The TMIP Online Community of Practice (TMIP|COP) includes the management of the TMIP email list, but it is also an extension and enhancement of the TMIP email list. The intent of TMIP|COP is to provide an online forum for resources and knowledge exchange between TMIP Community Members. The TMIP|COP also includes an Ask-The-Expert live technical assistance service, allowing members of the users' community to either live-chat or email the TMIP expert with their technical questions. The TMIP|COP can be viewed as a complement to the Transportation Research Board's Travel Forecasting Resource (http://www.tfresource.org/). Figure 12 is a screenshot of TMIP|COP.
Figure 2: TMIP Online Community of Practice
A prominent component of the TMIP|COP is the TMIP-L email list. TMIP maintains the email list to promote the open discussion of issues related to transportation modeling, simulation, and analysis. The email list has over 1,610 subscribers representing travel forecasting professionals from around the globe.
Accomplishments during the 2012-2013 performance period involved: hosting and maintaining the TMIP|COP, hosting and maintaining the TMIP-L email list, and providing virtual technical assistance. These accomplishments are detailed in the following subsections, respectively.
Hosting and Maintaining the TMIP|COP
Google Analytics were used to produce site analytics and standard reports of activity on the TMIP|COP website. The overall usage of the TMIP|COP during the reporting period is summarized as follows:
Table 4 summarizes the TMIP|COP top ten page views for the reporting period. Figure 3 illustrates the visits per month, showing the month of October 2012 as the highest for the reporting period, with 2,196 visits.
Table 4: TMIP|COP Pageviews by Page (top ten pages only)
| Page | Page views | % Page views |
|---|---|---|
| /Landing Page | 2,943 | 10.5% |
| /Clearinghouse/Item-Types/Recorded-Webinar.aspx | 2,063 | 7.4% |
| /Clearinghouse/Subject-Category/Activity-based-modeling.aspx | 1,179 | 4.2% |
| /Clearinghouse/Items/Introduction_to_Travel_Demand_Forecasting_Self_Instructional_CD-ROM.aspx | 1,120 | 4.0% |
| /Clearinghouse/Item-Types/Published-Report.aspx | 657 | 2.4% |
| /Clearinghouse/Subject-Category/Travel-demand-modeling.aspx | 631 | 2.3% |
| /Clearinghouse.aspx | 485 | 1.7% |
| /Clearinghouse/Items/20120202_-_Activity-Based_Modeling_Executive_Session_1.aspx | 457 | 1.6% |
| /Clearinghouse/Items/20120930_Activity-Based_Modeling_Forecasting_and_Application_Session_12.aspx | 449 | 1.6% |
| /Calendar.aspx | 333 | 1.2% |
| Grand Total | 27,947 | 100% |
Figure 3: TMIP|COP Visits per Month
Table 5 below summaries the TMIP|COP visits by country, reporting over 3,900 visits from outside the United States. Figure 4 geographically illustrates the TMIP|COP visits by country.
Table 5: TMIP|COP Visits by Country (top ten countries only)
| Country | Visits | Pages/Visit | Avg. Visit Duration | Bounce Rate * |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 9,129 | 2.14 | 0:08:22 | 30% |
| Canada | 643 | 2.42 | 0:06:25 | 21% |
| Iran | 419 | 1.91 | 0:07:16 | 16% |
| United Kingdom | 254 | 1.63 | 0:02:42 | 61% |
| Australia | 233 | 2.84 | 0:12:58 | 37% |
| China | 217 | 2.86 | 0:02:58 | 36% |
| India | 200 | 2.14 | 0:09:10 | 57% |
| South Korea | 161 | 3.90 | 0:03:49 | 24% |
| Germany | 143 | 1.38 | 0:03:59 | 35% |
| Qatar | 137 | 1.61 | 0:40:11 | 9% |
| Grand Total | 13,040 | 2.14 | 0:07:44 | 32% |
* Bounce rate is the percentage of visitors who enter the site and "bounce." Rather than continue viewing other pages within the site. A bounce occurs when a visitor only views a single page on a website.
Figure 4: TMIP|COP Page Visits by Country
Hosting and Maintaining TMIP-L Email List
The TMIP-L email list has approximately 1,610 subscribers. During the performance period, 466 email messages were moderated and then distributed to the TMIP-L email list. Table 6 summarizes the breakdown of posts by topic.
Table 6: Total Number of TMIP-L Postings by Topic
| Email List Topic | Email Posts |
|---|---|
| Technical Discussion | 190 |
| Announcements (Call for Papers, Courses Offered, Seminars) | 101 |
| Job Posts | 94 |
| Ask The Modeling Expert Responses | 57 |
| RFPs | 24 |
| Grand Total | 466 |
Providing Virtual Technical Assistance
During the performance period, six live-chat and twenty-one email technical assistance questions were submitted to the TMIP|COP Ask-The-Expert service. Table 7 summarizes the technical assistance provided by the TMIP|COP Ask-The-Expert Service.
Table 7: Ask-The-Expert Technical Assistance
| Ask-The-Expert Inquiries | Total |
|---|---|
| Live-Chat | 4 |
| 26 | |
| Grand Total | 30 |
"What I like best about TMIP is reading different people's opinions on all topics regarding the transportation industry. I am fairly new to the industry, and have a vast amount of learning to do. For me, the discussions are a great learning tool, even if I don't fully grasp what some of the experts are saying."
Vivian Daigler NUSTATS Research Solution
The TMIP|COP's and TMIP-L email list enables TMIP to reach out to thousands of professionals around the globe and provide a platform for community members to connect with each other in a cost-effective way. The TMIP|COP uses technology to provide an interactive learning and communication experience for transportation modeling, simulation, and analysis professionals. The TMIP|COP also contributes to the TMIP Program by facilitating critical technical discussions regarding innovation and ideas for enhancing tools that can be further evaluated and collaborated on by professional staff. Vivian Daigler expressed her sentiment of why TMIP online community is an integrated part of TMIP and perceived to be a valuable resource to TMIP community members.
