Some of the infrastructure needed to deploy TIDE systems already exists. First, a variety of different sensors exist for collecting information about the state of the system (e.g., loop detectors, ultrasound devices, and electronic toll collection systems). In addition, existing and proposed wire-based and wireless communications technologies can handle most of the communication needs of such a system. Finally, a variety of devices (e.g., hand-held and in-vehicle computers, smart telephones, pagers) exist that can be used to disseminate the information.

Unfortunately, many of the necessary technologies and it is as yet unclear how best to integrate them in a TIDE context even after they are developed. To overcome these shortcomings, the New Jersey TIDE Center intends to:

• Conduct (with appropriate industrial partners) the research necessary to design and build the commercial technologies required by TIDE systems;

• Transfer the findings of this research to NJ firms that manufacture/sell these systems;

• Work with related industries (e.g., wireless communications, speech generation and recognition, GPS) to ensure that they can respond to the needs of TIDE systems;

• Conduct the research necessary to design and build the civil infrastructure required by TIDE systems;

• Promote the collection of real-time transportation information;

• Work with the public to determine their needs and concerns, and educate them about these new technologies; and

• Promote the use of TIDE systems in the transportation sector.

In many ways, what the TIDE Center is attempting to do is similar to what has been done in the meteorology industry in recent years (e.g., companies like AccuWeather and The Weather Channel). That is, start with a publicly-provided surveillance system (NOAA satellites in the case of meteorology, GPS satellites and loop detectors in the case of transportation), supplement it with additional surveillance equipment and computer systems (local Doppler radar in the case of meteorology, video image processing and probe vehicles in the case of transportation), use the resulting data to make forecasts of future conditions, develop tools to help people make better decisions in light of these forecasts, and finally distribute these tools and this information either directly to the public or to a news agency.