Webinar Overview

Traveler Information and Traffic Incident Management (TIM)

Crowdsourcing Course (Part 3 of 5)

Date: Tuesday, July 18, 2023
Time: 1:00 P.M. - 2:30 P.M. ET
Cost: All T3 webinars are free of charge.
PDH: 1.0 | View PDH Policy

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T3 Webinars are brought to you by the ITS Professional Capacity Building Program (ITS PCB) at the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) ITS Joint Program Office (JPO). Reference in this webinar to any specific commercial products, processes, or services, or the use of any trade, firm, or corporation name is for the information and convenience of the public, and does not constitute endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the USDOT.

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Background

Most public agencies and private companies use crowdsourcing, which is the practice of addressing a need or a problem by enlisting the services of large numbers of people through technology. Organizations crowdsource product reviews, idea generation, feature detection, funding, and much more. With the proliferation of location-based technologies, an unprecedented wave of crowdsourced data is available to transportation agencies. Moreover, analytics tools and services make processing and using crowdsourced data a true game-changer for advancing intelligent transportation systems (ITS) solutions and transportation systems management and operations (TSMO).

Since 2019, the FHWA Every Day Counts (EDC) Innovation, Crowdsourcing for Advancing Operations, has been supporting the adoption of crowdsourced data and tools to advance transportation operations across 35+ States and their local agencies to improve traffic incident, road weather, work zone, traffic signal, traveler information, and emergency management, along with a host of other ITS and TSMO practices.

The Crowdsourcing Innovation Team in collaboration with the ITS Joint Program Office (JPO) Professional Capacity Building (PCB) Program is delivering an introductory Crowdsourcing course through a series of five webinars, featuring State and local practitioner perspectives. Webinars will take place on the third Tuesday of each month at 1:00 PM ET. The following highlights webinar dates and topics:

The following highlights webinar dates and topics:

Target Audience

The target audience for this webinar will include transportation professionals with an interest in or responsibility for the management and operations of roadway systems, including local, State, or Federal Departments of Transportation or Public Works as well as consultant, university, or contractor support. No prior experience is required to attend this webinar series; however, participants are advised to attend the first two and the final webinars in this series either during the live delivery or as a recorded event.

Learning Objectives

• Identify components of and challenges faced by State and local TIM and Traveler Information Programs.
• Understand how crowdsourced data can enhance key aspects of Traffic Incident Management (TIM) and Traveler Information programs.
• Share peer experiences regarding crowdsourced data for TIM and Traveler Information.

Host

Ralph Volpe, USDOT/FHWA Resource Center, Operations Technical Service Team, FHWA EDC-6 Crowdsourcing Program Co-Lead and Transportation Systems Operations Specialist
Mr. Volpe is responsible for providing technical assistance, training, and deploying strategies and techniques to FHWA’s internal and external customers on topics such as TSMO, integrated corridor management, active transportation and demand management, operations performance management, and organizing/planning for operations. Before joining FHWA in 2001, Mr. Volpe was a specialist in planning and public transportation for the Tennessee Department of Transportation. Mr. Volpe holds a Bachelor of Science in Logistics and Master of Science in civil engineering from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

Presenters

Sal Cowan, New Jersey Department of Transportation, Senior Director of Mobility, Traveler Information Instructor
In his role, Mr. Cowan oversees the Department’s TSM&O programs, including the Office of Emergency Management, Security, and Response where the State’s TIM program is managed.

Vaishali Shah, AEM Corporation, Sr. Director of Transportation Systems Corporation, TIM Instructor, Support Lead for the EDC-5/6 Crowdsourcing Innovation
Ms. Shah has led and contributed to FHWA, USDOT ITS JPO, FAA, and National Cooperative Highway Research Program efforts, helping public agencies improve decision-making through new technologies, tools, and processes. Ms. Shah holds a BS degree from the University of Maryland and an MS degree from the University of Texas.

John Parker, Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC), Senior Traffic Operations Project Manager, TIM Subject Matter Expert
Mr. Parker is responsible for Information Technology (IT) and Geographic Information Systems projects, as well as operational and safety studies. His projects include Truck Parking Management System, third-party navigation app integration, Emergency Vehicle Warning System (HAAS alert) implementation, and various ITS projects for the Turnpike. Before joining the PTC, John worked at Pennsylvania Department of Transportation for 17 years where he was responsible for the management of the Statewide Bridge Program and IT projects for the Program Center. Mr. Parker currently serves as a member of the Innovation Council for the PTC and is a member of the Eastern Transportation Coalition’s third-party navigation and mapping initiative.

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