Artificial Intelligence-Based Decision Support System (AI-DSS)

Overview

The purpose of this RM3P program element (project) is to develop, deploy, and operate an Artificial Intelligence-Based Decision Support System (AI-DSS) for enhancing transportation incident management in Northern Virginia (NoVA) and Metropolitan Fredericksburg.

The AI-DSS is furnished as Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), providing the functionality to evaluate current travel conditions; predict congestion in the designated AI-DSS transportation network; help transportation agency operators make informed decisions in managing both recurring and non-recurring congestion that affects their respective transportation networks, i.e., transit, arterial, freeway conditions, and parking availability; as well as to make recommendations on the actions to be taken optimally to respond to the transportation disruptions and the impact of those disruptions in the region.

AI-DSS is built around five subsystems: (i) Rules Engine, (ii) Modeling Engine, (iii) Response Plans, (iv) Predictive Engine, and (v) Interactive Graphical User Interface. It is leveraging data from the RM3P Data-Exchange Platform (DEP) as well as additional data provided by the AI-DSS Supplier.

Meet the Team

Candice Gibson, P.E., VDOT

AI-DSS Business Owner & PM

Jeff Adler, P.E., Kapsch

AI-DSS Partner Technology PM

Project Organization Structure

Executive Oversight

Observes and monitors AI-DSS progress in relation to other RM3P projects.

Program Management

Oversees the Project Management Team to ensure the project remains on-schedule and maintains cross-coordination among RM3P projects.

Project Management Team

Oversees and directs Supplier activities and deliverables to ensure on-time delivery that meets Agency goals.

Steering Committee

Advisory group to VDOT Project Management Team; provides expertise and guidance to effectively and efficiently achieve project outcomes; makes key decisions, as necessary.

Change Management Board

Reviews change requests that may potentially impact the project scope, schedule, or budget.

Stakeholder Guidance Panel

Committee of subject-matter experts that functions as both an advisory and advocate group for AI-DSS.

Evaluation Team

Furnishes guidance on evaluation approach for mainstreamed RM3P performance monitoring, including Dashboard.

Project Controls Team

Furnishes support to the AI-DSS PM Team to implement structured processes for gathering and analyzing project data for the purposes of keeping schedules and costs on track.

Participating Regional Agencies

YOUR INVOLVEMENT HELPS MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

We’re building a tool that leverages stakeholder collaboration to improve transportation service for our traveling public. And we’re doing so by recommending response plans designed to aid regional operating agencies in responding to transportation events proactively. These are the participating agencies today, but we would love for you to join our growing ecosystem!

Project Goals

Manage both recurring and non-recurring congestion conditions that impact our transportation networks (transit, arterial, freeway conditions, and parking).

Predict incidents and their associated impacts to help operators effectively and timely respond to events.

Provide coordinated response options to agencies to monitor emerging conditions and recommend plans multi-agency responses to congestion and incidents.

Predict parking availability for select individual regional parking facilities in Northern Virginia and Fredericksburg Area.

Roadmap

Solutioning

Feb – Dec 2020

VDOT and the agency Subject-Matter Experts (SMEs) partnered together to develop baseline scope, needs, and requirements. Industry feedback was also gathered through a Request for Information (RFI) process, based on which the VDOT procurement approach was refined.

Pre-Procurement

Jan – Jul 2021

VDOT developed the Statement of Work (SOW) in collaboration with the regional partners and guidance from VDOT’s Administrative Services Division (ASD) and Virginia Information Technology Agency (VITA).

Procurement & Team Selection

Aug 2021 – Oct 2023

VDOT followed a two-step procurement process of issuing Request for Qualifications (RFQ), followed by Request for Proposals (RFP). Proposal Evaluation was coordinated with agency SMEs, followed by Negotiations and Contract Package development done under ASD, VITA, Information Technology Division (ITD) and Office of Attorney General (OAG) supervision.

Development

Nov 2023 – Dec 2025

Development phase is being conducted using the Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), scalable approach; incremental and phased into 5 Epics of varied lengths to include Initial Release, Functionality Development, Base Service, Expanded Northern Virginia Service, and Fredericksburg Expanded Service.

Evaluation

Oct 2024 Onwards

Virginia Transportation Research Council (VTRC) will establish a comprehensive set of performance measures through ongoing Evaluation, including examining Measures of Effectiveness (MOEs) using dashboards and standard reports.

Implementation

Dec 2025 – Dec 2026

This is the period of operation with all subsystems (i.e., response engine, rules engine, prediction engine, modeling engine, and graphical user interface) fully developed and functional for the entire project area.

Transition to Future Steward

Oct 2025 – October 2026

Plan for and transition program-element to permanent steward, including development of a Transition Plan and communication with Future Steward and VDOT executives before transition.

Ongoing Ops

Jan 2027 Onwards

After the initial development and implementation, the Supplier will move on to provide Ongoing Operational Support services to continue to work with VDOT in identifying future enhancements and maintaining levels of service.

Contact Us

Candice Gibson

Phone: (800)-FOR-ROAD

Email: AI-DSS@vdot.virginia.gov