Journal of the Transportation Research Board

TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH RECORD

NO.

1719

Transportation Data,
Statistics, and
Information Technology
Planning and Administration
Click on article title to reach abstract; abstracts link to full textclick on Full Text icon.

CONTENTS
Foreword

Truck Trip Generation Models for Seaports with Container and Trailer Operation
Haitham M. Al-Deek, Gene Johnson, Ayman Mohamed, and Ashraf El-Maghraby

Assessing Potential for Modal Substitution from Statewide Freight Commodity Flow Data
Lisa Aultman-Hall, Bradford Johnson, and Brian Aldridge

Assessment of Market Demand for Cross-Harbor Rail Freight Service in the New York
Metropolitan Region
Marc Cutler, Lance Grenzeback, Alice Cheng, and Richard Roberts

Algorithm for Estimating Mean Traffic Speed with Uncalibrated Cameras

Daniel J. Dailey and Li Li

Irregularly Sampled Transit Vehicles Used as Traffic Sensors

Chandrasekar Elango and Daniel J. Dailey

Evaluation of Online Travel Time Estimators and Predictors

Charles D. R. Lindveld, Remmelt Thijs, Piet H. L. Bovy, and Nanne J. Van der Zijpp

Automobile Patterns of Diffusion in Four Urban Areas: Comparison of Developed and

Developing Countries
Orlando Strambi, Jean-Paul Hubert, Yves Bussire, and Karin-Anne van de Bilt

Determining the Number of Probe Vehicles for Freeway Travel Time Estimation by
Microscopic Simulation
Mei Chen and Steven I. J. Chien

Toronto Area Car Ownership Study: A Retrospective Interview and Its Applications
Matthew J. Roorda, Abolfazl Mohammadian, and Eric J. Miller

Archived Intelligent Transportation System Data Quality: Preliminary Analyses of

San Antonio TransGuide Data
Shawn Turner, Luke Albert, Byron Gajewski, and William Eisele

Intelligent Transportation System Data Archiving: Statistical Techniques for Determining Optimal
Aggregation Widths for Inductive Loop Detector Speed Data
Byron J. Gajewski, Shawn M. Turner, William L. Eisele, and Clifford H. Spiegelman

Use of Traveler Information in the Puget Sound Region: Preliminary Multivariate Analysis
Krishnan Viswanathan, Konstadinos G. Goulias, and Paul P. Jovanis

Estimation of Annual Average Daily Traffic on Low-Volume Roads: Factor Approach Versus
Neural Networks
Satish C. Sharma, Pawan Lingras, Guo X. Liu, and Fei Xu

Traffic Management Parameters from Single Inductive Loop Detectors

Tom Cherrett, Hugh Bell, and Mike McDonald

Estimation of Traffic Volume on Rural Local Roads

William L. Seaver, Arun Chatterjee, and Mark L. Seaver

Using Weigh-in-Motion Data to Calibrate Trade-Derived Estimates of Mexican Trade Truck

Volumes in Texas
Miguel A. Figliozzi, Robert Harrison, and John P. McCray

Using Brokers to Determine North American Free Trade Agreement Truck Origins and
Destinations at TexasMexico Border
Robert Harrison

Innovative Data Collection Techniques for Roadside Origin-Destination Surveys

Cesar Quiroga, Russell Henk, and Marc Jacobson

Global Positioning System as Data Collection Method for Travel Research

Geert Draijer, Nelly Kalfs, and Jan Perdok

Use of Respondent-Interactive Geocoding in Baltimore, Maryland, Mode Choice Survey

Thomas Adler, Leslie Rimmer, Gene Bandy, and David Schellinger

Determinants of Attrition Rates in Two-Wave, Two-Day Household Activity Diary: Probit Analysis
Theo Arentze, Aloys Borgers, Maarten Ponj, and Harry Timmermans

Are More Profiles Better Than Fewer? Searching for Parsimony and Relevance in
Stated Choice Experiments
Peter R. Stopher and David A. Hensher

Data Warehouse Strategy to Enable Performance Analysis

Daniel K. Papiernik, Dhruv Nanda, Robert O. Cassada, and William H. Morris

Improving Survivability of Intelligent Transportation Systems: Application-Level Intrusion

