Celebrating all the winners of the TSMO awards is one of the great joys for NOCoE and a testament to the sustainable and growing practice of TSMO. The TSMO awards have become an incredible source of the latest TSMO practices, a recognition amongst peers of outstanding achievements, and affirmation that we are all on the right track.
 
I wanted to recognize the winners and runner-ups. For the winners, we've included their case studies and case study videos in this newsletter. Next week we'll follow-up with the case studies of the runners-up. 

Best TSMO Project
Winner: PennDOT – TSMO Performance Program and Traffic Operations Analytics Tool
Runner-up: Bellevue, WA – Accelerating Vison Zero with Advanced Video Analytics
 
Agency Improvement
Winner: NCDOT – TIM Training Track
Runner-up: Florida DOT – District 2 Personnel Development
 
Work zones
Winner: Iowa DOT – Comprehensive Work Zone Management Program
Runner-up: Maricopa County DOT and Arizona DOT – AZTech Smarter Work Zone

Project Selection
Winner: PennDOT – Regional Operations Plans
Runner-up: Nevada DOT – TSMO Investment Prioritization Tool
  
As the winners become the nominees for the TSMO Overall Award, make sure to keep an eye out in a couple of months for our Live award ceremony. 

PennDOT’s real-time incident and congestion information allows for actionable decisions to keep their highways safer for the traveling public. 

Case Study: TSMO Performance Program and
Traffic Operations Analytics Tool 
by Pennsylvania Department of Transportation

• How PennDOT used PennDOT’s Crash Reporting System (CRS) and Road Condition Reporting System (RCRS), with a traffic speed probe data from INRIX, and crowd sourced incident data from Waze to help make TSMO decisions.
• How the data aggregation increased the accuracy of incident timeline milestones and allowed for adding a new measure to the traditional incident timeline, “incident influence time” which is a measure of the duration it takes for the road to get back to normal operating condition after an incident occurs.
• How the application’s design has allowed for the creation of a “real time” incident timeline outlining incident congestion ebbs and flows.  

North Carolina DOT built a traffic incident management (TIM) training track to provide a lifelike classroom to increase incident response time, improve air quality, and help save the lives of responders.

Case Study: Traffic Incident Management (TIM)
Training Track
by North Carolina Department of Transportation

• How traffic incident management (TIM) response training can be done safely in a test track facility
• How a test track can provide training in a multitude of physical features encountered in all three regions of the North Carolina: coastal, piedmont, and mountain, as well as incorporate a broad range of physical characteristics that allow agencies to practice various incident work zone applications and vehicle maneuvers
• How the test track education and training can reduce incidence clearance times.

Iowa DOT’s proactive work zone management strategies improve the safety of the traveler and reduce the effects of delays from work zones.

Case Study: Comprehensive Work Zone Program
by Iowa Department of Transportation

• How Iowa DOT developed a detailed, five-year Work Zone Management Service Layer Plan to clarify the tactical areas in which the Department should apply its limited time and resources.
• How the plan incorporates resources for determining Traffic Critical Projects (TCP) and provide resources for mitigation countermeasures that integrated into the project Design Manual
• How Iowa DOT successfully monitors and provides feedback using Real- time Performance Monitoring, Flex- Enforcement, Smart Arrow Boards, and Iowa Work Zone Data Hub, a Work Zone Council, Annual Work Zone Safety Awards and Improved Data Driven Work Zone Process Review Procedures.

PennDOT's Regional Operations Plans initiated collaboration and long-term planning activities to improve the safety and mobility of their travelers.

Case Study: Regional Operations Plans
by Pennsylvania Department of Transportation

• How Regional Operations Plans were developed with cooperation with stakeholders including MPOs and RPOs, FHWA, PennDOT Central Office & District Planning & Programming staff, PennDOT District Safety, Design, and Construction Engineers, PennDOT County Maintenance Departments, the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission, as well as local emergency responders, transit agencies, universities, and the local National Weather Service office
• How the Regional Operations Plans play an important role in regional Long- Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) and Transportation Improvement Plan (TIP) processes by helping to secure future capital funding for projects incorporating TSMO solution
• How using a wide range of stakeholders for the Plans resulted in strong relationships with planning partners and buy- in and funding support.

Sign-up now to solve a real-world transportation challenge

The National Operations Center of Excellence (NOCoE) and the U.S. DOT ITS JPO PCB program are hosting a competition for students to work directly with public agencies to solve real-world transportation problems utilizing ITS and TSMO solutions.

How It Works:
Student teams will assemble to work with a State or local DOT, MPO, or transit agency to define a transportation problem. After signing up and identifying the team and the problem, students will work with academic advisors to learn about potential ITS and TSMO solutions via online training programs outlined below. Teams will then utilize their experience, education, and new coursework to develop a solution or suite of solutions to directly address the originally defined problem. Students will submit their solutions via a proposal. Finalist teams will develop a presentation and then participate in an event during the summer of 2021. Teams will give a presentation in front of a panel of judges made up of leaders in the ITS and TSMO community. One team will then be selected as the 2021 Transportation Technology Tournament Winner.

