Communication

Digital phone service, also known as Personal Communication Systems (PCS), is becoming the preferred choice in wireless phone systems. PCS requires a communications transmittal network, which involves the placement of antennae about one mile apart. This report provides information about community reaction in other states to placing a wireless infrastructure in the right-of-way. It provides a general summary of the industry, a general summary of community reaction to wireless infrastructure placed in rights-of-way, and a summary of issues and topics related to community reaction to wireless infrastructure. The report includes a three-part bibliography that includes essential reading on the topic, items specific to the economic aspects, collocation, and aesthetics of wireless infrastructure, and other selected items that provide background information.

The Minnesota Department of Transportation (Mn/DOT) conducted a two-year study on developing a concept of the Next Generation Road/Weather Information System (NG-R/WIS). This report describes the concept and a prototype implementation of the NG-R/WIS in Minnesota District-1. Traditional R/WISs offer limited scope of data types, limited communication methods, and proprietary incompatibility problems. The R/WIS in Minnesota District-1 experienced the typical problems of the traditional R/WIS. This project looked a solution to those problems-developing a new layered hierarchical architecture referred to as NG-R/WI. Four layers--a sensor layer, a data integration, a database layer, and an application layer--form the basis of the NG-R/WIS form the basis of the NG/RWIS. This architecture allowed integration of heterogeneous systems through the data integration layer and provided structured data to applications through a standard relational database and computer networks. This project developed three applications: web page service, automated voice service, and live stream-video service. The web pages and automated voice services provided solutions for unlimited access from anywhere, unified data format, ease of use, and no requirements of special terminals or software. The live video stream demonstrated integration capability of the system and provided a new class of information. The report concludes with the recommendations and future directions of the proposed NG-RWIS.

This Technical Summary pertains to LRRB-produced Report 2018-08, “Effective Social Media Engagement Options for Minnesota’s Diversifying Population,” published February 2018.

This Technical Summary pertains to the Report 2010-02, “Comparison of Dual-Phase and Static Changeable Message Signs to Convey Airline Information on Interstate Freeways,” published January 2010.

Whether you're a social media newbie or a communications professional, there are always new trends, technology, and platforms to learn, and it can be overwhelming. This guide will help the average local transportation practitioner cut through the noise and identify best practices to more effectively communicate with local residents on social media for transportation and public works topics.

This Transportation Research Synthesis presents the findings of a survey of state and local agencies that effectively support programs for gathering and distributing road closure data at the local and state levels. These findings are supplemented by the results of a literature search for relevant national and state practices and guidance.

The MnDOT Office of Communications is interested in gathering information about content management systems (CMS) used by other state departments of transportation. This Transportation Research Synthesis presents the results of a survey distributed to the members of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Committee on Transportation Communications and to selected Minnesota state agencies about their use of CMS. It also includes survey findings on the state of the practice regarding their website operations, processes and maintenance.

This Transportation Research Synthesis (TRS) project surveyed representatives from 52 transportation‐related agencies about their internal communications practices. Twenty‐five (25) states provided input to help document the current practices state DOTs are using to manage internal employee communications. The survey gathered information about practices such as whether internal communication is centralized, the existence and format of an employee newsletter, other forms of communication used with internal audiences, what content is gathered, successes, and lessons learned.

The purpose of this research was to establish the scope of social media use by local governments for transportation purposes throughout the state of Minnesota.

Basic Safety Message (BSM) containing data about the vehicle's position, speed, and acceleration. Roadside receivers, RSUs, can capture BSM broadcasts and translate them into information about traffic conditions. If every vehicle is equipped with awareness, BSMs can be combined to calculate traffic flows, speeds, and densities. These three key parameters will be post-processed to obtain queue lengths and travel time estimates. The project team proposed a traffic state estimation algorithm using BSMs based on the Kalman filter technique. The algorithm's performance was tested with BSMs generated from several arterial in a microscopic simulation model and BSMs generated with radar data collected on freeway sections. Then the project team developed a traffic monitoring system to apply the algorithm to a large-scale network with different types of roads. In the system, computers could remotely access the online server to acquire BSMs and estimate traffic states in real-time.