South Dakota Department of Transportation
Project Synopsis
SD2001-17

Title: South Dakota CVISN Program Support
Project Researcher: Randall Allemeier,
Project Manager: Hal Rumpca
Research Period: 3/15/2002 - 12/31/2003
Status: Completed
Cost: $400,000.00

Problem Statement:Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS), which include advanced and emerging technologies in fields such as information processing, communications, and electronics, are being applied in Commercial Vehicle Operations (CVO) programs throughout the country to improve CVO regulation and operations. Commercial Vehicle Information Systems and Networks (CVISN), a national initiative to link projects and information systems, will enable the exchange of information among agencies, motor carriers, and third-party service providers through the use of common standards and information systems.

Under direction of its CVISN Program Team, the State of South Dakota has initiated several discrete consultant-performed projects defined in its CVISN Top-Level Design and Program Plan:

SD2001-09 "Automated Commercial Vehicle Permitting", which began in June 2001 and is scheduled to complete in November 2002 will automate all of the states commercial vehicle permits and the routing of oversize and overweight loads.

SD2000-14, "Unified Reporting of Commercial and Non-Commercial Traffic Accidents-Phase One" was completed in August 2001. By the end of 2001, Phase Two of the project is expected to begin under a separate contract.

SD2001-18, "Commercial Vehicle Citation Reporting" will be awarded as a separate project later in 2002.

The Department of Revenues Division of Motor Vehicles has acquired and installed R. L. Polks International Registration Plan (IRP) and International Fuel Tax Agreement (IFTA) systems, and will acquire Vehicle Identification Number Analysis (VINA) software shortly.

Other components of the Top-Level Design and Program Plan have been defined but have not progressed fully because of a shortage of technical expertise and resources:

Although South Dakotas CVISN Program Team has reviewed several candidates including the Applied Physics Lab CVIEW, HELP PrePass Preview, and Washington States x-CVIEW, development of a Commercial Vehicle Information Exchange Window (CVIEW) has not yet begun.

State agencies are currently undertaking many tasks identified in South Dakotas Performance Registration Information Systems Management (PRISM) Implementation Plan, which was approved in May 2000, but PRISM tasks 4, 5, 18 & 23 involving information system design and development have not started.

Likewise, design and development of other CVISN components, including a Motor Carrier Web site and common interfaces to state legacy systems and e-commerce payment processes have not begun.

Design of the Jefferson Port of Entry, scheduled for construction in 2003, is underway but no specific electronic screening program has been selected.

Development and documentation of a detailed CVISN architecture, originally to be performed by the states Bureau of Information and Telecommunications, has only occurred by consultants performing projects that are now underway, and has not included the use of Turbo Architecture. Although South Dakota has previously documented the architecture of all of its existing CVO systems, it has not yet begun to define the detailed architecture of its planned CVISN system or of other components within CVISN.

Similarly, systems engineering and integration have occurred only within projects that are active, not within remaining components or at an overall program level. Detailed engineering and testing plans to ensure that South Dakotas CVISN initiative is technically sound and that all developed systems function properly and conform to national and state ITS architecture and standards have yet to be developed.

To date a Program Manager and a Program Facilitator within the Department of Transportation have performed program management tasks, but they require technical and administrative advice to ensure that South Dakota can achieve CVISN Level 1 deployment and all other work defined in its plan by the fall of 2003.

Because of rapidly changing state and national developments, additional expertise is needed to refine and direct the CVISN Program Plan. In particular, the plan must evolve to meet emerging federal requirements for vehicle, driver and cargo security, and may extend into CVISN Level 2 requirements.

Findings:

Research Objectives:
1  Provide management advice to support completion of South Dakota's CVISN Level 1 Program Plan by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's September 30, 2003 deadline.
2  Provide technical advice, system integration and engineering services, and interoperability testing for all projects in South Dakota's CVISN Level 1Program.
3  Recommend and develop a detailed architecture for South Dakota's entire CVISN Level 1 Program.
4  Design, construct, install, and test software components that are contained in the CVISN Program Plan and not addressed by other CVISN Program Plan contracts.

Research Tasks:
1  Meet with the CVISN Program Team to review the project scope and work plan.
2  Within two months of project initiation, prepare an initial revision of South Dakota's CVISN Program Plan (including a Microsoft Project? work breakdown structure, budget estimates, resource needs, and performance measures) based upon South Dakota's draft CVISN Top-Level Design & Program Plan, comments received from the Federal Motor Carrier Services Administration (FMCSA), results of active and completed CVISN projects, and emerging federal requirements. The plan should specifically distinguish between products that must be developed under this contract and products developed under other CVISN Program Plan contracts.
3  Throughout South Dakota's CVISN Level 1 deployment, monitor and report progress of the revised CVISN Program Plan and propose modifications necessary to maintain the schedule and budget, and meet emerging state and federal requirements. Update the plan at the direction of the South Dakota CVISN Program Team.
4  Calculate baseline values and, as CVISN components are deployed, finalize values of performance measures to assess the effectiveness of South Dakota's CVISN projects.
5  Based upon architecture defined in South Dakota's CVISN Top-Level Design & Program Plan and within active CVISN projects, develop an initial architecture for South Dakota's complete CVISN Level 1 deployment using Turbo Architecture software.
6  Throughout South Dakota's CVISN Level 1 deployment, as all CVISN components are designed, developed, and deployed, update South Dakota's CVISN Level 1 detailed architecture using Turbo Architecture software.
7  Define, for CVISN Program Team approval, the functional requirements, system requirements, specifications, standards, and protocols necessary to develop CVIEW and each of the other products that must be developed under this contract.
8  While complying with all BIT requirements and standards, use the Washington State x-CVIEW, or the replacement currently under development, to establish a local CVIEW and interface with all appropriate state and national legacy systems necessary to meet CVISN Level 1 goals.
9  Upon approval of the CVISN Program Team, design, build or acquire, install, and test each of the other products that must be developed under this contract.
10  Throughout South Dakota's CVISN Level 1 deployment, review all CVISN project definitions, plans, and work products to ensure technical compatibility and consistency with the South Dakota CVISN Program Plan, Bureau of Information and Telecommunications (BIT) Standards, and the National ITS Architecture Standards.
11  With advice from the Bureau of Information and Telecommunications (BIT), develop and execute a systems and interoperability testing plan for all CVISN components to ensure compatibility with state and national information systems.
12  Develop a high level plan to guide South Dakota's involvement in CVISN Level 2.
13  At the conclusion of the project, prepare a final report and executive summary of the research methodology, findings, conclusions, and recommendations.
14  Make an executive presentation to the SDDOT Research Review Board and CVISN agency managers at the conclusion of the project. The presentation materials will be retained and used by the CVISN Program Manager for other agency and industry briefings.

Documents Available: