NRITS Agenda

Hosted by: Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities

2008 Postcard / Schedule at a Glance / 2007 Conference Proceedings

To download a print version of this preliminary agenda, please click here (pdf format).		HOMELODGINGREGISTRATIONACTIVITIESSPEAKER & MODERATOR INFO VENDOR/SPONSOR OPPORTUNITIES
Tuesday, September 2, 2008 (pre-conference events)
1:00 - 3:00 pm	NATIONAL TRANSIT DATABASE RURAL TRAINING SEMINAR Adventure Room Instructor: John Giorgis, Federal Transit Administration (FTA) The most recent surface transportation law, SAFETEA-LU, added a requirements for recipients of Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Rural Formula Grants (Section 5311 Grants) to report to the National Transit Database (NTD). State Departments of Transportation are responsible for reporting to the NTD on behalf of their subrecipients, while Indican Tribes in the Tribal Transit Program report directly to the NTD. Whether you are a representative form a State DOT or Indian Tribe responsible for filling out the reports or you are a subrecipient that needs to support your State DOT in NTD reporting, this seminar will answer your questions. A representative from FTA will provide an overview of the NTD reporting process, followed by a line-by-line discussion of the reporting requirements. This session will also cover common data troublespots and definitional issues to aid in the submission of original NTD reports and the response to validation checks. Plenty of time will also be allotted in this interactive session for questions on specific issues from the attendees. Presenting the session will be John Giorgis from FTA, who is the NTD Performance Manager and is responsible for all aspects of NTD operations.




3:30 - 6:30 pm	ANCHORRIDES AND PEOPLE MOVER TRANSIT TOUR Please meet next to the registration desk (facing Fifth Avenue) Conference attendees arriving early will have the opportunity to visit two of Anchorage’s transit solutions. AnchorRides is a shared ride service providing curb-to-curb trips and transportation services to people with disabilities. People Mover provides scheduled, fixed route service throughout Anchorage. What will tour participants learn? Our first stop will be AnchorRides’ current facility on King Street. There, participants will receive an overview of the start-of-the- art scheduling and dispatching hardware, software and drivercam technology including Trapeze software, Mentor MDT’s and AVL’s, Nortel Business Communications Manager and much more. The vehicles used for AnchorRides will also be available for viewing. Following our AnchorRides stop, participants will visit the newly constructed People Mover facility. While the facility is not expected to be occupied until the end of September, tour participants will still have the opportunity to learn more about scheduling, drivecam, real-time signage, and carpool matching technology. Tour participants will be returned to the hotel in time for the evening Meet-and-Greet.	Travel Helps Conference Facility Anchorage AirportAnchorage People MoverAnchorage Area Maps Local Area Links Anchorage Visitors Center Alaska Native Heritage Center Alaska Railroad Alaska Zoo Portage Glacier Vendors DisplayingAdaptive Micro Systems Alaska DOT & PF AldisCampbell Scientific, Inc.Boshung America, LLC Coral Sales Company Daktronics, Inc. EIS/ISS Canada Ltd. GeoDecisions High Sierra Electronics, Inc. Infotek Intelligent Devices, Inc. IRD, Inc. ITS Alaska ITS Joint Program Office Kidde Aerospace & Defense Open Roads Consulting, Inc. Quixote Transportation Technologies, Inc. RuggedCom SES America, Inc. Telvent USDOT/FHWA Vaisala, Inc. Wavetronix Western Systems Western Transportation Institute
3:00 - 9:00 pm	REGISTRATION, Conference Registration Area (Lobby Level facing Fifth Avenue) The Registration Desk will open at 3:00 pm and remain open until 9:00 pm. Attendees are invited to stop by and pick up their registration packets prior to attending the Meet-and-Greet Reception.
6:00 - 8:00 pm	MEET-AND-GREET RECEPTION Quarter Deck, 10th Floor, Tower I , Sponsored by Open Roads Consulting, Inc. Those arriving early can take advantage of an informal Meet-and-Greet reception. Held on the Rooftop Quarter Deck at the Hotel Captain Cook, enjoy views of downtown while dining on hors d’oeuvres! A cash bar will be available.
5:00 - 9:00 pm	VENDOR SETUP, Fore Deck Vendors should check in at the Registration Desk, across from the Fore Deck, prior to setting up.
7:00 - 9:00 pm	POSTER SESSION SETUP, Aft Deck Poster authors should check in at the Registraiton Desk, across from the Discovery Ballroom, prior to setting up .
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
7:00 am	REGISTRATION Conference Registration Area (Lobby level facing Fifth Avenue) The Registration Desk will open at 7:00 am. Attendees should pickup their registration packets prior to attending the continental breakfast.
7:00 am	CONTINENTAL BREAKFAST, Aft Deck This breakfast sponsored by Geo-Watersheds Scientific.
7:00 am	VENDOR AREA OPENS, Fore Deck
8:30 am	OPENING SESSION, Mid Deck Moderator: Jeff Ottesen, Program Development, Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities National Anthem/Alaska Flag Song: Taylor Vidic, Juneau, Alaska Welcome • Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich • Alaska Transportation Commissioner Leo Von Scheben Keynotes • Shelley Row, ITS Joint Program Office, USDOT • Klaus Banse, President, ITS Colombia • Burr Stewart, Port of Seattle Population growth is extending into what has previously been extreme rural settings. User expectations for transportation system performance are increasing. Rapid technology changes offer many opportunities. These opportunities, however, come with significant challenges and future funding availability often brings program sustainability into question. Add to this the increasing impact of climate change on all facets of society and it is rapidly evident that rural ITS has challenges similar to what other transportation programs face. Where does this lead? New opportunities for data and program sharing, especially across jurisdictions and borders; as well as an increased need to understand the transportation system changes before we can address solutions. The Opening Session will explore the role of rural intelligent transportation system deployment in light of these impacts.
