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As we are notified about news relevant to faculty partners, we will post it here. UTC: Introduction to FHWA Office of International Programs May 12, 2006
We, in the Office of International Programs, are particularly interested in partnerships which focus on international activities, technology exchange and border transportation issues. We know that, as representatives of UTCs, you are also interested in training and technology exchange activities. Our key programs are:
The International Technology Scanning Program accesses and evaluates innovative foreign technologies and practices that could significantly benefit U.S. highway transportation systems. This allows for advanced technology to be adapted and put into practice much more efficiently without spending scarce research funds to recreate advances already developed by other countries. FHWA and AASHTO, with recommendations from NCHRP, jointly determine priority topics for teams of U.S. experts to study. Teams in the specific areas being investigated are formed and sent to countries where significant advances and innovations have been made in technology, management practices, organizational structure, program delivery, and financing. Scan teams usually include representatives from FHWA, State Departments of Transportation, local governments, transportation trade and research groups, academia and the private sector. After a scan is completed, team members evaluate findings and develop comprehensive reports, including scan implementation plans. Since 1990, approximately 70 international scans have been organized. The program has resulted in significant improvements and savings in road program technologies and practices throughout the United States. Recent and future Scan topics are shown below:
An element of our Global Technology Exchange Program is the Border Technology Exchange Program (BTEP). There may be opportunities for possible partnerships between the UTCs and the existing six BTEP centers located in the Mexican border states of Baja California, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, Sonora and Tamaulipas. The BTEP centers are housed in the state universities in these states. The centers are in various stages of development and have undertaken numerous activities of transportation training, research, technology transfer and information exchange. Currently these centers partner with local, state and federal transportation entities in Mexico as well as the US State DOTs and universities. Some areas of interest of these Centers are:
If you are interested in building any of our OIP programs into your work plans, or would like to explore other areas of possible collaboration, please do not hesitate to contact me. We look forward to strengthening our relations with you and your colleagues. Cascadia Institute Future Trends in Energy Technology and Transportation [link] NOAA Request for Information April 26, 2006 (contact Samuel Williamson ofcm.mail@noaa.gov) 1. For surface transportation, the unintended consequences of weather-related incidents, accidents, and crashes include fatalities, injuries, property damage, lost productivity, reduced capacity, and delays. By meeting the weather needs of surface transportation users, we can often increase safety and realize economic benefits at the same time. To delineate the weather needs of surface transportations users, the Federal meteorological community, led by the Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology and the Federal Highway Administration, took on this important task that culminated in the December 2002 report entitled, Weather Information for Surface Transportation--National Needs Assessment Report, (available at the following Web site: http://www.ofcm.gov/wist_report/wist-report.htm). The report categorized the weather needs into the following six surface transportation sectors: roadway, long-haul railway, marine transportation system, rural and urban transit, pipeline systems, and airport ground operations. Please click here for additional details concerning these sectors. 2. Just recently, the Working Group for Weather Information for Surface Transportation (WG/WIST), a group made up of representatives from many Federal departments and agencies, began developing a plan that prioritizes the surface transportation weather information research needed to provide improved weather information and services to the surface transportation community. The goal of the WG/WIST: further improve the safety of the surface transportation system, and, equally important, improve the efficiency of the system to benefit the Nation’s overall economy. To help develop this plan, the working group has developed 3 fact-finding actions, detailed in paragraph 3, for which we need your input by May 12, 2006.Please click here for additional information concerning the WG/WIST. 3. Action Requested: a. The WG/WIST is developing a prioritized listing of the weather parameters/events that have the largest impact on the surface transportation system, contributing to fatalities, injuries, and inefficiencies (i.e., delays and increased costs). We request your inputs on what you believe these weather parameters/events are. Please provide your prioritized weather parameters/events list, categorized in one or more of the surface transportation sectors described in paragraph 1. For an example of how the Federal Highway Administration’s roadway weather-related impact data was provided, please click here. This is an example of how you might structure your input. b. The WG/WIST is also interested in learning if you are conducting/sponsoring or plan to conduct/sponsor (next 1 to 3 years) any surface transportation weather-related research or development. We would greatly appreciate your input on the following (click here for a template to use): (1) Name of the research project being conducted/sponsored. (2) Who is conducting the research? (3) What surface transportation weather-related problem are you trying to solve and what surface transportation safety, mobility or efficiency benefits do you see resulting from your efforts? (4) What prompted this effort to be started (e.g., report recommendation, DOT project)? (5) When are the results of the research expected to be available for others to use? Note: The WG/WIST also plans to hold a series of mini-workshops in early June to hear more about such R&D efforts, which will help cross-flow information between organizations and offer a forum for participants to become more familiar with the WG/WIST’s activities. We will provide more information on these workshops in the near future. c. Finally, we would be interested in your vision (3-10+ years) of how weather information will be used to optimize surface transportation operations and safety, and what specific hurdles must be overcome to reach such a vision. 4. Please contact us through Frank Estis at email address frank.estis@noaa.gov, phone number 301-427-2056, ext 27, or by fax at 301-427-2007 if you have questions, and to provide your input. The WG/WIST members look forward to working with you and thank you for your support.
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