Focus Area: Systems Engineering Development & Integration
Professional Capacity Building for Communications Systems Phase 5
California and Oregon Advanced Transportation Systems (COATS) Phase 8
Aviation Journal Highlights Aviation Weather Portal project
The State Aviation Journal recently published a feature article on the benefits of an aviation weather and travel tool developed by the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) and WTI. “Caltrans Continues to Emphasize Value of Aviation Weather and Travel Portal” describes the Aviation Weather Information (AWI) portal, which links dozens of commonly used (official) aviation weather websites into one location, providing easy access to key flight-related weather conditions (such as wind speed and visibility), pilot reports and airport data. The article mentions how the portal has been very useful to emergency services agencies in California during earthquake and mudslide events. The tool grew out of a multi-phase research collaboration between Caltrans and WTI, dating back to 2007 and led by Principal Investigator, Doug Galarus. More information about the project is available on the Caltrans AWI website or on WTI’s Integration of Aviation AWOS with RWIS project webpage.
Teachers Translate Transportation Research into Classroom Experiences
At the West Region Transportation Workforce Center (WRTWC), the first Research Experience for Teachers in Innovative Transportation Systems (ITS-RET) program is well underway. Ten middle, high school, and community college faculty participants are conducting multidisciplinary transportation research for six weeks at Montana State University this summer. The research topic areas focus on the unique challenges of rural transportation systems and developing solutions to transportation challenges through innovation. In addition to working with faculty and research mentors on research, the ITS-RET participants are translating their research experiences into classroom curricula.
On July 31 and August 1, the teachers were able to implement new teaching materials they developed during a two-day workshop held for middle and high school students. The classroom activities demonstrated what an excellent vehicle transportation is for integrated STEM learning. The young workshop participants were able to hone computational thinking skills during a programming challenge, test the strength of different materials, build and test crash attenuators, and use drones to survey a landscape before designing and building wildlife crossing structures. The classroom modules will be posted to the WRTWC website next month as a resource for other teachers. Teachers interested in participating in the RET program next summer can visit the Center website for additional information: http://wrtwc.org/resources/for-educators/
View the WTI project description
WRTWC is sponsored by the Federal Highway Administration and based at the Western Transportation Institute.
Caltrans Launches Aviation Website Developed in Partnership with WTI
Last week, the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) announced that a new aviation portal is now available to provide crucial information for pilots, airport operators, first responders and others who need real-time weather conditions throughout California. The Aviation Weather Information (AWI) portal links dozens of commonly used aviation weather websites into one location. Users can quickly and easily find information about current wind speed, temperature, visibility, air pressure and weather conditions at dozens of locations on a single, mapped based website.
Caltrans created the website with the assistance of a team from WTI, through the “Integration of Aviation AWOS and RWIS” project. In the news release about the website launch, Caltrans stated that it recognized the value of the site during the prototype stage, when it was used to gather weather data during an earthquake in 2014, a dam incident in 2017, and mudslides in 2018. Principal Investigator Doug Galarus, who has led the effort since its inception, added: “I am proud of the great job my team did on this project. Dan Richter, Leann Koon and numerous students worked on the Aviation project through the years to help get it to this point.”
One-Stop Shop Selected as Model for “Research Pays Off”
Congratulations to the One-Stop Shop Traveler Information project, which was featured in the November/December 2017 issue of TR News Magazine, published by the National Academy of Sciences Transportation Research Board. Caltrans Senior Transportation Engineer Sean Campbell and WTI Principal Investigator Doug Galarus authored the article, entitled “The One-Stop Shop: Traveler Information Tool for Multistate Road Trips,” which was selected for a three-page feature in the “Research Pays Off” section of the magazine. The One-Stop Shop application is an umbrella website that can be used as a primary point of reference for trip planning over an 11-state region. It was created through an ongoing research collaboration that began in 2010 between the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), the Western States Rural Consortium (WSRTC), and the Western Transportation Institute. The article describes how the tool developed from a proof-of-concept project to an internet and mobile application that benefits a broad range of users, including long-distance travelers, local and state transportation agency personnel, emergency responders, and commercial vehicle operators. Additional information is available at the WSRTC website and the WTI website.
View the article ( TR News article on One-Stop Shop)
(TR News is copyright, National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; posted with permission of the Transportation Research Board.)
National Motorcycle Advisory Council Holds Kick-off Meeting
The national Motorcycle Advisory Council (MAC), which provides guidance and recommendations to the USDOT Federal Highway Administration, held its first meeting in December 2017. WTI Researcher Craig Shankwitz, who was invited to serve on the Council, gave a presentation on his research to develop a “smart license plate,” which could enable vehicle to vehicle communications, such as safety messages regarding the presence and position of motorcycles on the road. The MAC meeting was covered in detail in a feature article on the online blog Common Tread.
Congratulations, Graduates! Doug Galarus and Carla Little.
Two WTI staff members received advanced degrees at the Montana State University Spring Commencement Ceremony on May 6. Doug Galarus earned his Ph.D. in Computer Science from the College of Engineering, and Carla Little received her Master’s in Higher Education from the College of Education, Health and Human Development.