If you weren’t one of the 10,000 people who attended the Transportation Research Board’s Annual Meeting in January, there are fifty students and twenty faculty for PSU, UO, OSU and OIT who can tell you what they learned there. OTREC's bright yellow lanyards made our presence especially visible! PSU student Brian Davis blogged about his experience, OTREC’s Jon Makler was interviewed in a local newspaper, and the Oregon “delegation” at the conference was covered by both local and national blogs. Team OTREC filed some daily debriefs, highlighting presentations on topics such as federal stimulus investments in Los Angeles and Vermont’s efforts to address their transportation workforce crisis with returning military veterans (as well as the...
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Summary: Since about 2008, the planning world has been experiencing a paradigm shift that began in places like California and Oregon that have adopted legislation requiring the linking of land use and transportation plans to outcomes, specifically to the reduction of greenhouse gases (GHGs). In response to this need, Calthorpe Associates has developed a new planning tool, called UrbanFootprint, on a fully Open Source platform (i.e. Ubuntu Linux, PostGIS, PostGreSQL, etc.). As a powerful and dynamic web and mobile-enabled geo-spatial scenario creation and modeling tool with full co-benefits analysis capacity, UrbanFootprint has great utility for urban planning and research at multiple scales, from general plans, to project assessments, to regional and state-wide scenario development and analysis. Scenario outcomes measurement modules include: a powerful ‘sketch’ transportation model that produces travel and emissions impacts; a public health analysis engine that measures land use impacts on respiratory disease, obesity, and related impacts and costs; climate-sensitive building energy and water modeling; fiscal impacts analysis; and greenhouse gas and other emissions modeling.
Bio: Garlynn Woodsong is a Project Manager in the regional and large-...
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Abstract: Existing regional travel forecasting systems are not typically set up to forecast usage of bicycle infrastructure and are insensitive to bicyclists' route preferences in general. We collected revealed preference, GPS data on 162 bicyclists over the course of several days and coded the resulting trips to a highly detailed bicycle network model. We then use these data to estimate bicyclist route choice models. As part of this research, we developed a sophisticated choice set generation algorithm based on multiple permutations of labeled path attributes, which seems to out-perform comparable implementations of other route choice set generation algorithms. The model was formulated as a Path-Size Logit model to account for overlapping route alternatives. The estimation results show compelling intuitive elasticities for route choice attributes, including the effects of distance and delay; avoiding high-volumes of vehicular traffic, stops and turns, and elevation gain; and preferences for certain bike infrastructure types, particularly at bridge crossings and off-street paths. Estimation results also support segmentation by commute versus non-commute trip types, but are less clear when it comes to gender. The final model will be implemented as part of the regional travel forecasting system for Portland, Oregon, U.S.A.
For the third year, we're hosting our two-part data science course in Portland, OR. You can register for one part or the other– or attend both at a discount: Data Science Course - Part 2: Intermediate Scientific Computing for Planners, Engineers, and Scientists
Did you ever feel you are “drinking from a hose” with the amount of data you are attempting to analyze? Have you been frustrated with the tedious steps in your data processing and analysis process and thinking, “There’s gotta be a better way to do things”? Are you curious what the buzz of data science is about? If any of your answers are yes, then this course is for you.
Classes will all be hands-on sessions with lecture, discussions and labs. Participants can choose to sign up for one or both courses. For more information, download the syllabus (PDF). This course was developed as part of a NITC education project: Introduction to Scientific Computing for Planners, Engineers, and Scientists.
Agenda: Part One -...
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Summary: Where and when does overcrowding happen on TriMet's bus network? Which routes have the best on-time performance? Portland State University and TriMet have collaborated to make this kind of data available to anybody through Portal, PSU's transportation data archive for the Portland/Vancouver region. This presentation will cover the use of General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS) data for mapping TriMet’s performance data and the development of Portal’s innovative transit application. In the MAP-21 era of performance management, see how tools like Portal can support enhanced agency decision-making as well as community engagement.
Bio: Jon Makler researches and teaches about transportation planning and engineering at Portland State University. His research portfolio centers on intelligent transportation systems, including how they can be harnessed to benefit the environment and how the data they generate can support operational strategies and planning decisions. Since moving to Oregon 9 years ago, he has worked at Metro, the City of Portland and OTREC, the federally-funded research center housed at PSU. His previous employers were the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority, the Harvard Kennedy School, IBI Group and Sarah...
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Abstract:
Adaptive signal systems have been deployed in a number of locations across the country though their high maintenance requirements and additional cost have limited their widespread use. Adaptive systems adjust phases and timings at a network of signals in real time to improve traffic operations, particularly along congested corridors.
Rhythm Engineering has developed a new video detection-based system that vastly reduces the cost of deployment and maintenance. However, no existing microsimulation software could model the system due to its innovative methodology.
The methodology involves doing away completely with concept of cycle lengths, splits, and offsets, key parameters use in traffic signal analysis today. HDR and Rhythm Engineering joined together to develop a tool to act as middleware between the adaptive system and VISSIM that would emulate video detection, send the "video" to the adaptive controller, run the adaptive controller algorithm, and transmit detector calls back to VISSIM for inclusion in the model.
This presentation will discuss the lessons learned in the development of the emulation of video detection within VISSIM as well as showing the improvements in traffic operations provided by the system. It will also discuss the implications of the system's architecture and the impact it will have on not only adaptive signal systems...
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The City of Portland is exploring how distributed “Internet of Things” (IoT) sensor systems can be used to improve the available data that is usable by city engineers, planners, and the public to help inform transportation operations, enable assessments of public health and equity, advance Portland’s Climate Action Plan goals, and...
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For the third year, we're hosting our two-part data science course in Portland, OR. You can register for one part or the other– or attend both at a discount: Data Science Course, Part 1: Introduction to Scientific Computing for Planners, Engineers, and Scientists
Did you ever feel you are “drinking from a hose” with the amount of data you are attempting to analyze? Have you been frustrated with the tedious steps in your data processing and analysis process and thinking, “There’s gotta be a better way to do things”? Are you curious what the buzz of data science is about? If any of your answers are yes, then this course is for you.
Classes will all be hands-on sessions with lecture, discussions and labs. Participants can choose to sign up for one or both courses. For more information, download the syllabus (PDF). This course was developed as part of a NITC education project: Introduction to Scientific Computing for Planners, Engineers, and Scientists.
Agenda: Part Two - Intermediate Course
- Transforming, visualizing, and modeling data
- ...