Leidos paves the way for a new generation of connected transportation
Leidos is leading transformative research on novel technologies and tools designed to enhance safety, efficiency, and mobility in surface transportation
Leidos is supporting critical federal research on emerging technologies and tools aimed at enhancing the safety and efficiency of the transportation system.
The Leidos surface transportation portfolio is a critical player in the transportation research space, which is rapidly growing to meet the demand for innovative solutions in a crowded and complex transportation system. Leidos currently supports several key programs and projects for the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), which cater to pivotal focus areas in transportation research.
In the groundbreaking field of cooperative driving automation (CDA), Leidos is spearheading research on digital infrastructure necessary to support CDA as automated vehicles (AVs) continue to develop and deploy on the Nation’s highways. By cultivating the CARMA℠ Ecosystem of open-source software products, Leidos is enabling vital research, development, testing, and evaluation of CDA features across the transportation network. This foundational research—which recently produced four releases for basic travel, traffic incident management, road weather management, and work zone scenarios under the CARMA3 project—seeks to lay the groundwork for the universal adoption of CDA across transportation infrastructure and vehicle make and model.
In the intelligent transportation systems (ITS) technologies arena, the Leidos-led Data Collection to Support the Development of Analysis, Modeling, and Simulation Tools for Connected and Automated Vehicles project is breaking ground. The project aims to collect a robust dataset about the behavior of a Society of Automotive Engineers cooperative advanced driver assistance system Class A-D vehicle equipped with CARMA Platform℠, and a human-driven vehicle, in naturalistic traffic conditions. The collected data will inform and inspire future research on ITS technologies to support the development and deployment of a connected transportation system.
Leidos is also supporting Port Cooperative Driving Automation Drayage Truck Development and Testing, exciting research that deviates from typical ITS activities. Co-led by the ITS Joint Program Office (ITS JPO) and the Maritime Administration (MARAD), port drayage research aims to demonstrate the use of CDA with port infrastructure to increase freight movements at ports.
The Leidos Spectrum team is providing support services for small- and large-scale field spectrum testing. The initial focus is the identification, evaluation, selection, and logistics of the test tracks throughout successive test cycles. In addition, the team provides diverse cross-functional engineering expertise for testing including basic device characterization and test plan execution, to determine if next generation wireless communications—such as dual-mode dedicated short-range communications and LTE (4G cellular)-vehicle-to-everything (LTE-V2X) can transmit and receive without delay, interference, or corruption. By providing these services, Leidos assists the USDOT to test the ability of these new technologies to perform critical safety-of-life communications in scenarios that mimic a variety of typical and challenging transportation conditions.
Leidos continues to adopt a forward-thinking, comprehensive approach to surface transportation research. Leidos supports the FHWA in developing a tool that can extend user awareness of traffic and road conditions into the future. The Integrated Modeling for Road Condition Prediction tool incorporates real-time and archived data with results from traffic, weather, and hydrological forecasts. The overall purpose is to help transportation agencies enhance situational awareness, inform planning and response activities, and improve safety and mobility during weather and operational events.
For AV technology to fulfill its promise of improving transportation safety, drivers will need to learn to interact with AVs in a wide variety of roadway situations. The Leidos Human Factors Team is currently collecting data for two studies under the project Investigating Key Automated Vehicle Human Factors Safety Issues related to Infrastructure aimed at reaching this goal. The team is using a field research study to evaluate interaction between drivers, automated driving systems, and in-vehicle cooperative messages displayed at signalized intersections. A second study, being conducted in the FHWA Highway Driving Simulator, is examining the role of roadway design and cooperative technology on interactions between drivers using vehicles with driving automation technology and vulnerable road users. Through analysis and experimentation, the Leidos Human Factors Team is expanding the field’s understanding of AV safety issues related to roadway infrastructure.
Leidos capabilities extend beyond federal clientele to extensive co-development and collaboration with key agents in academia, technical industry, consulting, and the state and district market space. Through an extensive stakeholder network, Leidos is advancing the development, adoption, and deployment of novel technologies poised to transform transportation.
