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Items of Interest

DOT/RITA/Volpe Center - Winner of the Prestigious 2008 "Innovations in American Government Award"

The Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Innovation at Harvard Kennedy School today announced the Global Maritime Domain Awareness Program as a winner of the 2008 Innovations in American Government Awards for its efforts in enhancing levels of safety and economic stability on the global seas. Developed by the Volpe Center of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Research and Innovative Technology Administration, the program provides an unprecedented level of visibility into transit and port activity. The movements of more than 10,000 vessels from over 50 nations are tracked and updated in real-time. The program was honored at the Innovations in American Government Awards ceremony in Washington, D.C., on the evening of September 9, 2008, and will receive $100,000 towards dissemination and replication across the country.

For more information on this year’s recipients of the Ash Institute’s 2008 Innovations in American Government Awards, go to http://ashinstitute.harvard.edu/corporate_site/innovations/innovations_winners/2008_iag_award_winners_announced.

(Added 09/10/08)

Volpe Center Hosts Workshop on the Safety of Next-Generation Plastic and Composite Intensive Vehicles (PCIV)

On August 4, the Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (Volpe Center) hosted a workshop entitled "The Safety Characterization of Future Plastic and Composites Intensive Vehicles (PCIV)". The purpose of this workshop for subject matter experts was to obtain and integrate inputs on priority research needs for the characterization and quantification of safety benefits of advanced plastics and composite materials for the next generation of lightweight and fuel-efficient vehicles. The workshop prospectus, agenda, and presenters and background information are posted at http://www.volpe.dot.gov/safety/pciv/index.html. About 20 speakers presented and moderated focused discussions on key issues. Acting Volpe Center Director Dr. Ned Keeler and Mr. Stephen Summers, Chief of the NHTSA Safety and Restraints Research Division welcomed the participants and Volpe Center project staff, (Dr. Aviva Brecher of the Planning and Policy Analysis Division and Dr. John Brewer of the Advanced Safety Technology Division) presented the PCIV Safety Roadmap and described continuing research.

For the past three years (FY 2006-2008) the Volpe Center has supported the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) by performing research in this area. This research project responds to Congressional guidance for NHTSA research and to global and national pressures to improve the energy efficiency of vehicles and preserve the environment, with equal or better safety and affordability. Federal and industry initiatives have proposed and adopted multiple strategies and innovative technologies towards more sustainable energy. One of these strategies is to explore the potential safety benefits of using plastics and composites in the emerging lighter weight, more fuel efficient and environmentally friendly vehicles.

The Center is now refining a 2020 PCIV Safety Roadmap. Approximately 50 leading experts on automotive safety and advanced materials representing government, industry, academia, and standards developing organizations attended the workshop, which was sponsored by the NHTSA. The attendees contributed to refining a near-term vehicle safety research roadmap that will facilitate safety-centered PCIV design and deployment by 2020.

In earlier research, the Volpe Center has evaluated and summarized the knowledge base on automotive light-weighting materials crash safety, and identified related national and international research as high-leverage partnership opportunities. In 2007 the Center published an initial report "A Safety Roadmap for Future Plastics and Composites Intensive Vehicles (PCIV)" posted at http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/staticfiles/DOT/NHTSA/NRD/Multimedia/Crashworthiness/4680PCIV_SafetyRoadmap-Nov2007.pdf. The report described the approach, activities, and results of an evaluation of potential safety benefits of PCIVs, to enable their deployment by 2020, and identified PCIV crash safety research priorities. The report built on and extended earlier technology integration roadmaps developed by the American Plastics Council (APC), now the American Chemistry Council- Plastics Division (ACC-PD).

(Added 09/03/08)

Volpe Center Presents an Overview of Intelligent Weather Information Systems at European Conference

Mr. Michael Rossetti and Dr. Thomas Seliga of the Volpe Center’s Advanced Communications, Navigation, and Surveillance Technologies Division presented a paper at the Lakeside Conference on Safety and Mobility, which took place July 9–11 in Klagenfurt, Austria. The conference provided a showcase for intelligent weather information technology and a platform for information exchange. The Volpe Center presentation, "Informatics and Transportation Applications of Weather Technology," provided an overview of transportation weather informatics initiatives taking place in the United States as well as related concepts based on numerical weather-forecasting products and weather radar surveillance. These initiatives are designed to gather weather information, to assess and understand the impact of weather on transportation, and to share weather information in a useful way for surface transportation professionals and travelers. The presentation included a broad definition of weather informatics as the combination of detection, processing, interpretation, formatting, distribution and use of weather information in real time in support of surface transportation operations and management. It also described ways to cost-effectively harness the vast amount of weather and traffic data that are and will be produced by weather sensors, vehicles, roadside equipment, traffic detection systems, and other transportation-related systems and turn these data into useful information that will help drive transportation-related services.

