Sociotechnical
Plan for Dedicated Short-Range Communication (DSRC) Systems
https://tylerscafidi.blogspot.com/2025/03/blog-post-13-unit-9-individual-project.html
Tyler
L. Scafidi
Colorado
Technical University
March
9, 2025
Sociotechnical
Plan for Dedicated Short-Range Communication (DSRC) Systems
Dedicated Short-Range Communication (DSRC) is
a combination of several networking technologies that enable short-range
communication networks on a mass-scale (Everything RF, n.d.). One aspect of DSRC
are smart highways, which use 5G 802.11p technology to communicate with the
vehicles (V2V) and/or infrastructure (V2I) within its short-range. The main
idea is to convert many of the vehicles, road, and traffic signs into
network-enabled Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices. They would be able to take
advantage of the DSRC network, and report real-time granular data back to
operations centers.
I assume that there would also be some form of
monitoring/logging, which may be used as legal evidence. Another benefit is the
vehicle collision avoidance features that would be built-in, as enabled
vehicles report their location, heading, and speed approximately 10 times per
second (Everything RF, n.d.). Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems would be
layered on top of the technology to provide more efficient and effective
insights by being able to analyze mass amounts of data with east. While these
features provide many benefits, from a sociotechnical perspective, I am not
sure about the privacy and legal implications it can have on drivers.
Another form of large-scale networks would be
the FirstNet network project (FirstNet Responder Network Authority, n.d.). The FirstNet
Network program was designed for first-responders to have an always-available
wireless network to connect to while in the field. Today, it seems that
AT&T is administering a FirstNet program for first-responders (FirstNet, n.d.). Public access seems
very desirable, but calls to implement public access have not gone far.
Integrating the FirstNet and Dedicated Short-Range Communication (DSRC)
networks makes a lot of sense, but also increases the government’s breadth and
depth of your life they monitor.
Part I
Scope
Vehicle-to-vehicle
(V2V) and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) both offer many benefits that many
would agree on (Tie, 2024). One of the most
popular applications of the Dedicated Short-Range Communications (DSRC), which
also utilizes 5G cellular-V2X (C-V2X) connectivity, is for autonomously-driven
vehicles. Vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communications, which not only would provide
real-time data to surrounding enabled vehicles for traffic mitigation, but may
also be used in to remotely control a gride/cluster of vehicles.
Vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) would enable vehicles to provide real-time
traffic information to reports and administrators. As research progresses, I
will propose a sociotechnical innovation that utilizes V2X technologies.
The main
limitation for these innovations has to be the number of vehicles owned that
would meet the requirements to use these services. Infrastructure development
and/or upgrades would be costly (i.e. all traffic devices, roadways, everything
in-between, etc.). Privacy will most likely be an issue throughout the
technology, which owners will have to accept as a trade-off and/or mandate.
Retrofitting vehicles for integration with vehicle-to-everything (V2X) may be a
challenge, due to the numerous sensors required. There may be potential to
design an On-Board Diagnostics (OBD) adapter/device to transmit the very
minimum required data.
Purpose
Some of the
main reasons that Dedicated Short-Range Communication (DSR) is being
implemented is the demand for better traffic safety/incidents, have a more
realistic and centralized view of traffic patterns, better insurance/law
enforcement efforts, and autonomous driving (U.S. Department of Transportation & National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration, n.d.). Another benefit is having
a massive network that may be available wherever drivers go, and I have my own
interest on DSRC systems to develop, use, and try. Blind and lane change
warnings, forward collision warnings, do-not-pass (DNP) warnings, left turn
assist, intersection movement assist, and emergency electronic brake lights are
all some of the major purposes for vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and
vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) development. Projected impact would be up to 1,080
lives saved, around 600k traffic accidents avoided, and approximately 270k
injuries.
Supporting Forces
As mentioned
above, the accident, injury, and deaths saved is essentially worth it on their
own. On top of that, being able to rollout automation/Artificial Intelligence
(AI)-based driving and extended features is both exciting and frightening.