Detection Case Study
Brian L. Smith and Robert S. Sielken

Asset Management Model and Systems Integration Approach

Zongwei Tao, F. Gordon Zophy, and John Wiegmann

Web-Based Expert Geographical Information System for Advanced Transportation

Management Systems
Kaan zbay and Shirsendu Mukherjee

Real-Time Indicators of Vehicle Kilometers of Travel and Congestion: One Year of Experience
Ho-Ling Hwang, David L. Greene, Shih-Miao Chin, and Angela A. Gibson

Geographic Information System Procedures to Improve Speed and Accuracy in Locating Crashes
Lauren Elise Carreker and William Bachman

Cost-Benefit Analysis of Geographic Information System Implementation:

Illinois Department of Transportation
James P. Hall, Tschangho John Kim, and Michael I. Darter

Maines Approach to Data Warehousing for State Departments of Transportation

Paul OPacki, Rick Dubois, Nancy Armentrout, and Steve Bower

Integrating Genetic Algorithms and Geographic Information System to Optimize Highway Alignments
Manoj K. Jha and Paul Schonfeld

Geographic Information SystemBased Analysis of Right-of-Way Cost for Highway Optimization

Manoj K. Jha and Paul Schonfeld

Tree Induction of Spatial Choice Behavior

Jean-Claude Thill and Aaron Wheeler

Complete Count of U.S. Transportation Workforce

Basav Sen and Michael A. Rossetti

Driving to Distractions: Recreational Trips in Private Vehicles

William J. Mallett and Nancy McGuckin

Transportation Research Record 1719

ISSN 0361-1981
ISBN 0-309-06696-4
Subscriber Category
IA planning and administration
Printed in the United States of America
Sponsorship of Transportation Research Record 1719
GROUP 1TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS PLANNING AND ADMINISTRATION
Michael S. Bronzini, George Mason University (Chairman)
Multimodal Freight Transportation Section
Anne Strauss-Wieder, A. Strauss-Wieder, Inc. (Chairman)
Committee on Freight Transportation Data
Paul Bingham, WEFA, Inc. (Chairman), Benjamin J. Ritchey, Battelle (Secretary), William R. Black, Michael S. Bronzini,
Russell B. Capelle, Jr., Paul Ciannavei, Arlene L. Dietz, Kathleen L. Hancock, Mark A. Hornung, David E. Lichy, Deborah
Matherly, Keith A. Mattson, John P. McCray, Edward A. Morash, Tricia Trepanier, J. Garry Tulipan, Anant D. Vyas,
Randall E. Wade, C. Michael Walton, Herbert Weinblatt, Marcus Ramsay Wigan, Thomas E. Zabelsky
Transportation Systems Planning Section
George T. Lathrop, Charlotte Department of Transportation (Chairman)
Committee on Urban Transportation Data and Information Systems
Charles L. Purvis, Metropolitan Transportation Commission (Chairman), Jerry D. Everett, University of Tennessee
(Secretary), Marsha Dale Anderson, Kay W. Axhausen, Eugene L. Bandy, Stacey G. Bricka, Ed J. Christopher, Patricia S.
Hu, Joseph Huegy, Nelly Kalfs, Robert A. LaMacchia, Catherine Lawson, Edward Limoges, Tai K. Liu, Massoum Moussavi,
David F. Pearson, Joel R. Rey, Phillip A. Salopek, Paul W. Shuldiner, Robert T. Sicko, Siim Soot, Cheng-I Tsai, Shawn M.
Turner, Marcus Ramsay Wigan, Jean Wolf
Committee on Statewide Transportation Data and Information Systems
Ronald W. Tweedie, New York State Department of Transportation (Chairman), Antonio E. Esteve, Federal Highway
Administration (Secretary), Niels Robert Bostrom, Ed J. Christopher, Carl Joseph Fischer, Jon D. Fricker, James R. Getzewich,
Kim Hajek, James P. Hall, Janet Harvey, Charnelle Hicks, Patricia S. Hu, Robert A. LaMacchia, Jean-Loup Madre, Joseph M.
McGinnes, Jr., James E. McQuirt, Jr., Kenneth S. Miller, Martha J. Tate-Glass, Anita Vandervalk, William Walsek
Committee on Travel Survey Methods
Elaine Murakami, Federal Highway Administration (Chairman), Robert E. Griffiths, Metropolitan Washington Council of
Governments (Secretary), Mary Kay Christopher, Lee H. Giesbrecht, Michael H. Gillett, Robert Louis Jackson, Kyung-Hwa
Kim, Martin E. H. Lee-Gosselin, Susan Liss, Mark McCourt, Nancy McGuckin, Helen Metcalf, David F. Pearson, Tony
Richardson, Earl R. Ruiter, Cheryl Stecher, Johanna Zmud
GROUP 5INTERGROUP RESOURCES AND ISSUES
Kumares C. Sinha, Purdue University (Chairman)

