The three important processes in a cyber-physical system are sensing, computing, and communication.

In the context of transportation, sensing involves the monitoring of traffic flow and conditions and the actuation of traffic policies to optimize traffic flow. The project team developed a prototype Intelligent Advanced Traffic Control Modular Unit (i-ATOM) to handle these functions.

The next process, computing, involves traffic simulation, traffic forecasting, rerouting algorithms and many other measures that are required to analyze and suggest ways to optimize input traffic conditions. The T4Cast software, a travel demand analysis and forecasting software, was developed during project implementation to augment existing software programs in transportation engineering.

Finally, all these processes should be handled by a central unit to facilitate communication. The CPTS project crafted a draft architecture for this command center.