NIJ School Safety Technologies Topic 2. School Bus Safety Technologies

NIJ School Safety Technologies Topic 2. School Bus Safety Technologies

Abstract

We propose to develop an affordable, integrated bus monitoring system that will provide increased security by providing remote tracking and monitoring capability. The system will transmit data via cell modem[1] to allow busses to be tracked from a command center at fleet headquarters, as well as by law enforcement. The command center interface will be an interactive, user friendly and secure website that can be updated in real time or near real time depending on customer requirements. The command center will provide a map showing locations of all busses in the fleet. Selecting a specific bus will allow the user to bring up more detailed information on the bus including current and historical information on location, stops along the bus route, speed, sensor data (stop arm activation, …), assigned driver, and individual students as well as the time and place where those students boarded the bus and the time and place where they exited the bus. Voice contact with the driver can also be initiated from the interface.

As an option, a push button emergency alarm can be installed that will send an alert to the monitoring station that the bus is in trouble. Another option that will provide increased situational awareness is the addition of video cameras. Video data would be stored locally and image data sent periodically or on request from the command center. Our proposed system will leverage commercial technology developed by TSi for ship tracking and monitoring.

a. Research Question or Problem

In January 2002, a Berks County Pennsylvania school bus disappeared with 13 students on board. Once the bus was determined missing, police helicopters and cruisers made a futile search for the missing bus in rainy, foggy weather. Finally the driver surrendered to an off-duty police officer six hours later in Washington, DC. While this incident is fortunately an anomaly, it raises the question, “Why can’t we know exactly where the each school bus is, who is on it, and whether it is being driven safely?” If the school bus had a tracking system on board, once the bus veered significantly from its regular route alarms could be immediately sounded at the command center and the police station.

Tracking and monitoring systems are used regularly in commercial trucking and shipping. These users have found that drivers become safer and more efficient when their route is tracked. In addition, the costs of the technology have decrease significantly over the last few years making such a system very affordable.

TSi has significant experience in developing and supporting tracking systems. TSi is one of two companies in the world that supply the search and rescue ground stations for the international COSPAS-SARSAT program. Our SARSAT systems are in 15 countries and have helped save thousands of lives over the past 15 years. We have also developed maritime monitoring and tracking products that have been installed on both commercial and military vessels. Typical vessel tracking system implementation include GPS, radar interface, surveillance cameras, weather instruments and a variety of vessel status and machinery health sensors. The data is presented through a fleet operations center console and remotely through an interactive, user friendly and secure website that can be updated in real time or near real time depending on customer requirements. TSi has experience developing data communications systems using satellite modem, GSM modems and HF radios.

b. Research Goals and Objectives

The objective of this project is to develop an affordable integrated monitoring system to ensure bus fleet security. Our goal is to develop a modular system to maximize system flexibility to best meet the needs of each school district. The basic system will enable law enforcement to track vehicles using GPS and a wireless data transfer mechanism that sends data to headquarters and allows access to law enforcement. A module will be developed that will provide cooperative system for identification and tracking of individual students and driver, including where and when they board and exit the bus. A module for additional onboard monitoring will developed including sensor and camera data

As an option, a push button emergency alarm can be installed that will send an alert to the monitoring station that the bus is in trouble. Another option that will provide increased situational awareness is the addition of video cameras. Video data would be stored locally and image data sent periodically or on request from the command center.

c. Research Design and Methods

Figure 1. Tracking System Components

The bus tracking system will be built in several modules as shown in Figure 1 above. The system will have the capability of storing data locally as well as transmitting selected data to the command center.

Task 1. System Design/Requirements – 1. Design wireless data communication system. Assess available technologies including cell, satellite and other radio based communications channels for coverage, bandwidth, and total cost of ownership; 2. Design student tracking component. Assess available technologies including RFID, Barcode and Biometric systems, and manual computer data entry for ease of use, total cost of ownership and policy and practice issues; 3. Determine what sensor data is of value in addition to GPS. For example, stop arm activation, breaking, engine health data; 4. Design camera surveillance system and assess bandwidth needs and feasibility with respect to each data communications channel under consideration; 5. Design emergency alarm push button system; 6. Design command center interface and create mock up; and 7. Develop backup power system requirements.

