This paper describes the Twin Cities metro area intelligent transportation systems (ITS) deployment initiative - the Orion project. The background and development of the project, which evolved from the Minnesota Guidestar ITS program, are described. The Orion project participants and organizational structure are described, as are the key components of the intelligent transportation infrastructure for the Twin Cities metro area. Various important lessons have been learned during the course of the project definition and development and these are also discussed within the paper. The latest available information on this initiative, currently under way, is provided. It should be stressed that the program is undergoing an accelerated development process at the time of writing this paper, and as such, further information will become available as the project progresses.
Abstract