While these are some basic vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technologies, I imagine
that the software/after-market products and services available will also rapidly
increase in a new sociotechnical market. When systems are safely and reliability
automated, the automobile will transform into more of an entertainment vessel,
with driving capabilities. There are already automated self-driving taxis in
some cities, and having the feature available would be nice. Law enforcement
must also support the V2X projects, as they will likely be able to issue more
citations, track criminals more efficiently, and will be available to serve as
legal evidence.
Challenging Forces
In 2020 it
was estimated that implementation would cost approximately $350 per vehicle to
be compliant, and cost from around $300 million to $6.4 billion annually,
depending ( (U.S. Department of Transportation
& National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, n.d.). While the cost per
vehicle is relatively inexpensive, it would likely be supported by a tax rebate
or credit as many drivers would likely push back. Would it actually provide an
overall savings in the short- to long-run? How will drivers’ privacy be
handled, what breach potentials/impact, hacking vehicles and essentially
imprisoning their passengers, law enforcement, etc., are all serious concerns
drivers may have. Furthermore, how would a major national breach and
command-and-control takeover of highways, traffic systems, and automobiles in a
hostile attack? The United States has had its government systems hacked several
times in the past few years, as well as ransomware attacks on critical
infrastructure.
Methods
When it comes
to choosing an appropriate research method for this sociotechnical
product/service, I considered the following research method designs: the Delphi
method, the nominal group technique (NGT), and a structured design process
(SDP) approach. The Delphi method is designed to get feedback from remote
participants throughout several rounds (Ribaud, 2025). The nominal group
technique (NGT) is more informal than the Delphi research method, as it is
typically time-limited to a one-session meeting in which participants voice
their ideas to solve a problem, in a round-robin style, until a conclusion has
been reached. The structured design process (SDP) is a top-down/functional
solution approach to research, and incorporates modules/modularity (singular
components that are combined into one) (Encyclopedia of Information Systemsc, n.d.). It focuses on
sequence, selection, and repetition, when it comes to coding/information
systems design.
From the few search results I found,
structured design process (SDP) seems to be the most suitable research and
design methodology for information systems (ISs) (Encyclopedia of Information Systemsc, n.d.). Being able to
segment separate pieces of code, delegate tasks, and juggle priorities through
modular design is one of the most attractive SDP aspects. Since the approach is
top-down, focusing on fixing overarching issues versus smaller/user-level ones,
can be more effective than solving problems one-by-one, patching a system that
ultimately needs a new design. Additionally, SDP processes focus on sequence,
selection, and repetition, which is what code design is all about. The code
must be resilient for repeated use, with a target margin-of-error of zero
percent.
While the
structured design process (SDP) seems to be one of the most appropriate methods
for systems and software design for the vehicle-to-everything (V2X) systems,
the Delphi method could be integrated into user-feedback testing/beta stages.
Not only consumers, but agencies that work with the systems will also need to
provide iterative feedback. Since the demographic selection may be clustered
and geographically dispersed, making in-person interviews much more difficult
and expensive, Delphi method feedback loops and testing could help pre- and
post-launch.
Part II
Models
When
thinking about sociotechnical systems, it is important to understand exactly
what that means. Being able to visualize, classify, and disseminate information
spaces and functions is essential to understanding the sociotechnical system (Figure
1), similar to the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model’s technical design
needs (Figure 2) (Smart Building Academy, 2013; Whitworth & Ahmad, n.d.).
Figure one categorizes various levels of sociotechnical systems. For instance,
the Technology and Information Technology layers would be considered the
technical layers, while the Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) (i.e. preferences
like button sizes, layouts, accessibility, etc.) and socioecological layers
are non-critical desires upon how technology is used within society (Whitworth & Ahmad, n.d.). Figure two is a usefully
condensed overview of the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model. The OSI
model is used within technology to define various code or hardware spaces, such
as: physical (hardware) and the application layer (software). These segmentations
help to troubleshoot issues that may arise, and help in systems design. Figure three
provides an overview of a sample Access Control System (ACS) policy from a sociotechnical
system standpoint
Figure 1
Requirements for Socio-Technical Design
Note: Diagram
that visualizes how additional demands on technology have evolved within
Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and Socio-Technology Systems (STS) (Whitworth & Ahmad, n.d.).
