Feasibility of Streaming Media For Transportation Research and Implementation Final Report Prepared by: Drew M. Coleman July 2007 Research Project SPR-2231 Report No. 2231-F-05-11 Connecticut Department of Transportation Bureau of Engineering and Highway operations Division of Research Keith R. Lane, P.E. Director of Research and Materials James M. Sime, P.E. Manager of Research i TECHNICAL REPORT DOCUMENTATION PAGE 1. Report No. 2. Government Accession 3. Recipients Catalog No. 2231-F-05-11 No. 4. Title and Subtitle 5. Report Date Feasibility of Streaming Media for July 2007 Transportation Research and 6. Performing Organization Code Implementation SPR-2231 7. Author(s) Drew M. Coleman 8. Performing Organization Report No. 2231-F-05-11 9. Performing Organization Name and 10. Work Unit No. (TRIS) Address 11. Contract or Grant No. Connecticut Department of Transportation CT Study No. SPR-2231 Division of Research 13. Type of Report and Period Covered 280 West Street Final Report Rocky Hill, CT 06067-3502 February 2001-June 2007 12. Sponsoring Agency Name and Address Connecticut Department of Transportation 2800 Berlin Turnpike 14. Sponsoring Agency Code Newington, CT 06131-7546 SPR-2231 15. Supplementary Notes Conducted in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration 16. Abstract This report is intended to serve as a guide for transportation personnel in the development and dissemination of streaming video-based presentations. These were created using streaming media production tools, then delivered via network and Web-based media servers, and finally, viewed from the end-users’ PC- desktops. The study focuses on three popular streaming media technology platforms: RealNetworks®, Microsoft® and Apple®. In-house video production was undertaken for a variety of uses within the agency. Department of Justice Section 508 and handicapped accessibility (ADA) was addressed by transcribing the spoken word into text and then synchronizing it to each presentation. Conservation of network bandwidth was paramount throughout the research project. Streaming media servers were established on both LAN and WAN, and demonstrated how streaming media can enhance ConnDOT’s communications. Later, a Web-based media server was established on a robust Internet backbone. This valuable resource continues to be used for “live” Webcasts of national conferences and regional meetings, facilitating communications between this agency and the national transportation research community. Video on demand (VOD), accessed through ConnDOT’s Internet Website, demonstrated a wide variety of communication missions, including the dissemination of transportation research findings and implementation efforts. The streaming media library can be perused at http://www.ct.gov/dot/video. 17. Key Words Streaming video, 18. Distribution Statement Streaming media, ADA, Windows Media No restrictions. This document is Video, Webcast, Video on demand, available to the public through the (VoD), SAMI, Producer for National Technical Information Service, PowerPoint, Web-based training, Springfield, VA. 22161 distance learning. 19. Security Classif. (Of 20. Security 21. No. 20. Price this report) Classif.(Of this page) of Pages N/A Unclassified Unclassified 108 Form DOT F 1700.7 (8-72) Reproduction of completed page authorized DISCLAIMER The contents of this report reflect the views of the author who is responsible for the facts and accuracy of the data presented herein. The contents do not necessarily reflect the official views or policies of the Connecticut Department of Transportation or the United States Government. The report does not constitute a standard, specification or regulation. The U.S. Government and the Connecticut Department of Transportation do not endorse products or manufacturers. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The author wishes to acknowledge the support of personnel from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). In particular, the author would like to thank and acknowledge Ms. Barbara Breslin and Mr. Stephen Cooper from FHWA’s Connecticut Division office. Thanks are offered to the following ConnDOT personnel as indicated below: Mr. James Sime, the Manager of Research, Mr. Donald Larsen, a Transportation Supervising Engineer, and Mr. Keith Lane, the Director of Research and Materials Testing, for their continual support throughout this research project. From the Office of Communications, Mr. Christopher Cooper, Director from 2003-2006, and Mr. Robert Moore, Visual Media Designer, and from the Division of Training and Staff Development, Ms. Cheryl Malerba, Director, for their support for utilizing and advocating the use of streaming media technologies here at ConnDOT. In memory and appreciation of Mr. Daniel Paradis, ConnDOT’s Webmaster until April 2007, for