Intelligent Transportation Systems Field Operational Test Cross-Cutting Study, Emissions Management Using ITS Technology

Notice This document is disseminated under the sponsorship of the Department of Transportation in the interest of information exchange. The United States Government assumes no liability for its contents or use thereof. Emissions Management Using ITS Technology report summarizes and interprets the results of three Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Field Operational Tests (FOTs) that evaluated the use of emerging technologies to help authorities measure emissions and develop strategies to help control them. Two of these tests use similar technologies employing a remote infrared sensing device to analyze the carbon monoxide content of the exhaust of a vehicle. The other test used Light Detection and Ranging (a technology similar to radar) to measure the amount and character of pollution in the air. The FOTs considered in this report are: LIDAR, TDM/ED and R-TED. Institutional issues were not significant in these tests. The report findings are organized in the categories of impact, user response, technical lessons learned, institutional challenges and resolutions, and cost to implement. This report highlights the successes and problems these tests encountered while attempting to develop the technologies appropriate to measuring and reacting to vehicle emissions. The effects of poor air quality and excessive pollution have long been a concern of government agencies. As agencies struggle t o control air quality in their jurisdictions, managing vehicle emissions has become an area of vital interest. Emissions management is the process of trying to control the amount and character of the gases and particles emitted by vehicles and industrial processes. Studies have indicated that as few as 10 percent of the vehicles can contribute as much as 50 percent of the air pollution in a metropolitan area. Authorities try to manage vehicle emissions by regularly testing vehicles and by attempting to reduce traffic congestion. This report summarizes and interprets the results of three Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Field Operational Tests (FOTs) that evaluated the use of emerging technologies to help authorities measure emissions and develop possible strategies to help control them. Two of these tests use similar technologies employing a remote infrared sensing device t o analyze the carbon monoxide content of the exhaust of a vehicle. The other test used Light Detection and Ranging (a technology similar to radar) to measure the amount and character of pollution in the air. The two remote sensing device tests used the information collected to provide feedback t o drivers to encourage them to …