Automated Vehicle Location Systems for Maintenance Operations

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Automated Vehicle Location Systems for
Maintenance Operations

• Ministry of Transportation
• Ontario, Canada

S. E. Gwartz, P. Eng.
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Ontario

• 1 M sq km (412,000 sq miles)
• Climate Summer Winter Frost Free
• North 17 C (63 F) -13 C (9 F) June 4 to Sept.
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• South 22 C (72 F) -6 C (21 F) May 3 to Oct. 1
• 10 million people (primarily in south)
• Road network 72,400 km (45,000 miles)
• 16,500 km (10,250 miles) maintained by province
• 55,900 km (34,750 miles) maintained by
  municipalities
• Provincial Highways Expenditures
• Capital 714 M Operating 191 M

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AVL

• What is AVL?
• How Does It Work?
• What are the Costs?
• Benefits and Challenges
• Where are we Today?
• Next Steps

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What Is AVL?

• A system designed to automatically
• Collect Data
• Transmit Data
• Display Data (positioning activity)
• Archive Data

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Data

• Data Collected Includes
• Date Time
• Vehicle ID Number, Location, Speed Direction
• Spreader Application Rates ( salt, sand, pre-wet
  liquid, liquid anti-icing)
• Plow/wing Operation (up/down)
• Air and Pavement Temperature

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How does it work?
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What Are the Costs?

• Per unit (US)
• Cell Satellite
• Veh. Hardware 570 650
• Installation Costs 210 210
• Data Transmission 20/month 215/month
• Data Manipulation 16/month 16/month
• Display

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Benefits/Challenges

• Benefits
• Eliminates need for manual download of electronic
  spreader control information.
• Creates a permanent data record.
• Monitor all resource activity during storms.
• Contract administration tool.
• Generate reports for material usage, equipment
  operations and thermal mapping data.
• Assist in determining optimal time for servicing
  vehicles.
• Strengthen defence during legal challenges.

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Benefits/Challengescontd

• Challenges
• Technical support from the industry.
• Public access to AVL information.
• Significant investments and operating costs

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Where Are We Today?

• AVL Service Contract (3 years)
• As of January 2003, 250 AVL Units
• 60 Patrol Vehicles
• 190 Plows, Spreaders, and Combo Units
• Addition Trials
• Line Paint Trucks
• Traffic Signal Cabinets

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Next Steps

• Quickly becoming a standard feature on winter
  maintenance vehicles.
• Working Group in place to assist in
  implementation, training, future applications
• System expansion to include all winter
  maintenance fleet

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Website Display
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Detailed Data
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Multiple Information
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Questions?