Non-Profit (AASHTO, TKNs, TRB, etc.)

Grand Challenges: A Research Plan for Winter Maintenance

The impacts of winter weather on both safety and mobility are substantial and well known. Accordingly, the need to perform winter maintenance activities on roadways is readily apparent. However, changing social needs, combined with often increasing environmental awareness mean that the methods used to perform winter maintenance are and have been changing. A number of obvious factors, such as climate change, sustainability, environmental stewardship, and changes in how goods are delivered by way of the surface transportation system, are all impacting how winter operations are conducted. These changes are also creating novel constraints on the methods that are available for winter maintenance–the ?tools in the toolbox.? There is thus a need to identify the grand challenges that face winter highway maintenance operations, and to determine the research needed to address these challenges.

This study was requested by AASHTO (American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials) and specifically by the Standing Committee on Highways (SCOH) on behalf of Subcommittee on Maintenance. The members of the task group that guided this study are listed in the Acknowledgements. The study took as a starting point the various research that has been conducted in the field of winter maintenance, together with various research needs statements developed by certain pooled fund groups (e.g., Clear Roads, Aurora, and the Peer Exchange meetings). Appendix B includes a bibliography of reports and other technical documents that helped to inform the discussions in the workshop. The objective of the study was to identify the grand challenges which must be met to allow winter maintenance operations to successfully adapt to the changing constraints that these operations face. The order in which the research areas within the grand challenges should be addressed has not been considered in great detail, primarily because such ordering will depend on the availability of research funds going forward. Some research areas must obviously be addressed before others, simply because those other areas build upon the work that will be done.

The method used to develop the grand challenges and their respective components follows that used in similar projects for the AASHTO Highway Subcommittee on Bridges and Structures and the AASHTO Joint Technical Committee on Pavements. A workshop was convened to review the recent research findings and to develop and refine the grand challenges in winter maintenance. The workshop was conducted on August 2-3, 2010 at the National Academies? Arnold and Mabel Beckman Center in Irvine, California. Participants included members from the AASHTO Highway Subcommittee on Maintenance (SCOM), i.e., individuals from state departments of transportation), personnel from public agencies that conduct winter maintenance, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), academia, and consultants. A list of participants is provided in Appendix A. The information resulting from the workshop is a set of critical issues in winter maintenance (termed ?grand challenges?) that would, if solved, lead to significant advances in winter highway maintenance operations. The grand challenges will provide guidance to SCOM and others in identifying, evaluating, and prioritizing research problem suggestions to ensure that the various research efforts being undertaken in the field of winter maintenance are focused in such a way as to provide a quality-based research program that will not only be closely aligned with the needs of the winter maintenance community but will also be as efficient as possible in developing new methods to meet those needs.

Operations Data for Planning Applications: Identifying Needs, Opportunities, and Best Practices

On May 4, 2005, the Operations Data for Planning Applications: Identifying Needs, Opportunities, and Best Practices Peer Exchange was held in Washington, D.C. The goal of the peer exchange was to identify opportunities to improve the linkages between transportation planning and operations. Given recent technological advancements, operations data exist for the
development of system performance measures, improvements to travel models, and a greater understanding of traffic condition dynamics (e.g., characteristics on nonrecurring congestion).

Invitations to the peer exchange were extended to state departments of transportation (DOT), metropolitan planning organizations (MPO), and the private sector. Participants were
selected from across the county to discuss their utilization of operations data in the transportation planning process. Appendix A contains the list of peer exchange participants.

Before the meeting, participants were also asked to respond to a set of questions about the relationship between operations data and planning processes to create the foundation for the
meeting and facilitate discussion. The section on peer exchange material contains a summary of these responses (complete responses are located in Appendix B). The section entitled Summary Concerns summarizes the meeting discussions including some ideas on linking operations data
and transportation planning, additional observations from recent experiences, potential next steps, and existing resources.

Peer exchanges offer a unique opportunity to not only engage in discussion and share experiences and lessons learned but also to identify potential solutions and prioritize areas for
additional advancement through research, technical assistance, and other activities. This report serves to document and further distribute the issues and insights raised during the meeting.

Management Guide to Intellectual Property for State Departments of Transportation

NCHRP Report 799: Management Guide to Intellectual Property for State Departments of Transportation provides information to assist state transportation agency staff to recognize the potential value of the agency?s intellectual assets and the agency?s responsibilities in respecting the intellectual property (IP) rights of others. The report presents guidance on how agencies can manage the copyrights, patents, and other IP that may be used or produced as a byproduct of the agency?s usual business activities. This guidance is intended to provide agency program staff with an introductory explanation of the nature of intellectual property, the legal framework for defining and protecting intellectual property, and basic principles for its management. The report includes examples and references for cases, tools, and other materials to enhance readers? understanding of the activities likely to be associated with
effectively managing an agency?s intellectual property.