William “Al” Wallace, director of the Center for Infrastructure and Transportation Studies, leads an effort to create and test a wireless Advanced Traveler Information System (ATIS) that is designed to ease the frustration and waste of fuel that comes when drivers are stuck in traffic jams. The focus is on ways to use wireless technologies to track the movements of traffic, pinpoint areas of congestion, and quickly convey the information to travelers.

The award-winning project is being conducted on a fleet of 200 cars in New York’s Capital Region. It is being carried out in conjunction with Cornell University and industry partner ALK Technologies in Princeton, N.J., under the auspices of the New York State Department of Transportation.

“Innovative computing and information technologies can make transportation more efficient,” Wallace said. Global positioning system devices and in-vehicle navigation software were connected via a cellular network to a central server to collect data from cars on the road and deliver real-time electronic voice directions to the drivers on the fastest routes to get where they were going.

The Intelligent Transportation Society of America gave an award to the Rensselaer-led project, calling it the largest and most successful field experiment of its kind. Wallace characterizes the project as “a new decision-making paradigm in transportation that helps to curb both energy consumption and environmental impact.”