Highlighting DOT and Academic Collaborations
by: Thomas E. Kern, Senior Consultant, NOCoE
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 As part of its workforce development initiative, the National Operations Center of Excellence (NOCoE) has worked with several state departments of transportation (DOTs) and their university partners to learn more about their collaboration in support of transportation systems management operations (TSMO). These partnerships are natural to form and have become essential in enhancing the role and effectiveness of TSMO within state DOTs.
We talked to the Tennessee, Oregon, Iowa, and Virginia DOTs about their university partnerships and each graciously helped us capture their experiences in a case study format.
Tennessee DOT has successfully harnessed a multitude of technical expertise and research capabilities at various universities to advance its goal in improving safety, efficiency, reliability, and service in general.
In Oregon, Oregon State University played a significant role in software development to support the Department. And both have partnered for nearly three quarters of a century to convene The Northwest Transportation Conference (NWTC) which annually explores topics related to all aspects of transportation.
We also engaged our colleagues at Washtenaw Community College in Michigan about its emerging role as a major workforce training provider to Michigan’s automotive hot bed and Michigan DOT and country road commissions.
Read more. . . |
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NOCoE Academic Case Studies
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Tennessee DOT Partners with State Universities to
Enhance TSMO Research, Communication, and Innovation
by Tennessee Department of Transportation
In this Case Study You Will Learn:
1. How the Tennessee Department of Transportation leveraged the resources of universities to enhance TSMO research, communication and innovation in the state.
2. How TDOT and the universities developed strategies for improving standardization of maintenance procedures in different jurisdictions.
3. How TDOT and the universities work together to survey traffic management stakeholders and develop and disseminate important information.
Visit the NOCoE website for the full case study. |
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Oregon DOT and Oregon State University
Collaborate on Regional Conference
by Oregon Department of Transportation and Oregon State University
In this Case Study You Will Learn:
1. The Northwest Transportation Conference (NWTC) is a unique forum and was fi rst held in 1949.
2. Through this conference, Oregon State University has supported advances in transportation for 70 years.
3. Recent topics include connected and autonomous vehicle development and integration.
Visit the NOCoE website for the full case study. |
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The Benefit of Collaboration Between Governments
and Academic Institutions
by Center for Applied Systems and Softward (CASS) and Oregon Department of Transportation
In this Case Study You Will Learn:
1. Oregon State University’s School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science partnered with the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) on more than 50 software development projects.
2. Students offered fresh perspectives and new problem-solving strategies.
3. The collaboration presented benefits to both OSU’s students and the Oregon DOT.
Visit the NOCoE website for the full case study. |
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Washtenaw Community College:
How Collaboration Between Education and Industry Can Advance the Transportation Workforce
 This case study looks at how Washtenaw Community College (WCC), located in southeastern Michigan, leveraged the experience of the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT), local Michigan Road Commissions and the burgeoning automotive and transportation technology sector, to tackle the short-and long-term workforce needs for diverse technical skills that employers in the region are seeking.
Today’s transportation workforce challenges are in some ways, no different from those of the past. Public agencies and private companies need a steady pipeline of engineers to plan, design and manage the transportation system in the jurisdictions they serve. Moreover, they require a cadre of technicians to work in tandem with engineers to build, operate and maintain those systems. However, the emergence of a range of technologies from IT to the computerization of transportation processes and services has been a game changer. This demands a more diversified workforce, trained in IT who can analyze and interpret new sources of data to make the roads safer and less congested.
Visit the NOCoE website for the full case study. |
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Transportation Technology Tournament Now Open
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 The National Operations Center of Excellence (NOCoE) and the U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Professional Capacity Building (PCB) Program will host the third annual Transportation Technology Tournament (TTT) from February to August 2020. Teams of students from community colleges, technical schools, and universities will work directly with state and local DOTs or transit agencies to use TSMO solutions to solve real-world transportation problems. The deadline for student teams to register is February 14, 2020.
The finalists will present their solutions live at the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) Annual Meeting on August 10th, 2020, in New Orleans, LA.
Student teams should sign-up today! Or if you are a transportation agency looking to challenge student teams with a real-world transportation problem, please contact Adam Hopps to participate in this great event to help grow the future TSMO workforce.
Pictured above: (L-R) NOCoE Managing Director, Patrick Son; 2019 TTT winners Alexander Sundt, Xiaotong Sun, and Yan Zhao from the University of Michigan; and ITE Executive Director and CEO, Jeffrey F. Paniati. |
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Georgia DOTs HERO Program Celebrates 25 Years
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| This month's Talking TIM webinar featured a video on Georgia DOTs Highway Emergency Response Operators (HERO) 25th anniversary. We think its well worth your time to take a look at this video, which highlights the history of this important program honors the heroes who work for safety service patrols around the country. |
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The Connected Fleet Challenge, Webinar #3
January 9, 2020 at 2:00pm ET | Register
This webinar will present an overview of the Connected Fleet Challenge and available resources, as well as from agencies that have or are currently deploying On-Board Units (OBUs) on fleet vehicles. This will include a discussion of the agency motivations and lessons learned from applications related to the SPaT Challenge and Connected Fleet Challenge.