9:45 am	ITS INFORMATION ASSEMBLEY, Discovery Ballroom Welcome to the ITS Information Assembly! In addition to the many exhibitors that will be onsite sharing the latest breakthroughs in technology, a Poster Session and Training Pavilion are also available. What does this mean for you, the attendee? After perusing the exhibits, you can take advantage of the Poster Session and visit one-on-one with the authors/presenters. Add to this the opportunity to visit with individuals from the various ITS Training Programs at the Training Pavilion regarding your agency’s training needs and we’ve created a gathering packed with opportunity. The ITS Information Assembly goes until lunch to allow ample time for individuals to interact and network. POSTER PRESENTATIONS: Daniel Benhammou, Hamilton Signal Real-Time Congestion Maps for Rural Roadways Brian Burkhard, HNTB Corporation An Evaluation of Rural Area Vehicle Infrastructure Integration (VII) Ben Frevert, Iteris, Inc. Improvements to Idaho’s Traveler Information System Eric Gibbons, High Sierra Electronics, Inc. Important Aspects of a Well-Designed Advance Flooded Roadway Warning System Annjanette Kremer, Michigan Department of Transportation Leveraging Maintenance Operations for Rural ITS Deployment Ming-Shiun Lee, URS Corporation Development of Kansas Statewide ITS Architecture Pradeep Rao, HNTB Corporation ITS Application on Safety Barrier Cable System Jeff Roach, Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities Vehicle Infrastructure Integration in Rural Transit Systems Jim Stemitz (for David Newman), Digital Traffic Systems, Inc. Mining New Traffic Data from Old Sources Jim Stemitz (for Peter Keen), Digital Traffic Systems, Inc. A Business Framework for Traffic Data Quality Improvement David Veneziano (for Chris Strong), Western Transportation Institute Alaska RWIS Usage Study Jerry Waldman, Quixote Transportation Technologies, Inc. Advance Warn for Rural ITS
10:30 am	TRANSIT TRACK (overlaps with ITS Information Assembly) Session T1: Turning Data into a Better Transit System Adventure Room Moderator: Eric Taylor, Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities Yehuda Gross, ITS Joint Program Office, USDOT System Design Characteristics of Coordinated Public Transportation Services Using ITS Tom Coogan, RouteMatch Software Turning Data Confusion into Data Intelligence Josh Cohn, California Center for Innovative Transportation EDAPTS: Sustainable APTS Deployments for Small Urban and Rural Transit Services The data collected from using ITS in rural transit helps the agencies collect enormous amounts of knowledge that can be used to improve customer service and other performance measures. This session will look at ITS used in coordination as well as data collected from successful deployments of ITS. This session will be presented in a lecture style format from industry experts.
12:00 pm	VENDOR LUNCH, Mid Deck, Sponsored by Quixote Transportation Technologies, Inc. MEGA TOUR - Whittier Tunnel/Turnagain Pass This tour sponsored by Horizon Lines of Alaska, LLC. Please meet in the main Lobby area (facing Fourth Avenue). Tour participants will depart at 12:00 pm and return by 4:30 pm. Box lunches will be provided. Tour Guides: • Mark Parmelee, Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities • Mark Feldman, Quixote Transportation Technologies, Inc. Spectacular scenery compliments the exceptional use of technology as tour participants see how Alaska addresses power and communication challenges in extreme rural settings. Attendees will visit the Anton Anderson Memorial Whittier Access Tunnel, powered by a sophisticated tunnel control system, as well as visit the self-powered custom road weather information system (RWIS) on Turnagain Pass.
1:00 pm	NRITS Conference (concurrent sessions)
	Session A1: Climate Change Overview, Voyager Room This session sponsored by Cambridge Systematics, Inc. Moderator: Jack Stickel, Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities Burr Stewart, Port of Seattle The Impacts of Climate Change on the Transportation Sector Henry G. Schwartz, Berger Group Holdings Potential Impacts of Climate Change on US Transportation Robert Hyman, Cambridge Systematics, Inc. Impacts of Climate Change and Variability on Transportation Systems and Infrastructure: Gulf Coast Study Understanding of the physical climate system has progressed rapidly, but using this knowledge to support decision making, manage risks, and engage stakeholders has not been widespread in transportation agencies. Addressing climate change requires an examination of plausible future scenarios, the long-term capacity to deal with uncertain and changing information, and agency responses that extend beyond jurisdictional boundaries and transportation modal responsibilities. These are significant challenges for transportation professionals. This session will help illuminate potential impacts of climate change with the greatest relevance for U.S. transportation as presented in the recently released “Potential Impacts of Climate Change on U.S. Transportation.”
	Session A2: Leadership Roundtable - Gaining Institutional Buy-In to Address Rural ITS Transportation Needs, Endeavor Room Moderator: Steve Albert, Western Transportation Institute Panelists: • Klaus Banse, ITS Colombia • Jeff Ottesen, Program Development, Alaska DOT&PF • Shelley Row, ITS Joint Program Office, USDOT This session will be a dialogue among federal and state organizations and the audience on how to raise awareness, buy-in and acceptance within organizations on the need for rural ITS solutions. Speakers will bring their institutional insight and will discuss ideas for how to best communicate with leadership and what types and content of messages best resonate with leadership that will result in actions.
