We would like to invite you to the Association of Transportation Professionals of Indian Origin (ATPIO) annual meeting at the 2020 TRB Annual Meeting in Washington DC.
Date and Time: Sunday, January 12, 2020 from 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM
Location: TRB Annual Meeting, Room 103B Convention Center, Washington, DC
Like previous ATPIO meetings, this will also be semi-formal setup. Agenda and further details will be provided prior to the meeting. It is an opportunity to become member, student member and/or volunteer of ATPIO.
Feel free to forward the invite to your colleagues and friends who will be attending TRB and will be around on Sunday. This is an excellent networking opportunity to get started at TRB 2020.
Webinar Registration: Please register for the webinar by filling out your details in https://bit.ly/2rlsWX6 or sending emails to atpio.secretary@gmail.com, with the following subject: “Webinar Oct 2019 Registration”.
Abstract:
The drones aerial perspective and data collecting abilities make them a viable tool, offering benefits that range from on-site safety to remote monitoring to disaster management. The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) is responsible for all modes of transportation in North Carolina. NCDOT maintains one of the largest highway systems in the nation with nearly 80,000 miles of highway statewide. NCDOT is also responsible for more than 13,500 bridge and an additional 4,500 culverts and pipes. North Carolina has nearly 3,300 miles of mainline railroad track and approximately 5,000 crossings as well as 72 publicly-owned airports. From post disaster to regular inspections NCDOT has integrated drones to ensure safety and reduce delays. Topics covered in this session include examples of infrastructure inspections, disaster response, UAS Integration Pilot Program (UAS IPP), best practices, lessons learned, etc.
Speaker: Darshan Divakaran President & Founder of Airavat LLC
Darshan Divakaran is a UAS technology evangelist with expertise in unmanned and manned aviation, flight operations, airborne safety, remote sensing, geospatial analysis and program management. His areas of focus include Unmanned Traffic Management (UTM), Counter-UAS (CUAS) and Urban Air Mobility. He is an international Keynote speaker in Unmanned Technology and is also a life changing motivational speaker.
In his role as UAS Program Engineer with NC Department of Transportation’s (NCDOT) Division of Aviation, he is the subject matter expert on unmanned aviation for the North Carolina Governor’s office, legislature, state agencies and public safety organizations. He leads efforts to work with federal government, state & local agencies, public safety agencies, industries and academia to integrate a statewide UAS program. He leads the flight operations and airborne safety during natural disaster and emergency response for the state with focus on post storm infrastructure inspection and airspace deconfliction. Darshan also overlooks the flight operations safety for North Carolina’s UAS Integration Pilot Program that focuses on medical & standard package delivery and infrastructure inspections under NCDOT. In his multiple functions with NCDOT, Darshan also leads the research, outreach, and extension efforts.
Darshan is the founder and president of Airavat LLC, a company that provides UAS program management and training support to federal, state and local agencies nationwide. He is the UAS subject matter expert for Aerospace Arizona Association and Arizona Regional Economic Development Foundation. Airavat has a team of experts from regulatory, transportation, public safety, law, academia, and training that is helping guide the unmanned future for the state of Arizona.
Darshan holds a Master of Geospatial Information Science and Technology degree from North Carolina State University and BS in Professional Aeronautics (with minor in Aviation Management) from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. He is also an FAA certified commercial pilot with multi-engine rating and holds a FAA part 107 remote pilot certificate.
Iowa State University Tom Maze Seminar along with ATPIO is jointly hosting a webinar on “Asset Management of Transportation Infrastructure” on 8th March, 2019; 12:00 PM ET (10:30 PM IST).
Webinar Registration: Please register for the webinar by filling out your details in https://bit.ly/2rlsWX6 or sending emails to atpio.secretary@gmail.com, with the following subject: “Webinar Mar 2019 Registration”.
Abstract:
With trillions of dollars invested in the US transportation infrastructure, the need for its well-planned life cycle management is undeniable. This presentation will discuss Vision, Mission, Goals & Components of basic asset management plans; as they relate to infrastructure health, safety and transportation mobility. Further, it will discuss required multi-disciplinary approach, conceptual framework and the process of systematic lifecycle management of transportation assets. Although focus of the presentation will be on roads, bridges and highway infrastructure, the conceptual framework and process will be similar for other modes of transportation, as well. The presentation will include observations and examples of post- Interstate era asset management practices in US. It will conclude with observations on potential hurdles, relevant issues and current trends in the development and implementation of transportation asset management plans.
Speaker: Arun Shirolé, PE, FIE President & CEO, S & A Shirolé, Inc.