his willingness and past assistance with incorporating new streaming media-based presentations into the Department’s Website. From the Office of Information Systems (OIS), Mr. Charles Dew, Mr. Jose Romero, Mr. Robert DiScipio (retired), Mr. Thomas Perrone (retired), and Mr. James Goodwin, for their support and allocating this research project a portion of the Department’s network bandwidth. From the Division of Research, Ms. Susan Hulme, for the many hours she spent transcribing the research project’s videos into text for use in captioning and, Mr. James Sime, Mr. Donald Larsen, and Ms. Dionysia Oliveira for their assisting in this document’s final preparation. The video production crew, assembled on an ad hoc basis, for helping to develop this Department’s webcasting capability. They are Mr. Robert Moore, Mr. George Carbonell, Mr. Bennett Zinkerman, Mr. Roberto Rodrigues, Mr. James Moffett, Mr. Jeffery Scully, and Mr. Alan Lisitano. Ms. Alberta Goodwin, Mr. Matthew Dodge, Ms. Lynn Luzusky and Mr. James Schaedler Jr. (retired) of ConnDOT’s PC Support group, for their graciously participating in the production of the Help-Desk videos. From the Division of Highway Operations, Mr. William Stoddard (retired) and Mr. James Mona, for allowing this research project to investigate streaming media’s potential value using ConnDOT’s traffic camera infrastructure. These personnel, outside ConnDOT, contributed to the project as follows: From the Connecticut Network (CT-N), Mr. Thomas Paquette and staff, for demonstrating early-on, that live Webcasts and video-on-demand (VOD) can be used to better serve the public. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS (continued) From the Connecticut Department of Information Technologies, Ms. Anne Pomeroy Dixon (retired), DOIT Agency Liaison to ConnDOT, for facilitating the deployment of ConnDOT’s first Internet-based streaming media server located at the State’s Data Center (CATER). Ms. Donna Shea, Director for the Connecticut Technology Transfer Center, for having developed “Tour of the T2 Center” which is showcased in this research report. From the Department of Administrative Services, Ms. Donna Camillone and Ms. Maureen Friedman. Their collaboration with ConnDOT during the development and webcasting of the Procurement 101 Training continues to be a valued and well-utilized on-line resource for procurement officers throughout the state. Ms. Meredith Trimble, Director of Education from the Office of State Ethics (OSE) and Ms. Alison Sexton, an Attorney in ConnDOT’s Legal Office, for helping to develop Web-based Ethics Training for State of Connecticut employees. Mr. William Hengstenberg, Director of the UConn Health Center’s Video Production Department, for information he provided about the Center’s video production and media-hosting services. The Bob Pike Group Training Consultants, for supplying the source for a reference used in this research report. And finally, four enthusiastic cooperative education intern students from Central Connecticut State University, who diligently and skillfully participated in this research project by creating effective demonstration media and Web pages. In appreciation, they are Mr. Maxwell Ziegler, Mr. Jameth Mikan, Mr. Paul Borysewicz, and Mr. James Miesel. v LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS ASCII text file format TXT Adobe Acrobat personal document file extension PDF Microsoft Advanced Streaming Format file extension ASF American Association of State Highway and Transp. Officials AASHTO Americans with Disabilities Act ADA audio/video AV audio video interleave AVI bit–mapped image file extension BMP California Department of Transportation Caltrans Central Connecticut State University CCSU charged coupled device CCD closed circuit television CCTV compressor/decompressor Codec cooperative education intern student coop compact disc recordable CD-R computer processing unit CPU Connecticut Administrative Technology Center CATER Connecticut Department of Transportation ConnDOT Connecticut Highway Motorist Patrol CHAMP Connecticut Management Advisory Committee CMAC cathode ray tube CRT Connecticut Television Network CT-N constant bit rate CBR Connecticut Department of Administrative Services DAS Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection DEP Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles DMV Connecticut Department of Information Technology DOIT Constant bit rate CBR digital image stabilization DIS digital subscriber line DSL digital versatile disc-recordable DVD-R digital video DV digital video interface DVI digital video recorder DVR disk operating system DOS domain name system DNS E-Transcript Court Reporting file extension PTX Federal Highway Administration FHWA file transfer protocol FTP frames per second fps gigabits per second Gbps