Sociotechnical Plan for Dedicated Short Range Communication (DSRC) Systems
Tyler L. Scafidi
Colorado Technical University
March 2, 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 realtime 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 (First 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-infrstructure (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 realtime 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 realtime 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 freightening. 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 reliabiliy 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 Systems, 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 Systems, 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 (MoE) of 0%.
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 (to be completed in week 9)
Models: Include at least 1–2 visual models.
Analytical Plan: How will you evaluate it?
Anticipated Results: Discuss the social impact of change.
Conclusion: How innovation is diffused within an organization or society? (2 pages of final analysis)
Areas of Future Research: What is needed in the future?
References
Encyclopedia of Information Systems. (n.d.). Structured design. Sciencedirect.com. Retrieved March 2, 2025, from https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/computer-science/structured-design
Everything RF. (n.d.). What is DSRC (Dedicated Short Range Communication)? - everything RF. everythingrf.com. Retrieved March 2, 2025, from https://www.everythingrf.com/community /what-is-dsrc
FIRSTNET. (n.d.). Nationwide broadband for first responders & public safety at FirstNet. firstnet.com. Retrieved March 2, 2025, from https://www.firstnet.com/
FirstNet Responder Network Authority. (n.d.). The Network | First Responder Network Authority. firstnet.gov. Retrieved March 2, 2025, from https://firstnet.gov/network
Ribaud, A. (2025, February 20). Comparing the Delphi method & nominal group technique | Triducive. triducive.com. https://triducive.com/2024/09/27/comparing-the-delphi- method-and-the- nominal-group-technique-ngt/
Tie, H. L. (2024, October 3). V2X Vehicle-to-Everything Communication – the future of Autonomous connectivity. keysight.com. https://www.keysight.com/blogs/en/inds/auto/2024/10/03/v2x- post
U.S. Department of Transportation & National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. (n.d.). Vehicle- to-vehicle communication technology. nhtsa.gov. Retrieved March 2, 2025, from https://www.nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.gov/files/documents/v2v_fact_sheet_101414_v2a.pdf
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