Georgia Navigator
Encyclopedia
Georgia Navigator is an Advanced Traffic Management System
used in the U.S. state
of Georgia
. It is operated by the Georgia Department of Transportation
(GDOT), and was first activated in April 1996, just before the 1996 Summer Olympics
in Atlanta.
Most of the system is installed in metro Atlanta
, where at least half of the state's population
lives. It includes traffic camera
s, changeable message signs, ramp meter
s, and a traffic speed
sensor
system. Unlike other ITS deployments around the world, Georgia Navigator almost exclusively uses video detection cameras to gather traffic flow data, as opposed to traditional sensors embedded in the pavement. Additionally, a portion of the system (Georgia 400 and parts of I-16, I-75 and I-85 outside of Atlanta) receives traffic flow information from floating car data
gathered by anonymously tracking cell phones. All devices are connected by buried optical fiber
, which in turn links to GDOT's command center
at its Transportation Management Center (TMC) in Atlanta.
Outside of Atlanta, Georgia Navigator components were installed on Interstate 475
near Macon
during its expansion from four lanes to six lanes. The Macon system is connected to the Atlanta TMC via fiber, allowing communication between the two centers. Georgia Navigator also has weather station
s with pavement sensors mainly in the mountain and coastal areas of Georgia. Traffic sensors are installed on official evacuation
route
s, but are only activated during a hurricane approaching the Georgia coast or eastern Florida panhandle
.
Information from the system is distributed to the public through a variety of outlets. GDOT administers two of its own websites (a standard version and a customizable "My Navigator" version), and operates a 511
telephone information service. Additionally, Navigator data is used by several other companies, who typically enhance and package the data for sale to various media outlets or private websites. An example of a third-party use of Navigator data is The Weather Channel, which shows current traffic conditions (provided by Traffic Pulse) during the local
forecast portion of its broadcast.
Several ramp meters began operation in 2008 in metro Atlanta. Some of the first corridors to be metered were I-285, I-85 in Gwinnett County, I-75 in Cobb County, and I-575. Unlike early systems which used induction loop
s, the new meters will employ video detection cameras to sense the density of traffic and allow an optimized rate of vehicles to proceed onto the freeway.
On local roads, Navigator includes cameras and signs that are operated by local county and city
governments, though coverage is not nearly as dense as the freeway portion of the system. The local road devices also feed into the Georgia Navigator system and are controlled by a common software platform. Traffic light
operation is not currently part of the system, but work to integrate the signals into Navigator is underway.
Advanced Traffic Management System
The Advanced Traffic Management System field is a primary subfield within the Intelligent Transportation System domain. The ATMS view is a top-down management perspective that integrates technology primarily to improve the flow of vehicle traffic and improve safety. Real-time traffic data from...
used in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
. It is operated by the Georgia Department of Transportation
Georgia Department of Transportation
The Georgia Department of Transportation is the organization in charge of developing and maintaining all state and federal roadways in the U.S. state of Georgia. In addition to highways, the department also has a limited role in developing public transportation and general aviation programs...
(GDOT), and was first activated in April 1996, just before the 1996 Summer Olympics
1996 Summer Olympics
The 1996 Summer Olympics of Atlanta, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States....
in Atlanta.
Most of the system is installed in metro Atlanta
Metro Atlanta
The Atlanta metropolitan area or metro Atlanta, officially designated by the US Census Bureau as the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta Metropolitan Statistical Area, is the most populous metro area in the U.S. state of Georgia and the ninth-largest metropolitan statistical area in the United States...
, where at least half of the state's population
Population
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
lives. It includes traffic camera
Traffic camera
A traffic camera is a video camera which observes vehicular traffic on a road. Typically, these are put along major roads such as highways, freeways, motorways, autoroutes and expressways, as well as arterial roads, and are connected with optical fibers buried alongside or even under the road,...
s, changeable message signs, ramp meter
Ramp meter
A ramp meter, ramp signal or metering light is a device, usually a basic traffic light or a two-section signal light together with a signal controller, that regulates the flow of traffic entering freeways according to current traffic conditions...
s, and a traffic speed
Speed
In kinematics, the speed of an object is the magnitude of its velocity ; it is thus a scalar quantity. The average speed of an object in an interval of time is the distance traveled by the object divided by the duration of the interval; the instantaneous speed is the limit of the average speed as...
sensor
Sensor
A sensor is a device that measures a physical quantity and converts it into a signal which can be read by an observer or by an instrument. For example, a mercury-in-glass thermometer converts the measured temperature into expansion and contraction of a liquid which can be read on a calibrated...
system. Unlike other ITS deployments around the world, Georgia Navigator almost exclusively uses video detection cameras to gather traffic flow data, as opposed to traditional sensors embedded in the pavement. Additionally, a portion of the system (Georgia 400 and parts of I-16, I-75 and I-85 outside of Atlanta) receives traffic flow information from floating car data
Floating Car Data
Floating car data , also known as floating cellular data, is a method to determine the traffic speed on the road network. It is based on the collection of localisation data, speed, direction of travel and time information from mobile phones in vehicles that are being driven...
gathered by anonymously tracking cell phones. All devices are connected by buried optical fiber
Optical fiber
An optical fiber is a flexible, transparent fiber made of a pure glass not much wider than a human hair. It functions as a waveguide, or "light pipe", to transmit light between the two ends of the fiber. The field of applied science and engineering concerned with the design and application of...
