The Regional Multi-Modal Mobility Program (RM3P)
has chosen an established, well-respected data-driven technology system to serve as the foundational core of the RM3P Data-Exchange Platform (DEP). The DEP will function as the central repository for data across all of the RM3P program elements. Ultimately, after careful consideration of a range of technology alternatives, the concurrence of the Executive Committee, and a thorough negotiation, the RM3P team selected the Regional Integrated Transportation Information System (RITIS) to function as the foundation of the DEP.
RITIS is a data aggregation, analytical, archival, and dissemination platform operated and maintained by the University of Maryland’s Center for Advanced Transportation Technology (CATT) Laboratory. The CATT Lab team will customize RITIS to address RM3P’s specialized needs. The DEP development process is as follows:
- Gather and integrate existing data from transportation and public safety systems, the private sector, and other sources;
- Fuse and store that data in a private, secure cloud; and
- Disseminate the data using application program interfaces (APIs), data feeds, software apps, and interactive websites.
RITIS was originally established to facilitate information exchange across the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area; it now serves every state, although Virginia remains its heaviest user.
RITIS already supports a significant number of RM3P data types, interfaces with a variety of external systems of interest to RM3P, and supports key DEP requirements. Adapting RITIS to RM3P, rather than developing a separate system from the ground up, will efficiently build upon existing resources. This development approach is expected to yield substantial savings in time and resources—for one, it means that the DEP will already be online and usable as other RM3P systems vendors come on board. It will also capitalize on existing data and processes, avoiding the need for Virginia’s 1,000 existing RITIS users to create new accounts and learn a new system. While VDOT was able to leverage the state-to-state memorandum of understanding procurement option, it conducted an extensive negotiation to arrive at a mutually beneficial deal with the CATT Lab.
The targeted timeframe for completing development and rollout of the DEP is December 2022. Currently, the DEP developers are wrapping up a three-month period of project initiation, with emphasis on the “Data Discovery.” Thereafter, development of the DEP will be undertaken in six three-month development cycles, called “Epics.” DEP functions and portions of data will be released at the end of each Epic.
To learn more about the DEP, see this month’s Executive Corner interview with Bob Osmond, VDOT’s Chief of Technology and Business Strategy.