An awesome infograph from the George Washington University’s Face The Facts USA shows how the federal gas tax hasn’t changed in 20 years, effectively reducing road repair revenue by 35 percent. – Learn more here
Image Courtesy: Facethefactsusa.org
The USA Today carried an update on the Connected Vehicle technology test program underway in Michigan. The federally-funded program carried out by University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute explores safety gains that can be achieved using dedicated short-range communications technology to help cars communicate with one another to prevent accidents. The video below shows how this technology works. Also, you can read the accompanying article here.
The Intelligent Transportation Society of America is seeking to hire an event marketing manager for the 2014 World Congress on Intelligent Transportation Systems, taking place Sept. 7-11, 2014, in Detroit.
The 2014 World Congress on ITS will bring together more than 10,000 of the world’s leading transportation policymakers, researchers, high-tech innovators and business professionals making it the premier ITS event of the year in the Americas. Few places in the world have the concentration of companies, research institutions and deploying agencies in transportation as does Detroit. The “Motor City” brings the opportunity to learn and leverage from the highly innovative transportation culture centered in the region and supports the theme of the 21st World Congress: Reinventing transportation in our connected world.
The primary responsibility of the event marketing manager will be to co-develop and implement an integrated marketing plan for the 2014 World Congress on ITS in partnership with ITS America’s communications and public affairs team. Identifying and establishing relationships with key industry partners as well as nontraditional partners to assist with our marketing efforts will be essential. Prior experience in event marketing and the high-tech transportation industry is strongly desired as well as proven project management experience. Writing skills are paramount and a successful candidate must have at least three years of experience in a position heavily oriented towards writing.
The ideal candidate would be able to begin Aug. 1, 2013. This is a 14-month, full-time position that does not include benefits. The full job description of responsibilities and qualifications can be found on the ITS America website. Interested applicants should send their resume, salary requirements and two writing samples to Ashley Simmons, director of communications at ITS America, for consideration.
This is a Pathways Recent Graduate position. The Volpe Center’s Recent Graduates Program affords developmental experiences to individuals who have recently graduated from qualifying educational institutions or programs. The employee performs a range of Technology Policy Analyst duties that are designed to enhance his/her professional knowledge as a Technology Policy Analyst. This is a one year appointment in the excepted service which may lead, at the agency’s discretion, to a time-limited or permanent appointment in the competitive service. The full performance level of this position is GS-12.
The employee’s primary duty is to participate as a member of a team that conducts research and applies analytical methodologies on a broad set of topics as a means of developing, comparing, and evaluating policy options in support of successful transition of technologies (e.g., connected vehicles, automated vehicles, new transportation applications, or vehicle-to-infrastructure communications, among others) from research into adoption and use.
The ideal candidate for this position has (or is within receiving a degree by end of August 2013), in behavioral or social science; or related disciplines appropriate to the position. In addition to courses in the major and related fields, a typical college degree would have included courses that involved analysis, writing, critical thinking, research, etc. These courses would have provided an applicant with skills and abilities sufficient to perform progressively more responsible work in the occupation.
THIS VACANCY IS LIMITED TO THE FIRST 150 APPLICATIONS RECEIVED AND WILL CLOSE AT MIDNIGHT ON THE CLOSING DATE OR MIDNIGHT ON THE DAY THE 150TH APPLICATION IS RECEIVED, WHICHEVER COMES FIRST.
This is an Excepted Service appointment. You may be converted, without a break in service, to a term (time-limited), career, or career-conditional (permanent) appointment upon completion of program requirements without further competition, but there is no guarantee. The selectee is in a trial period while on the Pathways Recent Graduates Program appointment. If you are invited to interview, you will be asked to submit writing samples prior to your interview.
This announcement may be used to fill positions beginning the Summer of 2013. Relocation is not offered with the position.
The starting salary is as follows: GS-9, step 1: $51,871 per year
Click here to learn more and to apply
About: An innovative, fee-for service organization, the Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (Volpe Center), part of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (U.S. DOT‘s) Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA), in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is an internationally recognized Federal center of transportation innovation with a world-class, multidisciplinary technical team with expertise across all modes of transportation. RITA coordinates the U.S. DOT’s research programs and is charged with advancing the deployment of cross-cutting technologies to improve our Nation’s transportation system.
The Volpe Center seeks multiple Technology Policy Analyst, GS-0101-13 in the Technology Innovation and Policy Division, (RVT-91) within the Advanced Transportation Technologies Technical Center. This division provides the technical and analytical support for research initiatives and decision-making at all levels of government and industry supporting all modes of transportation. The Technology Policy Analysts primary duty is to participate as a member of a team that conducts research and applies analytical methodologies on a broad set of topics as a means of developing, comparing, and evaluating policy options in support of successful transition of technologies (e.g., connected vehicles, automated vehicles, new transportation applications, or vehicle-to-infrastructure communications, among others) from research into adoption and use.