The American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials (AASHTO), the Institute of Traffic Engineers (ITE), and ITS America (ITSA) working together through the Cooperative Automated Transportation (CAT) Coalition have challenged state and local public sector transportation infrastructure owners and operators (IOOs) to work together to achieve deployment of roadside Dedicated Short Range Communications (DSRC) 5.9 GHz broadcast radio infrastructure to broadcast signal phase and timing (SPaT) in real-time at signalized intersections on at least one road corridor or street network (approximately 20 signalized intersections) in each of the 50 states by January 2020.
As a logical next step, the Connected Fleet Challenge encourages IOOs to equip at least one light-duty vehicle and at least one heavy-duty vehicle with a 5.9 GHz DSRC OBU by 2021. These OBUs should be capable of broadcasting the Basic Safety Message (BSM) to Roadside Units (RSUs) and of receiving SPaT, MAP, and other data messages that are being broadcast by the infrastructure.
Target Audience
State and local transportation agency engineering and technical staff interested in deploying SPaT and connected fleet broadcasts; private contractors and consultants that support state and local transportation agencies; private-sector vendors and manufacturers of connected vehicle equipment related to DSRC, roadside equipment, and signal controllers.
Learning Objectives
Participants will learn about the Connected Fleet Challenge, available resources, and understand agency motivations, experiences, and lessons learned regarding the deployment of OBUs and related applications.
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Smart Columbus Program Webinars
ITE, in partnership with the City of Columbus Smart Columbus Program Management Office, is hosting a webinar series on various Smart City-related topics. These webinars are free to all attendees and offer PDH credits. The next two live webinars are Demonstration Site Map & Installation Schedule (https://www.pathlms.com/ite/courses/15297) on January 30 and Presentation of the Linden AV Shuttle Deployment (https://www.pathlms.com/ite/courses/15298) on February 11.
Previously held webinars are available on-demand via the ITE Learning Hub. Topics include Smart Mobility Hubs Interface Control and System Design Documents, Prenatal Trip Assistance Webinar on Project Test Plan and Results, and Mobility Assistance Webinar on Project Test Plan and Results and Operations & Maintenance Plan. Click here (https://www.pathlms.com/ite/courses?category_ids[]=3547) for more information on how to access and stream these webinars. |
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NOCoE White Paper:
TSMO Paraprofessional Workforce |
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 NOCoE's TSMO workforce development efforts have focused on management level resources, including a collection of resources dedicated to helping states build a diverse, skilled workforce capable of meeting changing organizational needs. And while the ongoing development of the workforce at this level of transportation organizations is essential, the next logical step is to look at TSMO professionals working outside management levels and on our roadways.
This white paper identifies a wide range of critical support positions, referred to as TSMO paraprofessionals, and defines how each may need to evolve to meet rapidly changing organizational needs. The document also discusses a variety of issues transportation agencies will likely face and potential paths forward for them to be better prepared to recruit, retain, and develop a TSMO paraprofessional workforce.
Read the full white paper here and be sure to let us know your thoughts! |
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| NOCoE 2019 Peer Exchange Reports |
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Regional and Local Agency Peer Exchange Report
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This week we are very excited to release the Regional and Local Agency Peer Exchange Report. On May 8-9, 2019 the National Operations Center of Excellence hosted a Regional and Local Agency Peer Exchange in Phoenix, Arizona. The peer exchange brought together regional and local agencies from across the US to discuss the deployment of TSMO practices with various regional and local structures, lessons learned from implementing TSMO programs in local and regional agencies, and how to encourage the adoption of TSMO practices. On the second day of the peer exchange, Maricopa County Department of Transportation provided a tour for participants through a connected vehicle work zone demonstration.
In 2019, the National Operations Center of Excellence held four peer exchanges around important topics for TSMO professionals.
The full reports from the Smart Work Zones and Operations and Maintenance Peer Exchanges are below. The report for the Road Weather Management Peer Exchange will be available in our next newsletter.
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About the National Operations Center of Excellence (NOCoE)
The mission of NOCoE is to empower the transportation systems management and operations (TSMO) community to succeed by building its knowledge, skills and abilities and to connect them with best-practices and experts to save lives, time and money. Born of a partnership of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) and the Intelligent Transportation Society of America (ITS America) with support from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), we serve those in state departments of transportation, regional planning organizations, municipalities, local agencies as well as private sector organizations.
For more information, please visit www.transportationops.org.
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