The Volpe Center is actively involved in addressing the challenges and opportunities in the field of weather informatics and is supporting several initiatives. For more information on this work, please contact Mr. Michael Rossetti at Michael.Rossetti@dot.gov or Dr. Thomas Seliga at Thomas.Seliga@dot.gov.

(Added 08/25/08)

Computational Intelligence and Real-World Problems

The use of computational intelligence to solve real-world problems has been growing. Dr. Seamus McGovern of the Terminal and Surface Systems Division is making significant contributions to this field and is publishing his work in internationally recognized publications. He and Dr. Surenda M. Gupta of Northeastern University recently coauthored a chapter, “Deterministic Search Algorithm for Sequencing and Scheduling Problems,” in the technical volume “Meta-heuristics for Scheduling in Industrial and Manufacturing Applications” (Studies in Computational Intelligence, Volume 128). Metaheuristics are mathematical techniques that can be used to solve complex scheduling problems. This paper examines the possibility of using metaheuristic techniques to solve scheduling problems in the field of environmentally conscious manufacturing. Specifically, when factories must disassemble and recycle their post-consumer products, metaheuristics are used to determine a feasible sequence of activities necessary, minimize the number of workers on the line, equalize the time level-of-effort of each, remove environmentally hazardous and high-demand parts early on, and schedule the removal of parts with similar removal directions adjacently.

This work contributes to a wider goal in the manufacturing industry. More and more manufacturers are acting to recycle and remanufacture their post-consumer products due to new and more rigid environmental legislation, increased public awareness, and extended manufacturer responsibility. A crucial first step is disassembly. Disassembly is defined as the methodical extraction of valuable parts, subassemblies, and materials from discarded products through a series of operations. Research into metaheuristic techniques for disassembly will help manufacturers reach their objectives.

The technical volume is comprised of peer-reviewed papers on metaheuristic approaches for scheduling problems arising in logistical, industrial, and manufacturing applications. This text was written for engineers, scientists, and academicians engaged in metaheuristic, computational intelligence, and scheduling research, however these techniques have broad application in many areas that affect the general public. The volume was edited by professors Fatos Xhafa of the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain, and Ajith Abraham of the Norwegian University of Technology, Trondheim, Norway, and was published in August 2008, by Springer-Verlag London Limited, London, United Kingdom.

The series Studies in Computational Intelligence (SCI) publishes new developments and advances in the various areas of computational intelligence quickly and with a high quality. The intent is to cover the theory, applications, and design methods of computational intelligence, as embedded in the fields of engineering, computer science, physics, and life science as well as the methodologies behind them.

(Added 08/25/08)

FRA Final Report on Safety Concerns at Private Highway-Rail Grade Crossings

There are more than ninety thousand private highway-rail grade crossings in the U.S., at which over 400 incidents and 30 fatalities occur annually. The safety concerns related to private crossings have prompted the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to review the safety guidelines for private crossings nationwide. It has been determined that, nationally, guidelines are largely undefined or inconsistently recognized.

The Volpe Center, in support of the FRA, has completed the first-ever comprehensive report detailing the challenges associated with the nearly 87,000 private highway-rail grade crossings that are not subject to the same federal safety standards as public crossings. In June 2008, the results of this work were published in a final report, titled Private Highway-Rail Grade Crossing Safety Research and Inquiry. The report details a year-long private highway-rail grade crossing safety inquiry and proposes possible courses of action to improve safety at the Nation’s private crossings. The report was coauthored by Ms. Anya Carroll, Acting Deputy Director, Office of Surface Transportation Programs; Mr. Steven Peck of the Rail and Transit Systems Division; and Ms. Miriam Kloeppel of the FRA Office of Safety.