Arun Shirolé has Master’s degrees in civil engineering and in business administration. He was a Transportation Fellow at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. Mr. Shirolé is internationally well known for his engineering and management expertise. He has over 40 years of experience covering planning, design, construction, rehabilitation and maintenance of bridges and highways. He was the first Executive Director of the National Steel Bridge Alliance (NSBA) and is now NSBA’s Executive Director Emeritus. Previously, he served as the Director of Structures and the Deputy Chief Engineer (1989-95) for the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) in Albany, NY. Mr. Shirolé is well-known for directing the development and implementation of NYSDOT’s comprehensive Bridge Management and Safety Assurance (BSA) Programs as well as NYSDOT’s own Uniform Code of Bridge Inspection. Mr. Shirolé has been involved in the constructability reviews of Owensboro Bridge in Kentucky and T Y Lin’s Signature, Bay Bridge design. In 2001-02, he served as a member of the Independent Review Team of national experts for Woodrow Wilson Bridge in Washington, DC. Mr. Shirolé was responsible for risk assessment and mitigation aspects for highway infrastructure in the development of asset management framework for the Interstate System.
The Transportation Research Group of India (TRG) invites you to the city of Bhopal to participate in the 5th biennial Conference of the TRG (CTRG-2019) between 18 to 21 December, 2019. The objective of the conference is to create and provide a forum within India for interchange of ideas among researchers, educators, practitioners, managers, and policy-makers in transportation in India and around the world. We intend to cover a wide spectrum of topics related to transportation of people and freight.
Abstract specifications: The title of the paper should be mentioned at the top of the page. The title should be written in Times New Roman font of 12 pt size, bold faced, sentence case, single spacing and center justified. After the title, a space of 24 pt should to be provided. Please note that the author(s) details (like Name, email, affiliation, etc.) should NOT be provided in the entire body of the abstract. The abstract would start with the word ‘Abstract:’ written in bold and without indent. The abstract should be written in Times New Roman regular font of 12 pt size, single spacing and double justified. Avoid underline or highlights on the text.
The abstract should consist of three to four paragraphs. The first paragraph should introduce the research problem, its background and the scope. The second (and, if required, the third and the fourth) paragraph(s) should broadly describe the methodology adopted, salient findings and contributions of the study. Each paragraph should start, without any indent, but with a 12pt line gap with respect to the last line of the previous paragraph. Promotion of any commercial product should be strictly avoided. The abstract should not contain any tables or figures. References should be avoided in the abstract. If, however, they are completely unavoidable, then the references should be listed briefly and as footnotes. In any case, please do not include more than three references. The reference list should include the authors name, journal/ conference title, and the volume and page numbers, wherever available. If the reference is to an online source then the appropriate URL should be mentioned. If abbreviations are used in the abstract, it should be put within parenthesis (where it is mentioned for the first time) immediately after the full form. The total length of the abstract should not exceed 800 words.
It is reiterated, that there should not be any indication about the authors’ identity in entire abstract page. Further, provide the following information at the end.
Theme:
Sub-theme:
Word-count:
Keywords:
[button link=”https://atpio.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Abstract-guidelines-CTRG-2019.doc”] Download Word Template for Abstract[/button]
For submission of abstract in 5th CTRG, 2019 conference, the corresponding author (henceforth referred as ‘you’) will have to create an account in “https://easychair.org”.
Click on “Sign up for an account”to create an account. Follow the necessary instructions and fill in the details as required.
After creating an account and logging into your account, go to “My Submission” to submit an abstract.
Provide all the required information and click on the tab “Submit”after attaching your abstract (in pdf format only). Provide all the co-authors’ details also on this page.
If you want to submit another abstract (before logging out) then go to “My Submission” again and also complete step 5 again.
Once you have submitted abstract(s) you can log out. If you want to submit another abstract at a later date then please log in to your account and got o “My Submission” again and also complete Step 5 again.
The final results/acceptance of abstract will be notified by the chair of 5th CTRG, 2019 through email. The decision will also be notified in your “easychair” account. Expect the decisions to reach you as per schedule available on http://ctrg2019.trgindia.org/CTRG-dates.php
As a kid, I loved watching cartoons. One of my favorites was the “Jetsons”. Flying cars, drones, high rise buildings and robots, this futuristic vision of the world of 2062 was simply fascinating. Today, as we witness the breakthroughs of the digital era, it seems the Jetsons future is here sooner than ever.
Jetsons Show 1962
Transportation industry constantly thrives to make transit faster, safer and more effective for its passengers. The improvement in transport technology has come in terms of enhancing the existing modes or expanding through new innovations. Self-driving cars, robo-taxis, flying cars, air-taxis, and driverless buses or trains are recent innovations which are transforming the travel experience. With advances in lightweight material, computer modeling and artificial intelligence these innovations are turning into reality.
The increase in vehicle population has lead to gridlock traffic. Road infrastructure is already stretched out, there is not enough space to expand anymore. Thinking outside the box, the idea is to expand the infrastructure vertically. On one side Elon Musk’s boring company explores the world below while many others aim to soar high with flying cars. From the “Jetsons” show to “Blade Runner” and “Back to the Future” movies, flying cars best symbolize the future. It is the most anticipated innovation of the century whose roots of development are dating back to the early 1900s.