The ideal candidate will have experience working in an environment with little policy precedence and where policy options have to be developed and created concurrently and iteratively with transportation related technology development. This position is not focused on application of existing policies to IT or other systems, but is focused on the objective and rigorous development of new policies for new and emerging transportation technologies.
You must have superb analytical, communication, and problem-solving skills, and be able to excel in an entrepreneurial, fast –paced environment. Transcripts are required (see details in “How to Apply” tab). If you are invited to interview, you will be asked to submit writing samples prior to your interview.
Note: Please note that the application deadline is Monday, June 24, 2013. Click here to learn more and to apply.
About: An innovative, fee-for service organization, the Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (VolpeCenter), part of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (U.S.DOT’s) Research and Innovative Technology Administration in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is an internationally recognized Federal center of transportation and logistics with a world-class, multidisciplinary technical team with expertise across all modes of transportation.
A new study from the Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) led by Georgia Institute of Technology is looking at how transit agencies can use web-based tools including online polls and surveys, social media, mobile applications, and crowdsourcing to gather feedback from customers and other stakeholders. The project team is inviting transit operators to participate in a survey about their current and future uses of web-based feedback.
The survey is open to all transit agencies regardless of size or transportation modes offered. Even if the agency does not have a web-based presence, agencies insights will be valuable to the research effort. The final survey results will be incorporated into a report that will be published by the Transportation Research Board. This is a web-based survey that should take 10-15 minutes to complete and the survey deadline is May 31, 2013.
For queries please contact
Kari Watkins, the PI, by phone at (404) 385-4213 or email at kari.watkins@ce.gatech.edu.
Human subjects inquired can be directed Melanie Clark, Georgia Institute of Technology, at (404) 894-6942.
Here is the link for the survey http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/
The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) is seeking responses to a task order proposal for two of its traffic flow optimization concepts
The Task Order Proposal Request (TOPR) is issued under the FHWA IDIQ contracts listed below. Task Order Proposal must be submitted by 3:00 pm eastern standard time on April 30, 2013. Please direct any questions to the contracting officer, Daniel Confer. He can be reached at Daniel.Confer@dot.gov .
ALL Contractors are eligible to compete on this Task Order Proposal Request but they need to partner with the following firms:
The scope of work of this task order is to: (i) develop a prototype of Dynamic Speed Harmonization with Queue Warning, which are two component applications of the Intelligent Network Flow Optimization (INFLO) bundle, (ii) conduct a small-scale demonstration of the prototype, and (iii) collect “before” (pre-demonstration) and “after” (during demonstration) data from the small-scale demonstration which will be used to support the assessment of the impacts of the prototype as well as a regional deployment of the two applications in an operational system. The USDOT expects the Contractor to apply sound software development and project management principles in conducting this work.
The INFLO bundle is a collection of high-priority, transformative applications that target maximizing roadway throughput, reducing crashes, and reducing fuel consumption through the use of frequently collected and rapidly disseminated multi-source data drawn from wirelessly connected vehicles, travelers’ communication devices, and infrastructure. This Statement of Work specifically addresses the prototyping of Dynamic Speed Harmonization (SPD-HARM) with Queue Warning (Q-WARN), a small-scale demonstration of the prototype, and collection of before and after data. SPD-HARM and Q-WARN are two component applications of the INFLO bundle.
Although the INFLO bundle includes a third application, namely the Cooperative Adaptive Cruise Control (CACC), further research outside of the scope of this task order will be required prior to prototyping the CACC application. The USDOT wishes to advance SPD-HARM and Q-WARN from concept formulation (completed in 2012 during Phase 1 of the DMA Program) to prototype development and small-scale demonstration of the prototype (to be completed in Phase 2 of the DMA Program) to test if the two applications can be successfully prototyped and deployed in the future. The data and findings from the small-scale demonstration will help USDOT make more informed decisions regarding the technical feasibility and potential impacts of deploying the two applications more widely. Similar prototyping and small-scale demonstrations will be conducted for each of the DMA high-priority bundles. In Phase 3, the DMA Program will seek suitably tested and promising application bundles from the six high priority bundles for possible inclusion in a larger scale pilot deployment operational test.
A short description of the two INFLO applications is provided below. For a detailed description, please refer the INFLO Concept of Operations (1 Mahmassani, H., Rakha, H., Hubbard, E., and D. Lukasik. Concept Development and Needs Identification for Intelligent Network Flow Optimization (INFLO): Concept of Operations, Prepared by SAIC for USDOT, June 14, 2012.)
The two applications may be implemented with varying levels of complexities and interrelationships. These levels of complexity and potential interaction may change over time as underlying technologies mature and wireless connectivity between vehicles and the infrastructure becomes increasingly ubiquitous. The USDOT seeks near-term prototype concepts that are likely to yield system and user benefits even at early stages of connected vehicle technology deployment. Further, the concepts prototyped in this task should support an evolutionary path wherein the impacts associated with these applications grow as the number of connected vehicles increases.
