ITS4US Deployment Program Overview
ITS4US Deployment Program is a $40 million multimodal effort, led by the Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Joint Program Office (JPO) and supported by the Office of the Secretary, the Federal Highway Administration, and the Federal Transit Administration, to identify ways to provide more efficient, affordable, and accessible transportation options for underserved communities that often face greater challenges in accessing essential services.
The program aims to solve mobility challenges for all travelers with a specific focus on underserved communities, including people with disabilities, older adults, low-income individuals, rural residents, veterans, and travelers with limited English proficiency.
This program enables communities to build local partnerships and develop and deploy integrated and replicable mobility solutions to achieve complete trips for all travelers.
The U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) launched Phase 1 of the program in January 2021 and supported the concept development efforts of selected sites, including Gwinnett County’s Safe Trips in a Connected Transportation Network (ST-CTN). In June 2022, ST-CTN was selected to continue Phases 2 of the program, which includes the design and testing of the deployment.
G-MAP Overview
The ST-CTN project seeks to enhance the travel experience for underserved communities, including people with disabilities, older adults, and travelers with limited English proficiency (LEP). It will leverage innovative solutions and existing systems such as connected vehicle (CV) deployments, an advanced trip routing engine, and a regional trip planner—all to be developed within an open-sourced application called the Georgia Mobility and Accessibility Planner (G-MAP). The application will allow travelers to create a personalized trip plan to navigate physical infrastructure, resolve unexpected obstacles, and ensure visibility, and accessibility throughout their travel. Trips are also able to be shared with appointed individuals if desired. The application will be available on this website and a mobile app (under development).
Ride Gwinnett, a transit service operated by Gwinnett County.
Credit: Ride Gwinnett
Development of G-MAP is led by Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) with support from Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC), Gwinnett County, Statewide Independent Living Council of Georgia (SILCGA) and consultant partners. G-MAP will be available for use in Gwinnett County in 2024 with the potential to scale regionally. In addition, the open-source application will be available for anyone around the country or internationally to leverage.
How will G-MAP Work?
Pre-Trip Planning
The traveler's complete trip initiates with the pre-trip planning step which allows the traveler to customize their trip preferences based on their needs and preferences.
Begins Trip
In step 2, the traveler begins their trip and receives turn-by-turn directions that meet their defined preferences, provides support services if the traveler needs assistance, and can trigger Transit Signal Priority for buses if the traveler requires accommodation with boarding or alighting a transit vehicle or while waiting for a transit vehicle.
Transition to Transit
Step 3 involves the traveler's transition to transit in which the transit vehicle receives priority and is notified of the traveler's needs.
Intersection Crossing
Step 4 allows the traveler to interact with the signal controller when crossing a signalized intersection if they are unable to press the crosswalk button and provides the traveler with additional time to cross the intersection if needed.
CV Broadcast Message
Step 5 provides communication to enabled connected vehicles to make them aware of the traveler's presence.
Outdoor/Indoor Navigation
Step 6 provides the traveler with hands-free indoor (at two county facilities) and outdoor navigation via G-MAP and/or wearables and accessible channels (haptic, voice, text). This includes alerts and dynamic rerouting in response to changes in path conditions and updates on the operating status of indoor infrastructure such as elevators and escalators.
G-MAP in the Media
SILCGA’s Quarterly Newsletter
National Aging and Disability Transportation Center; Safe Trips in a Connected Transportation Network case study
ARC Receives Federal Contract to Improve Transportation Accessibility and Efficiency for People With Disabilities and Older Adults
Project Partners