	TRANSIT TRACK Session T2: What Have We Learned from Using ITS in Rural Transit? Adventure Room Moderator: Larry Alflen, Zuni Entrepreneurial Enterprise, Inc. Lou Friend, MASCOT What Have We Learned from Using ITS in Rural Transit? David Kack, Western Transportation Institute Return on Investment in Paratransit Technology: A Case Study John Giorgis, Federal Transit Administration Lessons Learned about Rural Transit Using the New Rural National Transit Database Jennifer Beckman, Central Area Rural Transit Systems, Inc. ITS and the Small Rural Transit Organization ITS can combine the power of computers on-board vehicles with the latest location and communication technologies and other tools to improve the safety, quality, or efficiency of rural transit. From the customer’s point of view, these technologies can greatly assist in improving transportation delivery and service quality thus proving beneficial to all riders. But where do we take the lessons learned from the technology to continue offering stellar service to customers? This session takes a look at some of the lessons learned from using ITS in rural transit. This session will be presented in a lecture style format from industry experts.
	COMMERCIAL VEHICLE OPERATIONS (CVO) TRACK Session CV1: The Last Frontier - Extreme CVO & ITS, Resolution Room Moderator: Aves Thompson, Alaska Trucking Association Jeremy Miller, Kuukpi Carlile Transportation, North Slope Operations Trucking in Alaska Howard Thies and Dwight Stuller, Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities The Dalton Highway: Past, Present, Future Al Guettinger, Alaska West Express The Realities of the Haul Road “Good stuff – trucks bring it.” Plainly stated but no less true; however, for some commercial vehicle operators bringing the good stuff means traveling through rural areas under challenging environmental conditions. Whether through U.S. avalanche prone mountain highways or over roads made of iceberg in Canada, these operators and safety officers are working overtime to ensure safe movement of freight in extreme conditions, using real life-and-death lessons learned. This session will provide highlights of commercial vehicle operations conducted in adverse conditions, an overview of operational lessons, and discuss if and how intelligent transportation system technologies and applications could assist in improving the safety of these extreme operations.
2:30 pm	BREAK, Mid Deck This break sponsored by ITS Alaska.
2:45 PM	NRITS Conference (concurrent sessions & tour)
	Session B1: Impacts of Climate Change - Session I Voyager Room This session sponsored by Cambridge Systematics, Inc. Moderator: Henry G. Schwartz, Berger Group Holdings Representative Reggie Joule, State of Alaska Alaska Climate Assessment Commission Mike Coffey, Commissioner’s Office, Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities Public Infrastructure and Climate Change Pete Larsen, The Nature Conservancy Estimating Future Costs for Alaska Public Infrastructure at Risk from Climate Change Captain Bob Pawlowski, Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation Technical Mapping Aspects for Climate Change The world’s leading scientists have reached consensus that human activity in the form of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is warming the planet in ways that will have profound and unsettling impacts on natural resources, energy use, ecosystems, economic activity, and potentially quality of life. This session will examine some of these impacts as they relate to rural multi-modal transportation infrastructure and, in particular, the impacts on Native American transportation and quality of life. The session will also highlight how transportation agencies can establish a decision framework to use in addressing impacts of climate change on the transportation infrastructure through ITS.
	Session B2: Unique ITS Deployments, Endeavor Room Moderator: Ocie Adams, Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities Eliseo Barrera, Horizon Lines of Alaska, Inc. Horizon Lines Active RFID Container Tracking Program: An Ocean-Container Shipping Industry First Eddy Castoria, San Diego Motorist Aid Authority Mobile Call Boxes Taek Kwon, University of Minnesota Solar/Wind Hybrid Renewable Energy Generator for Powering Rural Dynamic Message Signs Troy Pinkerton, Missouri Department of Transportation Missouri Department of Transportation’s Statewide Rural Dynamic Message Sign Deployment What do RFID container tracking, mobile call boxes, dynamic message signs, and solar/wind hybrid energy generators have in common? They all have applications in rural ITS! Come learn how technology has begun to help fill the gaps in power reliability, data collection and safety.
	Mega Tour continued
	TRANSIT TRACK Session T3: Experiences in Statewide Rural ITS System DeploymentsAdventure Room Moderator: David Levy, Alaska Mobility Coalition Leslie Spencer Fowler, Kansas Department of Transportation Kansas Rural Transit ITS - Resolving Specific Technical Challenges Bob Krause, Iowa Department of Transportation The Iowa Rural Regional Public Transit ITS Deployment Experience Peter Davies, Castle Rock Associates Modes: A Shared, Statewide Multi-Modal Transit Management System States with large areas of sparse populations have recently begun to look at deploying statewide ITS systems to aid their rural transit systems. This session will offer presentations from experts that have had experience with these types of deployments followed by a roundtable discussion with the audience.
	CVO TRACK Session CV2: CVO Research & Technology Spotlight Resolution Room Moderator: Dan Murray, American Transportation Research Institute Dan Murray, American Transportation Research Institute Assessing the Safety and Financial Impacts of OnBoard Safety Systems Mike Akridge, Florida Department of Transportation Florida Smart Roadside Julie Lane, USDOT FMCSA FMCSA Safety and Technology Overview Roy Czinku, International Road Dynamics, Inc. Camera Technology for Commercial Vehicle Operations With so many projects and studies underway in the U.S. for improving safety and efficiency of commercial vehicle operations using intelligent transportation technologies, this session will provide a “tour” of the latest and greatest advances ongoing in the commercial vehicle industry. Spotlighting driver safety, speakers will discuss human factors engineering research results, potential in-vehicle safety systems, and technology applications benefiting commercial drivers.