Dynamic Speed Harmonization (SPD-HARM): The INFLO SPD-HARM application concept aims to maximize throughput and reduce crashes by utilizing infrastructure-to vehicle (I2V) and vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication to detect impending congestion that might necessitate speed harmonization; generating appropriate target speed recommendation strategies for upstream traffic; and communicating the recommendations to the affected vehicles using either I2V or V2V communication.
The SPD-HARM concept reflects an operational environment in which speed recommendation decisions are made at a Traffic Management Center (TMC) or a similar infrastructure-based entity, and then communicated to the affected traffic. In such an environment, the SPD-HARM application resides within the infrastructure-based entity and is external to the vehicle. Such an approach was taken since an adhoc V2V communication is not well suited to providing a comprehensive view of the roadway traffic conditions, which is fundamental to effective speed harmonization. Communication of target speed recommendations to the affected vehicles will always give priority to crash avoidance/mitigation safety applications when such applications determine that a safety alert is necessary.
Queue Warning (Q-WARN): The INFLO Q-WARN application concept aims to minimize or prevent impacts of rear-end or secondary collisions by utilizing I2V and V2V communication to detect existing queues and/or predict impending queues; and communicate advisory queue warning messages to drivers in advance of roadway segments with existing or developing vehicle queues. The Q-WARN concept reflects an operational environment in which two essential tasks are performed: queue determination (detection and/or prediction) and queue information dissemination. In such an environment, the Q-WARN application may reside in the vehicle or within an infrastructure-based entity, or utilize a combination of both. The queue warning messages may either be communicated by the infrastructure-based entity using I2V communication or broadcast by vehicles that are in a queued state to nearby vehicles and infrastructure based entities. It is important to note that the Q-WARN application concept is not intended to operate as a crash avoidance system (e.g., like the forward collision warning safety application). In contrast to such systems, Q-WARN will engage well in advance of any potential crash situation, providing messages and information to the driver in order to minimize the likelihood of a crash avoidance or mitigation actions later. As such, Q-WARN-related driver communication will always give priority to crash avoidance/mitigation safety applications when such applications determine that a safety-related alert is necessary.
Start Date: May 2013
Duration: 6-month Fellowship
Salary: $25,000-30,000 /year
The National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO), a non-profit association which represents large cities on transportation issues of local and national importance, seeks a recent graduate in the field of city planning, sustainable transportation, architecture, urban design, or public policy for a six-month paid fellowship. Th
_DSC0441 (Photo credit: Eric Gilliland)
e fellow will work on both the Cities for Cycling Project and the Designing Cities initiative.
Responsibilities will include:
The desired candidate is self-motivated with an interest in working directly with city staff around the country on issues of sustainable transportation and major trends in urban planning, design, and policy.
Qualifications
Competencies Desired
Cover Letters and Resumes should be sent to nacto@nacto.org by April 22, 2013
If you are interested in posting a career opportunity on NACTO’s website, please email david@nacto.org.
via Visual.ly
Here is a nice infographic that tries to answer one simple question reg. fossil fuels and their emissions..
What if we burned all the fossil fuels we have? infographic by OpenCanada.
America’s energy security gets a boost from the White House. President Obama proposed the creation of Energy Security Trust during his visit to the Argonne National Research Lab to talk about American energy security. The Energy Security Trust, a$2 Billion investment over 10 years, uses revenue generated by oil and gas development on federal lands to support new research and technology that will shift our cars and trucks off of oil for good. Below is an infographic that outlines how this works:
Energy Security Trust Infographic via Whitehouse.gov
Here is an excerpt from the White House Blog:
So how does it work? The Energy Security Trust will invest in research that will make future technologies cheaper and better – it will fund the advances that will allow us to run cars and trucks on electricity or homegrown fuels, and on the technology that will enable us to drive from coast-to-coast without a drop of oil.
Over 10 years, the Energy Security Trust will provide $2 billion for critical, cutting-edge research focused on developing cost-effective transportation alternatives.The funding will be provided by revenues from federal oil and gas development, and will not add any additional costs to the federal budget. The investments will support research into a range of technologies – things like advanced vehicles that run on electricity, homegrown biofuels, and domestically produced natural gas. It will also help fund a small number of real-world experiments that try different transportation techniques in cities and towns around the country using advanced vehicles at scale.
If it is worth something, President Obama has indicated his desire to use the executive powers to curb climate change impacts should Congress fail to act. According to Bloomberg, the president is also thinking of using a Nixon-era law, the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), signed into law by President Richard Nixon in 1970, to instruct all federal agencies to consider the impact of climate change when approving “major projects, from pipelines to highways.” Of course, this can have some serious implications for large scale projects and some constituencies in the business sector are already freaking out over this mandate.
While we are busy discussing this issue, I’d like to share with you an address by President Obama from March 2011 in which he outlined his goals for reducing American energy dependence, heavily emphasizing new technology and alternative sources in addition to “safe and responsible” offshore drilling. A lot of what he outline in his blue print for change is already starting to take effect and I can only say that we are poised for a big change in the way we power our vehicles and industries. Fossil fuels are definitely beginning to see a slow demise (but it will be decades before they are completely phased out in the transportation sector).
