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JSOM Professionals

Rapid Flow Technologies

Jay Dave
Sameer Moosa
Akbar Mahmood
Lily Gonsalves
Riashat Ishmam
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Introduction
Social Need

The social need that we want to address is the constant increase of traffic
congestion in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. Traffic congestion is an issue that affects
people all over the world, and in Dallas it is among the worst (Rapid flow n.d.). Our goal
is to heavily decrease the traffic flow in Dallas, so that drivers can easily get to their
destination without having to waste money on time, gas, and wear and tear on the
roads. Reducing traffic congestion can also greatly reduce the number of car accidents
that occur because of roads being overcrowded (Rapid flow n.d.). We feel that this is a
social need that greatly needs to be addressed since it affects all parts of the
population, including corporate workers, high school and college students, and grocery
shoppers.

Rapid Flow Technologies

Rapid Flow Technologies is a software company whose goals aligns directly with
the goal of our proposal for heavily reducing traffic congestion. Rapid Flow
Technologies develops intelligent transportation technology for smart cities. Traffic
congestion in major cities is an issue that Rapid Flow wanted to take on because it
originated in Pittsburgh, a highly populated city that has transportation issues of its own.
The creation and concept of Rapid Flow was spun out of the Robotics Institute at
Carnegie Mellon University when a few engineers decided that there needed to be
something done about the increasing issue of traffic congestion in Pittsburgh. The Rapid
Flow team is composed of multiple software engineers that are constantly working to
improve the artificial intelligence of the Rapid Flow signals. The main product is the
Surtrac traffic light system, which would be the first product we would utilize in the city of
Dallas. The main motive and idea of Rapid Flow Technologies’ team is to “provide a
true real-time response to changing traffic conditions, while optimizing traffic flow
second-by-second, unlike other adaptive systems which may take minutes to respond to
changes in traffic” (Rapid Flow, n.d.).
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Background
Social Need

As the city of Dallas grows at a rapid rate due to booming businesses, there is an
influx of people in the metroplex. The increasing amount of drivers on the roads
coincides with the amount of people who live and work in Dallas or surrounding areas.
“The DFW area is ranked as the most congested in Texas, the 10th most congested city
in the United States, and 28th worst in the world, according to​ INRIX​, a transportation
analytics company​. ​Recorded by INRIX, “Dallas-Fort Worth drivers spent an average of
54 hours sitting in traffic jams in 2017, and in 2016, drivers spent 59.4 hours in DFW
traffic. This equaled to $1,674 per driver, which includes the cost of time, wear and tear
on roads, fuel costs and the cost of emissions” (Hethcock, 2018).

Figure 1:​ ​Average Hours of Traffic Congestion

de Bruijn, Eline. “Average Commuter Spent 2.5 Days Stuck in Dallas Traffic Last Year, but It
Could Be Worse.” Dallas News, The Dallas Morning News Inc., Feb. 2017,
www.dallasnews.com/news/transportation/2017/02/22/average-commuter-spent-2-days-stuck-dallas-trafficlast-year-
worse.
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Figure 2:​ ​The INRIX Traffic Scorecard for Dallas

INRIX. (2018). Dallas; TX's Scorecard Report. Retrieved April 23,


2018, from http://inrix.com/scorecard-city/?city=Dallas;
TX&index=22

Various projects are in the works in order to attempt a decrease in traffic


congestion. One of the major efforts is that “The Texas Department of Transportation
has earmarked $786 million in funds for Dallas as part of Gov. Greg Abbott's​ Texas
Clear Lanes initiative​. The plan aims to reduce congestion, improve mobility and
enhance efficiency along Interstate 35E from Interstate 30 to Oak Lawn and I-35E from
U.S. Highway 67, called the Southern Gateway” (Bruijn, 2018). Although the city of
Dallas is creating several plans to tackle the issue, these projects will most likely create
more traffic congestion due to ongoing construction. Michael Morris, the Director of
Transportation for the North Central Texas Council of Governments explains that “the
bad news is that Dallas is scored down because of congestion and it has more areas
under construction compared to other parts of the country” (Bruijn, 2018). These
projects are set to be completed in around 7 to 10 years. The only other project that
does not involve the reconstruction of Dallas roads and highways is “expanding DART
and its streetcar lines and making bicycle and walkability improvements” (Bruijn, 2018).
Expanding DART is an indirect effort to reduce the number of cars going on the roads;
however, there is currently not any direct effort to do so that does not require
construction.
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Proposal
Traffic in Dallas is rapidly getting worse and without any change to outdated
methods of directing traffic, the problem will continue to degrade Dallas streets. Our
proposal to reduce high traffic congestion in Dallas involves apply cutting edge
technology to old methods of directing traffic to create optimization and provide drivers
with a more efficient and convenient drive so that they can make better use of their time.