4:30 pm	Adjourn
5:00 pm	Alaska Native Heritage Center (group activity) Sponsored in part by Telvent and Wostmann & Associates, Inc. (To attend this event, individuals must have previously registered. Check at registration desk for openings.) Attendees and guests should meet in front of the Registration desk (facing Fifth Street) for loading onto the buses. Buses begin loading at 5:00 pm. Located just a short ten minute drive from downtown, the Alaska Native Heritage Center includes a Welcome House and Village Sites. The Welcome House hosts traditional Native dancing and interpretive displays while the Village Sites allow visitors to see five authentic Native settings alongside a picturesque lake and beautifully landscaped trails. Light hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar will be available on the outdoor deck. Village Site tours will take place from 5:30 to 7:00 pm. Dinner will begin at 7:00 pm and will feature an Alaska salmon bake as well as beef tips in burgundy sauce. Salads, seafood chowder, sauteed fresh garden vegetables, roasted red potatoes and, of course, desserts round out the menu. There will also be five Native Artists representing all five cultural groups demonstrating from 6:00 to 7:30 pm. A dance performance will follow at 7:30 pm. We anticipate returning to the hotel by 9:00 pm. An evening you don’t want to miss!
Thursday, September 4, 2008
7:00 am	REGISTRATION Conference Registration Area
7:00 am	CONTINENTAL BREAKFAST, Mid Deck This breakfast sponsored by Geo-Watersheds Scientific.
7:00 am	VENDOR AREA OPENS, Fore Deck
7:45 am	TRANSIT TRACK Alaska Railroad Tour and Luncheon Lecture (To attend this event, individuals must have previously registered. Check at registration desk for openings.) Attendees and guests should meet in front of the Registration Desk (facing Fifth Avenue) for loading onto the buses. Buses begin loading at 7:30 am and depart by 7:45 am for the Alaska Railroad Depot. Attendees must have a photo ID to pickup their tickets at the Depot. The Denali Star train departs Anchorage for Talkeetna at 8:15 am. Participants will enjoy a nearly three hour scenic ride to Talkeetna before arriving at 11:05 am. A bus will meet participants and take them to Talkeetna Lodge for a presentation from the Alaska Railroad Corporation’s Chief Technology Officer. Lunch will follow. Return trip will be by bus and participants will visit the MASCOT Transportation Facility in the Mat-Su Valley. We anticipate returning to the hotel at 4:30 pm. A beautiful, unique and informative trip
8:00 am	NRITS Conference (concurrent sessions)
	Session C1: Impacts of Climate Change - Session II Voyager Room Moderator: Jackie Posten, Department of Environmental Conservation Amy Holman, NOAA Alaska Regional Collaboration Team Opportunities for ITS Applicationsi n NOAA Martha Morecock Eddy, PB The Role of ITS in Global Climate Change Michael Lilly, Geo-Watersheds Scientific Arctic Ice - Road and Snow Transportation Networks Molly McCammon, Alaska Ocean Observing System Using Regional and National Ocean Observing Programs to Meet Rural Transportation Needs Transportation decision makers note that one of the most difficult aspects of addressing climate change is obtaining the relevant information for planning and design. Climate change is understood with greatest confidence as a global phenomenon, while transportation planners need local and regional climate projections. They also need a better understanding of how projected climate changes, such as changes in temperature and precipitation, will affect the environ-ment (e.g., soil moisture, runoff, freeze/thaw) in which the infrastructure is situated, which will vary from region to region. This session will highlight how ITS can be applied at the local or regional level to incorporate climate change into transportation planning, design, and operation.
	Session C2: RWIS Applications - Session I, Aft Deck Moderator: Andy Stern, Noblis, Inc. Ben McKeever, ITS Joint Program Office, USDOT FHWA Applications Utilizing RWIS Jared Ye, PhD, Western Transportation Institute Benefits and Costs of Weather Information in Winter Maintenance Peter Davies, Castle Rock Associates Next-Generation RWIS Applications Each day, traffic, incident and maintenance staff, as well as the traveling public, make decisions that directly affect roadway safety and mobility. Road Weather Information Systems (RWIS) have long been among the standard ITS applications that agencies have used to assist in this decision making process. Today, early generational deployments have given way to new initiatives and technologies. This session will provide background, information and analyses of the MDSS, Clarus, and Aurora initiatives as well as touching on next-generation RWIS applications.
	Session C3: Data - How, When and Why Endeavor Room Moderator: Mike Ronchetti, Intertiviti Peter Davies, Castle Rock Associates Mobile Intelligent Transportation Systems Applications Pete Costello , INRIX title pending... David Ludwig, Digital Traffic Systems, Inc. Portable Multi-Sensor Data Collection Platforms for emergency Deployment, Special Events or Temporary Deployment How do you collect data to make roadway decisions? What sensors and software programs are available to leverage wired and wireless technology? How much data do you or the traveling public need to make an accurate and timely decision? This session will touch on these subjects and more.
	Session C4: Mitigating Wildlife’s Impact on the Transportation System Adventure Room Moderator: Gary Olson, Moose Federation Brian Scott, SRF Consulting Group, Inc. Network Technologies and Low Cost, Active Animal Collision Warning Systems Marcel Huijser, Western Transportation Institute The Reliability of Animal Detection Systems and Reliability Norms Dave Bryson, Electrobraid Fencing At Grade Crosswalk and Directional Fencing Panelists: • Col. Audie Holloway, Alaska State Troopers • Doug Larsen, Alaska Department of Fish & Game • Pat McGowen, PhD, Western Transportation Institute • Bill Ruediger, Wildlife Consulting Resources • Rhonda Young, University of Wyoming This session includes three presentations followed by a professional panel of speakers with very diverse backgrounds. During the presentations you’ll hear about the latest research and the established technologies used to mitigate crashes. The panel is an added bonus. You’ll hear from all sides on strategies, solutions and what the wildlife experts are doing in regards to habitat, conservation and partnerships. Panel experts include those from research, fish and game, law enforcement, federal government and a wildlife conservation organization all dealing with this growing concern.
	TRANSIT TRACK Alaska Railroad Tour and Luncheon Lecture continues.
