Introduction to Communications in Transportation

As new Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) and vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication technology and protocols continue to emerge, additional training is needed for personnel working in the transportation sector. The Virginia Department of Transportation has already created a training program focusing on general topics pertaining to connected and automated vehicles (CAVs) and has recently identified a need for a more specific program focusing on communication technologies. To address this need, the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute team developed a 60-minute online learning program that includes a series of 10 narrated modules with slides, images, charts, videos, and learning assessments. The training provides a high-level overview of the types of communications that support ITS, traffic management, and connected vehicle environments. The training includes descriptions of the communication technologies, protocols, performance metrics, use cases, and data security. The included communication technologies are currently being utilized by infrastructure owner-operators (IOOs), original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), and industry technology providers.