The MAP (Management And Prognosis) system and the BOSS (Broad Overseer Sensing System) make up an onboard computer that will control the instruments, check its location using GPS, and report data back to base stations using the cellular phone system - all without involving the vehicle's driver, who just needs to follow his or her regular driving routine.
VOTERS will require new signal-processing methods. Deploying hundreds of sensing units will generate an overwhelming amount of information that requires the development of onboard data-reducing algorithms based on individual and fused data sets. Important data will be transferred via the cellular phone network to a back-end geospatial database that will buffer and store it. Road status compiled from the deployed sensors will be shown on the central electronic MAP system.
Some on-board processing will also be necessary to manage the sheer volume of data. To meet this need, the VOTERS team will custom develop the BOSS, computer software designed to process and register data on-board, as well as control each sensing component.