Data and Decision Making for Operations

This webinar will feature two presentations on the use of data to support operations.

The first, "A Framework/Methodology to Support Data Fusion, Analysis, and Decision Making," address the wide variety of emerging data sources that are providing a tremendous opportunity for transportation agencies to improve their decision-making capabilities. However, the staff at transportation agencies and traffic management centers have traditionally not developed technical backgrounds in data science or data analytics. The proposed framework for data fusion and analysis attempts to fill this gap with a review of the mechanics of such analysis, along with motivating factors to describe why such a framework can greatly improve transportation performance, and achieve excellent benefit-cost outcomes. After providing an overview of the framework, this presentation will provide a pair of real-world case studies that bring the framework to life, and help analysts understand the process.

The second, "Data Integration, Sharing, and Management for Transportation Planning and Traffic Operations," will feature case studies on the use of data for planning and operations. Based on an on-going NCHRP 08-119 project to develop tools, methods, and guidance for improving data integration, sharing, and management practices, this presentation will discuss how transportation agencies, in collaboration with private-sector and public-sector stakeholders, can make better planning and operations decisions around a number of application areas.