Who are the respondents of the ITS Deployment Tracking Surveys?

Data collection during the first few years of the ITS Deployment Tracking Surveys (DTS) centered on 78 of the Nation’s largest Metropolitan areas that serve populations of 50,000 or more. State, Regional, and Local transportation agencies owning and operating highway, arterial, and transit transportation infrastructure in the subject metropolitan areas were identified and surveyed using information provided by Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs). In 2002, the survey population expanded to include 30 medium-sized metropolitan areas experiencing high congestion. Over time there have been updates to the number of MSAs surveyed, due to changes resulting from the 2000 Census and the 2010 Census (e.g., a city in a surveyed MSA split off to become its own MSA; but this only resulted in changes to their census designation and not in the agencies being surveyed). The 2020 Deployment Tracking Survey represents 114 metropolitan areas.

Three types of agency surveys are included in the overall DTS: Freeway Management, Arterial Management, and Transit Management. The survey population for each is described below:

Freeway Management: State DOTs (including Regional and District Offices), Toll Authorities (e.g., Turnpike Commissions), and Interstate Agencies that manage the freeways.
Arterial Management: State, county, or local agencies that manage transportation assets, including ITS, at the local level (e.g., State DOT District Office, county agency, City DOT or Department of Public Works).
Transit Management: State, regional or city transit agencies that serve the surveyed metropolitan areas.

For each agency in the survey population, the staff person with knowledge about ITS assets (typically an ITS Engineer) is asked to complete the survey, and to reach out to other staff, as needed, for assistance in providing a complete set of responses. Prior to each survey effort, the ITS JPO contacts all respondents from the previous survey to confirm that they were still the appropriate contact and to obtain a replacement if needed.