Committee on Information Systems and Technology

Jeffrey L. Western, Wisconsin Department of Transportation (Chairman), Bin Ran, University of Wisconsin, Madison
(Secretary), Lance A. Barber, Frank J. Busch, Shih-Miao Chin, Oscar Franzese, Terry L. Gotts, Mark A. Hornung,
John Simon Lewis, Edward A. Medler, Massoum Moussavi, Lawrence I. Neff, Thomas J. Perrone, Roger G. Petzold,
Wendel T. Ruff, Arthur E. Salwin, Jerry Schultheis, Nicholas J. Vlahos, Shui-Ying Wong
Committee on Spatial Data and Information Science
David R. Fletcher, Geographic Paradigm Computing (Cochairman), Kathleen L. Hancock, University of Massachusetts,
Amherst (Cochairman), Reginald R. Souleyrett, Iowa State University (Secretary), Mark Bradford, Gil Chesbro, Ron Cihon,
Cecil W. H. Goodwin, Edward F. Granzow, Paul T. Hamilton, Elizabeth A. Harper, Bobby R. Harris, Charles Hickman,
Wendy Klancher, Stephen C. Laffey, David Loukes, Shashi Sathisan Nambisan, Karl I. Olmstead, Zhong-Ren Peng,
Wayne A. Sarasua, Phillip J. Shinbein, Bruce D. Spear, Eric Thor Straten, James R. Tucker, A. Keith Turner,
Alan P. Vonderohe
Committee on National Transportation Data Requirements and Programs
Alan E. Pisarski, Consultant (Chairman), John W. Fuller, University of Iowa (Secretary), Roberto Aguerrebere-Salido, Paul
Bingham, Michael S. Bronzini, Christina S. Casgar, Roger Donachie, David R. Fletcher, Barbara M. Fraumeni, Richard S.
Golaszewski, Kathleen L. Hancock, David J. Hensing, Susan J. Lapham, John James Lawson, Helmut Lehmacher, John P.
McCray, Richard R. Mudge, Elaine Murakami, Gordon A. Shunk, Piyushimita Thakuriah, Ronald W. Tweedie, Martin
Wachs, Jeffrey L. Western, Thomas E. Zabelsky
Transportation Research Board Staff
Thomas M. Palmerlee, Transportation Data Specialist
Gordon Franke, Administrative Assistant
Sponsorship is indicated by a footnote at the end of each paper. The organizational units, officers, and members are as of
December 31, 1999.

FOREWORD
The papers contained in this volume were among those presented at the 79th Annual Meeting of the Transportation Research
Board in January 2000. Nearly 1,600 papers were submitted by authors; more than 1,000 were presented at the meeting; and
approximately 600 were accepted for publication in the 2000 Transportation Research Record series. The published papers will
also be issued on CD-ROM, which will be available for purchase in late 2000. It should be noted that the preprint CD-ROM distributed at the 2000 meeting contains unedited, draft versions of presented papers, whereas the papers published in the 2000
Records include author revisions made in response to review comments.
Starting with the 1999 volumes, the title of the Record series has included Journal of the Transportation Research Board to
reflect more accurately the nature of this publication series and the peer-review process conducted in the acceptance of papers
for publication. Each paper published in this volume was peer reviewed by the sponsoring committee acknowledged at the end
of the text; members of the sponsoring committees for the papers in this volume are identified on page ii. Additional information about the Transportation Research Record series and the peer-review process can be found on the inside front cover. The
Transportation Research Board appreciates the interest shown by authors in offering their papers and looks forward to future
submissions.

Truck Trip Generation Models for

Seaports with Container and
Trailer Operation
Haitham M. Al-Deek, Gene Johnson, Ayman Mohamed, and
Ashraf El-Maghraby
Transportation Systems Institute, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Central Florida,
P.O. Box 162450s, Orlando, FL 32816-2450.