	CVO TRACK Session CV3: Alaska CVO - North to the Future Resolution Room Moderator: Dan Breeden, Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities Rex Young, Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities Alaska’s CVISN Program Laura Edwards, Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities Alaska’s First Fully Automated Mobile Weigh Station Daniel Moose, International Road Dynamics, Inc. Glenn Highway E-Screening System Tour Overview Alaska’s beautiful scenery offers more than just breathtaking views, it also offers unique transportation challenges - the state's road system covers a relatively small area of the state, linking the central population centers and the Alaska Highway. Not even the state capital, Juneau, is accessible by road. Arguably, Alaska is the least connected state in terms of road transportation, with most cities and villages in the state accessible only by sea or air making freight mobility a truly complex inter-modal exercise. Whether by road, sea, air, or rail, getting commercial goods safely and efficiently to Alaska’s businesses and residents typically occurs in combination with passenger transportation. This session will highlight the unique freight mobility and commercial vehicle planning and operations conducted in Alaska and will provide an overview of the technical tour (following this session) of the Glenn Highway E-Screening System.
9:30 am	BREAK, Mid Deck This break sponsored by International Road Dynamics, Inc.
9:50 am	Mini-Training Sessions “Mini” training sessions will offer crash courses, quick-tips, and overviews in a wide variety of focus areas in two-hour increments.
	Option 1: Open Source Software Voyager Room Instructor: Dean Deeter, Athey Creek Consultants Open Source software refers to the licensing and sharing of software source code and documentation, allowing others to use, modify, and redistribute as long as the software remains open source. Other industries widely use open source software as a mechanism for encouraging creative and low cost software development. In the ITS industry, there are a few examples of open source software sharing, however the potential benefits of open sharing of software source code for rural areas is tremendous. This training will explain the background of open source, the licensing options, and what it means to develop, use, and share open source software.
	Option 2: System Requirements for Rural Deployment Aft Deck Instructor: Jeff Brummond, Iteris, Inc. Requirements are the foundation for building ITS. They determine WHAT the system must do and drive system development. Requirements determine if the project team built the system correctly. In this “mini” training course you’ll learn tips on how to develop the right system requirements for your rural projects. It will also include an overview of the V systems engineering process, a short requirements exercise, the importance of traceability and a discussion of the ITS project systems engineering analysis required by the FHWA Rule and FTA Policy.
	Option 3: Rural Data Collection Endeavor Room Instructor: Austin McHugh, Geo-Watersheds Scientific Road weather, traffic, and vertical temperature profiles for seasonal weight restrictions are important components of a transportation agencies regional ITS architecture. Getting current information for the rural transportation network faces unique challenges, e.g., communication, cost and power. This training session will show how a low cost, effective rural data collection program can be established in an open architecture approach environment using Campbell Scientific data loggers. Attendees will learn the key components in establishing networks and leave with resources to start a rural data collection program. The session will be presented by Geo-Watersheds Scientific, who have extensive experiences in remote data collection and the data logger technology.
	Option 4: National Wildlife Collision Mitigation Study Adventure Room Instructor: Pat McGowen, PhD, Western Transportation Institute Under Section 1119(n) of the Safe Accountable Flexible Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU), the US Congress directed the Secretary of Transportation to conduct a national Wildlife Vehicle Collision (WVC) study. This study, signed by the Secretary of Transportation and submitted to Congress in November 2007, was conducted by the Road Ecology Team at the Western Transportation Institute. This training will provide an overview of the Report to Congress and the Manual which is still under development. In addition to providing an overview of wildlife-vehicle collisions, this trainng will include: (1) an overview of geometric and roadside design features that can reduce WVCs, (2) methods for integration of transportation planning and wildlife management on regional or statewide levels, (3) information on the 34 different techniques aimed at reducing the number of wildlife-vehicle collisions, and (4) a list of 21 threatened or endangered animal species for which road mortality is among the major threats to the survival of the species.
	TRANSIT TRACK Alaska Railroad Tour and Luncheon Lecture continues
	CVO TRACK Glenn Highway E-Screening System Tour (To attend this event, individuals must have previously registered. Check at registration desk for openings.) Attendees and guests should meet in front of the Registration Desk (facing Fifth Avenue) for loading onto the bus at 9:50 am. Participants will return to the hotel in time for lunch. Just north of Anchorage, participants will get a two-hour tour of the new automated vehicle identification E-Screening System at the Glenn Highway Inbound and Outbound Weigh Stations. This system automatically checks the safety rating and credentials of participating motor carriers and vehicles and, if all is in order, allows those vehicles to proceed down the highway without stopping
12:00 pm	LUNCH (provided), Mid Deck, Sponsored by Lynden Incorporated
1:00 pm	NRITS Conference (concurrent sessions)
	Session D1: EMS Session I: Improving Safety and Care in Rural Areas Voyager Room Moderator: Dia Gainor, Idaho EMS Bureau Teri Sanddal, Critical Illness and Trauma Foundation Improved Patient Care Records Following Implementation of an Electronic EMS Patient Record Keeping System in a Rural Area Nicholas Ward, Western Transportation Institute Pilot Study to Determine the Feasibility of Wide-Scale Deployment of Electronic Driving and Crash Measuring Devices in Ambulances in Rural Areas Nels Sandfal, Critical Illness and Trauma Foundation Improving Rural EMS Driving Risks Within the Framework of the Three E’s EMS providers, as well as their patients, are at an increased risk for serious injury or death when compared to their more urban counterparts. This session will examine some of the causes of this disparity - in particular rural ambulance crashes - as well as ways to improve ground ambulance safety. Patient care will also be examined in the context of ITS applications that improve patient record keeping and subsequent care. This session will be presented in a combined lecture/roundtable format and participants will be encouraged to join in the dialogue.
