Title: Overview of 511 traveller information systems

Authors: Jay K. Lindly, Stephen E. Hill

Addresses: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, The University of Alabama, PO Box 870205, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0205, USA. ' Department of Information Systems, Statistics, and Management Science, The University of Alabama, PO Box 870226, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0226, USA

Abstract: The USA is composed of 50 states. Currently, 13 USA states and five urban areas have implemented the 511 traveller information system, reaching 50 million citizens (16% of the population). Thirty-one other states have received federal government grants to plan and implement 511 systems. When the system is fully deployed, motorists anywhere in the nation will dial 5-1-1 on landline or cellular phones and receive interactive, voice recognition-based, computerised information concerning construction activities, crash incidents, congestion and weather conditions for requested routes. The same information is available on internet sites accessible via standard internet browsers. The standards of 511 ensure that content and format are consistent throughout the country, which in the future will allow computerised sharing of data between systems. The 511 systems information allows motorists to plan their routes to minimise congestion and maximise safety for the price of a local telephone call.

Keywords: traveller information systems; 511; intelligent transportation systems; ITS; telecommunications; voice recognition; congestion reporting; incident reporting; weather conditions; travel information.

DOI: 10.1504/IJVICS.2005.007583

International Journal of Vehicle Information and Communication Systems, 2005 Vol.1 No.1/2, pp.15 - 23

Published online: 08 Aug 2005 *

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