FULL
TEXT

Freight movement throughout the United States continues to evolve as a significant challenge to the
transportation industry. Seaport operations dominated by container and trailer movements will require
operational and infrastructure changes to maintain the growth of international cargo operations.
Transportation planning models can be used to determine the needs of port and street network
modifications. Described is the research and initial development process of models for predicting the
levels of cargo truck traffic moving inbound and outbound at the Port of Miami. The models were
restricted to container and trailer truck configurations that transport virtually all of the Port of Miamis
freight. Consequently, this associated truck traffic moves through the nearby street network within
downtown Miami. The purpose of the trip generation models is to predict volumes of large inbound and
outbound trucks for specified time frames. The concern is to know how many large cargo vehicles are
traveling on the only road leading to the port. Primary factors affecting truck volume were found to be
the amount and direction of cargo vessel freight and the particular weekday of operation. Time series
models for predicting seasonal variations in freight movements were developed as part of the study.
These models are useful for long-term forecasts of the input variables used in the trip generation models.
Truck trip generation models will provide transportation planners and public agencies with valuable
information when making transportation management decisions and infrastructure modifications. This
information also is necessary for prioritizing funds for roadway upgrade projects.

Assessing Potential for Modal

Substitution from Statewide Freight
Commodity Flow Data
Lisa Aultman-Hall, Bradford Johnson, and Brian Aldridge
Department of Civil Engineering, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40506-0281.

FULL
TEXT

Kentucky, despite its relatively small area, has an extensive multimodal freight transportation network.
Presented are findings of the statewide freight commodity flow analysis that relate to one of the
multimodal transportation planning issues currently facing Kentuckythe relative role of various modes
in freight transport and the potential for modal substitution. Issues affecting the type of data required for
statewide freight planning studies also are discussed. Statewide issues, such as modal substitution
questions, require freight commodity data by origin, destination, and mode. The aggregation of data
from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics or other publicly available data was considered unfeasible
and the study team was referred to Reebie Associates for detailed freight commodity flow information.
The Reebie freight commodity flow data were analyzed by mode, commodity, and spatial zone within
Kentucky to determine where the potential for modal substitution was greatest. Three areas of the state
were found in which improvements for intermodal facilities for water and rail transportation might be
considered. The data confirmed the extent of Kentuckys multimodal reliance, that is, the majority of
freight (by weight and volume) traveling to and from Kentucky moves by nonhighway modes. However,
it was also noted that rail and water connections between Kentucky and certain areas of the United
States may need further consideration because almost all freight to and from these areas moves by truck.
Several other projects within the state are ongoing with these data.

Assessment of Market Demand for

Cross-Harbor Rail Freight Service in the
New York Metropolitan Region
Marc Cutler, Lance Grenzeback, Alice Cheng, and Richard Roberts
M. Cutler and L. Grenzeback, Cambridge Systematics, 150 Cambridge Park Drive, Cambridge, MA 02140.
A. Cheng, New York City Economic Development Corporation, 110 Williams Street, New York, NY 10038.
R. Roberts, Edwards and Kelcey Engineers, Inc., 90 West Street, New York, NY 10006.

FULL
TEXT

An investment study sponsored by the New York City Economic Development Corporation with
Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 funds evaluated strategies for improving the
movement of freight by rail to an 11-county subregion (including New York City) of the New York and
northern New Jersey metropolitan area located east of the Hudson River. The major achievements of the
process were the use of choice modeling techniques to understand the decision making of shippers and, in
combination with other data sources, forecasting the demand for freight infrastructure investments. The
methodologies described are applicable to the study of freight transportation investment strategies in
many settings. The key finding of the analysis is that a rail freight tunnel would increase rail mode share
relative to other alternatives and the so-called No Build case. The subregion east of the Hudson contains
two-thirds of the regions population, but it is at a significant disadvantage in the movement of freight
relative to the subregion west of the Hudson. Rail accounts for only 2.8 percent of all the subregions
shipments, compared to 15 percent within the subregion west of the Hudson. Two limited rail crossings
of the Hudson River provide access to New York City and the rest of the east subregion. These conditions
affect the level of truck traffic and air pollution within the subregion, the subregions overall economic
competitiveness, and the viability of its port facilities. To address these concerns, four families of
alternatives that could improve cross-harbor rail freight service were analyzed. Discussed is how the
market demand for these alternatives was analyzed by linking six distinct methodologies and data sets:
(a) regional economic forecasts, (b) commodity flow data, (c) a modal diversion model, (d) regional port
forecasts, (e) a regional travel demand forecasting model, and ( f ) user benefit calculation models.

Algorithm for Estimating Mean Traffic

Speed with Uncalibrated Cameras
Daniel J. Dailey and Li Li
Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Washington, Box 352500, Seattle, WA 98195.