In 1917, Glenn Curtiss built an Autoplane with three wings spanning 40 feet. Airphibian designed by Robert Fulton (1946) was the first flying car to be certified by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) which could drive at 50mph and fly at 120 mph. The wings and the tails section of the plane could be removed and it took 5 minutes to convert to a car. The most successful car to date is the AeroCar designed by Moulton Taylor. It cruised at 120mph in the air and received approval from the FAA. In 1970, Ford Motor Co. considered marketing this vehicle which was later called off due to the decade’s oil crisis. Although these pioneers were unable to develop a viable flying car, they inspired a group of enthusiasts who carried the work further.
AeroCar (Source: eaa.org)Airphibian (Source: Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum)Autoplane (Source: aerofiles.com)
Today, automobile giants and Silicon Valley startups are partnering with avionic industries to populate the skies with their flying cars. One of the forerunners in this race is Terrafugia, a U.S. based (Chinese owned) corporation whose road-able airplane model Transition is set to hit the markets in 2019. The development of this prototype began in 2006, from wherein it has undergone several tests and received exemptions from FAA and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). It is a light-sport aircraft model which will require a licensed pilot for operation and can carry up to one passenger.
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Boeing has started its efforts to develop air taxi prototypes which it expects to test later this year. Last year, Uber revealed its prototype for air taxi program and aims to conduct test flights in Dallas or Los Angeles by 2020 and begin commercial service by 2023. Airbus is working with Volkswagen’s Audi to design a flying car. It is also separately developing autonomous single and four seated aircraft. Hence, the future with flying cars is coming soon and the real question is whether the consumers and infrastructure are ready to accept it.
Flying cars are truly exciting to imagine but bringing them to reality means there are many challenges to overcome before they can truly help improve the transportation today. At a time when self-driving cars are facing the heat of safety concerns, the concept of self-flying cars may fail to impress the consumers. Uncontrolled air traffic can lead to mid-air collisions which are dangerous to passengers as well as pedestrians on the ground. Land pad infrastructure has to be well designed to regulate the landing and take-off of flying cars to ensure smooth air traffic. While flying there have to be “air” rules to ensure smooth and safe traffic flow. To tackle these safety concerns, rigorous testing must be conducted. Laws and regulation are required to control the vehicles from converting erratically and taking flight.
Flying cars can be manually controlled or be autonomous. For manual control by humans, they will have to be trained appropriately and given authorization via license to fly. Autonomous flying cars will reduce human-induced errors and remove the burden of flying training and licenses. Autonomous flying cars will be safer with higher passenger capacity. A fully autonomous system can be better trained to travel through harsh weather conditions and crowded air traffic. Coupling this technology with navigation systems can provide a comfortable and hassle-free ride.
Flying cars have to be environment-friendly. They should have minimal contribution to air and noise pollution. Companies are aiming for a hybrid or pure electric fuel technology with flying cars with less charging times. To make flying cars a competitive transit mode to others such as rail, bus or ridesharing services means they have to affordable. The cost of a Terrafugia Transition is expected to be over $300,000. The advanced and expensive technologies used for manufacture increases the market price for these flying cars. Similarly, in the case of air-taxis it will be difficult to provide a competitive price for air ride as compared to the land ride or provide flying cars to own at a modest cost.
2019 is an important year for mobility with many innovations such as air-taxis, flying cars and robo-taxis all set to start their ventures. The advancements in technology show true promise for flying cars but they are still a few years behind in helping the transportation industry. Flying cars demand a lot in terms of infrastructure and market to facilitate their vision. Flying cars is one element in the big system of travel network that needs to be designed vertically to support them. To live in the world of Jetsons, inclusive growth of vertical infrastructure, transportation network and vehicle technology will be required.
Arun Shirolé has Master’s degrees in civil engineering and in business administration. He was a Transportation Fellow at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. Mr. Shirolé is internationally well known for his engineering and management expertise. He has over 40 years of experience covering planning, design, construction, rehabilitation and maintenance of bridges and highways. He was the first Executive Director of the National Steel Bridge Alliance (NSBA) and is now NSBA’s Executive Director Emeritus. Previously, he served as the Director of Structures and the Deputy Chief Engineer (1989-95) for the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) in Albany, NY. Mr. Shirolé is well-known for directing the development and implementation of NYSDOT’s comprehensive Bridge Management and Safety Assurance (BSA) Programs as well as NYSDOT’s own Uniform Code of Bridge Inspection. Mr. Shirolé has been involved in the constructability reviews of Owensboro Bridge in Kentucky and T Y Lin’s Signature, Bay Bridge design. In 2001-02, he served as a member of the Independent Review Team of national experts for Woodrow Wilson Bridge in Washington, DC. Mr. Shirolé was responsible for risk assessment and mitigation aspects for highway infrastructure in the development of asset management framework for the Interstate System.
The Transportation Research Group of India (TRG) invites you to the city of Bhopal to participate in the 5th biennial Conference of the TRG (CTRG-2019) between 18 to 21 December, 2019. The objective of the conference is to create and provide a forum within India for interchange of ideas among researchers, educators, practitioners, managers, and policy-makers in transportation in India and around the world. We intend to cover a wide spectrum of topics related to transportation of people and freight.
