Preliminary Scope
State DOTs have historically approached information technology functions as separate and distinct from activities associated with technology elements used to manage the transportation system (i.e., operations technology (OT)). The OT, in this context, encompasses infrastructure and services such as telecommunications, intelligent transportation systems, real-time data and data sharing, incident and emergency management technology and services, and real-time decision-support systems, along with traffic management centers, systems, and software. These OT examples can all be considered part of the state DOT Transportation Systems Management and Operations (TSMO).
Increasingly, IT and OT spheres are converging due to several trends and developments including
- Expanded cybersecurity needs requirements;
- Greater system management applications requiring real-time data;
- Increased utilization of shared digital networks;
- Increased need for remote access and control of TSMO software and field devices;
- Greater inter-agency operations-related data sharing;
- Use of more cloud-based software and services; and
- Requirements for connected and automated vehicles and digital infrastructure.
As discovered through a small sampling of agencies participating in an FHWA project examining the intersection of IT and TSMO, state DOTs have addressed the need for IT staff support for TSMO in various ways. For example, some agencies dedicate IT staff for TSMO and may embed them within traffic operations or TSMO units. At the other end of the spectrum, TSMO programs may be required to work through a separate IT agency which may have responsibility over multiple state business areas, with transportation being only one of many.
The objective of this synthesis is to document state DOT staffing models for TSMOs.
Information to be gathered includes (but is not limited to):
- Processes for determining staffing levels for the TSMO;
- Staff requirements and backgrounds;
- Policy considerations for the staffing model;
- Practices related to committing and funding IT staff support;
- State DOT use of consultants or vendors in an IT staffing capacity; and
- Staffing implications on TSMO project life-cycle phases (e.g., technology procurement, implementation, management, maintenance, and sunsetting).
Information will be gathered through a literature review, a survey of state DOTs, and follow-up interviews with selected DOTs for the development of case examples. Information gaps and suggestions for research to address those gaps will be identified.
Information Sources (Partial)
TRB Staff
Jo Allen Gause
Phone: 202-334-3826
Email: jagause@nas.edu
Meeting Dates
First Panel Meeting: October 2024 (Date TBD)
Teleconference with Consultant: TBD
Second Panel Meeting: TBD
