Sociotechnical Plan About Dedicated Short-Range Communication (DSRC) Systems
Dedicated Short-Range Communication (DSRC)
is the use of acute-band wireless technologies to enable the Internet-of-Things
(IoT; interconnectivity of devices to the Internet) (Everything RF, n.d.). The
two main technologies are referred to as Vehicle-to-Infrastructure (V2I) and Vehicle-to-Vehicle
(V2V) (Tie, 2024). Since there are several other “vehicle-to” technologies, they
are commonly abbreviated with the generalized Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) all-encompassing
phrase. One of the main pushes for the technology is automated driving.
Vehicle-to-Infrastructure (V2I) could
communicate with smart highways, cellular broadband, and/or any smart sensors/infrastructure
(Tie, 2024). By enabling Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) abilities, vehicles would be
able to communicate with each other (Tie, 2024). The main reasons have been
noted as better collision mitigation, but I look at the ability to put vehicles
into a virtual grid/network for autonomous control (U.S. Department of Transportation & National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration, n.d.). Not only would vehicle automation be a benefit, but traffic devices,
sensors, cameras, and any/all monitoring devices the government wants to put in
to “enhance our lives”, they probably will.
Scope
This sociotechnical plan analysis
contemplates how implementing Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) technologies will impact
society/culture. While many of the features would certainly enhance drivers’
daily lives, there is potential for serious misuse/abuse by officials,
third-parties, and attackers. Additionally, the cost and number of vehicles,
highways, devices, etc. to implement these technologies affordably will present
several challenges. The timeline for a nation- or global-wide project would be
very hard to estimate, but I anticipate 10 – 30 years for the complete
phase-out. The V2X technologies are highly regarded for their potential to
reduce vehicle collisions, and autonomous driving (U.S. Department of Transportation & National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration, n.d.).
Purpose
The main purpose of this
sociotechnical plan analysis is to become familiarized with some of the bleeding-edge
technologies, determine if there is any potential for me to have a role in that
space, how it will impact society (i.e. people, environment, privacy,
productivity, traffic mitigation, etc.). While these technologies are not fully
rolled-out yet, several Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) and Vehicle-to-Infrastructure
(V2I) systems, infrastructure, and automobiles have already been designed and
tested (Tie, 2024). So, getting in on the ground-level is somewhat difficult,
but I anticipate that a large market will be developed for third-party vendors
to sell add-on technologies or software. How would Artificial Intelligence (AI)
help or harm sociotechnical implications?
Thoughts
In order to setup resilient automated
driving systems, both highways and vehicles need to be networkable and
reliable. Smart highway projects have been going on for years, but this
technology would go a step further than smart reflectors to guide systems via
wireless and/or Internet-enabled technologies. The Dedicated Short-Range
Communication (DSRC) project would implement specific 5Ghz wireless connectivity,
but would work with other vehicle technologies. Smart road sensors/reflectors
may be a great redundant system, in case of outages with the main or local user
networks, but would be very costly, inefficient, very time-consuming, and would
require regular maintenance, audits, and replacements.
I like the technical aspect of having
such a granular reach on data, but I also get concerned about a surveillance-/police-state
society. The television show “Person of Interest” is a great example of my concerns.
Another may be the movie “The Adjustment Bureau”. However, I have seen some reflective
but transparent film that can be put over license plate characters to prevent
automated scanners from identifying their vehicle. So, the infinite battle between
good and evil will continue. The impact to the national traffic grid could be
horrendous, and deadly for drivers.
My main interests with Dedicated
Short-Range Communication (DSRC) are the features I will be able to get, the
interwoven nature of the Internet with my life, and what I can do to make money
in that market. How can privacy and safety be maximized so that trade-offs are clear
and reasonable? What will the government do about older, non-compliant
vehicles? The U.S. Department of Transportation &
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (n.d.) published a report in
2020 that estimated older
vehicles could purchase the compliancy hardware at around $350 per vehicle, for
basic compliance/limited features, and around $300 million to $6.4 billion
annually. Just like electric/”green” vehicle rebates/credits were subsidized by
the government, now ended, I anticipate a similar program would still be needed
to convince the majority population to buy-in. Even credits, refunds, or some
other incentive to comply would be great, other than the looming paranoid conspiracies
I have about why I need a recording device on me everywhere I go so that the
government can monitor, enforce laws from, and track me. That is an entirely
different conversation though.
References
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
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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