TRB Applying Census Data for Transportation: 50 Years of Transportation Planning Data Progress: Call for Abstracts Due May 25th

Dear Colleague,

It is a pleasure to invite you to the “Applying Census Data for Transportation: 50 years of Transportation Planning Data Progress Conference”. The conference is organized by The Transportation Research Board, and the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Census Transportation Planning Products (CTPP) program and will take place in Kansas City, MO on November 14-16, 2017. 

The conference will focus on the use of census data for transportation applications by exploring the results of current research, sharing experiences of practitioners who are using census data, and defining potential strategies for practical improvements in data use for current and emerging data needs.

Call for Abstracts: 

Please submit your abstracts electronically at https://s.zoomerang.com/r/Censustrans and limit your abstract to no more than 400 words by May 25, 2017. 

Final enhanced abstracts for publication in the conference proceedings will be due by October 15, 2017. Enhanced abstracts may be up to 1,200 words or two pages. Complete papers may also be submitted. 

All submitters will be notified via email by June 26, 2017. Authors whose abstracts are accepted will be asked to confirm their conference registration and attendance by July 18, 2017.

Direct all questions to Mai Le at 202-334-2827 or mqle@nas.edu. 

Student Paper Competition:

Papers should be NO longer than 7,500 words including the abstract, text, references, figures, and tables. Each table, figure, or photograph counts as 250 words. Papers should conform to generally accepted guidelines for academic quality papers. TRB criteria may be used (http://onlinepubs.trb.org/onlinepubs/am/2017/PreparingPapersforPublicationTRR.pdf)

A paper or written description must accompany any submissions that are media oriented. 

Completed submissions are due to Ms. Mai Le of TRB at MQLe@nas.edu by midnight onAugust 1, 2017. Accompanying the submission should be an electronic pdf file of a letter signed by both a faculty advisor and the entrant attesting that the paper satisfies the eligibility conditions. Authors will be notified of their status via email by September 1, 2017.

Direct all questions to Ed Christopher, Conference Chair at edc@berwyned.com.

Please register now if you would like to participate in the conference. An Early Bird registration will be due on September 13, 2017.

Best Regards, 
Transportation Research Board 

PIARC gathers international experts on Disaster Management in Japan

The World Road Association (PIARC)’s Technical Committee E.3 “Disaster Management” with PIARC’s National Committee of Japan, in cooperation with the Japan Road Association and other partner organizations such as the Road Engineering Association of Asia and Australasia (REAAA), organize an International Workshop on “Disaster Management for Roads” in Tokyo (Japan), next 31st May 2017.

The main objective of the workshop is to provide a common platform for experts to share experiences and discuss issues and challenges related to disaster management for roads.

It will gather national and international representatives of public and private organizations and will foster dialog and exchange of knowledge, ideas and experiences related to disaster management for roads. It will feature disaster management experts as keynote presenters.

In conjunction with this workshop, PIARC’s Technical Committee E.3 will hold its third meeting in Tokyo on May 29-31, 2017.

These events should prove insightful and they confirm the standing of Japan as a very active member of the World Road Association.

Webinar: A Case Study from Maricopa County Connected Vehicle Test Bed

A Case Study from Maricopa County Connected Vehicle Test Bed: How have Traffic Signal Systems Transitioned to Connected Vehicle Enabled Systems?

Webinar on APRIL 20, 2017 (Thursday) at 1:00 PM (US Eastern Daylight Savings Time)

Webinar link: https://connect.extension.iastate.edu/atpio/

Registration: Please register for the webinar by sending email to atpio.secretary@gmail.com, with the subject line: “Webinar April 2017 Registration”

Abstract:

The foundation of rapidly advancing connected vehicle technology was the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) allocation of 75 MHz of spectrum in the 5.9 GHz band to be used by intelligent transportation systems (ITS). The primary purpose of this allocation is to drastically reduce crashes and improve road safety through the Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) and Vehicle-to-Infrastructure (V2I) communications and applications. USDOT is leading the connected vehicle program and the program has advanced to pilot deployment stages. The three pilot deployment sites – New York, Tampa and Wyoming are in the deployment process. The national test beds including the Maricopa County test bed in Anthem, Arizona developed through the MCDOT SMARTDrive ProgramSM and in partnership with Arizona State DOT and University of Arizona continue to facilitate the development, testing and implementation of technology and applications with emphasis on traffic signals.

The presentation will provide overview of the connected vehicle technology and will focus on the deployment of MCDOT SMARTDrive test bed and applications in Maricopa County, Arizona.

About the Speaker, Faisal Saleem:

Faisal Saleem is the Intelligent Transportation Systems Branch Manager for Maricopa County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) in Arizona. He is responsible for the overall supervision and management of MCDOT and AZTech ITS Projects, REACT Incident Management Program and MCDOT Traffic Management Center. He is the Chairperson of the AZTech Advanced Traveler Information Systems (ATIS) Working Group. Saleem also serves as the MCDOT SMARTDrive Program Manager and is the Chair of Deployment Guidance Technical Working Group of the National Vehicle -to– Infrastructure Deployment Coalition.

Saleem has a Bachelor and Masters Degree in Civil Engineering and is a graduate of University of Maryland Operations Academy Senior Management Program. He is the former President of Intelligent Transportation Society of Arizona (ITSA) and founder President of Indian Engineers Forum in the Middle East.

 

ATPIO and TRG Webinar on March 31st – “Current Trends and Future Prospects for Transportation Systems”

ATPIO and TRG are jointly hosting a webinar on “Current Trends and Future Prospects for Transportation Systems” on March 31st at 11:00 am CDT (9:30 pm IST).

The webinar will present an overview of the current trends facing the transportation sector in both the developing and the developed countries, how the rapid changes in technology are going to transform the ways we transport people and goods and what needs to be done to meet these challenges. The focus of the discussion will be on surface transportation.

The presenter for the webinar is Dr. Kumares C. Sinha, Edgar B. and Hedwig E. Olson Distinguished Professor of Civil Engineering at Purdue University.

USTDA Wins India Smart Grid Forum’s President Award

USTDA’s South–Southeast Asia Regional Team receive the India Smart Grid Forum’s President Award for Promotion of Smart Grids in India

The U.S. Trade and Development Agency was awarded the India Smart Grid Forum’s President Award for Promotion of Smart Grids in India, in recognition of work to advance India’s grid modernization efforts.

The President Award is presented to an India Smart Grid Forum (ISGF) member that has made the best contribution towards the growth of smart grids in India.  Since 2004, USTDA has sponsored ten smart grid activities addressing topics such as distributed energy resources (DER), the viability of solar powered microgrids for two rural villages, and utilizing automated demand side management solutions to manage peak demand.  On these activities, USTDA partnered with both public and private sector utilities, as well as U.S. companies, to pilot innovative solutions tailored to India’s unique electricity needs.

The award was presented during India Smart Grid Week in New Delhi. At the inaugural session, USTDA’s Regional Director, Henry Steingass, spoke on the importance of involving the regulator in smart grid development. Mr. Steingass noted, “What is needed is a greater philosophy on how regulatory decisions can be made, taking into account benefits that customers may see in terms of more reliable power and the electric services, what they are able to bring.”

ISGF, which bestowed the award and organized India Smart Grid Week, is a public-private partnership initiative under India’s Ministry of Power.  (Visit USTDA for more)