	Session D2: RWIS Applications - Session II, Aft Deck Moderator: Les Jacobsen, Telvent Farradyne, Inc. Rhonda Young, University of Wyoming Use of RWIS Data for Rural ITS Deployments in Wyoming Michael Wendtland, ITS Engineers Public-Private Partnerships for Weather Information Jack Stickel, Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities Multi-Use RWIS Sites - Targeted Approaches for Transportation Data This session will highlight various RWIS deployments in Wyoming, Arizona and Alaska. These states have undertaken unique approaches to some of the standard RWIS conundrums. Wyoming will report on its progress in using RWIS for its high-wind warning system as well as its variable speed limit system. Presenters from Arizona will highlight the public-private partnership ADOT developed to receive weather information services from a private provider.
	Session D3: Seasonal Traffic and Event Congestion Endeavor Room Moderator: Christopher Hedden, Cambridge Systematics, Inc. David Veneziano, Western Transportation Institute Facilitating Special Event Congestion Management in Small Communities Acey Roberts , Mississippi Department of Transportation ITS Deployment to Benefit Seasonal Tourist Traffic Along the US 90 Corridor Brian Burkhard, HNTB Corporation Rural ITS Planning, Design and Implementation - A Case Study This session will touch on strategies and models for congestion that small urban and rural communities across the country can use to reduce traffic congestion during special events or in specific corridors that receive heavy seasonal or tourist traffic. Partnership development, technology applications and cost considerations will all be addressed.
	Session D4: GPS - System Types and Uses Adventure Room Moderator: John Hansen, 2ITS-Help Max Donath, ITS Institute, University of Minnesota Lane Guidance Systems for Rural Highway Maintenance James Arnold, Federal Highway Administration High Accuracy Nationwide Differential Global Positioning System Highway winter maintenance is an often difficult endeavor due to poor visibility because of weather and roadway conditions. Global Positioning Systems (GPS) are one tool available to address this problem. This session will examine the multi-modal lane guidance system developed in the Intelligent Vehicles Lab at the University of Minnesota and how it used carrier phase differential GPS for vehicle position and heading determination. It will also look at the development of the High Accuracy Nationwide Differential Global Position System service (HA-NDGPS) and its impact on many safety related services including Intersection Collision Avoidance, Stop Sign Warning and Lane Departure Warning systems. This session will be a combined lecture/roundtable and will include ample time for speaker-audience interaction.
	TRANSIT TRACK Alaska Railroad Tour and Luncheon Lecture continues
	CVO TRACK CVFM Fall Forum Meeting (subject to change) Resolution Room The CVFM Forum is back! Based on the success of the collaboration between the 2007 National Rural ITS (NRITS) Conference Committee and ITS America’s Commercial Vehicle and Freight Mobility (CVFM) Forum in making commercial vehicle a part of the 2007 NRITS Conference Program, this year the CVFM Forum is proud to be a part of the 2008 National Rural ITS Conference Program. This meeting continues until 4:15 pm. Dan Murray, American Transportation Research Institute Welcome Remarks & Forum Business Julie Lane, USDOT FMCSA FMCSA Smart Roadside Update Mike Akridge, Florida Department of Transportation Florida’s Smart Roadside: Where Are We Going? What’s Next? Pamela McDermid, Green Light Transportation System Canada’s Combined WIM & AVI Networks Eliseo Barrera, Horizon Lines of Alaska, Inc. Horizon Lines Active RFID Container Tracking Program Skip Yeakel, Volvo New York State DOT Commerical VII Heather Young, ITS America Chris Lane, ITS America 2008 Annual Meeting CVFM Forum Track Overview Dan Murray, American Transportation Research Institute ITS World Congress/Annual Meeting: CVFM Showcase Overview
2:30 pm	BREAK, Mid Deck This break sponsored by McDowell Group.
2:45 pm	NRITS Conference (concurrent sessions)
	Session E1: EMS Session II - Technical Applications for Rapid and Safe EMS Voyager Room Moderator: Dia Gainor, Idaho EMS Bureau Marie Flanigan, CUBRC Measured Cellular Signal Strength Along Alaska Roadways and Implications for Timely EMS Notification and Response Kevin Majka, CUBRC Accuracy of Motor Vehicle Crash Locations as Provided by ACN Systems Rapid and safe emergency medical system (EMS) response to motor vehicle crashes is an everyday challenge in most rural areas. This is particularly true in Alaska, where the situation is often exacerbated by extremes of weather, mountainous terrain and the remoteness of much of the highway system. This session will discuss Alaska’s Emergency Medical System Optimization Program’s utilization of emerging Automated Crash Notification (ACN) and Advanced ACN technologies in their response to serious car crashes. This session will be presented in a combined lecture/roundtable format and participants will be encouraged to join in the dialogue.
	Session E2: RWIS and Traveler Information, Aft Deck Moderator: Pete Costello, INRIX Michael Lilly, Geo-Watersheds Scientific Designing Meteorological Station Networks to Assist in Tundra-Travel management and Operations on the North Slope, Alaska Rick Pannell, Resource Data, Inc. 511 Data Archiver Matt Radulski, Michigan Department of Transportation Michigan Department of Transportation Road Weather Information System Alaska and Michigan are pushing the boundaries of RWIS to benefit end-users, in particular, the traveling public. This session will provide insight and details of some of their more distinctive projects occurring in some of their state’s harshest climates – Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and Alaska’s North Slope. Also introduced will be Alaska’s 511 Data Archiver – believed to be the only system in the United States to provide such a comprehensive source of statewide 511 data to users.
