TME Status List Database Innovation

Challenge 

The Caltrans District 8 TMS Maintenance Engineering (TME) group is responsible for monitoring and maintaining the status and uptime health of over 2500 field elements along the freeways. When elements lose communication, TMEs are tasked with identifying possible root causes, troubleshooting, locating failure points, and communicating with the appropriate teams to resolve issues. TME can take an average of 40 hours checking the communication of each element in the best of conditions. Troubleshooting requires a vast amount of research and information using different resource spread out throughout the Caltrans intranet. 

Solution 

The TME Status List Database uses ping automation and manual user input to maintain an up-to-date account of the TMS Elements and their operational status. It can provide a summarized report of elements and the account of their last communication timestamp. The database is also tied to multiple resources that are easily accessible, including the newly integrated ArcGIS map. 

Result  

• Ping automation for continual up-to-date element status

• Manual entry fields for inserting, updating, and deleting elements

• Visually appealing and simplistic database user interface   

• Map coordination system for accurate element finding

• Email information summary retrieval button

• Graphical data representation for simple information viewing

• Concentric list of resource links for supplementing information  

Project Contact:  

Mehdi Mirjamali - Mehdi.Mirjamali@dot.ca.gov