aviation, especially for busy metropolitan airports. As airtransportation becomes more crowded, systems such as NextGen hope to reduce congestion by increasingefficiency.Safety Reduction and Accident PreventionSafety is one of the most important drivers for transportation -CPS and is a priority for all transportationsectors. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, preventable injuries and deathsfrom motor vehicle crashes in 2005 led to more than $70 billion in costs. 225 CPS in transportation aim toreduce avoidable crashes that cause unnecessary deaths, injuries, and property damage. Across theavionics, automotive, and railroad sectors, the ultimate goal is to eliminate fatalities and accidents. The220 U.S. Department of Transportation RITA (Research and Innovative Technology Administration). ―ITS Strategic ResearchPlan, 2010-2014.‖ Jan 2010.221 USDOT RITA. ―ITS Strategic Research Plan.‖222 Texas Transportation Institute. ―2011 Urban Mobility Report.‖ Sept 2011.223 Krogh, Bruce et al. ―National Workshop on Beyond SCADA: Network Embedded Control for Cyber-Physical Systems(NEC4CPS): Research Strategies and Roadmap.‖ 27 Nov 2007.224 Poovendran et al. ―2008 HCTCPS Workshop Report.‖225 NITRD. ―Winning the Future.‖42