The report is available at: http://www.fra.dot.gov/downloads/safety/privatexingsafetyresearchinquiry_061008.pdf

(Added 08/14/08)

Volpe Center Expert Is Keynote Speaker at International Conference on Hydrogen Fuel Technology for Trains

The Fourth International Hydrail Conference was held in Valencia, Spain, on June 9. The conference brings together the world's leading experts in the development of hydrogen fuel technology for railways. At the annual conference, these experts assess state-of-the-art technologies and global R&D activities. The 2008 conference showcased projects that apply hydrogen and fuel cell technology to railways and examined scenarios for integrating these technologies into existing transport systems and other factors related to the energy supplies of railways.

Mr. Greg Ayres of the Advanced Safety Technology Division was this year’s keynote speaker at the conference. In his presentation, entitled "The Role of Hydrogen in U.S. Transit's Future," he described the Volpe Center's work in helping the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) develop an Electric Drive Strategic Plan (EDSP) with a focus on both bus and rail technologies.

He explained that the role of hydrogen in U.S. public transportation is critical because of the recognized need to reduce petroleum consumption as well as emissions from trains and buses. Some fuel cell-powered public buses are already operating in U.S. cities, and the National Fuel Cell Bus Program (a partnership between U.S. Department of Transportation and industry) aims to increase their numbers. He also explained that, since rails in many U.S. cities do not include electric power lines, hydrogen fuel cell rail vehicles could bring electric drive train service to many Americans at a lower total cost than rail electrification.

The U.S. Electric Drive Strategic Plan for transit systems will closely examine the potential for hydrogen-powered streetcar, light rail, monorail, and commuter rail technology development and in-service demonstration and deployment. When completed in late 2008, the Plan will propose new electric drive research activities for 2010 and beyond.

(Added 08/14/08)

Center Experts Support FTA in Transit Electric-Drive Research

In support of the Federal Transit Administration (FTA)’s Office of Mobility Innovation the Volpe Center is working with the FTA and its partners to develop the Electric Drive Strategic Plan (EDSP). This plan presents a portfolio of research activities to help advance the bus and rail transit industry and deploy clean electric-drive technologies in the Nation's transit fleet. This Plan will help the Nation's transit industry achieve significant improvements in efficiency, criteria emissions, noise, and cost through electrified bus and rail vehicle and component research, development, and demonstration. It will help inform the new Administration on these topics and set an agenda for the next Congressional transportation reauthorization bill.

In early June, Mr. Greg Ayres of Advanced Safety Technology Division attended the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) Rail Conference in San Francisco, California, and presented an update on the strategic plan. In addition, he and Dr. Jeffrey Bryan of the Planning and Policy Analysis Division facilitated a meeting of the EDSP rail steering group, a stakeholder group that is helping FTA develop the EDSP.

(Added 08/05/08)

Vehicle Safety Improvement Final Report

In support of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Mr. Marco daSilva of the Advanced Safety Technology Division recently completed a final report, "Analysis of Event Data Recorder Data for Vehicle Safety Improvement" (DOT-VNTSC-NHTSA-08-01; DOT-HS 810 935). The report contains a comprehensive engineering analysis of Event Data Recorder (EDR) data supplied by NHTSA to assess its accuracy and usefulness in crash reconstruction and improvement of vehicle safety systems. This is part of the Volpe Center’s continuing work providing technical support to NHTSA in crash avoidance and crashworthiness research.

Event Data Recorders (sometimes known as Crash Data Recorders) collect data from motor vehicle crashes such as whether a seatbelt was fastened at the time of impact and how fast the car was going a few seconds before the crash. This information can be used for vehicle safety research purposes.

The Volpe Center report presents an analysis of this data to evaluate its usefulness for the scientific community. The analyses focused on EDR file format and potential improvements, assessment of crash types where EDR data exists, review of EDR data for accuracy and completeness, EDR data comparisons with existing crash data, review of pre-crash, crash, and post-crash data for usefulness in better understanding the crash reconstruction, identification of error sources, and determination of methods by which researchers could use the EDR data to improve their crash case information.

The results of the engineering analysis show that EDR data can objectively report real-world crash data and therefore be a powerful investigative and research tool, by providing very useful information to crash reconstructionists and vehicle safety researchers. http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/staticfiles/DOT/NHTSA/NRD/Multimedia/PDFs/EDR/Research/810935.pdf

(Added 08/05/08)

Supporting China’s Growing Air Traffic Management Needs

In June 2008, Volpe Center representatives took part in a final program review of the Chinese Air Traffic Flow Management program in Beijing, China. The Center is part of the U.S. China Aviation Cooperation Program (ACP) Air Traffic Flow Management (ATFM) team which included individuals from Civil Aviation Administration of China/Air Traffic Management Bureau, Metron, FAA, MITRE, Boeing, Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC). Dr. Nelson H. Keeler, Director, of the Volpe Center’s Office of Aviation Programs, serves as the senior U.S. government representative on the team.

