ABJ30-Friends January 2009

abj30-friends@mailman.chrispy.net

1 participants
5 discussions

Final Agenda and Minutes from 2008 Annual and Summer Meetings

by Catherine T Lawson

ALB30 Members and Friends, Attached are the meeting minutes from the 2008 Annual and Summer meetings and our final agenda for 2009. For more information on our "Summer in Seattle" Mid-year Meeting see www.TRB.org/conferences/2009/Summer <https://exchange.albany.edu/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.trb.org/co…> - Safe travels! Kate -- ______________________ Catherine T. Lawson, Ph. D. Director, MRP Program Associate Professor University at Albany Geography & Planning AS 218 1400 Washington Albany, New York 12222 (518) 442-4775 (518) 442-4742 FAX (518) 209-1155 CELL lawsonc(a)albany.edu

15 years, 11 months

Input on Data Report Card Intiative - upcoming discussion session

by Catherine T Lawson

ABJ30 Members and Friends, Below is a brief description of the Data Report Card Initiative -- I think this idea now has even more value as we face more concerns about fiscal constraints and increased pressure for the very best data to make important transportation decisions -- let me know what you think -- thanks! ABJ30 Contribution to the Data Report Card Initiative On March 19th and 20th, the Data and Information Systems Section held a Retreat to develop a shared "near term vision" - with representatives from each of the Section's 11 committees, two subcommittees, at-large members and invited guests from partnering agencies. Based on the ABJ30 Special Discussion we held at the 2008 Annual Meeting, three priority issues were submitted for discussion at the Retreat. These issues are: * Stewardship: What guidelines are needed to treat data as an asset? * What are the urgent needs for urban transportation data? * Are there new ways of obtaining and serving up data? All of our priorities will require collaboration with other committees and new partner agencies. In extensive discussions at the Retreat, it was recommended that we work on these prior issues in a new Initiative - a Data Report Card. While a TRB-associated entity cannot produce a document that "grades" databases and data programs, it can provide guidance on how an agency could do this as a self-assessment tool. The data report initiative will be focused on developing the content and process to help improve data at all levels (federal, state and local) by identifying criteria and categories of data, providing best practices for collection and analysis and visualization techniques, and serving as an on-going data improvement strategy. ABJ30 is well-positioned to contribute to this initiative. As a Committee, we can use this opportunity to move forward with our priorities in this comprehensive setting. We will need to establish an internal process for making our contribution. Do we want to establish a new "working group" or look for contributions from all members/friends? One option for moving forward could be to consider using a "layering" strategy for assessing and improving data (actually used in developing a bike path) where the direction and elements possible today are explicitly laid out - so you can travel the whole system, even if some areas are uneven - you can still follow the path. The layers are planned and implemented as incremental improvements, while the path continues to "work". This process differs from phasing, where normally only portions are completed, from start to finish. This would allow agencies to find their way towards better data - encouraging improvements, while planning changes, etc. -- ______________________ Catherine T. Lawson, Ph. D. Director, MRP Program Associate Professor University at Albany Geography & Planning AS 218 1400 Washington Albany, New York 12222 (518) 442-4775 (518) 442-4742 FAX (518) 209-1155 CELL lawsonc(a)albany.edu

15 years, 11 months

Identified Areas of Interest for ABJ30 -- please review and comment - thanks!!!