Milestone 1. Preliminary Design Review (PDR) – 1. Select best communications and student tracking methodology; 2. Obtain comments on usability of interface.

Task 2. Complete System Design – 1. Address issues raised in PDR; 2. Develop detailed hardware and software designs for each component system; 3. Final component selection. Develop full Bill of Materials and purchase parts for two complete systems; 4. Develop design/purchase suitable enclosures based on hardware requirements.

Milestone 2. Critical Design Review (CDR)

Task 3. Develop Basic Tracking Prototype System – 1. Assemble and test hardware functionality; 2. Develop software for autonomous collection of GPS data, local storage, and data transmission; 3. Develop basic tracking command center software. Include software for route assignment and detection and alarming when route is deviated from; 4. Develop software for remote system maintenance; and 5. Test hardware and software functionality.

Milestone 3. Demonstrate Basic Tracking Prototype System

Task 4. Develop Student Tracking Prototype System – 1. Add necessary hardware for student tracking system, assemble and test hardware functionality; 2. Develop database of student information and mechanism for adding new students and modifying existing entries; 3. Develop software system setup for collection of student information local storage, and data transmission; 4. Add bus passenger log display capability to command center software; and 5. Test hardware and software functionality.

Milestone 4. Demonstrate Student Tracking Prototype System

Task 5. Develop Additional Monitoring and Remote Incident Awareness Capabilities – 1. Add hardware for video monitoring, additional sensors and emergency push button. Assemble and test hardware functionality; 2. Develop software for autonomous collection of data, local storage, and data transmission; 3. Add display of new data to command center software; 4. Develop software for accepting limited number of remote queries; 5. Develop software for establishing voice communications with bus driver; and 6. Test hardware and software.

Milestone 5. Demonstrate of Complete Alpha Prototype System

Task 6. Install System at Beta Test Site – 1. Manufacture units for Beta Test installation, 2. Develop training materials, 3. Install system and train users, and 4. Collect feedback from users.

Milestone 6. Assess and Present Beta Test Data

d. Implications for Policy and Practice

Setting up a system to track bus location and monitor sensor data should be essentially transparent to the bus driver and students, however, in order for the system to effectively identify occupants while minimizing process time, both drivers and students must be able to be quickly identified and automatically logged. This is possible using an RF ID card or Bar-coded ID. Using an RFID or bar code reader system, individuals would be logged into and out of the system on entry and exit from the bus. If the student or driver forgets or looses their ID card, the driver must have a mechanism for manually entering the student information. This manual entry could slow the route considerably; but, the additional time could be minimized somewhat by providing an interface that gives the driver the option of selecting from a list of regular students. Another possibility is a biometric system, where for example a thumb print could be used to verify student identity as they enter and exit. While this system will alleviate the issue of forgetting ones ID, such systems have encountered significant resistance to school implementations in the past.

Both the ID card and biometric systems have a set up overhead that requires students to be registered into the system.

e. Dissemination Strategy

Once a prototype system is developed, the system should be beta tested in several urban and rural school districts across the country to determine the systems effectiveness and to obtain user feedback.

g. Staffing Plan

The project will be staffed with TSi employees with experience in managing and developing tracking systems. The staff will include a project manager, a full time engineer and a full time programmer.

h. Description of Estimated Costs and Timeline

Task/Milestone / Q1 / Q2 / Q3 / Q4 / Q5 / Q6 / Q7 / Q8 / Labor Cost
1. System Requirements & Prelim Design/PDR / $136,000
2. Complete System Design / CDR / $136,000
3. Develop Basic Tracking Prototype / Demo / $272,000
4. Develop Student Tracking Prototype / Demo / $272,000
5. Add Additional Sensor Monitoring / Demo / $190,000
6. Beta Test/ Present Results & User Feedback / $136,000

The estimated total labor cost is $1,142,000. The costs are itemized above by task. The material costs of $75,000 would cover a command station computer, two prototype units and units for a beta test tracking 20 busses.

11/16/2005 Techno-Sciences, Inc Proprietary Page 5 of 5

[1] Satellite modem is also a possibility if cell coverage is poor over the bus routes; however, satellite data transmissions can become expensive with frequent period data transmissions. With the idea of cutting the total cost of ownership, we will also consider other radio systems.