In 2004 a technological revolution occurred in Brisa’s motorways – from a dispersed operational model with local centers and non-standardized procedures into a centralized, uniform and optimized model. This was possible thanks to the awarded A-to-Be® ATLAS™ solution which enables a central coordination for operations in complex road networks. This project included a winning combination of an ATMIS – Advanced Traffic Management and Information System –, Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) and videowall solutions. Thanks to this it, over half of the entire Portuguese motorway network is managed from a single control room in Carcavelos powered by A-to-Be® ATLAS™ Platform. More than 3,000 different road-side equipment and well over one hundred thousand incidents are managed, disseminated, validated and analyzed through A-to-Be® ATLAS™ each year. Brisa Operations’ model, the Operational Control Center (CCO) and A-to-Be® ATLAS™ have enabled to mature from a motorway operator with dispersed local operations into an optimized and constantly evolving Operations Service Provider for multiple concessions.

Challenge

Today’s world craves for economic efficiency, where specialized service providers – capable of managing large motorway networks from a single control center – is becoming common. This same scenario emerged in Brisa. However, the driver for this change – in Brisa’s case – resulted from a privatization of the Portuguese state’s motorway operations and was in charge of operating and finishing construction of over one thousand miles. Operations were managed from of a dozen regional centers with a set of 3rd party non-integrated tools, lacking standard procedures. In 2004, with a growing network – and a not so optimized dispersed operation –, Brisa created a single control room for its’ entire network, leading Brisa to build its own Traffic Management Platform. A-to-Be® ATLAS™ emerged from this unique opportunity and quickly began solving problems from having a unified control room and a vast network where most market products didn’t quite rose to the occasion. In subsequent years other concessions joined, with increasingly complex contracts and requirements – higher service levels, road availability, free-flow tolling, automatic incident detection, traffic counting – and these should be operated always from a unique central control room, supported uniquely for all operational and business needs.

Solution

The control room currently operates around 1,000 miles of roads and motorways, spread across six different concessions. Focused in delivering a quality service to travelers, it manages over 100 thousand incidents a year, relying on A-to-Be® ATLAS™ Incident Management without ever needing to worry about equipment themselves. A-to-Be® ATLAS™ features a unified web-based user interface and a set of rule-based engines, alerts and synoptic, guiding operators as they focus on incident information and using this to trigger equipment interactions – such as VMS signaling and speed indicators. Information is shared, delivering traffic information to travelers through web, mobile application and other channels. Once incidents are resolved, Brisa manages business procedures such as incident validation, road repair management and insurance claims.