ATFM is an important part of the Chinese Aviation authority’s response to the fast growing demand for air travel and air cargo shipments. The Volpe Center’s participation in this program review is part of an on-going relationship with Chinese colleagues who have previously visited the Volpe Center to learn about best practices for air traffic management and about ETMS.

The Volpe Center is responsible for the development and daily operation of FAA’s Enhanced Traffic Management System (ETMS), the primary system used to support the agency’s mission to track, predict, and plan air traffic flow; to analyze effects of ground delays; and to evaluate alternative routing strategies. ETMS integrates weather and flight data from multiple sources and presents it in a graphical format, allowing FAA to anticipate and balance air traffic flow across the national airspace.

ETMS initially focused on North American air travel, but is expanding into the international arena, both because FAA needs an interface with international aircraft arriving in the U.S. and in response to the growing needs of emerging markets and developing economies.

(Added 07/28/08)

Volpe Center joins FAA Team as Finalist for Prestigious Operations Research Award

Every year, the Franz Edelman competition recognizes outstanding examples of operations research (O.R.)-based projects that have transformed companies, entire industries, and people’s lives. O.R. uses advanced analytical methods to help make better decisions and is a disciplined way by which management can improve organizational performance in a wide variety of situations, in nearly any type of organization in the public or private sector.

In support of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the Volpe Center participated on a joint team to develop and deploy a tool— Airspace Flow Programs (AFPs)—that gives the FAA the ability to control activity in congested airspace by issuing ground delays customized for each individual flight. An AFP insures that the number of flights traversing an element of airspace is kept to acceptable levels. This tool is particularly crucial in assisting the FAA’s effort to manage bad weather, which reduces airspace capacity, so that overall disruption to air traffic is kept at a minimum.

This year, the FAA’s team was selected as a finalist for the prestigious Franz Edelman Award. Other finalists included teams from: the Environmental Protection Agency; the Norwegian team of StatOil/Hydro and Gassco; the city of Stockholm, Sweden; Xerox, and the Netherlands Railways. The Netherlands Railway team won this years’ award for the application of operations research and analytics to rescheduling a heavily used commuter rail system. Although the FAA’s new tool was not the overall winning entry, nevertheless, the Volpe Center values this recognition in the international arena for its role in this cutting edge work.

(Added 07/24/08)

Presenting Research on the Ionosphere and Navigation at International Conference

Dr. Andrew Hansen of the Environmental Measurement and Modeling Division presented three papers at a seminar called Ionosphere and its Impact on the GNSS Systems held in Santiago, Chile, April 14-16, 2008. The purpose of the seminar was to describe and discuss the characteristics of the ionosphere at various latitudes and its effect on air navigation. The seminar was sponsored by The International Civil Aviation Organization’s Caribbean and South American Regional Director–Navigation. The Volpe Center’s work in this area supports the Federal Aviation Administration’s Air Traffic Organization.

The ionosphere plays an important role in communication and navigation systems and Dr. Hansen’s work focuses on identifying, modeling and quantifying ionospheric structures and disturbances. He also presents recommendations for research areas that could detect and mitigate potential impacts to the GNSS system caused by ionospheric disturbances. Dr. Hansen gave the following presentations:

• The Ionosphere and GNSS Augmentation Systems Development and Extension of GBAS Ionospheric Error Threat Models
• Observing the Ionosphere Remotely GNSS Network Observation of Ionospheric Structure and Disturbances
• Calibration of Ionospheric Observations from GNSS Reference Networks Ionospheric Observation Reference Network Noise and Bias Calibration Techniques

(Added 07/18/08)

FRA Workshop on Trespass on Railroad Right of Ways

On April 1-2, Volpe Center staff facilitated and took part in the first workshop for the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) in collaboration with the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) on Right of Way Fatality and Trespasser Reduction. The overall goal of the workshop is to share practices and explore new strategies that the rail industry could pursue utilizing the Hazard Analysis process to reduce the number of right of way fatalities and trespasser incidents. One hundred twenty (120) rail safety professionals from the United States, Canada, and Singapore attended and presented on industry leading practices and on the effective use of the hazard management process for identification, resolution, and measurement of the success of trespasser mitigation strategies. Three Volpe Center staff members had key roles in the success of the workshop:

