United States Department of Transportation
i
Transportation communications interoperability : phase 2, resource evaluation.
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2006-12-01
[PDF-1.26 MB]
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Edition:Final report; July 2005-Dec. 2006.
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Abstract:Based on the Arizona Department of Transportation’s (ADOT) previous SPR-561 ‘Needs Assessment’ study, this
report continues the efforts to enhance radio interoperability between Department of Public Safety (DPS) Highway
Patrol officers and ADOT field personnel. Ideally, any DPS officer should be able to communicate with any ADOT
highway worker in the rural areas. The SPR 561 project recommended two pilot programs: (a) testing of
secondary VHF radios to be installed in several squads of DPS patrol cars, and (b) testing of dispatch console
interties, or ‘crosspatching,’ by regional DPS dispatchers and by ADOT’s Phoenix Traffic Operations Center.
This report outlines the implementation and evaluation aspects of the radio interoperability pilot program, to include
evaluation of user needs, suggested deployments, development of training and evaluation plans, and defining a
practical evaluation period for assessment of the programs. User needs were developed through a series of
stakeholder meetings and follow-up discussions and interviews to identify critical areas. Previous attempts at
interoperability were reviewed and analyzed to determine successes and challenges. A train-the-trainer plan was
developed to support an on-going program such that refresher courses would be available, as well as opportunities
to train new employees. The evaluation plan identifies the feedback methods used for the program, which included
field interviews, dispatch log sheets, and interoperability field reports. Data reduction was performed to determine
response times, message latency, any follow-up meetings needed, level of confusion, frequency of use, and user
perception. An evaluation period of seven months was sufficient to support the analysis of radio interoperability.
Of three final recommendations from this successful pilot program, the key point is to deploy secondary car-to-car
VHF radios in all highway patrol units in the rural areas of the state for direct contact with ADOT personnel. The
dispatch console crosspatch resource is also in place as a tool for special events, incidents, or joint operations
such as forest fires or winter storms. Ongoing training, testing, and feedback comprise a third key element.
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