Teamwork achieves a world first
ACS State & Local Solutions (ACS) and the Idris Technology step up to the mark once again with the opening of a five-lane Open Road Tolling (ORT) plaza in the State of New Jersey. Early in May 2005 the plaza was successfully opened using the ACS developed and implemented “Vector Express Tolling Solution”. This is a purpose designed multi-lane ORT tolling solution which is supported by the Idris AVC and AVI correlation technology and Mark IV tag readers.
What is unique about this project is that the New Jersey Turnpike Authority (NJTA) together with ACS and their associated providers have successfully completed a “first of type” ORT environment. The Raritan plaza consists of five running lanes with axle classification and two shoulder lanes making it the largest multi-lane axle classification ORT plaza in the world.
The AVC which is carried out by Idris, a loop based classification and detection system, has proven multilane ORT capabilities including the ability to lane discriminate. Because of this unique ability to determine the location of vehicles crossing the detection array the vehicle to tag correlation is also carried out by Idris. All the vehicle related information then passes on to ACS' fully redundant solution, one lane controller, backed up by a redundant lane controller with fail-over capabilities. ACS and DCS believe in the provision of a robust system with features where one lane controller handles all lanes, with the correct assignment of tags, straddling vehicles etc ensuring a complete picture of the toll lanes and plaza.
The biggest challenge on this project for ACS' Technology Center was to overcome the limitations of the AVI technology's capabilities to handle multiple readers across all the lanes. Once this technical achievement was complete the whole system went into operation.
Upon opening the lanes they were running with around a 99% accuracy level. The NJTA contract specifies an accuracy level of 99.5%, so, with such an accurate start a little fine tuning to the system and the required level is reached. The reason that NJTA's stringent specifications could be met was due to the innovative decisions made early on by ACS to use technology, like Idris, that was designed and built to handle multi-lane environments from the onset.
“The success of this implementation is a clear example of the private and public sector working as a partnership,” said ACS Transportation Managing Director Michael Huerta. “Everyone from ACS to the component providers to NJTA worked together accepting responsibility where necessary to ensure the project moved forward as a whole. The end result is a new and more advanced ORT solution.”
In addition to the Raritan plaza ORT deployment, the team has also launched ORT in New Jersey at Pascack Valley, Interchange 1 and 18W, Asbury Park and Toms River toll plazas. According to NJTA data about 95% of all electronic toll users prefer these ORT lanes to regular electronic lanes resulting in a huge success for New Jersey.
About Diamond Consulting Services - Based near Aylesbury, about 40 miles outside London. DCS developed and patented the Idris technology about 10 years ago with the view to improving the level of accuracy in induction loops in detecting and classifying vehicles. It now offers a range of products based on the principle of in-ground loops that make full use of computer software and advanced, highly complex algorithms.
The Idris technology can be used in a multitude of traffic technology applications including axle and profile-based classification, bus priority, red light and speed enforcement, tolling and data recording. It is suitable for use in various traffic environments and all weather conditions and currently has installations in the USA, Canada, Europe and the UK.
About ACS - ACS, a FORTUNE 500 company with more than 47,000 people supporting client operations in nearly 100 countries, provides business process and information technology outsourcing solutions to world-class commercial and government clients. The company's Class A common stock trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol 'ACS'. ACS makes technology work.
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ACS State & Local Solutions Inc.,
1800 M Street, NW,
Washington, D.C. 20036
Tel: +001 202 378 2692
Website at www.acs-inc.com
Idris® is a registered trade mark of Diamond Consulting Services Ltd.
The Idris Technology is protected by one or more of the following patents: EP0879457, USA 6345228, 6337640 and 6483443.
Patent Applications Pending in other Countries
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