by Catherine T Lawson

ABJ30 Members and Friends, Another task for our upcoming TSP is a review of our "Identified Areas of Interest" - below is a retelling of our previously listed areas -- Please confirm your general level of interest, interest in contributing to the development of research statements, conference or workshop ideas or special interest (e.g., special e-working group). Members and Friends are encouraged to respond to this listserv, contact the Chair directly (lawsonc(a)albany.edu), bring ideas to WDC TRB meeting and/or respond to post-meeting follow-up -- Original Set of Topics (with some expansions) 1. Using census data in transportation planning (now expanded in our Subcommittee - combined with Continuous Census Data (American Community Survey) 2. Monitoring traffic and transit systems 3. Using ITS-generated data in planning 4. Using household travel survey data in describing traveler characteristics and metropolitan travel patterns 5. Combining data sources 6. Studying issues of privacy and confidentiality (combined with "Privacy and Data Ownership Concerns") 7. Creating standards for meta-data (data about data) and meta-analysis (comparative data analyses) - (see http://www.trb.org/committees/datasection/DataSection-Metadata.pdf - what should ABJ30 do now?) 8. Continuous Personal Travel Data - surveys 9. Archiving IT Data for Planning and other Applications (now expanded in our joint ADUS Subcommittee) 10. Use of global positioning systems and other technologies in urban transportation data (consider approaching Travel Survey Methods - New Technologies Subcommittee as a joint Subcommittee?) 11. Small Area Land Use and Socioeconomic Data (consider expanding to include Administrative Data, such as parcel data, building permits, public works maintenance records for sidewalks, parks and trails bike path data, etc.) 12. Information from Data (expand to include Data Visualization - and form joint Subcommittee with ABJ95 Visualization in Transportation) Additional ideas from Members and Friends to formalize and include as "Identified Areas of Interest for 2009" - consider Workshop/Conference to develop research agenda(s) and move forward with ideas for mid-year and 2010 Annual Meeting - New Areas of Interest to Consider for 2009 More focus on GIS as an integration base - Data integration - more than combining sources - consider integration at the time of data creation Data accessibility - web-based dissemination that allows user to interact with raw data sources to acquire exactly what they need, including visualization of data as a "guided tour" of where the key data elements or policy issues are located "at a glance" More cooperation with Travel Survey Methods (including joint Subcommittee on New Technologies) New focus on Household Travel Surveys - new technologies for data collection, analysis and visualization New formats and panels for Household Travel Surveys that integrate with existing data systems (e.g., local count programs, weather, public health community, school systems, etc.) Intercept surveys, including electronic passive data collection, such as license plate, road permits, other administrative data sources Travel time and speed data - floating car program rather than "one-off" research projects Transit surveys - new technologies, new formats for gathering information including GPS Truck travel surveys - consider formalizing linkage to Freight Data Committee and Subcommittee on Truck Surveys Focus on data needs for new generation of activity-based models - including parcel data for land use models, GPS for validating microsimulation models, consideration of impact on data needs for integrating Open Source travel forecasting models with existing off-the-shelf modeling software More?????? --- _____________________________ Catherine T. Lawson, Ph. D. Director, MRP Program Associate Professor University at Albany Geography & Planning AS 218 1400 Washington Albany, New York 12222 (518) 442-4775 (518) 442-4742 FAX lawsonc(a)albany.edu

