UPDATE: Tuesday, August 25th, 2015
Before discussing project updates, we need to mention a change within the project team. In May 2015, David Veneziano left WTI to take a position at Iowa State University. David has been crucial to the success of the COATS efforts and he will be greatly missed. Thank you, David, for leading the project team for the past seven years!
Doug Galarus (formerly co-Principal Investigator) is now the Principal Investigator and Leann Koon was promoted to co-Principal Investigator.
COATS Phase 6 facilitates ongoing technology transfer through the Western States Forum and the Western States Rural Transportation Consortium as well as continued demonstration and evaluation of ITS technologies through several incubator projects.
Quarterly progress on COATS projects is outlined below:
Western States Rural Transportation Technology Implementers Forum
The 2015 Western States Forum was held June 16th-18th in Yreka, California, at the Holiday Inn Express. The Western States Forum Steering Committee reviewed second drafts of presentations, provided feedback and received final presentations mid-quarter. The event agenda was then finalized and materials for Forum participants were compiled into notebooks. Various logistical tasks were completed.
Western States Forum Steering Committee members are pictured here as they welcome participants and kick off the 2015 Western States Forum. Since this was the 10th annual Forum, the Committee provided some history of the event and described its development and evolution.
Photo by Jeff Worthington
Thank you to all the participants and speakers who helped make the 10th Annual Forum a success! Please visit the Forum website and the 2015 Past Forum page to review the agenda, technical presentations, and photos from the event.
In the next quarter, the project team will review attendee evaluations and develop a draft final report for the 2015 event. The Western States Forum website and the WSRTC website, including the COATS project pages, will be updated with images, presentations, and project updates as needed. Dates for the 2016 Forum will be established.
Year 1 Incubator Projects
Technology Incubator: Data Quality for Aggregation and Dissemination of DOT Traveler Information: An Analysis of Existing System Best Practices
With a focus on ITS, the project team began a literature search for industry best practices regarding quality control of traveler information data. The project team developed a presentation for the National Rural ITS Conference, where preliminary results were presented along with numerous examples of data quality problems on August 10th in Snowbird, Utah. An additional contact for the Wyoming DOT was identified.
During the next quarter, the project team will continue pursuit of interviews with representatives of the Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Wyoming state DOT's. The project team will complete the literature search and compile a draft report on the state of the practice for traveler information data quality.
Safety/Operations Incubator: Evaluation of the Fredonyer Summit Icy Curve Warning System –Before and After Study of Long-Term Effectiveness
Speed data analysis continued this quarter, and the remaining 2014/15 season data were acquired. Additional interviews were conducted with ITS practitioners, maintenance personnel and highway patrol officers. A draft report was developed with a final version ready for review expected in the upcoming quarter. David Veneziano has continued work to wrap up this incubator after leaving WTI.
Year 2 Incubator Projects
Technology Incubator: Bluetooth Evaluation for Siskiyou Summit Chain-Control Chain-Up Area North of Redding
A report on Deployment Location Recommendations and Sources/Vendors was finalized. The project is currently on hold pending potential deployment of sensors in proximity to the chain-up area.