SunGuide Training

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SunGuide Training Overview

FDOT Central Office provides a number of training opportunities that are designed to cover the major areas of SunGuide installation, maintenance, configuration, and operations. The intent of each of the training topics is to be a starting point for understanding. Due to SunGuide’s complexity and its ability to be highly SunGuide customizable, the best way to learn how to use, operate, and maintain SunGuide and the ITS system that it controls is by hands-on experience. FDOT realizes this and has designed the various topics of SunGuide Training to provide the foundation knowledge and an ongoing reference point for continual learning.

Training Topics

SunGuide training covers the following training topics and is typically conducted in multiple steps in order to train different staff. If the same staff within an agency has multiple responsibilities, some of these training topics may be combined in conjunction with each other. 

  • Operator: This training provides information essential for traffic management center (TMC) operators. It explains what to expect from the system and how to use SunGuide from an operator’s perspective as it fits into the operations of a TMC.
  • FL-ATIS Style Guide: This training provides guidance how SunGuide should be configured in order to conform to statewide standards of naming and reporting traffic information to the Florida Advanced Traveler Information System (FL-ATIS). This training is provided upon an initial deployment of SunGuide and when major changes are made to the statewide standards.
  • Administrator: This training outlines how to configure and maintain the SunGuide system from a system administrator’s perspective. This training is typically provided with every major SunGuide release in order to highlight the changes made as part of the release.
  • Deployment: This includes hands-on training and steps an agency’s staff through deploying the SunGuide, in its entirety or in part, on an agency’s system. Training is provided for new SunGuide deployments and for major releases of SunGuide and varies depending on how SunGuide is deployed, how it will be used, and what is being updated.
  • Database: This training provides basic database maintenance and operation information, specific to SunGuide’s database. Key points of interest are highlighted, including dos and don’ts, in order to provide the agency’s the skills needed to successfully maintain their SunGuide database.

How Training Works

Every SunGuide deployment is different in order to meet the specific needs of each agency. In order to best fit the SunGuide Training with a specific deployment, FDOT works closely with each agency to identify an agency’s needs and tailor the training accordingly. This is by guiding through an agency through the following steps:

  • Operator Training: Either following SunGuide deployment and configuration or in conjunction with these efforts, Operator Training is provided to expose operations staff with the system and to provide a baseline of information about how SunGuide is used within TMC operations. Agencies continue operator training over the course of the days and weeks following the FDOT-provided training in order to instill an intimate knowledge of using the SunGuide system software.
  • Administrator Training and Configuration: Following SunGuide deployment, FDOT provides Administrator Training and guidance and/or recommendations on how their system should be configured in order to operate most effectively. As part of this configuration guidance, FL-ATIS Style Guide training may also be provided to ensure that an agency is properly following statewide standards and guidelines.
  • SunGuide Deployment: During the actual software deployment of SunGuide, whether it’s a new installation or a SunGuide upgrade, FDOT will step an agency through the deployment process via Deployment Training. In addition to this training, Database Training may also be provided to educate agency staff on how to properly maintain their SunGuide database.

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Request SunGuide Training

In most cases, SunGuide Training is tied to major SunGuide deployments and/or new deployments of SunGuide at an agency. In these cases, FDOT will automatically work with agencies to schedule training that best suites agency’s staff’s needs. However, additional training may be requested due to a number of reasons such as: staffing changes, training on previously unused portions of SunGuide, refresher courses, or specific questions.

If an agency has one or more specific questions about their system, especially if the questions include detailed scenarios, scheduling formalized training may not be necessary. For these cases, there are number of different avenues that an agency can explore. The following are some of these options:

  • Entering a Footprints “Information Request” Ticket: Key agency staff will be provided a login to the Footprints issues tracking system upon the initial SunGuide deployment. This system allows users to report SunGuide issues/bugs and to pose questions to FDOT about SunGuide-specific functionality.
  • Bringing up the Issue/Question at a SunGuide Software User’s Group (SSUG) Meeting: SSUG meetings are held quarterly and are open to all SunGuide users. The purpose of these meeting is to bring new ideas and current issues that can be discussed openly and provide recommendations to the Change Management Board (CMB), who approves SunGuide changes/modifications. Contact FDOT staff for the schedule of the next SSUG meetings.

To find documents related to SunGuide training click here.