	Session E3: Applying and Using Systems Engineering and Technology Endeavor Room Moderator: Jill Sullivan, Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities Douglas Galarus, Western Transportation Institute Meshbox: Mesh Network Communication System for Intelligent Transportation Research Using Open Source Software Jeff Brummond, Iteris Systems Engineering is for Rural Projects too! All too frequently, the steps in a rural ITS project’s systems engineering analysis are skipped, or given little attention. This session will discuss the benefits, rules of thumb and examples of applying systems engineering analysis based on FHWA Rule 940.11. It will also give an example of a project where system engineering analysis has been used in a mesh network communication system. Presented in a combined lecture/roundtable format, participants will be encouraged to join in the dialogue and ample time will be given to speaker-audience interaction.
	Session E4: Collision Avoidance at Rural Intersections Adventure Room Moderator: Paul Marrero, Wostmann & Associates Max Donath, ITS Institute, University of Minnesota Stop Sign Assist in the Cooperative Intersection Collision Avoidance Systems Program Dennis Foderberg, SEH, Inc. Intersection Warning System Peter Davies, Castle Rock Associates Development of Collision Avoidance Systems: Improving Safety at Rural Road Intersections In the US, over 20% of all fatal crashes are intersection related. In many rural states this number is even higher. So what can be done? This session will examine some of the technologies available for developing a Collision Avoidance System as well as reporting on how some of these systems performed in the field.
	TRANSIT TRACK Alaska Railroad Tour and Luncheon Lecture continues
	CVO TRACK CVFM Meeting (continues)
4:15 pm	Adjourn
5:00 pm	Portage Glacier Tour (To attend this event, individuals must have previously registered. Check at registration desk for openings.) Attendees and guests should meet in front of the registration desk (facing Fifth Avenue) for loading onto the bus at 5:00 pm. Built on the remnants of a terminal moraine left by Portage Glacier the Begich Boggs Visitor’s Center will host conference participants to an after-hours tour. View the exhibits, watch the award-winning film “Voices from the Ice” and take an interpretive 1/4 mile hike around the Gary Williams Memorial Trail. A boxed dinner and transportation will be provided. Attendees will have approximately 1.5 hours to view the area and should be ready to depart the Visitor’s Center at 8:00 pm.
5:15 pm	Alaska Zoo Tour (To attend this event, individuals must have previously registered. Check at registration desk for openings.) Attendees and guests should meet in front of the Registration Desk (facing Fifth Avenue) for loading onto the shuttle at 5:15 pm. One of the most visited attractions in the State of Alaska, the Alaska Zoo is home to nearly 100 birds and mammals. Situated on 25 wooded acres on the beautiful hillside area of Anchorage, the Zoo invites visitors to see the many species of Alaskan wildlife, as well as exotics, up close. An after-hours tour to showcase native animals is being planned with behind the scenes encounters on tap. A boxed dinner and transportation will be provided.
5:15 pm	Sourdough Mining Company (To attend this event, individuals must have previously registered. Check at registration desk for openings.) Attendees and guests should meet in front of the Registration Desk (facing Fifth Avenue) for loading onto the shuttle at 5:15 pm. Dine in an atmosphere of a Alaskan hospitality. The Sourdough Mining Company is a replica of an old mill house and offers a seafood menu. After dinner take in “The Adventures of Dusty Sourdough” in the Sourdough Tent City Theater (show starts at 7:00 pm). Dusty will take you back to the gold rush days with song, storytelling and humor. There is no upfront cost for this activity. Attendees will be responsible for paying for their own dinners (entrees vary from $13.50 to $45.95).
Friday, September 5, 2008
7:00 am	REGISTRATION Conference Registration Area
7:00 am	CONTINENTAL BREAKFAST, Mid Deck
7:00 am	VENDOR AREA OPENS, Fore Deck
8:00 am	NRITS Conference (concurrent sessions)
	Session F1: TMC/TOC Applications and Insights Voyager Room Moderator: Fred Kitchener, McFarland Management, LLC Tim Martin, Virginia Department of Transportation VDOT TMC Applications in a Rural Environment Matthew Schiemer, GeoDecisions Information Sharing in the TMC Environment: Where ITS Meets GIS James Barbaresso, HNTB Corporation Development of Traffic Operations Center Concepts for South Dakota This session will focus on the functions, systems and processes currently used in transportation management or transportation operations centers across the United States. From South Dakota to Virginia, speakers will discuss interagency cooperation, software applications, strategic deployment plans and much more.
	Session F2: Intelligent Transportation System Tools, Aft Deck Moderator: Dennis Foderberg, SEH, Inc. John Hansen, 2ITS-Help 2008 MUTCD/NPA Impacts the Deployment of ITS Applications Gene Martin, Virginia Department of Transportation Applying ITS Device Warrants - Feedback of Actual Use of the Warrants Thomas Fowler, Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc. How Have ITS Architecture Accelerated ITS Deployment in Rural Areas Agencies need many tools to successfully deploy and integrate ITS in rural areas. This session will cover three topics which are of Interest to everyone involved in the ITS field: (1) Architecture - what has been the impact of rural regional ITS architectures on the deployment of ITS? (2) Warrants - hear feedback on the actual use of warrants through the ENTERPRISE Pooled Fund Study. (3) 2008 MUTCD/NPA - How does the 2008 MUTCD revisions affect our ITS deployments?
