Considerable interest has been expressed in providing the public with access to Advanced Traveler Information Systems (ATIS) in recent years. Several models for operating these types of systems have been tried, with most that assess the end user a fee meeting limited success. A notable illustration of the interest in providing these types of services to the public has been the allocation by the FCC of the 511 abbreviated-dial number for traveler information nationwide. In making this allocation, the FCC did not specify the manner in which information was to be provided, or the organizational arrangement to be used in operating the service, merely that each State would have access to this number to provide information. Naturally, all states seek to provide the best service possible at the lowest possible cost, and given this latitude, many will examine novel methods for covering the operating costs. Several general categories of models are available: a fully funded public system, a public-private partnership, and a fully privatized system. In considering various models for deployment, the proposition of value delivered to the end user must be considered for two major reasons: (1) Since the resources available to create and deploy ATIS systems are always limited, one factor in determining which of several competing projects receives resources should be the value it delivers to the users of the system. (2) As ITS deployments continue to emphasize private sector participation, the potential to derive profit from services will be, in part, determined by the willingness to pay of consumers, which is in turn determined by the perceived value. Many factors will influence perceived value including: the actual information delivered, the ease of use of a system, and the context in which information is received. This paper attempts to construct a theoretical model for determining how different information delivery methods affect the perceived value of information. These methods may be used in pre-trip, in-vehicle, or intelligent vehicle environments. This paper does not attempt to quantify the specific relationships with empirical data. Such efforts, while they would yield useful data for business planning, would require expertise and resources beyond the capabilities of the author. Rather, a set of relationships between various aspects of ATIS and the value or "utility" provided to the customer is suggested.
Samenvatting