• Mr. Robert Adduci of the Rail and Transit Systems Division, designed, facilitated discussions and served as the Master of Ceremonies for the workshop. Mr. Adduci was also the primary Program Manager and organizer for the event, coordinating with FRA, Caltrain, and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) for the logistics of the workshop.
• Ms. Suzanne Horton of the Rail and Transit Systems Division presented on the FRA sponsored Public Education and Enforcement Research Study (PEERS). The PEERS project involved developing, implementing and testing a core highway-rail grade crossing safety program based on education and enforcement in the State of Illinois, which could be easily adaptable to numerous communities. As part of the project the Volpe Center monitored and evaluated highway-rail intersections in Illinois communities using video data.
• Mr. Marco daSilva of the Advanced Safety Technology Division presented on the FRA sponsored Trespass Deterrent Demonstration Project. The Volpe Center), under the direction of FRA, conducted a 3-year demonstration of an automated prototype railroad infrastructure security system on a railroad, using commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) technology system.

Mr. Fred Mottley of the Rail and Transit Systems Division and Ms. Anya A. Carroll, Acting Deputy Director of the Office of Surface Transportation Programs also aided in the planning and participated in the workshop.

(Added 07/21/08)

Volpe Center Expert Contributes to Book on Computational Intelligence

Dr. Seamus M. McGovern of the Terminal and Surface Systems Division co-authored a chapter in the “Multi-Objective Optimization in Computational Intelligence: Theory and Practice” published by IGI Global, Hershey, Pennsylvania in March 2008. Multi-objective optimization is a fast-developing field in computational intelligence research where the objective is to optimize two or more conflicting objectives. There are a number of competitive multi-objective optimization techniques with an increasingly large number of real-world applications that can provide decision makers with more options in choosing the best solutions. Dr. McGovern and Dr. Surendra M. Gupta (Northeastern University) authored the chapter "Lexicographic Goal Programming and Assessment Tools for a Combinatorial Production Problem" in which they demonstrate an application of lexicographic goal programming to a newly defined, computationally complex, reverse logistics problem which they had previously formulated. The IGI Global text was edited by Profs. Lam Thu Bui and Sameer Alam.

(Added 07/21/08)

Integrated Communications, Navigation, and Surveillance (ICNS) Conference Participation

This year’s ICNS conference, held in Bethesda, Maryland, May 5-7, 2008, promoted the transformation of the nation’s air traffic management system into the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen). The conference theme, Information Takes Flight, reflects the central importance to NextGen of information availability. The conference provided up-to-date status of NextGen activities and discussion of the state of the art in technical developments.

Volpe Center experts made significant contributions to this conference as reflected in the following papers presented:

• Prototype ADS-B System in the Midwest: Description and Lessons Learned by Mr. Timothy Hall, and Mr. Allen Mackey both of the Advanced Communication, Navigation, and Surveillance (CNS) Technologies Division, Office of Aviation Programs, and Mr. Bobby Nichols and Mr. John Marksteiner of the Federal Aviation Administration.
  
  This paper describes the data collection processes, data conversion methods, programming techniques, and systems engineering aspects of the successful fielding of the Midwest prototype Automatic Dependent Surveillance - Broadcast (ADS-B) System. In support of this task, the FAA’s Surveillance and Broadcast Services (SBS) Program Office asked the Volpe Center to install five prototype 1090 MHz ADS-B ground stations in the Midwest and collect surveillance data from these sites. The ADS-B data are fused with radar and other flight data at the FAA William J. Hughes Technical Center. The results are sent to United Parcel Service’s Global Operations Center at Louisville, Kentucky for inclusion into the Airline Based En-Route Sequencing and Spacing (ABESS) application. The ABESS enables airlines to adjust the spacing of arrival aircraft at en-route merge fixes by up-linking speed advisories during the en-route phase of flight.

• Tower Information Display System (TIDS): Human-in-the-Loop Simulation and Evaluation by Dr. Daniel J. Hannon, Dr. Jonathan T. Lee, Dr. Thomas B. Sheridan, and Ms. Caroline Donohue all of the Office of Aviation Programs.
  