, which in turn links to GDOT's command center
Command center
A command center is any place that is used to provide centralized command for some purpose.While frequently considered to be a military facility, these can be used in many other cases by governments or businesses...
at its Transportation Management Center (TMC) in Atlanta.
Outside of Atlanta, Georgia Navigator components were installed on Interstate 475
Interstate 475 (Georgia)
Interstate 475 is a long Interstate highway in Georgia, splitting off from Interstate 75 and bypassing Macon, Georgia. It is also unsigned State Route 408...
near Macon
Macon, Georgia
Macon is a city located in central Georgia, US. Founded at the fall line of the Ocmulgee River, it is part of the Macon metropolitan area, and the county seat of Bibb County. A small portion of the city extends into Jones County. Macon is the biggest city in central Georgia...
during its expansion from four lanes to six lanes. The Macon system is connected to the Atlanta TMC via fiber, allowing communication between the two centers. Georgia Navigator also has weather station
Weather station
A weather station is a facility, either on land or sea, with instruments and equipment for observing atmospheric conditions to provide information for weather forecasts and to study the weather and climate. The measurements taken include temperature, barometric pressure, humidity, wind speed, wind...
s with pavement sensors mainly in the mountain and coastal areas of Georgia. Traffic sensors are installed on official evacuation
Emergency evacuation
Emergency evacuation is the immediate and rapid movement of people away from the threat or actual occurrence of a hazard. Examples range from the small scale evacuation of a building due to a bomb threat or fire to the large scale evacuation of a district because of a flood, bombardment or...
route
Route
Route may refer to:* Route or thoroughfare for transportation* Route number or road number*Trade route, a commonly used path for the passage of goods*Scenic route, a thoroughfare designated as scenic based on the scenery through which it passes...
s, but are only activated during a hurricane approaching the Georgia coast or eastern Florida panhandle
Florida Panhandle
The Florida Panhandle, an informal, unofficial term for the northwestern part of Florida, is a strip of land roughly 200 miles long and 50 to 100 miles wide , lying between Alabama on the north and the west, Georgia also on the north, and the Gulf of Mexico to the south. Its eastern boundary is...
.
Information from the system is distributed to the public through a variety of outlets. GDOT administers two of its own websites (a standard version and a customizable "My Navigator" version), and operates a 511
5-1-1
5-1-1, initially designated for road weather information, is a transportation and traffic information telephone hotline in some regions of the United States and Canada. Travelers can dial the three-digit telephone number 5-1-1 on traditional landline telephones and most mobile phones. It is an N11...
telephone information service. Additionally, Navigator data is used by several other companies, who typically enhance and package the data for sale to various media outlets or private websites. An example of a third-party use of Navigator data is The Weather Channel, which shows current traffic conditions (provided by Traffic Pulse) during the local
Local insertion
In broadcasting, local insertion is the act or capability of a broadcast television station, radio station, or cable TV system to insert or replace part of a broadcast network feed with content unique to the local station or system...
forecast portion of its broadcast.
Deployment progress
Georgia Navigator is in the midst of a large expansion program. Currently, the system covers nearly all of the Perimeter (I-285) highway around Atlanta, and all Interstates within and several miles beyond it. It also covers the freeway portions of Peachtree Industrial Boulevard (SR 141) and Langford Parkway (SR 166), as well as Georgia 400 from I-285 to the Alpharetta area. As of May 2009, work on I-285 is nearing completion on the south side from I-85 east to I-75. Other expansion projects underway include US 78, GA 400 inside I-285, and I-85 in the Union City / Peachtree City area. By late 2009, nearly all freeways in metro Atlanta will have full Navigator coverage.Several ramp meters began operation in 2008 in metro Atlanta. Some of the first corridors to be metered were I-285, I-85 in Gwinnett County, I-75 in Cobb County, and I-575. Unlike early systems which used induction loop
Induction loop
Induction loop is a term used to describe an electromagnetic communication- and detection system, relying on the fact that a moving magnet will induce an electrical current in a nearby conducting wire. Induction loops are used for transmission and reception of communication signals, or for...
s, the new meters will employ video detection cameras to sense the density of traffic and allow an optimized rate of vehicles to proceed onto the freeway.
On local roads, Navigator includes cameras and signs that are operated by local county and city
City
A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...
governments, though coverage is not nearly as dense as the freeway portion of the system. The local road devices also feed into the Georgia Navigator system and are controlled by a common software platform. Traffic light
Traffic light
Traffic lights, which may also be known as stoplights, traffic lamps, traffic signals, signal lights, robots or semaphore, are signalling devices positioned at road intersections, pedestrian crossings and other locations to control competing flows of traffic...
operation is not currently part of the system, but work to integrate the signals into Navigator is underway.
External links
- Georgia Navigator website
- My Navigator (Customizable version of website)
- Georgia 511 informational site