FULL
TEXT

Presented is a new algorithm for estimating speed by using a sequence of video images from an
uncalibrated camera. An assertion is made that exact calibration is not necessary for estimating speed.
Instead, the following are used to propose a novel method that extracts scale information and estimates
speed: (a) geometric relationships inherently available in the image; (b) some common sense
assumptions that reduce the problem to a one-dimensional geometry; (c) frame differencing to isolate
moving edges and to track vehicles between frames; and (d ) the distribution of vehicle lengths.

Irregularly Sampled Transit Vehicles

Used as Traffic Sensors
Chandrasekar Elango and Daniel J. Dailey
Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Washington, Box 352500, Seattle, WA 98195-2500.

FULL
TEXT

Performance monitoring is an issue of growing concern both nationally and in the state of Washington.
Travel times and speeds always have been of interest to traveler information researchers, but there is
limited infrastructure with which to collect such data on a continuous basis. Transit vehicles were used as
probes, and a framework was developed for modeling the time series that arise from irregularly sampled
transit vehicle locations. These samples of vehicle location were obtained from the King County
Department of Metropolitan Services automatic vehicle location system. An optimal filter method that
estimates speed as a function of space and time was developed. An optimal solution for the state vector,
containing the variables speed and position, was made at each time step by using a Kalman filter.

Evaluation of Online Travel Time

Estimators and Predictors
Charles D. R. Lindveld, Remmelt Thijs, Piet H. L. Bovy, and
Nanne J. Van der Zijpp
Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences, Delft University of Technology, Stevinweg 1, P.O. Box 5048,
NL-2600 GA Delft, Netherlands.

FULL
TEXT

Travel time is an important characteristic of traffic conditions in a road network. Up-to-date travel time
information is important in dynamic traffic management. Presented are the findings of a recently
completed research and evaluation program called DACCORD, regarding the evaluation of tools for
online estimation and prediction of travel times by using induction loop detector data. Many methods
exist with which to estimate and predict travel time by using induction loop data. Several of these
methods were implemented and evaluated in three test sites in France, Italy, and the Netherlands. Both
cross-tool and cross-site evaluations have been carried out. Travel time estimators based on induction
loop detectors were evaluated against observed travel times and were seen to be reasonably accurate
(10 percent to 15 percent root mean square error proportional) across different sites for uncongested
to lightly congested traffic conditions. The evaluation period varied by site from 4 to 30 days. Results
were seen to diverge at higher congestion levels: at one test site, congestion levels were seen to have a
strong negative impact on estimation accuracy; at another test site, accuracy was maintained even in
congested conditions.

Automobile Patterns of Diffusion in

Four Urban Areas
Comparison of Developed and Developing Countries
Orlando Strambi, Jean-Paul Hubert, Yves Bussire, and
Karin-Anne van de Bilt
O. Strambi and K.-A. van de Bilt, Department of Transportation Engineering, Escola Politcnica, University of So Paulo, Cidade
Universitria, 05508-900 So Paulo, SP Brazil. J.-P. Hubert, Institut National de Recherche sur les Transports et leur
Scurit, 2 Avenue du General Malleret-Joinville, 94114 Arcueil Cedex, France. Y. Bussire, Urbanisation, Institut National
de la Recherche Scientifique, Universit du Qubec, 3465 Durocher, Montral, Qubec H2X 2C6, Canada.

FULL
TEXT

A comparison is presented of the diffusion of the automobile in the metropolitan areas of Paris and
Montreal and in two urban areas in developing countriesSo Paulo, Brazil, and Puebla, Mexico. The
comparison uses a demographic approach, based on the estimation of an age-cohort model. The model
takes into account three combined aspects of time: the stage in the life cycle, the generation, and the
period. Previous analyses conducted for developed countries indicated that the period effect (including
the influence of income) could be considered as residual, in the face of stability of behavior of generations
during the observed part of their life cycles. Models for the regions were estimated by using a series of
transportation surveys (with the exception of Puebla). The results indicate that comparable patterns can
be observed with respect to the life cycle and generation effects, although the ages and generations at
which maximum motorization occurs vary among countries, according to their different histories of
diffusion of the automobile. On the other hand, the spatial pattern of household motorization presents
some fundamental differences for the urban areas of developed and developing countries. Paris and
Montreal have higher motorization in the suburbs, but the results for So Paulo and Puebla show the
opposite, suggesting the relevance of income effects because the populations in suburban areas have
lower income levels.

