Biloxi, Mississippi is one of the oldest communities in the country, having first been settled in 1699. Today, the city is a cultural melting pot, with a year ‘round schedule of celebrations, set against a backdrop of sugar-white sand beaches, great deep-sea or freshwater fishing, an array of championship golf courses, museums and historic sites, and tantalizing seafood restaurants.

National Rural ITS Conference attendees will experience southern hospitality at its finest as the Gulf Region ITS Chapter hosts the 2012 event. Held at the beach front property, the Beau Rivage Hotel, guests can enjoy the Mississippi Sound while attendees take in the incredible technical sessions, training, professional tours, and networking opportunities! So mark your calendars and plan on visiting the coast in September 2012. We look forward to showing you “Rural ITS Southern Style”!

Why Attend? This conference will provide participants an opportunity to network and share experiences within and across a wide variety of ITS disciplines.  In addition to traditional ITS topics, this event will bring together both traditional and non-traditional ITS users to address such issues as rural safety, multi-agency coordination, and workforce development, as well as EMS and transit issues.

The many different training and networking opportunities available through this event will provide participants with the tools necessary to effectively plan and deploy ITS technologies within their own jurisdictions.

Who Should Attend? Public and private transportation, transit, tourism, enforcement, trucking, public safety and medical service professionals engaged in the operations, maintenance, and use of our transportation system should attend this Conference.  Elected and appointed officials, business and community leaders and emergency responders and public safety personnel will contribute to the rich dialogue while learning about the technical challenges facing the transportation community.

Public Sector Scholarship Fund. The Public Sector Scholarship Fund is a tool for increasing public sector participation in the National Rural ITS (NRITS) Conference. Funds are disbursed in increments of $500 to individuals who are attending the NRITS Conference for the first time and whose employing agency has not sent an attendee to the conference in the past year. Applicants must be public sector employees and must complete an application to be considered. The number of scholarships awarded will be based, in part, on available funds. While all applications must be received by Friday, August 3, 2012, it is recommended that you apply early as funds will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. An application can be downloaded by clicking here.

2012 Best of Rural ITS Awards. The Best of Rural Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Awards is the only program in the world that recognizes the best and brightest of the rural ITS community. Winning entries will be featured in a special presentation during the Opening Session on Monday, September 17th at the 2012 NRITS Conference in Biloxi, Mississippi.

Eligibility Requirements:

• Entries should be for activities taking place in the 2011 or 2012 calendar year.
• All entries must be received by 5 p.m. (EST) on Friday, June 15, 2012.
• Entries should be detailed enough to present the merits of the entry (click here for instructions).

Award Selection Criteria. ITS projects should have specific and measurable outcomes and exemplify innovation by demonstrating a “new dimension” of performance.

Consider Hosting a Future NRITS Conference.  The ITS America Rural SIG is now seeking applications from those who would be interested in hosting future NRITS meetings for 2014 and beyond.  Begun in 1992, the National Rural ITS Conference provides an opportunity for attendees to network and share experiences across a wide variety of ITS disciplines while focusing on the unique and varied challenges of deploying ITS in a rural environment.  It invites both traditional and non-traditional ITS users to address such issues as rural safety, road weather information systems, wireless communications, creating and maintaining livable/sustainability communities, multi-agency coordination and many others.  A questionnaire and guidelines have been developed to assist prospective host organizations in determining the logistic requirements for NRITS.  Proposals must be submitted by June 15, 2012.

3rd Annual NRITS Student Paper Award. Undergraduate and graduate students are invited to submit an original written paper on rural intelligent transportation systems to the 2012 NRITS Conference. Up to five student papers will be selected as winners.  Each winner is required to present their paper at the 2012 NRITS Conference.  Each winner will receive: a plaque; registration, per diem and transportation to attend the conference. Winning papers will be posted on this website. The deadline for student paper submittals is April 16, 2012. Click here to download entry requirements.

Congratulations to past Student Paper Winners:

2011

• Edward Offei, University of Wyoming (1st place) read paper
• Justin Effinger, University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee read paper
• Ismail Zohdy, Virginia Tech read paper

2010

• Vijay Kumar Sabawat Krishna, University of Wyoming (1st place) read paper
  
• Joseph Staszcuk, Montana State University (2nd place) read paper
  
• Jessica Mueller, Montana State University (3rd place) read paper