NOCoE News: 2027 TSMO Awards submissions now open.

Headline News
Plus, apply now for the 2027 Transportation Technology Tournament
NOCoE Logo

November 12, 2026

Table of Contents
2027 TSMO Awards
2027 TTT
Digital Infrastructure Summit
Webinar Recordings
Upcoming Webinars
Industry News

 2027 TSMO Award Submissions Now Open
The NOCoE Transportation Systems & Operations (TSMO) Awards celebrate the strategies and tools that leverage existing infrastructure to increase safety and reliability. Each year, NOCoE recognizes one Overall Winner alongside champions in four core categories: Best TSMO Project, Agency Improvement, Emerging Trends and Technologies, and Artificial Intelligence in TSMO.

Winners are celebrated at a national industry event, and their work is featured by NOCoE's partners. Beyond the recognition, most submissions are transformed into NOCoE Case Studies, creating a library of actionable tactics for other practitioners. Join the ranks of recent winners—like Connecticut DOT's wrong-way driving system or Oklahoma DOT's real-time snowplow tracking—by sharing your agency's success.

Submit your project by January 29, 2027, to be considered for a 2027 TSMO Award!
LEARN MORE

Team Up for the 2027 Transportation Technology Tournament
The 2027 Transportation Technology Tournament (TTT) is officially open. Hosted by NOCoE and ITE, this annual event pairs public agencies with student teams to solve real-world transportation challenges. This year’s focus is on Artificial Intelligence for TSMO and ITS.

Finalist teams win an all-expenses-paid trip to pitch their solutions to industry judges at the ITE Annual Meeting in Calgary, Canada.
Iowa State University won the 9th annual Transportation Technology Tournament (TTT) for their work on a Connected Vehicle-based queue warning system aimed at addressing secondary crashes on rural interstates. 
LEARN MORE

The Missing Links in Data-Driven Operations
Better data doesn’t automatically mean better operations. According to the 2026 Digital Infrastructure Summit Report, achieving real-time interoperability requires solving three non-technical challenges: federated data sharing, sustainable funding models, and workforce development. Discover how transportation leaders are connecting these pieces to expand TSMO capabilities.
READ THE FULL REPORT

Webinar Recordings
Connected & Automated Vehicles: V2X Funding & Procurement
National Kickoff Webinar: Crash Responder Safety Week 2026
Road Weather Spotlight Series: Enhance Your Deicing with Direct Liquid Application

Upcoming Webinars
Building Better Projects: Tools for Operations Projects
December 1, 1:00 - 4:00 p.m. EST

Description
Join NOCoE and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Office of Operations for a webinar featuring a newly developed Practitioner Resource Packet with templates, checklists, spreadsheets, sample tables, and real-world agency examples to support key phases of operations project planning and development.

The webinar will also feature state and local DOT practitioners sharing examples of tools and approaches their agencies have developed and used to support operations project planning and development.
REGISTER
Multimodal Integration for TSMO
December 8, 1:00 - 2:30 p.m. EST

Description
Join NOCoE and the FHWA for a webinar exploring how state, regional, and local transportation agencies are integrating multiple modes of transportation into their TSMO programs and projects to improve overall transportation system performance.

The webinar will highlight findings from FHWA's Multimodal Integration for TSMO project, including current practices, gaps, and opportunities for advancing multimodal integration. Participants will also get a preview of a new practitioner checklist designed to help transportation agencies incorporate multimodal considerations into TSMO programs and projects.
REGISTER
Port Community Information Sharing System: Phase 2 Overview & Live Demonstration
December 9, 1:00 p.m. EST

Description
Join us for an overview and live demonstration of the U.S. Department of Transportation's Port Community Information Sharing (PCIS) System — a simplified, open-source platform designed to improve real-time information sharing, freight movement, and collaboration across U.S. port communities. The session opens with an introduction to the PCIS initiative, its research foundation, and the vision for advancing nationwide port community information sharing.

Attendees will then experience a live walkthrough of the PCIS simulation environment, featuring realistic, stakeholder-informed use cases and an interactive demonstration of the system's interface and core capabilities, followed by an overview of the platform's backend architecture, deployment approach, and openly available source code and technical documentation.

Presenters:
  • Heather Monteiro (Leidos) — Program Manager 
  • Sean Duffey (Leidos) — Lead Front-end Designer and Developer for PCIS Phase 2
  • Chris Castillo (Leidos) — Lead Software Engineer for PCIS Phases 1 & 2
REGISTER

 Professional Development Hours Available

NOCoE provides Professional Development Hours (PDHs) for all live webinar attendees. PDHs are provided in collaboration with AASHTO, based on guidance provided by National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES). 
LEARN MORE

Industry News 

RFP-29241 - RFP for 2026 511 and Express Lanes Operational Services (Metropolitan Transportation Commission) 

World Cup’s lessons will help cities, transit agencies with the 2028 Olympics (Smart Cities Dive)

Utah is trying something new to curb crashes at busy intersections (Salt Lake Tribune)

RIDOT installs 700-pound concrete covers to combat copper theft (WJAR-TV)

Arkansas Transportation Summit Explores Predictive Technology, Data To Improve Highway Safety (Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette)

USDOT Champions Roadway Safety, First Responders During Crash Responder Safety Week (FHWA news release)

TxDOT partners with Texas DPS to promote safe driving behaviors & help end streak of daily traffic deaths (TxDOT news release)

WVDOT Video Encourages Work Zone Safety: Slow Down, Stay Alert & Avoid Distracted Driving (WVDOT video)

First International Standard For Trusted Simulation For Automated Vehicles Published (Highways News)

Birmingham adopts digital platform to improve traffic and help drivers navigate road closures (AL.com)

State DOTs Support Crash Responder Safety Week (AASHTO Journal)
Twitter
Instagram
LinkedIn
YouTube
Website

About the National Operations Center of Excellence 

 
National Operations Center of Excellence (NOCoE) provides services to the transportation systems management and operations (TSMO) community to saves lives, improve travel times, and enhance economic vitality. With an emphasis on workforce development, NOCoE aims to assist in the deployment of technologies and the mainstreaming of TSMO solutions by fostering education, networking, communication, and knowledge transfer.

For more information, please visit www.transportationops.org.
Contact Us
National Operations Center of Excellence
555 12th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20004
Ph: 202.624.5478

Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.
Headline News