The travel and road condition information drought in greater Minnesota is about to end. During 1998, Mn/DOT created a policy plan for Statewide ATIS development and deployment focusing on needs of travelers throughout the state. The plan was developed in cooperation with the Minnesota State Patrol and the Office of Tourism which also have need to provide real time travel information to travelers. Travelers in Minnesota go from riches to rags as they travel from the Twin Cities metro area to the rest of the state when it comes to road condition information. The travelers in the Twin Cities have a rich mixture of travel and road condition information resources. These include variable message signs, Internet sites, radio broadcasts, free television broadcasts, cable television broadcasts, and land-line and cellular dial-in sources for travel information. These resources are provided by the State, private information service providers and news media using a combination of State and private information. (A*)
Abstract