15 years, 11 months

Review materials for Scope, Goals and Objectives

by Catherine T Lawson

ABJ30 Members and Friends, To prepare our Triennial Strategic Plan (TSP) - we need your input on our draft Goals and Objectives document (see below) - thanks for all your help!!!! Confirmation, Edits or Amendments to GOALS & OBJECTIVES January 2009 Scope: This committee is interested in the design, collection, analysis, and reporting of transportation supply and demand data needed to support urban and metropolitan transportation planning efforts. In particular, the committee is interested in developing the data requirements of new and innovative techniques for measuring and monitoring the performance of metropolitan transportation systems; and in evaluating changes in demographic and urban travel characteristics. In terms of household and other transportation surveys, the committee is concerned with the analysis, reporting, archiving, and dissemination of results and data products. The committee is interested in the effective use of census and other federal, secondary data sources in metropolitan transportation planning. The committee is concerned with advancements in information systems and information technology for the improved dissemination and sharing of knowledge about metropolitan transportation systems and urban travel behavior. Committee Goals: Goal #1: Provide a national forum for the continuing identification and prioritization of research on urban and metropolitan transportation "supply and demand" data, inputs needed for and outputs created from information systems and the dissemination of research findings. Strategies: a) Provide active assistance to the National Research Council in developing a prioritized listing of urban and metropolitan transportation "supply and demand" data research problem statements that address the emphasis areas identified for this Committee. b) Encourage the active participation of Committee members and friends on national cooperative research councils including NCHRP, TCHRP and other relevant research panels for studies of interest to the Committee. c) Recommend publication of significant urban and metropolitan "supply and demand" data research papers in the Transportation Research Records; d) Conduct at least one paper session at each annual meeting; e) Task each Committee member with identifying emerging urban transportation data and information systems issues, future areas of concern and opportunities for new research, and with sharing this information through the Committee's communication network; f) Continue to develop the Committee website devoted to Committee activities and research in topic areas. Goal #2: Continue to prepare for and conduct relevant and valuable gatherings of the Committee members and friends. The Committee shall meet at least twice per year in association with TRB annual meeting in January and in a mid-year business meeting. These activities provide a strong focus for the Committee and should be continued. Strategies: a) Strive to identify important and timely workshop and presentation topics that advance the Committee's efforts to promote areas of emphasis. b) Work with TRB to ensure desired paper sessions are featured in the annual meeting agenda; c) Form and task a mid-year Workshop Subcommittee with identifying a suitable host location and agenda for each mid-year meeting and work with other relevant committees to increase synergy across topics; d) To the degree possible, conduct the Committee's mid-year meeting in a different region of the country each year to gain greater national exposure and support for the work of the Committee; e) The Committee Chair shall be responsible for moderating all business meeting sessions or delegating this responsibility to another member of the Committee; f) The Chair shall assign responsibility to a Committee member or friend for recording minutes for each meeting and submitting an electronic version to the Chair as soon as possible (preferably within two weeks of completion of the meeting). g) The Chair shall be responsible for preparing and transmitting final business meeting reports to TRB within 45 days of the completion of each meeting. Copies of the reports shall also be sent to each member and friend of the Committee. h) Copies of all reports of the proceedings of the annual and mid-year business meetings shall be retained by the Section Chair for use in preparation of the ABJ30 Triennial Self Evaluation Report. Goal #3: Maintain an active organization that supports the mission of TRB Section ABJ00 and ABJ30. The Committee shall utilize one or more subcommittees to carry out its overall functions and responsibilities. Subcommittees will be created to address ongoing or emerging issues to the Committee as a whole. Strategies: a) The Committee Chair shall be responsible for creating or dissolving subcommittees with input from the members present at the annual or mid-year business meeting; b) The Committee Chair shall appoint a current committee member to be the chairperson to oversee the activities of each subcommittee; c) Each subcommittee shall be tasked with creating its own set of goals and objectives that support the overall goals of the Committee; d) The Committee Chair shall ensure that the Committee members conduct Committee and subcommittee business meetings at each annual and mid-year meeting; e) Each subcommittee shall be tasked with reporting at the annual meeting on the accomplishments made through the proceeding year and activities planning for the succeeding year. Goal #4: Expand and formalize the Committee liaison program. Many members of ABJ30 are also members or friends of other TRB Committees (or similar communities in other organizations). The research and other activities of these groups can be of valuable assistance to ABJ30 in achieving out Committee goals and our activities may be of similar value to them. A closer liaison should be encouraged and formalized to improve on the existing communications between these groups. Strategies: a) A listing of all appropriate TRB and other regional and national committees and groups shall be established and maintained; b) To the degree possible, one or more ABJ30 members shall be assigned as liaisons to each identified group; c) Liaisons shall be tasked with responsibility for reporting on important external group activities through the Committee's website or at mid-year meetings. d) Liaisons shall actively promote joint activities that support the Committee's areas of interest and bring these activities to the attention of the full Committee. Goal #5: Maintain a geographically and organizationally diverse Committee membership of well-qualified, highly motivated individuals. The Committee actively seeks diversity in its organization by striving to ensure the participation of members drawn form a variety of federal, state and local government agencies, academia, public interests, private enterprises (including consultant sector), and the general public. Broad geographical distribution of members, including international participation, is an important element in achieving the desired diversity. Strategies: a) Form and task a Steering Subcommittee with annually reviewing the membership roster and identifying potential problems or concerns with membership numbers, terms or levels of participation; b) Task the Steering Subcommittee with reporting on the status of the Committee membership at each mid-year meeting of the Committee. The report should include identification of any interest group or geographical membership gaps, term limit concerns and participation issues. c) Task each additional subcommittee with responsibility for identifying highly qualified potential members and forwarding names and resumes to the Steering Subcommittee; d) Charge each member of the Committee with volunteering a minimum of 40 hours per year toward supporting Committee activities such as reviewing or preparing technical papers, chairing or serving on a subcommittee, serving as a liaison to another TRB or similar organization committee, or actively participating in the annual and mid-year meeting programs. --- _____________________________ Catherine T. Lawson, Ph. D. Director, MRP Program Associate Professor University at Albany Geography & Planning AS 218 1400 Washington Albany, New York 12222 (518) 442-4775 (518) 442-4742 FAX lawsonc(a)albany.edu

