This paper describes the development of a recent British project for the Highways Agency by consulting engineers WSP Systems Ltd and their contractor Mott MacDonald Ltd. The QMISS project comprises a new database designed to provide a repository for traffic signals data from the entire English motorway network, and an object oriented application which supports dissemination of the data across the internet using Common Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA). The concept of a Travel Information Highway (TIH) is explained and the role of Value Added Service Providers (VASPs), who may receive data via standard database queries or by subscribing to an event-driven pushed data service. The paper is written from the developer's viewpoint and several key issues are discussed, including data quality, experience with distributed applications using multi-vendor ORBs, and an analysis of performance metrics from the first months of near real-time operation. (A*)
Samenvatting