b'TODAYS SIGNAL TECH VS. ITS TECHNOLOGYBRANDON COLLINS | FOI, Traffic Signal ATMS Coordinator Level III, City of Melbourne, FloridaWith all of the technology that is exposed to traffic signal technicians and operations today, its apparent that training traffic signal technicians is necessary. I have been in this field for over 23 years, and the environment has changed at an unbelievable rate. As technicians, we used to perform routine maintenance of traffic signals and would respond to trouble calls as needed. Today, traffic signals have become more complex and software-driven. We consider them a smart signal with all of the reporting and data collection they can perform and their ability to alter timings and adjust to volumes by simply running server-based adaptive system software. These systems require more fine-tuning when it comes to detection monitoring and a more robust network.I would ask the question: How does a traffic operation adjust or How doesprepare for this environment? Its simple. You have to reflect on your needs as an agency, and you must restructure your past a trafficpractices. The days of simple traffic maintenance are over. You will need to build your operation around the technology and the operationlevel of knowledge it will take to maintain your smart signals. I was lucky enough to participate in one of the largest Advanced adjust orTraffic Management System (ATMS) adaptive deployments in the country. This deployment taught me a lot about what is needed to be successful when applying adaptive systems/ITS on your preparetraffic network. Your number one priority should be securing your staff and training them before the deployment, so your team can for thistroubleshoot, program, and maintain the advanced ITS devices. I, unfortunately, did not have the staff to handle the deployment or knowledge. This made the experience challenging and ultimately environment? meant we would not be able to harness the full benefits of the adaptive system, nor provide useful data to the vendor and motoring public.'