  The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is developing the Tower Information Display System (TIDS) with the support of the Volpe Center. TIDS is currently a Research and Development initiative. TIDS eliminates dependence on out-the-window (OTW) visual observations. Instead, it consolidates information from multiple current sources, and provides additional air traffic flow information to the tower controllers. This paper describes a human-in-the-loop simulation and evaluation of the TIDS that was conducted in August 2007. Human-in-the-loop simulation is an interactive physical simulation that includes human operators. The goal was to determine whether radar-like traffic surveillance displays could be used to control airport traffic. Test scenarios were developed to allow for comparison of the performance of TIDS against the OTW viewing environment - two based on visual flight rules (VFR) and two based on instrument flight rules (IFR). The results showed comparable operational efficiency between the TIDS and OTW conditions in VFR Day scenarios. Efficiency was reduced for the OTW night condition while TIDS efficiency was not. Similarly, efficiency for the OTW condition during IFR operations (when visibility was most restrictive) was reduced, in comparison to TIDS. Ratings by controllers showed a strong preference for the use of TIDS. A discussion of the results is provided along with consideration of the limitations of the study and possible future development.

• Tower Information Display System (TIDS): the System Architecture by Ms. Sharon Woods of CSC and Mr. Michael Francis of EG&G (both Center contractors) and Dr. Jonathan T. Lee of the Advanced Surveillance and Communications Division.
  
  This paper describes the hardware and software architecture of the Tower Information Display System (TIDS). TIDS was designed and built to provide a large screen display of current terminal traffic and a touch-screen display that implements an electronic flight strip operation. The system integrates the information from all data sources, provides real-time value-added processing and gives air traffic controllers the information necessary for safe and efficient airport operations. All data sources are processed and displayed in real-time. The system also allows for multiple real-time displays whose views are individually configurable to the appropriate controller functions needed.
  
  This paper also explores the designs of future versions of TIDS that are in development following the feasibility study. These TIDS systems integrate new data sources, such as Airport Surface Detection Equipment, Model X (ASDE-X) CAT11 data, which provide aircraft track data derived from multilateration and primary radar. They also provide Air Traffic Control Towers with a NextGen extensible design for data distribution for the myriad of data sources of terminal information. The real-time processing capability will also allow for implementation and display of decision-support algorithms.

(Added 07/02/08)

Research on Vehicle Compatibility Presented at Society of Automotive Engineers Congress

On April 16, Dr. John Brewer, Acting Chief of the Advanced Safety Technology Division presented a paper entitled "Preliminary Evaluation Methodology in Front-Front Vehicle Compatibility" to the 2008 Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) World Congress in Detroit, Michigan. (Paper Number 2008-01-0814) The paper was co-authored by Dr. David L. Smith of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

In any two-vehicle crash, the injury outcome is a function of both crash-specific and occupant-specific parameters. Vehicle compatibility describes the structural aspects of the crash partners and influences the risk of injury when two vehicles collide head on. When a small vehicle collides with a large vehicle, there is generally a higher risk of injury to the occupants of the smaller vehicle. This paper focuses on a preliminary methodology that was used to evaluate potential benefits in making vehicle-specific changes to improve the compatibility of light vehicles across the fleet. In particular, the effect on injury rates of matching vehicle frontal stiffness was estimated. The front-front crash data for belted drivers in the lighter vehicles in the crash from ten years of National Automotive Sampling System/Crashworthiness Data System (NASS/CDS) were examined. The results of this study indicate the need for developing a more robust and in-depth benefits methodology that can account for mass ratio, driver age, crash velocity, belted status, and other metrics leading to injury and fatality reduction. Improving estimates of these effects will enhance confidence in benefit computations. The general method will be modified and enhanced in further work at the Volpe Center and at NHTSA.

(Added 06/27/08)

Public Roads Article on FHWA Planning and Environmental Linkages Process

The March/April 2008 issue of Public Roads magazine includes an article titled PEL A Path to Streamlining and Stewardship authored by Ms. Gina Barberio and Ms. Rachael Barolsky of the Planning and Policy Analysis Division, and Mr. Michael Culp and Mr. Robert Ritter of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).