Determining the Number of Probe

Vehicles for Freeway Travel Time
Estimation by Microscopic Simulation
Mei Chen and Steven I. J. Chien
Institute for Transportation, New Jersey Institute of Technology, University Heights, Newark, NJ 07102-1982.

FULL
TEXT

Using probe vehicles to collect real-time traffic information is considered an efficient method in realworld applications. How to determine the minimum number of probe vehicles required for accurate
estimate of link travel time is a question of increasing interest. Although it usually is assumed that link
travel time is normally distributed, it is shown, on the basis of simulation results, that sometimes this is
not true. A heuristic of determining the minimum number of probe vehicles required is developed to
accommodate this situation. In addition, the impact of traffic volume on the required probe vehicle
number is discussed.

Toronto Area Car Ownership Study

A Retrospective Interview and Its Applications
Matthew J. Roorda, Abolfazl Mohammadian, and Eric J. Miller
M. J. Roorda, McCormick Rankin Corporation, 2655 North Sheridan Way, Mississauga, Ontario L5K 2P8, Canada.
A. Mohammadian and E. J. Miller, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Toronto, 35 Saint George Street,
Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A4, Canada.

FULL
TEXT

Recent work in the area of comprehensive transportation modeling systems in a microsimulation

framework, more specifically auto ownership modeling, has recognized the need for increased
experimentation with dynamic models. Implicitly, dynamic models require longitudinal data. A Toronto
area car ownership study was conducted to design and administer a longitudinal survey to fulfill the
data requirements for such a dynamic model, to validate the survey results, and to conduct preliminary
analysis on those results. An in-depth retrospective telephone survey was conducted with the help of a
computer aid in Toronto, Canada. Simple univariate analyses were conducted on the data to determine
the relationship between characteristics of the household and the occurrence of vehicle transactions, the
choice of vehicle type, the duration a vehicle is held, and the degree of consumer loyalty to different
types of vehicles.

Archived Intelligent Transportation

System Data Quality
Preliminary Analyses of San Antonio TransGuide Data
Shawn Turner, Luke Albert, Byron Gajewski, and William Eisele
S. Turner, 405C CE/ TTI Building, L. Albert, 405E CE/ TTI Building, and W. Eisele, 404F CE/ TTI Building,
Texas Transportation Institute, College Station, TX 77843-3135. B. Gajewski, Department of Statistics,
Texas A&M University, 405B Blocker Building, College Station, TX 77843-3141.

FULL
TEXT

Described are three data quality attributes that are considered relevant to intelligent transportation
system (ITS) data archiving: suspect or erroneous data, missing data, and data accuracy. Preliminary
analyses of loop detector data from the TransGuide system in San Antonio were performed to identify
the nature and extent of these data quality concerns in typical archived ITS data. The findings of the
analyses indicated that missing data were inevitable, accounting for about one in five of all possible data
records. Error detection rules were developed to screen for suspect or erroneous data, which accounted
for only 1 percent of all possible data records. Baseline testing of TransGuide detector accuracy showed
mixed results; one location collected traffic volumes within 5 percent of ground truth, whereas traffic
volumes at another location ranged from 12 to 38 percent of ground truth. It was concluded that data
quality procedures will be essential for realizing the full potential of archived ITS data.

Intelligent Transportation System

Data Archiving
Statistical Techniques for Determining Optimal Aggregation
Widths for Inductive Loop Detector Speed Data
Byron J. Gajewski, Shawn M. Turner, William L. Eisele, and
Clifford H. Spiegelman
B. J. Gajewski, Room 405B Blocker Building, and C. H. Spiegelman, 404F Blocker Building, Department of Statistics,
Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-3143. S. M. Turner, 405C CE/TTI Building, and W. L. Eisele,
404F CE/TTI Building, Texas Transportation Institute, College Station TX, 77843-3135.

FULL
TEXT

Although most traffic management centers collect intelligent transportation system (ITS) traffic
monitoring data from local controllers in 20-s to 30-s intervals, the time intervals for archiving data
vary considerably from 1 to 5, 15, or even 60 min. Presented are two statistical techniques that can be
used to determine optimal aggregation levels for archiving ITS traffic monitoring data: the crossvalidated mean square error and the F-statistic algorithm. Both techniques seek to determine the
minimal sufficient statistics necessary to capture the full information contained within a traffic
parameter distribution. The statistical techniques were applied to 20-s speed data archived by the
TransGuide center in San Antonio, Texas. The optimal aggregation levels obtained by using the two
algorithms produced reasonable and intuitive resultsboth techniques calculated optimal aggregation
levels of 60 min or more during periods of low traffic variability. Similarly, both techniques calculated
optimal aggregation levels of 1 min or less during periods of high traffic variability (e.g., congestion).
A distinction is made between conclusions about the statistical techniques and how the techniques can
or should be applied to ITS data archiving. Although the statistical techniques described may not be
disputed, there is a wide range of possible aggregation solutions based on these statistical techniques.
Ultimately, the aggregation solutions may be driven by nonstatistical parameters such as cost
(e.g., How much do we/the market value the data?), ease of implementation, system requirements,
and other constraints.

