Message From the Executive Director

By Dennis Motiani

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One blink of the eye and it’s August already! Time flies when you are having fun, so they say. I’m having fun and hopefully all of you are too! Seven months have gone by since we launched the NOCoE and much has been accomplished already with additional services lined up between now and July of 2016. The website has seen an uptick in repeat users and we have added 500 plus documents over the last few months. We have published six newsletters now with some excellent content based on comments we have received. However, I would like to know what you think about the newsletter and its contents. Did you get a chance to read Malcolm Doherty’s incredible article in last month’s newsletter? There is an equally amazing one from Carlos Braceras in this newsletter so please don’t miss it!

The NOCoE has hosted four webinars on various subjects so far and a virtual peer exchange for a state DOT to assist them in planning a special event. This was just a warm-up as the summer sizzle starts now!  I’m happy to report that the technical services plan is finally complete. The plan includes 22 webinars, 8 in-person peer exchanges including follow-ups on previously held Regional Operations Forums (ROF), 5 -6 virtual peer exchanges, a national summit and offering thought leadership through newsletters, peer exchanges, video webcasts etc.  -  all to be held between now and July 2016...this is an ambitious agenda and we are ready to move forward to accomplish our goal.  Many thanks to those who helped me prepare this technical plan…it was a huge undertaking and I am grateful for their assistance.  I would like to get your feedback on whether you think workforce development would be a good topic for the national summit.  Please jot me a note and let me know.  I also want to advise you that in the very near future, the entire Technical Service Plan will be shared through the NOCoE’s website.

The Tennessee DOT peer exchange on TIM took place on July 15th and 16th. My hearty congratulations to Phillip B. Freeze (Brad) of TDOT for pulling this peer exchange together. It consisted of 49 participants from several state DOTs, law enforcement agencies, fire, towing and EMS. Many productive and creative discussions occurred and will be captured in a report and we will share it with you when completed.

The first of six webinars to be held on Capability Maturity Model Assessment findings from 40 agencies gets underway today. One Webinar will be held every two weeks. There are webinars planned on various topics that you have requested such as: performance measurements, connected vehicles, ICM, TSM&O research, TIM, ATM, MAP21 NPRDM, workforce development, etc. We are trying to meet as many of your needs as possible.

I am very happy to mention that we now have a Twitter and a LinkedIn account! Please follow us on both. Thanks to Denise Markow of New Hampshire DOT who convinced me that the Center needs to have a YouTube channel. Please click on the link to view this channel.

That’s it for now. If you plan to be at the ITE annual meeting, please stop at the NOCoE booth. Technical Communications Manager Deborah Rouse and I will be there to assist you with anything you may need. We would love to hear from you and what your experience has been with us and what ideas you might have for us moving forward.  Enjoy the rest of the summer…It will be Fall before we know it.

Thinking Smarter
By Carlos Braceras, Executive Director, Utah Department of Transportation 

I grew up in a transportation engineering environment geared toward the following process: Design, build, construct, maintain. Repeat.

In today's world, every step of that process must be accomplished with an eye toward the operations of our system if we are to succeed in providing solutions for the evolving transportation landscape. Today in Utah, we face some significant challenges....Please click here to read more.

 

Tennessee TIM Training
By Eric Rensel, Project  Manager, Gannett Flemming

Fifty TIM planners, leaders, and practitioners gathered at the Tennessee TIM training facility located on the grounds of the Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP) July 15-16 in a workshop that is the first step in  practical application and expansion of responder safety training.

Tennessee DOT and THP co-hosted the event with support from the National Operations Center of Excellence, and Federal Highway Administration.

Those invited included representatives of towing/recovery, emergency management, transportation, fire, law enforcement and EMS, with half of the group representing Tennessee partners.  Brad Freeze, PE, and Frank Horne of TDOT are leading the effort to create an advanced TIM training curriculum. Please click here to read more.

NOCoE Launches Prerecorded Webinar Service
Coming Soon: Transportation Operations Performance Measures Prerecorded Webinar

NOCoE will soon offer a webinar service allowing registered site users the opportunity to view webinars during a time that works best for them. This new approach removes time and date restrictions while offering access to a very valuable tool. Going forward, NOCoE will offer more prerecorded webinars.

