Operation control center for automated vehicles: Conceptual design

Purpose: Although automated vehicles are actively being tested in public areas, they are still limited to the operational design domain and require human assistance. The goal of this paper is to develop a concept for a module-based operation control center (OCC) that enables effective and safe deployment of different types of automated vehicles. Methodology: In order to determine the modules of an OCC, the findings from the requirements engineering from the research project 'AS-UrbanÖPNV' were combined with a market analysis. For a better understanding of the interaction of the OCC functions, a cross impact analysis was conducted. Findings: Different use cases were collected and the functional requirements for an OCC were derived. Based on this, a modular architecture of an OCC was created. Finally, future research needs with respect to data analysis were discussed. Originality: The existing OCCs are mostly specialized on the particular vehicle type or transport purpose and hardly take into account the environmental data. A scalable and adaptable OCC architecture can offer synergy effects and many advantages.