The most important feature of our proposal involves installing ​Surtrac in select
traffic intersections. ​Surtrac combines artificial intelligence and traffic theory to come up
with the best possible ways of directing traffic with signal lights(About, 2018). By using
artificial intelligence and modern theory, we are able to bring these old pieces of
technology back to the modern era. ​Surtrac coordinates traffic flows using grids, not by
using corridors like conventional systems do. Finally, ​Surtrac also optimizes traffic for
many modes of travel, keeping vehicles, pedestrians, cyclists, and transit in fluid motion.

The implementation of this software will greatly increase all factors relating to
commuting. “Travel times are reduced 25%, time spent waiting at a signal is down 40%,
stops are down 30%, and emissions are reduced 20%” (About, 2018). Our plan of
action is to install these high tech systems in 20 traffic lights that will be specified later
on in this proposal and will go in depth as to why it will be beneficial with regards to
financials.

The implementation of our ​Surtrac software will create a spark in the public eye
in terms of traffic and commuting. The community has become too accustomed to
wasting their precious time sitting in traffic. People will realize that current traffic
technology is old and this plan will help promote efficiency in commuting, creating a
better overall community.
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Plan
Specifically we want to install our high tech solutions in traffic lights right below
Klyde Warren Park. We want to implement our proposal here because a lot of
corporations are in this location, and reducing traffic in these specific streets will reduce
traffic that spills over into the highways causing a chain reaction of reduced traffic in the
Dallas community.

Figure 3:​ Map of Dallas

Google (n.d.). [Google maps


traffic view of Dallas] Retrieved
February 12, 2018 from
https://maps.google.com

Risk and Benefits


This project will especially be beneficial to Rapid Flow Technologies in terms of
exposure and community view. First the implementation of these traffic signals will
create public exposure of our company. Second giving back to the community will help
create a positive public image of our company, and that our company represents a good
and promising future. Finally, this program is essentially to our company because it will
create revenue after others see how beneficial and profitable it can be to their economy
and citizens. Not only only will this project benefit Rapid Flow, but more importantly, it
will benefit the people of Dallas. Drivers in Dallas will no longer have to spend a majority
of time on the roads, but instead, at their destination. A potential risk could involve a
short period of increased traffic during the time of switching out the traffic signals across
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the city. However, after the short period, traffic flow is forecasted to increase, leading to
less traffic congestion and happier drivers.

Risks and Benefits


Affected Party Risks Benefits

● Short period of ● Increase in traffic flow


increased traffic
● Decrease in traffic
Community
congestion

● Happier drivers

● More time at
destination than roads

● Lack of improvement in ● Public exposure of the


traffic may lead to bad company to Dallas as
image of company well as other cities with
Rapid Flow
high traffic congestion
Technologies

● Increase in revenue
can fund more Rapid
Flow innovations
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Marketing
In order to market Rapid Flow’s Technologies into the Dallas area, Rapid Flow
will not market directly to drivers, but to The Texas Department of Transportation, the
Dallas City Council, and to the general public. By promoting the benefits of replacing the
current traffic light signals around the city of Dallas with Rapid Flow’s ​Surtrac signals,
The Department of Transportation and the Dallas City Council, as well as to the general
public that will be utilizing the signals on the road, they can have a better understanding
as to how Rapid Flow’s technologies can significantly decrease traffic congestion in
Dallas.

A key marketing tactic that Rapid Flow can undertake in order to advertise and
promote the innovative real-time signal control technology would be to present
considerable statistics and graphs from implementing Rapid Flow in Pittsburgh, which
validates the decrease in traffic congestion. The statistics and graphs will display the
reason behind the need for Rapid Flow as well as the effects of it. Also, by creating a
cost-benefit analysis as well as a SWOT analysis, Rapid Flow can further explain why it
is reasonable to introduce the artificial intelligence technology into the city of Dallas.
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Budget
In order to implement this plan in an effective manner, the initial project and
budget will be based on the first 10 signals where the software is used. Based on the
budgeting that was used in order to implement the software in Pittsburgh the cost will
actually decrease per signal after the first 10 due to the fact that we can use the same
software code on multiple signals. The expected budget per signal is broken down into
2 costs (Shown in the table below).

Surtrac Software (per signal) $ 20,000

# of softwares implemented (initially) 10

Cost of Time, Labor, and MISC $ 10,000

Total Expected Cost $ 210,000

Cost Incurred By Rapid Flow Technology $ 105,000

Remaining Request to the DCC $ 105,000

Unlike many other proposals we don’t have to be on a time budget constraint.