We are pleased to announce the development of a new webinar on Transportation Operations Performance Measures that is currently being finalized and will be published on the NOCoE website in the near future. This session will be presented by Matt Schiemer, PE, Vice President of Transportation Operations at Gannett Fleming, Inc., and will have one hour of pre-recorded webinar on Matt’s work on national and international best practices in transportation operations performance measures. 

In this session, Matt will document examples being developed and implemented by several state-level DOTs in the United States, as well as examples from selected international DOTs, including results, lessons learned and opportunities for improvement. The target audience for this webinar includes transportation planners, managers and engineers at state and local agency levels who work in the traffic engineering, ITS and transportation operations arena.

Release 2.2. of the Research Data Exchange and New Connected Vehicle Data Sets are Now Available

The Research Data Exchange (RDE) is a web-based data resource provided by the USDOT Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Program. It collects, manages, and provides access to archived and real-time multi-source and multi-modal data to support the development and testing of ITS applications. Please click here to read more.

Philadelphia Downtown Delivery Symposium
By Douglas Noble, Senior Director, Management and Operations, ITE

The TSM&O Council and Mid-Atlantic Section of the Institute of Transportation Engineers in partnership with the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC), Pennsylvania Motor Truck Association and FHWA jointly hosted a Downtown Delivery Symposium in Philadelphia, PA on July 15th.

The Symposium was organized to promote interaction within the TSM&O professional community, to sustain emphasis on the freight aspect of transportation operations and the develop the relationship and dialog between freight experts and transportation technologists and operators. The symposium presentation materials are available here. The Symposium began with....Please click here to read more.

NOCoE Featured in FHWA Public Roads Magazine

The National Operations Center of Excellence has been featured in FHWA's Public Roads magazine. Writers Grant Zammit and Ben Irwin's Smooth Operators  article reports on AASHTO and its partners and the recently launched National Operations Center of Excellence. It tells the story of the Center and how it is here to help transportation agencies establish systems management and operations as a discipline. Please click the article link above to read.

TSM&O State DOT Capability Maturity Model (CMM) Workshop Reports Released

FHWA has released reports that provide the results of the capability maturity workshops that present the TSM&O-state-of-the-practice, agency self-evaluations and suggested improvement actions—based on over 40 state DOT-hosted workshops, including 23 that are preparing detailed implementation plans.

The CMM concept focuses on the processes (business and technical) and institutional arrangements found in SHRP2 research to be critical to continuous improvement of TSM&O programs. These reports cover the six key areas of agency capability found to be essential for effective TSM&O programs including:

1. Business Processes, including planning, programming and budgeting (resources) and project development and procurement;
2. Systems and Technology, including use of systems engineering, concepts of operations, systems architecture standards, interoperability, and standardization
3. Performance Measurement, including measures definition, data acquisition, analytics, communication and utilization.
4. Culture, including technical understanding and business case, leadership, outreach, and program legal authority.
5. Organization and Staffing, including programmatic status, organizational structure and accountability, staff capabilities, training/development, and recruitment and retention
6. Collaboration, including relationships with public safety agencies, local governments, MPOs, and the private sector transportation as well as learn about the latest products, services, and technologies from exhibitors.

Visit the NOCoE Booth at the ITE 2015 International Annual Meeting and Exhibit! 

Stop by the NOCoE booth at the ITE International Annual Meeting and Exhibit. Join transportation and allied professionals from across the United States and around the world August 2–5 at the Diplomat Resort & Spa in Hollywood, FL.

Of interest on the agenda are technical sessions on transportation systems cybersecurity, roundabout operations, traffic signal change intervals, technology applications for traffic operations, and new graduates entering the workforce as well as an automated vehicle design charette. The event brings together more than 1,000 attendees to listen to transportation experts, share insight and experiences, and hear about the key issues impacting transportation as well as learn about the latest products, services, and technologies from exhibitors.

Register with NOCoE and Join the Discussion Forum!  

We hope you will find the NOCoE (http://www.transportationops.org) to be a place where you can share information as well as receive it – we encourage you register and share in our discussion forum your latest work plan, specific challenge you are facing with operations practice or a new technology, and techniques you’ve used to empower your staff. This is YOUR transportation operations resource and we are interested in your feedback to continually improve our portfolio of services. Please feel free to contact the Center with your suggestions, either through the website or at dmotiani@transportationops.org.