Use of Traveler Information in the

Puget Sound Region
Preliminary Multivariate Analysis
Krishnan Viswanathan, Konstadinos G. Goulias, and Paul P. Jovanis
K. Viswanathan, 201 Transportation Research Building, K. G. Goulias, 205 Transportation Research Building, and
P. P. Jovanis, 212 Sackett Building, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Pennsylvania State University,
University Park, PA 16802.

FULL
TEXT

Recent developments in information technologies, providing new ways to disseminate and use
information, may help alleviate congestion, reduce user cost and time, and enhance safety. This
influence of technology use, however, is mediated by telecommunication and information technology
ownership and use. A multivariate probit model specification is used to determine how these parameters
influence traveler decision making when one is confronted with information about traffic problems
before making a trip to work or school, en route to or from work or school, and before making a trip
from work or school. Addressed is the key relationship between telecommunication and information
technology ownership and use with travel decisions when information about traffic problems is
available. Data from the Puget Sound region for 1997 are used in the analysis. The results suggest
technology ownership and use influence travel decision making in different ways for each stage of
travelbefore leaving home, en route, and returning home.

Estimation of Annual Average

Daily Traffic on Low-Volume Roads
Factor Approach Versus Neural Networks
Satish C. Sharma, Pawan Lingras, Guo X. Liu, and Fei Xu
S. C. Sharma, G. X. Liu, and F. Xu, Department of Engineering, University of Regina, Regina, Saskatchewan S4S 0A2, Canada.
P. Lingras, Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, Saint Marys University, Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H 3C3, Canada.

FULL
TEXT

Estimation of the annual average daily traffic (AADT) for low-volume roads is investigated. Artificial
neural networks are compared with the traditional factor approach for estimating AADT from shortperiod traffic counts. Fifty-five automatic traffic recorder (ATR) sites located on low-volume rural
roads in Alberta, Canada, are used as study samples. The results of this study indicate that, when a
single 48-h count is used for AADT estimation, the factor approach can yield better results than the
neural networks if the ATR sites are grouped appropriately and the sample sites are correctly assigned
to various ATR groups. Unfortunately, the current recommended practice offers little guidance on how
to achieve the assignment accuracy that may be necessary to obtain reliable AADT estimates from a
single 48-h count. The neural network approach can be particularly suitable for estimating AADT from
two 48-h counts taken at different times during the counting season. In fact, the 95th percentile error
values of about 25 percent as obtained in this study for the neural network models compare favorably
with the values reported in the literature for low-volume roads using the traditional factor approach.
The advantage of the neural network approach is that classification of ATR sites and sample site
assignments to ATR groups are not required. The analysis of various groups of low-volume roads
presented also leads to a conclusion that, when defining low-volume roads from a traffic monitoring
point of view, it is not likely to matter much whether the AADT on the facility is less than 500 vehicles,
less than 750 vehicles, or less than 1,000 vehicles.

Traffic Management Parameters from

Single Inductive Loop Detectors
Tom Cherrett, Hugh Bell, and Mike McDonald
Transportation Research Group, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Southampton,
Highfield, Southampton SO17 1BJ, United Kingdom.

FULL
TEXT

Investigated are potential new uses for the digital output produced by single inductive loop detectors
(2 m 1.5 m and 2 m 6.5 m) used in most European urban traffic control systems. Over a fixed time
period, the average loop-occupancy time per vehicle (ALOTPV) for a detector being sampled every
250 ms is determined by taking the number of 250-ms occupancies and dividing by the number of
vehicles. In a similar way, the average headway time between vehicles (AHTBV) is determined by
taking the number of 250-ms vacancies and dividing by the number of vehicles. Over a 30-s period, the
minimum and maximum values of ALOTPV and AHTBV ranged from 1 to 120 (an ALOTPV of 1 and
an AHTBV of 120 representing free-flow conditions, an ALOTPV of 120 and an AHTBV of 1 representing
a stationary queue). Identifying periods when a link was operating under capacity and at capacity and
when it had become saturated could be more clearly identified by using plots of ALOTPV and AHTBV
data over time compared to the more traditional percentage occupancy output. ALOTPV also was used to
successfully identify long vehicles from cars down to speeds of 15 km/h.

