Announcements
FHWA EAR Program Initiates Two Studies in Foundational Research for New Approaches to a National Transportation Demand Model
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) entered into a contract with Battelle Memorial Institute to develop a futuristic design for a national long-distance travel survey. This design will push the boundaries of current sampling, data collection, and statistical weighting/estimation. FHWA also entered into a cooperative agreement with the Resource Systems Group, Inc, that will investigate using advanced agent-based modeling of long-distance travel behavior that is sensitive to policy variables and representative of the population, based on empirical evidence.
Both awards resulted from an open solicitation scoped after coordination with the Federal Railroad Administration and Federal Aviation Administration. If successful, the two awards are anticipated to contribute toward developing a multimodal national transportation demand model that could provide public and private sector entities the capability to conduct multimodal analyses of national and multi-state regional travel and congestion, test the effectiveness of national policies, and provide a framework for system performance measurement.
EAR Program Participates in an NSF Study on Underground Geoengineering
To explore underground geoengineering for sustainable development, the FHWA EAR Program has entered into an Inter-Agency Agreement with the National Science Foundation (NSF). This multiyear study will summarize current engineering knowledge related to underground development and identify research needs to capitalize on opportunities for enhancing urban sustainability through underground development. FHWA’s support and participation in the study will leverage NSF funds already committed to the study and will ensure that the study adequately addresses transportation needs associated with the topic of underground geoengineering for sustainable development. More information regarding the NSF study is available from the National Academies [http://www8.nationalacademies.org/cp/projectview.aspx?key=49215].
FHWA EAR Program Workshop Explores Technological Innovations in Transportation for People with Disabilities
On February 23, FHWA’s Office of Operations R&D conducted a workshop at the Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center for technology and disability experts outside transportations to discuss how technological advancements could help to empower people with disabilities to become more mobile. The workshop participants discussed technologies, such as mobile computing, computer vision, artificial intelligence, and robotics that could be used for innovative ways to help those with vision impairment and other disabilities be more independent. The workshop connected FHWA technical experts with those from the University Transportation Centers, Federal agencies, and other sources who are conducting relevant accessible transportation research. [More]
Highlighted Activities
Research on the Future
While no one can predict the future, it is important to consider the forces—both likely and unlikely—that are shaping the future. For highway research, this can mean understanding diverse forces from global population trends, to climate change, to breakthroughs in material science. For Exploratory Advanced Research this means looking as much as 30 to 50 years in the future. [More]
FHWA EAR Program Partners on Cyber-Physical Systems
Researchers from EAR Program supported projects participated in a National Science Foundation invitation-only workshop on “Developing Dependable and Secure Automotive Cyber-Physical Systems from Components.” The workshop held in Troy, Michigan on March 17-18 will provide information on how research of cyber-physical systems can improve safety, mobility, and fuel efficiency. Cyber-physical systems integrate in-vehicle, infrastructure-based, and combined vehicle-infrastructure hardware and software component systems. For more information about the workshop, please see http://varma.ece.cmu.edu/Auto-CPS-2011/Index.html.
FHWA EAR Program Investigates Nanoscale Approaches for Highway Research
In 2009, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) hosted a workshop to identify interests and capabilities for nanoscale research that can be applied to highway industry subject matters. The workshop brought together FHWA technical experts with those from University Transportation Centers, Federal laboratories, and other organizations, which are conducting relevant nanoscale research. The information and thoughts shared at the workshop will shape the scope of FHWA's further investment in nanoscale research through an open solicitation, interagency agreement, or other appropriate mechanisms. The workshop supports the development of strategic roadmaps and outlines funding needs for nanoscale work that could lead to enhanced capabilities and longer term partnerships along specific lines of nanoscale investigations relevant to highway research. The FHWA Exploratory Advanced Research Program coordinated the workshop. [More]