15 years, 11 months

Draft Agenda and Important Questions -

by Catherine T Lawson

ABJ30 Members and Friends, Below is our draft agenda - we will plan to keep to it as much as possible - noting some of our guests/speakers have indicated possible conflicts - For planning purposes - check our TRB website details on ABJ30 and Events Schedule for Annual Meeting http://www.trb.org/directory/comm_detail.asp?id=1141 http://www.trb.org/am/ip/assembly_search.asp?c=ABJ30&comm=Urban+Transpor tation+Data+and+Information+Systems For those of you not able to join us in Washington, D.C., (and those who will and want to get a head start on our discussions), I will be forwarding some additional listserv messages for confirmation/discussion/edits, etc.). IMPORTANT ISSUES - please let me know your response to the two issues below (either using this listserv, by emailing directly - lawsonc(a)albany.edu or contributing to our discussion at TRB Meeting) - thanks! First, we need input on the best option for a sustainable internet strategy -- as we thank Chuck Purvis, previous Committee Chair, for his generous contribution of hosting our Committee's website. Over the last 12 months, we have not been able to schedule a new host - and given the problems with keeping a website current - please consider the following options: should we use a "wiki" service (Shawn is trying this strategy with the ADUS Subcommittee)? - should we use a "free" site (e.g., Google)? - should I "lobby" TRB staff for a user-friendly single page TRB-hosted website that would provide a generalized format with information on how to participate in a dedicated wiki? -- other ideas or offers of host capability?? Second, I am hearing some concerns about travel funds for our summer meeting - should I ask TRB staff about holding a webinar as part of our Summer Events? This would allow more of our Members, Friends, and with sufficient advanced notification - our target population - transportation planners, MPOs, consultants, university faculty, and interested citizens, to participate - let me know and I will try to get confirmation that we could use webinar technologies. ABJ30 Committee on Urban Transportation Data and Information Systems Draft Meeting Agenda Monday, January 12, 2008, 1:30 PM - 5:30 PM Hemisphere, Hilton Hotel 1:30 - 1:34 Call to Order Catherine Lawson 1:35 - 1:44 Introductions All 1:45 - 1:49 TRB Talk* Tom Palmerlee 1:50 - 2:09 State of the Committee, Chair Report Catherine Lawson 2:10 - 2:19 ABJ30(1) Subcommittee on Census Data Clara Reschovsky/Kristian Rohanna 2:20 - 2:29 AFD30(1) Archived Data User Service Subcommittee Shawn Turner 3:00 - 3:14 RITA/BTS Activities and Initiatives* Thomas Bolle 3:15 - 3:29 BREAK 3:30 - 3:44 The "Virtual" Project* Kim Fisher, TRB 3:45 - 3:59 NHTS Update Heather Contrino, FHWA 4:00 - 4:14 Data in Action Kuo-Ann Chiao, NYMTC 4:15 - 4:29 Travel Survey Archive Project Pavithra Parthasarathi, University of Minnesota 4:30 - 4:44 New Tools for Analysis Nathan Erlbaum, NYSDOT 4:45 - 5:14 Special Discussion Topic Catherine Lawson and All Are we ready for 2010? Challenges and Opportunities for Improving Urban Transportation Data 5:15 - 5:29 Other New Business 5:30 Adjourn *Times may vary due to other obligations Midyear Meeting: Seattle, WA, July 19th - 21st, 2009 --- _____________________________ Catherine T. Lawson, Ph. D. Director, MRP Program Associate Professor University at Albany Geography & Planning AS 218 1400 Washington Albany, New York 12222 (518) 442-4775 (518) 442-4742 FAX lawsonc(a)albany.edu

15 years, 11 months

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ABJ30-Friends January 2009