Overview
FHWA and The National Operations Center of Excellence are sponsoring a webinar to show best practices utilizing analysis tools with the capability to manipulate data to monitor, evaluate, and manage system performance.
Data analysis and performance measurement are integral to planning for operations. They are central to the success of an objectives-driven, performance-based approach and are often the most resource-intensive aspect to planning for operations in terms of data, staff expertise, and simulation tools and models. Analysis and performance measurement are the key activities in two major elements of the planning for operations approach:
- The systematic process to develop and select M&O strategies to meet objectives.
- System performance monitoring and evaluation. Performance measures and analysis also play an important role in the development of operations objectives.
Results from the Strategic Highway Research Program 2 (SHRP2) Reliability effort shows agencies are “Data Rich” and the amount of data streams continue to grow. This creates both opportunities and challenges. The opportunities include the availability of more detailed data for planning, monitoring, predicting and management of transportation systems and networks and the challenges include managing huge data sets (Big Data). Transportation agency managers in planning and operations are aware of the importance of objective driven performance-based approach to make the business case for Transportation Systems Management and Operation (TSMO) strategies to decision makers and the public but have made limited progress in considering the data and analytics. The manipulation of transportation Big Data is required and currently there are limited tools robust enough to big data available.
Learning Objective:
Participants will be able to learn from agencies and organizations with current best practices to monitor, evaluate, and report on system performance from a TSMO perspective.
Moderator:
Daniel Grate, Jr.: Transportation Systems Management Operations Specialist; FHWA Resource Center Operations Technical Service Team
Presenters:
Shichen Fan: Shichen Fan is a Planner at Performance Analysis and Monitoring Group of Atlanta Regional Commission. He is responsible for implementing VisionEval strategic tools for performance-based transportation planning, supporting the project evaluation of Atlanta Region’s Plan and developing ARC’s transportation data visualization tool ‘DASH’. He enjoys data analysis work and interested in traffic related health impacts study. He obtained a Master of Public Health degree in Environmental Health from Emory University and a Bachelor of Medicine degree from Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
Kyung-Hwa Kim: Kyung-Hwa Kim is the Performance Analysis and Monitoring Manager at the Atlanta Regional
Commission (ARC). Kyung-Hwa managerial portfolio includes performance measurement, project prioritization, scenario planning, data management/monitoring/analysis, air quality and resilience program management, performance-based planning, regional activity based model application and support for regional policy analysis.
She has served on numerous TRB committees. Currently she is serving as a member of the standing committee on Performance Management ABC30. Kyung-Hwa holds a Master’s degree in Urban Planning from Portland State University and a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Portland State University. She also studied Korean Ethnomusicology at Seoul National University before she immigrated to the United States from Korea.
Tejas Kotak: Tejas is a Transportation Planner at the Atlanta Regional Commission where he conducts data analysis and project review. He previously worked at the Georgia Department of Transportation, and has degrees in Environmental Engineering and International Affairs from Georgia Tech.
Sonia Perez: Sonia Perez is the lead planner for the development and periodic update of the Congestion Management Process (CMP) and Travel Forecasting Lead with 19 years of experience. As the lead planner for the CMP, Sonia coordinates with federal, state and local agencies to achieve a regional goal to manage congestion as mandated by Federal Regulations and serves as the project manager for data gathering, analysis of alternative scenarios and preparation of studies and reports. As Travel Forecasting Lead, Sonia oversees the development of the travel demand model, aids in training coworkers and coordinates with consultants. Sonia has been responsible for updating the roadway, transit and TAZ networks to support Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP) development and air quality conformity analysis for over 19 years.
Marketa Vavrova: Marketa Vavrova is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Texas at El Paso. Marketa’s passion, as an engineer and a planner, is to help MPOs and DOTs to create transportation networks that are safer and more sustainable. Dr. Vavrova has been involved in projects conducted for the El Paso Metropolitan Planning Organization in El Paso, TX, as well as Texas Department of Transportation and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission in the San Francisco Bay Area, CA.
Sebastian Gonzalez: Sebastian Gonzalez is a graduate research assistant working for the Center for Transportation Infrastructure Systems (CTIS) at UTEP. He started working at CTIS as an undergraduate, taking the role of the lead full-stack web developer in multiple projects. Sebastian has worked with CTIS for over 2 years. He is also the Webmaster for the Transportation Leadership Council (TLC), in which he assists with all software/hardware related tasks. In addition to that, he and TLC members provide outreach activities to local schools, to teach younger generations about engineering.