Figure 2
The Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) Model
Note: Retrieved
from Smart Buildings Academy’s website (Smart Building Academy, 2013).
Figure 3
An Access Control System Policy from a
Socio-Technical Design Perspective
Note: This
model represents front-end versus back-end technologies and interaction,
retrieved from the Interaction Design Foundation (Whitworth & Ahmad, n.d.).
Analytical Plan
Analyzing data is always useful, for
informational purposes, for improvements, and to troubleshoot errors that may occur.
Since sociotechnical systems involve both qualitative and quantitative data (e.g.
experiences and technical), a mixed-methods approach should be designed, even
if not needed right away (George, 2025). By staging the
design analytical reporting metrics and environments, benchmarking those will
be more efficient. Of course, these designs can be done before, during, after,
or adjusted along the way to fit the productivity and design needs, but analysts
may benefit from segmenting the research into teams so that research richness,
efficiency, and expertise will be greater.
Some
Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based technologies may exist to automate a lot of
the reporting and management via centralized dashboards and robust analysis
features. However, it is important to take a holistic approach to qualitative
and quantitative sociotechnical system design (e.g. consider all stakeholders).
Not only must the technology suit the needs of the users and society overall,
but it also must fit the business’s needs, cultural alignment, and
requirements. I would check the results regularly, setting up alerts for warning-
or critical-type issues, at minimum. Then, I would setup a regular meeting, on
whatever interval/schedule makes sense, among all key personnel to review the
analytics, brainstorm new ideas, and collaborate on any persistent issues.
Anticipated Results
The social impact of change is basically how the
technology is impacting society. The main priority is typically whether it
works, if it stable enough, safe, privacy-focused (legally/within reason), and
if hot-patches can be released Over-the-Air (OTA) (e.g. mostly technical). On
the social side, I would expect there to be some resistance, learning-curves, high
consumer costs to convert/purchase new equipment and/or automobiles, and minor
bugs. Over time, with monitoring, analysis, and change management, the sociotechnical
system will become second-nature; possibly, even revered! After all, most of
the monitoring and penalties that could be imposed are just as present as they
are currently. Providing a customer-support ticketing system to track issues, net
promoter score/user-feedback surveys, Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
system, and skilled support teams are key to gauging the sociotechnical systems’
results.
Conclusion
Innovation
requires buy-in, support, and/or a desire to adopt the innovation. Within
organizations, discontent and dissatisfaction about innovations can cause toxic
work culture, and potentially lead to project failure. It is important to
solicit good and negative feedback. While the good metrics are nice to see,
often translate into profits, and successes, the negative feedback are the
areas of improvement that should be analyzed and built into the next iterations’
changes. Additionally, a customer dispute resolution process would also be
helpful to setting expectations, and also providing support while soliciting
issues with the sociotechnical systems. While it would be nice to solve all
issues, it is not always practical.
In
1962, a full framework for the diffusion of innovation was published by Everett
Rogers, a sociology professor (The Interaction Design Foundation, 2018). In it, he reviewed
over 500 case studies throughout various disciplines to determine what the defining
characteristics of innovations are. In his book, Rogers developed a five-stage
process that describes how innovation is diffused: 1) knowledge, 2) Persuasion,
3) decision, 3a) reject, 3b) accept, 4) implementation, and 5) confirmation (see
Figure 4 and Figure 5). The knowledge stage is mostly focused on awareness. Users’
interest to try the new innovation is considered the persuasion stage. Users
make decisions about whether or not they will accept the new innovation in the third
stage. Once a user decides to adopt the new innovation, it must be implemented;
innovation ownership experience should be closely monitored to ensure end-users
have satisfactory post-sales support. The fifth stage (confirmation) could be
considered a user-loyalty metric; it is where they will decide whether or not
to continue using the innovation.