The average time it takes for an employee to install the software in the signals is about
2 hours. This time frame includes Transportation to/from and installation. Based off of
that expectation, we can advance 10 signals in about 20 hours. Once the budget and
plan has been approved we can complete this proposal in 2 working days and be in full
effect. In order to test the software and to get the best out of the initial cost, we will
implement the software to the 10 most congested intersection in the Dallas area. We
will monitor the activity of that intersection for one month and compare them to the
estimated cost and time savings and present them back to the Chamber of Commerce.
Then we will create a second budget for the next 20 most congested signals in Dallas.
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Staffing
All staff members of Rapid Flow Technologies will be involved in the process of
implementing the system throughout Dallas. Construction crews will be compensated at
their regular rate for building the ​Surtrac system at the intersections. We will have office
members go to each traffic light where the system was implemented in order to retrieve
data on the performance of the system. We will provide a luncheon for all employees
that have contributed to the project to make it possible.

Construction Crew: ​Each crew will have about 4 members to help with the
construction of each traffic system at the intersection. After work is completed, they can
move onto more intersections and begin the process again. Each worker will be paid a
wage of $20 an hour. The amount of time it takes to finish installing each ​Surtrac
system should take about 2 weeks.

Owners: ​Griffin Shultz and Stephen Smith will deliver a presentation on how the project
works on the staff. They will also illustrate the process to the construction crew on how
to implement the system.
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Project Timeline
The initial launch of the project is anticipated to begin in August 2018. The first
step in the process is to gather funding for the project. The second step is gaining
government approval with the sector that deals with traffic regulation. Third step is
implementing the traffic system at 10 major intersections in the heart of Dallas. Final
step is expand the traffic system at other intersections throughout Dallas after gaining
data from the initial 10.

Funding: ​Begins July 2018. Accumulate the funds required for beginning the project
from the Chamber of Commerce.

Government Approval: ​Project approval August 2018. Talk with the agency that
regulates traffic to discuss how to implement the system.

Implement: ​Begin implementing ​Surtrac at major intersections August 2018. WIll first
be installed at 10 major intersections based on Figure 3.

Expand: ​Depending on success rate of ​Surtrac signals, start expanding Rapid Flow
Technologies January 2020. Implement more ​Surtrac systems throughout the rest of the
metroplex and beyond.
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Authorization request

Rapid Flow Technologies will participate in the Dallas Chamber of Commerce “Business Gives
Back” project contest to ensure social responsibility and community involvement.

Proposed Project: To promote efficiency of Dallas traffic, this project will install 20 high tech
Surtrac systems in selected Dallas traffic lights. These modifications to old traffic systems will
help improve daily commuter’s lives by reducing the amount of time wasted in traffic, and will
create a chain reaction that will benefit the whole community of Dallas.

Proposed Budget: $210,000

Project Managers: Jay Dave, Lily Gonsalves, Sameer Moosa, Akbar Mahmood, Riashat
Ishmam

As owners of Rapid Flow Technologies, we authorize the submission of this project to the Dallas
Chamber of Commerce. If the Dallas chamber of commerce accepts our project, we authorize
use of an allocated budget of $210,000, of which 50% will be reimbursed by the Dallas
Chamber of Commerce.

X_______________________________________

Rapid Flow Technologies CEO, Steve Smith


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References

“About.” Rapid Flow, Rapid Flow Technologies, LLC , rapidflowtech.com/about/.

de Bruijn, Eline. “Average Commuter Spent 2.5 Days Stuck in Dallas Traffic Last Year,
but It Could Be Worse.” Dallas News, The Dallas Morning News Inc., Feb. 2017,
www.dallasnews.com/news/transportation/2017/02/22/average-commuter-spent-
2-days-stuck-dallas-trafficlast-year-worse.

Google (n.d.). [Google maps traffic view of Dallas] Retrieved February 28, 2018 from
https://maps.google.com

Hethcock, B. (2018, February 6). Give me a brake: Dallas-Fort Worth traffic congestion
better, but still bad. Retrieved April 23, 2018, from
https://www.bizjournals.com/dallas/news/2018/02/06/give-me-a-brake-dallas-fort-
worth-traffic.html

INRIX. (2018). Dallas; TX's Scorecard Report. Retrieved April 23, 2018, from
http://inrix.com/scorecard-city/?city=Dallas; TX&index=22

“Intelligent traffic signals.” Surtrac,​ www.surtrac.net/​.

Solomon, Adina. “A New Smart Technology Will Help Cities Drastically Reduce Their
Traffic Congestion.” n​www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2017/04/a-new-smart-
technology-will-help-cities-drasticall.html​.
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