IRIS
Intelligent Roadway Information System
Dynamic Message Signs (DMS)
Select View ➔ Message Signs ➔ DMS menu item
A dynamic message sign (DMS) is a sign which is capable of changing the message displayed to motorists.
The following features are supported:
- Querying currently displayed sign message
- Sending and displaying sign messages
- Querying sign configuration
- Querying diagnostic information
- Querying or sending fonts
- Sending graphic images to be displayed
- Travel time estimation
- Variable speed advisories
- Slow traffic warnings
- Free-form text entry with banned word checks
API Resources
iris/dms_pubiris/api/dmsiris/api/dms/{name}
Attribute permissions:
| Access | Minimal | Full |
|---|---|---|
| Read Only | name, location, msg_current, has_faults | sign_config, sign_detail, geo_loc, msg_sched, status, stuck_pixels |
| 👉 Operate | msg_user | |
| 💡 Manage | notes, hashtags | device_req |
| 🔧 Configure | controller | pin |
Checks of free-form text are also affected by the access level.
Setup
The DMS properties form has setup information.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Hashtags | space-separated list of hashtags for the sign |
| Remote beacon | beacon activated automatically when sign deployed |
| Static graphic | image of static sign in which DMS is inset |
Internal beacons are controlled through the DMS controller using the NTCIP protocol. Remote beacons are controlled using a separate comm link.
Styles
Each DMS can have a number of styles, depending on its current state. Styles are ordered by precedence, determining which color a map marker is drawn.
| Style | Description |
|---|---|
| Available | Sign is blank and ready to use |
| Deployed | Displaying an operator-defined message |
| Schedule | Displaying a scheduled message |
| External | Displaying a message from an external system (not IRIS) |
| Maint. | Sign requires maintenance, but might still be functional |
| Failed | Communication failure to sign |
| Purpose | Dedicated purpose sign |
| All | All signs |
Composing Messages
When a DMS is selected, a few things happen:
- the sign's location is displayed
- the current message is rendered
- the message pattern selector is populated:
- only patterns whose compose hashtag matches the sign
- only patterns containing NO action tags
When an operator chooses a pattern, a series of selectors is populated with message lines, depending on the fillable text rectangles. Any lines which are too wide to fit the sign are abbreviated as necessary.
The selectors may also allow free-form text entry, depending on the permision access level of the user:
- 👉 Operate: No free-form text permitted
- 💡 Manage: Free-form text checked for banned words
- 🔧 Configure: Any free-form text permitted (no check)
The message preview is updated as the user composes the message. When the Send button is pressed, a sign message is created and set as the operator message. The server then performs a validation check ensuring the user has permission for any free-form text.