Require Specific Information about Configurability and Data Sample Sizes in Requests for Proposals for Automated Traffic Signal Performance Measure (ATSPM) Systems.
Mid-America Regional Council Evaluated ATSPM System Vendors for the Kansas City Region.
Kansas City, Missouri, United States
Operation Greenlight: Regional Traffic Signal Performance Measures Full Implementation Report
Summary Information
ATSPMs provide transportation agencies with data-driven insights to monitor signal operations, identify performance issues, and prioritize traffic signal improvements more efficiently. In the Kansas City area, the Mid-America Regional Council manages over 750 signalized intersections across nine counties. This SMART grant project considered four data and analytics platforms for ATSPM, with the aim of assessing signal system performance along six major routes and communicating that performance to the public. The project team selected and evaluated potential platform vendors using quantitative and qualitative performance criteria (e.g., system usability, cost, etc.). Stage 1 was conducted from August 2023 to February 2025 and included a year-long evaluation of traffic data and analytics platforms.
The evaluation resulted in several lessons learned.
- Require specific information about configurability and data sample sizes in the system requirements in Requests for Proposals to avoid unexpected limitations, such as lack of configurability or smaller-than-anticipated data sample sizes.
- Engage with vendors early to understand integration requirements and identify potential security or system constraints. In this case, modifications to the central signal system were needed to support a push-based data-sharing mechanism for multiple vendors, avoiding the need for vendors to install custom software that raised security concerns for some agencies
- Require vendors to submit license agreements and proposed modifications to a baseline contract as part of their proposals.
- Obtain buy-in from all groups, including information technology departments, to help prevent data sharing delays.
- Provide vendors with flexibility to enhance data quality by acquiring different or additional data sources for their platforms. Longer access to the system may also allow better long-term trend analysis as data accrues over time.
- Anticipate that additional staff resources may be needed to adapt to the demands of the project and the grant application processes.
Note: Additional information gathered from this project’s Data Management Plan