This article describes some of the factors that contribute to delays in transportation project development and describes a new approach, know as Planning and Environment Linkages (PEL), which is being introduced by FHWA to streamline decisionmaking and lead to better consideration of environmental factors earlier in transportation planning. PEL emphasizes the linking of planning and NEPA activities - specifically, solidifying the connection between systems-level planning and project-level decisionmaking. The purpose of PEL is to coordinate statewide and metropolitan transportation planning with the NEPA process to streamline project delivery and improve planning- and project-level decisionmaking. PEL encourages agencies to improve coordination across agencies, and encourages agencies to adopt an integrated approach, which addresses environmental goals while considering quality of life. The article describes a project in Michigan where the PEL process was successfully applied. It also provides specific guidance for change management, data analysis tools, examples of process improvements, lessons learned, and provides suggestions for additional resources.

The full article can be read at http://www.tfhrc.gov/pubrds/08mar/01.htm

(Added 06/16/08)

Peer Reviewed Journal articles on Noise and Emission Measurements and Modeling

Mr. Gregg G. Fleming and Mr. Christopher Roof of Volpe Center’s Environmental Measurement and Modeling Division contributed to two recent peer reviewed journal articles describing work to which the Volpe Center staff contributed.

Herndon, Scott C., Jayne, John T., Lobo, Prem, Onasch, Timothy B., Fleming, Gregg, Hagen, Donald E., Whitefield, Philip D., Miake-Lye, Richard C., Commercial Aircraft Engine Emissions Characterization of in-Use Aircraft at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport published in Environmental Science and Technology 2008, 42, 1877–1883 View Document (PDF 4.7MB)

A number of recent studies have focused on understanding the role of aviation emissions on urban air quality through the use of improved measurements at airports and modeling the impact of emissions on surrounding regions. This paper describes measurements conducted at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport near Atlanta, Georgia using two mobile laboratories located downwind of active runways. The approach uses analysis of wind advected plumes from in-use commercial aircraft. A goal of the effort is to measure aircraft-associated emissions following the initial dilution and atmospheric processing of the plume. This work is significant due to the examination of takeoff plumes; the majority of the sampled plumes during this measurement effort were emitted from engines engaging in takeoff activity. This work also uses real-time particulate measurement data and sees significant differences between the particulate emission characteristics between different engine models. The research used the Emissions and Dispersion Modeling System (EDMS) is a computer modeling tool which estimates aviation emissions based on activity and fleet composition. Though the model draws on a variety of information sources, the ICAO engine emissions databank is the principal source for aviation emissions data. EDMS can be used for either whole airport emission inventory development or predictions of perturbations in mixing ratios due to airport related emissions.

Rickley, Edward J., Fleming, Gregg G., and Roof, Christopher J. Simplified procedure for computing the absorption of sound by the atmosphere, published in Noise Control Engineering J.55(6), 2007 Nov-Dec View Document (PDF 596KB)

In support of the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Office of Environment and Energy (AEE the Volpe Center, Environmental Measurement and Modeling Division, has completed a study of a proposed new method, referred to as the Volpe method, to modernize the requirements for calculating the absorption of sound by the atmosphere. The study was conducted under the auspices of the SAE International Aircraft Noise Committee (A-21) Atmospheric Absorption Project Working Team. This journal article presents the results of the study, along with an introduction to the topic of atmospheric absorption, as it relates to aircraft noise certification.

(Added 06/09/08)

Volpe Center Experts Receive Federal Railroad Administration Team Award

On March 19, Ms. Stephanie Markos of the Rail and Transit Systems Division and Mr. John Pollard of the Human Factors Division received a Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) Team Award for "exemplary teamwork, outstanding dedication, and achievement in advancing the safety of railroad passengers and employees by supporting and contributing to the enhancement of industry standards." These industry safety standards are published by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), to supplement existing FRA regulations, and include Emergency Lighting, Emergency Signage, and Low Location Exit Path Marking. Ms. Markos and Mr. Pollard have provided extensive technical expertise and support to FRA during the development of the original 1998 and 1999 FRA regulations related to passenger rail car emergency systems and their enhancement as published by FRA on February 1, 2008. Ms. Markos and Mr. Pollard have provided extensive technical expertise to the original APTA standards, their later updates, and during the most recent revision process which was completed in October, 2008. The FRA plans to issue a rulemaking proposal to incorporate the three APTA emergency systems standards into passenger rail equipment regulations early in 2009. Ms. Markos, who is the FRA Emergency Preparedness Research Project Leader, attended the Ceremony.

(Added 06/05/08)

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