Systematic documentation is an important part of software development and deployment. Successful documentation will make information easily accessible, provide a limited number of user entry points, help new users learn quickly, simplify the product and help cut support costs. This is especially the case when it comes to promoting and deploying new technologies that potential customers are interested in but may have many questions to ask. For example, for Autonomous Maintenance Technology (AMT), a few typical questions may include: what can Autonomous Truck Mounted Attenuator (ATMA) system do and cannot do? What does it take and what is the procedure to purchase and deploy them? How to operate the ATMA system, and so on.

This project aims to produce a set of documents to provide systematic technical support for state DOT or other agencies that are interested in deploying ATMA. The following documents will be developed to support agencies at various stage of working with ATMA.

1. System Description Document. This document is designed to help DOTs that are at the early stage of exploring the technology. It provides an overview of the system and helps engineers and stakeholders understand the system’s purposes, features, functionalities and the underlying technologies.

2. System Test Manual. At the testing/QA stage, this manual supports DOT engineers in testing the capabilities of the system. It includes a list of clearly defined test cases, the procedures of performing the tests, expected outcomes, and necessary source codes and tools to perform statistical analysis and draw conclusions.

3. Concept of Operation (ConOps). At the deployment stage, ConOps describes the characteristics of ATMA system from the viewpoint of DOT engineer who will operate this system. It documents how ATMA system is intended to be used, and the external conditions expected during use of the system.

4. Development Needs Document. This will be a living document at normal operation stage to keep track of all future development needs. DOT engineers will be able to record, discuss, prioritize and track list of product bugs that need to be fixed, enhancements to be made, proposals for new features, and tasks to be completed. This living document will offer a tool/platform for pool fund member states, private vendors and other stakeholders to share and keep track of the product status.

5. ATMA User Manual Updates. This manual supports DOT engineers at the deployment stage. It includes a detailed description of the system components, functions, capabilities, contingencies, and step-by-step procedures for DOT engineers to access and use the system. Kratos has a preliminary version, and the team will update and polish the manual with no cost required for this task.

6. Other documents in need. If there are other documents that are missed for the promotion and deployment of ATMA, they can be added to the list.

The above-mentioned five documents will be delivered to support state DOTs that might be at different stages of purchasing and deploying ATMA system. Quarterly reports, and a final report will be prepared to document all the major findings and work from this project. Presentations and research papers will be produced and made publicly available.

A systematic documentation of Autonomous Maintenance Technology will support state DOTs and other agencies that might be at various stages of purchasing and deploying ATMA system. For the states that are at the initial exploring stage and want to understand more of the technology, the System Description Document will provide an overview of the system and the features. For the states that are interested in testing the technology, the System Test Manual will provide the procedure and necessary tools to facilitate the process. For the states that are deploying the technology, the ConOps and User Manual will support DOT engineers in system operation. For the states that are already using ATMA for normal maintenance work, the Development Needs Document offers a tool/platform for various stakeholders to share updates and keep track of the product status. Together, these documents help achieve the objectives of this pool fund to support and promote autonomous technologies in work zone applications

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