Trilogy

Project Description

The Trilogy Project was one of the first North American demonstrations of in-vehicle traveler information devices. A set of devices were installed in test vehicles. These devices displayed a map of the Minneapolis/St. Paul Metropolitan area. Wireless data broadcasts were sent from the Mn/DOT Traffic Management Center (TMC) using Radio Broadcast Data System - Traffic Message Channel (RBDS-TMC) and a high speed FM sub-carrier. The in-vehicle receivers received and demodulated the data and displayed a combination of:

• Icons representing incidents
• Colored roadways showing travel speeds
• Ramp meter icons showing which ramp meters were turned on and a measure of the speed of metering (slow, medium, or fast).

The Trilogy Project in-vehicle units were installed in vehicles of commuters, local delivery trucks, and other commercial vehicles. The operational test was a demonstration of various in-vehicle technologies, and a consumer test of the perceived value by users. In addition, the Trilogy Project team contributed to the development of the ITS Standards by offering real-world feedback on draft RBDS-TMC message formats and data interchange standards.