The 2018 - 2020 tournaments featured extremely competitive teams with innovative solutions. More information on previous years is available here.

Challenge Problems: 

If You're a Student: 

If You're an Agency: 

Safety Service Patrol (SSP) Idea Sharing Network:

SSP Truck Show and Tell

February 10, 2021 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm | Register

On Wednesday, February 10, 2021, from 1 PM to 3 PM EST, SafeHighways.org will host its nineteenth Safety Service Patrol Idea Sharing Network webinar with support from NOCoE. The topic, selected by attendees from the previous session, will be SSP Trucks and will be set up as a ‘Show and Tell’ participation webinar. During this interactive 2-hour session, SSP professionals will have the chance to see the different types of equipment and vehicles from several SSP operators across the country. Presenters will go live in their SSP garages and will highlight best practices and discuss what makes their equipment/trucks different from other states. The audience will view the interiors and exteriors of SSP trucks, in addition to any technologies or equipment that make their job more efficient. If you are interested in participating as a presenter in this webinar, please contact ssp@safehighways.org.

More information on speakers and registration can be found here.

The Benefits of Regional Collaboration: Workforce Development, Construction Management, and RTSMO

February 18, 2021 1:30 pm - 3:00 pm | Register

This webinar will discuss the lessons learned, in promoting collaboration and coordination and ultimately the development of a process that links goals, context, objectives, strategies and tactics that is currently being incorporated into the guiding principles of traffic signal program management, signal operations and maintenance processes, system engineering and procurement and the importance of performance measurement to sustain resources. This webinar will focus on the ways that regional collaborative efforts have led not only to the intended purpose, but also provided opportunity for workforce development, construction management, and strengthened programmatic structures.

Moderators:

• Natalie Smusz-Mengelkoch – Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc.

Presenters:

• Eddie Curtis (FHWA, Arterial Management Program)
• Kenn Fink (Kimley-Horn) and Kate Shearin (GDOT)
• Steve Levine (TRANSCOM)

More information on speakers and registration information can be found here.

Talking TIM Webinar Series: February 2021

February 24, 2021 1:30 pm - 3:00 pm | Register

The Talking TIM webinar series, brought to you by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), provides a forum where TIM champions with any level of experience can exchange information about current practices, programs, and technologies. Each month, the FHWA TIM Program Team will feature content that highlights successful programs, identifies best practices, and showcases technology that advances the profession. The webinar agenda will include: 

• HAAS Alert – Cory Hohs, CEO & Co-Founder will provide information on features and benefits from this early warning system for notifying drivers of upcoming responder activity.
• MakeWay Safety – Bill Bader, President will provide information on features and benefits from this early warning system for notifying drivers of upcoming responder activity.
• I-Cone – Ross Scheckler, CTO will highlight Internet of RoadWork products that report work zone data directly to navigation systems and in-dash of connected cars.

More information on speakers and registration information can be found here.

Talking TIM Webinar Series: March 2021

March 24, 2021 1:30 pm - 3:00 pm | Register

The Talking TIM webinar series, brought to you by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), provides a forum where TIM champions with any level of experience can exchange information about current practices, programs, and technologies. Each month, the FHWA TIM Program Team will feature content that highlights successful programs, identifies best practices, and showcases technology that advances the profession. The webinar agenda will be announced soon.  

More information on speakers and registration information can be found here.

Each month, NOCoE provides a PDH tracking sheet to assist webinar attendees with keeping track of their professional development activities. The PDH credits are available for those attendees who register and attend the live webinar.

To see more on the PDHs please go to: transportationops.org/pdh. All upcoming NOCoE Webinars can be viewed from NOCoE Calendar.

The short video below walks through the Traffic Management Systems and Centers resource pages. The video describes what you can find and the features within the TMS pages allowing you to understand and refer back to the webpages when you need it.

There are three great features of the TMS pages that we want to pilot and continue to develop for the TSMO community.

1. Asking a question to find help - A blog style feature that allows you to ask a question that will be answered by the TSMO community along with special attention from the TMC pooled fund study
2. Submit Examples or Resources - The process to submit other examples or resources is through a simple form and follow-up by the NOCoE Team. The success of this feature relies on all of you to keep resources current
3. Submit a new Research Idea - A growing feature used primarily by AASHTO's Committee on Transportation System Operations that is also available to all researchers to draw ideas and collaborate further

As we continue to enhance the methods and tools to transfer TSMO knowledge within our community, we are consistently reminded of the great people that have helped get us to where we are. Resources within the TMS pages are possible due to the intrinsically motivated practitioners that strive to move our industry forward.

The 2020 NOCoE Annual Report is now available. Please watch the video below or click on the button for the full annual report. 

Here are some examples of how this service can help you:

• Looking for resources on any topic of TSMO
• Looking for an expert on a particular TSMO topic
• Researching new technologies or initiatives
• Learning more about an existing initiative that NOCoE is involved in
• Anything TSMO

Schedule your session today!