	Session F3: Rural VII - An Incremental Approach to Meeting our Safety Needs Endeavor Room Moderator: Steve Albert, Western Transportation Institute Panelists: • Scott Belcher, ITS America • Robert Koeberlein, Idaho Transportation Department • Ralph Robinson, UMTRI • Nic Ward, Western Transportation Institute Driver safety in rural America can not be addressed by a single solution. Vehicle Infrastructure Integration (VII) provides an opportunity to address safety, dynamic road conditions and driver behavior with possible greater benefits to saving lives than with urban counterparts. This session will foster a dialogue and develop a vision of VII development and deployment initiatives among key rural fleet managers and stakeholders. Case studies will be presented and straw man concepts discussed that address day 1 applications, emerging architectures, communication challenges, long-term market and fleet penetration realities, stakeholder needs, institutional issues, operations and maintenance, mechanisms to affect driver behavior and decision-making, benefit-cost and funding. This session will be presented by a panel of experts and will include discussion with the audience
	TRANSIT TRACK Human Services Transportation Coordination Workshop, Adventure Room This workshop will allow small transit and other human service transportation providers to come together to learn from one another how they overcome their barriers and challenges daily to provide service. The first part of the workshop will give an overview of the Mobility Services for All AmericanS (MSAA) Initiative followed by presentations from the MSAA sites that have been selected to move on to Phase II of the MSAA Demonstration Project. The second half of the workshop will offer presentations from tribal transportation providers from various regions of the country. They will share how they use ITS to overcome barriers such as the coverage of large geographical regions. This meeting continues until 3:00 pm. Yehuda Gross, ITS JPO, USDOT David Levy, Alaska Mobility Coalition Welcome/Workshop Overview Yehuda Gross, ITS JPO, USDOT Doug Birnie, UWR United We Ride (UWR) and Mobility Services for All Americans (MSAA) Overview Gerry Hope, Sitka Tribe of Alaska Sitka Transit of Alaska Larry Alflen, Zuni Entrepreneurial Enterprises, Inc. Zuni Entrepreneurial Enterprises Mary Leary, East Seal Project ACTION Easter Seal Project ACTION Bruno Fisher, Montachusett Regional Transit Authority Fitchburg, Massachusetts MSAA Site Presentation Presenter not available at time of posting Kent, Ohio MSAA Site Presentation
9:45 am	BREAK, Mid Deck This break sponsored by Thompson Engineering.
10:00 am	NRITS Conference (concurrent sessions)
	Session G1: Just Comm-it! Voyager Room Moderator: Stacy Unholz, PBS&J George Gener, Iteris, Inc. “Last Mile” Strategies for ITS Communications - Case Study Ray Starr, Minnesota Department of Transportation Rural Wireless Communication Challenges for ITS Deployment Douglas Galarus, Western Transportation Institute Rural TMC-TMS Communications - An Evaluation of Alternatives John Quandt, GE MDS Wireless Distribution Systems for Rural Road Weather Information Systems In both rural and fast developing small city applications, “last mile” communication deployments are always a challenge. Fiber and non-fiber or wireless technologies can both provide answers to these problems. Four different speakers will present project results from across the country that are solving the communication challenges associated with ITS deployment.
	Session G2: Rural Incident Management - Tools and Applications, Aft Deck Moderator: Mike Haas, Open Roads Consulting Fred Kitchener, McFarland Management, LLC Managing Incidents Using Google-Based Maps Pete Costello, INRIX Leveraging Vehicle Probes to Identify Incidents Incident response programs are typically viewed as a way to help deal with urban congestion problems. However, incident response can play an important role in rural areas with difficult travel problems. This session will look at how Washington's and Wisconsin's incident response programs perform under the difficult weather and travel conditions often found in rural areas. Highlighted Incident Management “tools” in use in these and other states include: Google-based maps, incident notifications to include trucking firms, coordination through statewide agreements, and using a multi-disciplined approach to dealing with incidents.
	Session G3: Applications and Evaluation of VII in a Rural Environment Endeavor Room Moderator: Andy Stern, Noblis Andy Stern, Noblis Introductory Remarks and Session Overview Brian Burkhard, HNTB Corporation An Evaluation of Rural Area Vehicle Infrastructure Integration (VII) Jeff Brummond, Iteris, Inc. Enabling VII-based Rural Applications - Part 2 Clint Gregory, California Department of Transportation Trans-Sierra Rural VII Along CA State Route 88 Rural Vehicle Infrastructure Integration or VII can be used to improve weather and pavement information, increase safety and improve the overall driving experience. While emphasis up to now has been on primarily urban deployments, rural applications also exist. This session will provide an overview of VII from USDOT’s perspective followed by examples of possible (future) and deployed (current) rural VII applications.
	TRANSIT TRACK Human Services Transportation Coordination Workshop continues
11:45 am	Lunch (provided), Mid Deck Vendor Tear Down begins at 1:00 pm
12:45 pm	CLOSING SESSION/RURAL SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP (SIG) (subject to change) Aft Deck Steve Albert, Western Transportation Institute, Rural SIG Chair Welcome and 2008 Conference Feedback Bill Gouse, ITS America Heather Young, ITS America ITS America Update: Rural ITS at the 2008 Annual Meeting Shelley Row, ITS JPO, USDOT (invited) Federal Update and Future Rural ITS Programs Lisa Nelson, Telvent, ITS Oregon Dean Deeter, Athey Creek Consultants, ITS Oregon 2009 NRITS Conference Andrew Nichols, Rahall Transportation Institute 2010 NRITS Conference TBD 2011 NRITS Conference Bids & Vote Steve Albert, Western Transportation Institute, Rural SIG Chair State of the States Roundtable Eddie Castoria, San Diego Motorist Aid Authority Motorist Aid of the Future Initiative Preview & Discussion Steve Albert, Western Transportation Institute, Rural SIG Chair Final Discussion & Adjourn
1:30 pm	ITS ALASKA MEMBERSHIP MEETING, Voyager Room (overlaps with Closing Session/Rural SIG) First annual membership meeting of the newly formed Intelligent Transportation Society of Alaska. We welcome non-members to come find out what ITS Alaska is about!
3:00 pm	Conference Adjourns
4:00 - 6:00 pm	Mobility Services for All Americans (MSAA) Reception/Working Social (by invitation), Quarter Deck, 10th Floor, Tower 1