Figure 4
Everett Rogers’ Five-Stage Process for the
Diffusion of Innovation
Note:
Adapted from Ryan and Gross’s 1943 study about the adoption of hybrid seed
corn, which identified key innovation stages: adoption, importance of mass
communications, and interpersonal networks (The Interaction Design Foundation, 2018).
Figure
5
The
Five-Stages of Innovation Diffusion
Note:
Derived from Everett Rogers’ 1962 book “Diffusion of Innovations” (The Interaction Design Foundation, 2018).
It is also noted that adoption
and innovation are not the same, as it relates to sociotechnical perspective (The Interaction Design Foundation, 2018). Adoption is more
about how the user begins to feel comfortable and enjoys using the innovation.
Diffusion is centered around all stakeholders. Rogers also suggested that
innovation be studied through social networks, and that those networks should
be analyzed, and provided white-glove support. Additionally, there is an
emphasis on learning through failure, which does not always translate into
innovation failure, but can be a result of several other circumstances (i.e.
competition, lack of knowledge, unaware of innovations’ utility, etc.).
Areas of Future Research
While Dedicated Short-Range Communication (DSRC)
is certainly innovative, it has some limitations (Tie, 2024). Vehicles using DSRC
must have a line-of-sight (LOS) to the sensors in order to communicate, and can
be problematic when there is typical interference from surround infrastructure
and environments. Scalability is also an issue, as the DSRC technology uses only
one particular band to transmit, which can be a problem for growth/integrations.
Furthermore, DSRC is not used as much in some areas of the United States as
others, and some have speculated about re-purposing the wireless bands there.
On
the other hand, Cellular Vehicle-to-Everything (CV2X) is a newer standard,
which leverages 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) LTE and 5G
cellular standards (Tie, 2024). Meaning, it has two
ways to communicate (redundancy): direct short-range communication (a PC5 interface),
and long-range cellular communications (Uu interface). Since CV2X has the
ability to perform direct and cellular connections, it is much more versatile
and reliable. By leveraging existing cellular infrastructure, reliability, and
management, costs can be mitigated while being backed up by resilient and
trustworthy networks. Additionally, CV2X is designed for forward-compatibility with
5G networks (i.e. ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC), massive
machine-type communication (mMTC), etc.). However, cellular reliability and coverage
can also pose an issue. Companies like Starlink and T-Mobile are already
delivering cellular service via satellite enhancements (T-Mobile USA, Inc., n.d.).
Overall,
innovation requires serious buy-in and trust (Lane, Marlani, Chew, & Holden, 2023). Trust is reported
to enable innovators to be creative, improves information flow, and supports
adopting new innovations. One key component to instilling trust within
governmental organizations is to understand what roles are truly needed for the
innovation. Project teams are a great way to accomplish subject-matter expert
(SME)-based participation. Knowing that each stage takes time to adapt to reinforces
the project’s commitment to solving any issues that may arise in a serious
manner. Deloitte recommends determining what is important, assigning appropriate
talent-based roles, and to maintain an open-line of communication to instill
trust and goodwill.
From a cybersecurity
standpoint, I just imagine the number of new hosts that will be assigned Internet
Protocol (IP) addresses (Cloudflare, n.d.). I have heard of
issues with IPv6 and its assumed inherit security/needlessness for
certificates, and also know that it was created to accommodate the already crowded
IPv4 space. Internet Protocol version six (IPv6) has the ability to use 128-bit
addresses, which can also be sub-netted, as compared to 32-bit IPv4 (Welsh, 2012). The actual IPv6
address space can hold ~340,282,366,920,938,463,463,374,607,431,768,211,456, or
340 undecillion (3.4 x 1^38) IP addresses, but even that number is not as
accurate (considering reserved addresses). Overall, I see it being a total
nightmare, or a major success.
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