This year marked the end of an era as the eighth and final phase of the COATS project concluded. For 25 years, the California Oregon Advanced Transportation Systems (COATS) program demonstrated the value of cross border collaboration to tackle the challenges of rural transportation. The COATS partnership facilitated numerous successful research projects that resulted in practical implementations with a direct impact on not only the COATS bi-state area, but over the larger western region as well. Read about the successful conclusion of the COATS project in this update.

The COATS Phase 8 project is focused on technology transfer. Here’s a summary of what’s been happening with the COATS project in 2022.

Technology transfer is the focus for COATS Phase VIII activities. Here's a brief summary of work completed during the last half of 2021.

Technology transfer is the focus for COATS Phase VIII activities. Here is a short summary of work completed during the first three months of 2021.

COATS Phase 8 is building on the success of earlier COATS phases with a focus on technology transfer. Here is a short summary of work completed during the October through December 2020 quarter.

COATS Phase 8 will build on the success of earlier COATS phases with a focus on technology transfer. Here is a short summary of work completed during the July through September 2020 quarter.

The project team has started work on an 8th phase of the California Oregon Advanced Transportation Systems project, or COATS. You can read about the COATS Phase 8 project tasks in this update. Check back next quarter for a progress update.

The project team recently completed Phase VII of the long-running COATS project. The primary goal of this phase was to build on the success of earlier COATS phases to preserve and expand the COATS region as an innovator in rural ITS demonstration. Project activities centered on technology transfer, specifically the growth and continuation of the annual Western States Forum, development of a Forum Handbook, and website maintenance and development. Read more about COATS 7 project activities in this update.

As COATS Phase 7 begins winding down, here is a brief summary of the work completed during the last three months of 2019.

The project team focused on technology transfer through COATS Phase 7 activities. Here is a brief summary of this quarter’s project work.

COATS Phase 7 is facilitating ongoing technology transfer through the Western States Forum and continued demonstration and evaluation of ITS technologies through several incubator projects. Here is a brief summary of what was accomplished during the fourth quarter of 2018.

COATS Phase 7 is facilitating ongoing technology transfer through the Western States Forum and continued demonstration and evaluation of ITS technologies through several incubator projects. Here is a brief summary of what was accomplished during the first quarter of 2018.

COATS Phase 7 is facilitating ongoing technology transfer through the Western States Forum and continued demonstration and evaluation of ITS technologies through several incubator projects. Here is a brief summary of what was accomplished during the fourth quarter of 2017.

COATS Phase 7 is facilitating ongoing technology transfer through the Western States Forum and continued demonstration and evaluation of ITS technologies through several incubator projects. Here is a brief summary of what was accomplished during the third quarter of 2017.

Work on COATS Phase 7 got underway this month with a Kick-Off Meeting on February 23, 2017. COATS Phase 7 will build on the success of earlier COATS phases to preserve and expand the COATS region as an innovator in rural ITS demonstration. Initiatives to be undertaken in this phase include the Western States Forum, three incubator projects, and maintaining the existing COATS web presence for the technology transfer of results of this effort.

Recently, the project team successfully completed work on the 6th phase of the COATS project. Phase 6 focused on promoting technology transfer, investigating traveler information data quality, and evaluating the Fredonyer Pass Icy Curve Warning System. The final project report is now available.

The technology incubator project – Data Quality for Aggregation and Dissemination of DOT Traveler Information – has been completed and a research report is now available. Read the results of the practitioner survey and the literature review, as well as an analysis of best practices for quality assurance of traveler information data.

COATS Phase 6 is facilitating ongoing technology transfer through the Western States Forum and continued demonstration and evaluation of ITS technologies through several incubator projects. The first quarter of 2016 saw further preparations for the 2016 Western States Forum and excellent progress on the various incubator projects.

The Fredonyer Pass Icy Curve Warning System (ICWS) was deployed by Caltrans to increase motorist vigilance and reduce the number of crashes occurring during icy pavement conditions in real-time. An evaluation of the project has been conducted and a final report is now available.

COATS Phase 6 is facilitating ongoing technology transfer through the Western States Forum and continued demonstration and evaluation of ITS technologies through several incubator projects. Read about the preparations for the 2016 Western States Forum and progress made on the various projects in the last quarter of 2015.

COATS Phase 6 is facilitating ongoing technology transfer through the Western States Forum and continued demonstration and evaluation of ITS technologies through several incubator projects. The third quarter of 2015, spanning from July to September, has come to a close. Read about the progress made on the various projects during this time.

The 2015 National Rural ITS Conference was held August 9-12, at the Snowbird Ski Resort in the Wasatch Mountains of Utah. The agenda included tours and technical sessions covering a wide variety of rural ITS topics. Doug Galarus presented Data Quality for Aggregation and Dissemination of DOT Traveler Information: Best Practices in Session C1 Improvements to Traveler Information Systems & Data.

COATS Phase 6 is now underway with the goals of continued demonstration and evaluation of ITS technologies through incubator projects identified by the Project Technical Advisory Panel (PTAP), as well as provision of ongoing knowledge transfer activities from the Western States Forum. The October – December 2014 quarter included a number of activities as the incubator projects were started and preparations for the 10th Annual Western States Forum commenced.

The 5th phase of the COATS project came to a close recently. The project focused on technology transfer, identification of future sites to deploy Bluetooth readers in support of determining chain-up area delays, a survey of automated safety warning devices and the development of a regional ICM planning process.

Survey of Western State Safety Warning Devices incubator project completed

Incubator projects presented at 91st Annual Transportation Research Board meeting

Rural Deployment Assistance

COATS Phase 5 projects

COATS Phase 4 has concluded.

Evaluation of Fredonyer Pass Icy Curve Warning System completed.

Radar Speed Trailer deployment warrants project completed.

Research on radar speed deployment warrants.

COATS Phase 4 has five main projects within its scope. Technology transfer is a key component and Phase 4 continues to support the Western States Forum. This phase is also looking at how to best deploy technologies developed under COATS and spinoff projects, as well as evaluating and examining new issues and deployments. Finally, expansion of the COATS region to include areas of other states, under the umbrella of the Western States Rural Transportation Consortium, is also being investigated.