Estimation of Traffic Volume on

Rural Local Roads
William L. Seaver, Arun Chatterjee, and Mark L. Seaver
W. L. Seaver, Department of Statistics, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996-0532.
A. Chatterjee, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996-2010.
M. L. Seaver, Marketing Research, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30601.

FULL
TEXT

Traffic volumes on local roads have not received much attention from highway planners and
researchers, although local roads constitute the majority of road mileage in a state. In recent years the
need for reliable estimates of vehicle-miles of travel on local roads has been recognized for the analysis
of air quality and highway safety issues. To provide a better understanding of traffic volumes on local
roads and to explore alternative methods for estimation, data from Georgia were analyzed by using
different statistical procedures. The findings of this analysis are presented, along with the results of an
attempt to develop a mathematical model for estimation of local road traffic volumes.

Using Weigh-in-Motion Data to Calibrate

Trade-Derived Estimates of Mexican
Trade Truck Volumes in Texas
Miguel A. Figliozzi, Robert Harrison, and John P. McCray
M. A. Figliozzi and R. Harrison, The Center for Transportation Research, University of Texas at Austin, 3208 Red River,
Suite 200, Austin, TX 78705. J. P. McCray, Division of Management and Marketing, The University of Texas at San Antonio,
San Antonio, TX 78249.

FULL
TEXT

Weigh-in-motion (WIM) sites are being installed along many highway corridors that carry
international trade trucks. Estimating the numbers of trucks carrying international commodities
currently relies on manipulating and adjusting trade databases. The variety of vehicle classification data
measured at WIM sites provides a rich source of data with which to enhance this adjustment process.
Previous WIM border data have focused on port-of-entry truck traffic axle loads, which are heavily
influenced by drayage operations. Examined is how WIM data collected at ports of entry and on truck
corridors can be used in the determination of standardized truck volumes (termed equivalent trade
trucks or ETT) on international highway corridors. Data from the TexasMexico border are used to
determine ETT North American Free Trade Agreement volumes.

Using Brokers to Determine

North American Free Trade Agreement
Truck Origins and Destinations at
TexasMexico Border
Robert Harrison
Center for Transportation Research, The University of Texas at Austin, 3208 Red River, Suite 200, Austin, TX 78705.

FULL
TEXT

U.S.Mexico trade continues to grow, much of it crossing into Texas, where bridges over the Rio
Grande carry the vehicular and rail traffic. Currently, more than 70 percent of North American Free
Trade Agreement U.S.Mexico trade is by truck, and substantial delays and other social costs are a
feature of border port-of-entry systems. New bridge locations are being proposed, and each site must be
carefully evaluated to ensure that it is economically feasible. As part of this evaluation process, origin
and destination surveys are used to determine bridge location and demand. Many of the truck trailers
are moved by drayage companies or by drivers who have not brought the load from its origin or who
will deliver it to the final destination. It is argued that surveys of these drivers are flawed and give
limited data. A report is made on a method with which to interview and survey customs brokers to
derive truck origin and destination data; this report was successfully employed at the Anzalduas
International Bridge site near McAllen, Texas. Because many ports of entry in Texas are similar to
McAllen, the survey method can be applied across the whole border.

Innovative Data Collection Techniques for

Roadside Origin-Destination Surveys
Cesar Quiroga, Russell Henk, and Marc Jacobson
C. Quiroga and R. Henk, Texas Transportation Institute, 3500 NW Loop 410, San Antonio, TX 78229. M. Jacobson, City of
Dallas Public Works and Transportation Traffic Management Center, 1500 Marilla Street, Room L1-B-N, Dallas, TX 75201.

FULL
TEXT

Described are the results of a pilot application intended to automate the data collection and data
reduction phases of roadside origin-destination (O-D) studies. Most techniques used to obtain O-D data
are quite labor intensive, during both the data collection and the data reduction phase. Frequently, they
result in extensive data quality checks and long turnaround periods between the data collection work
and the submittal of the corresponding survey report. The application described automates the data
collection and data reduction phases by using portable, handheld data collection devices. These devices
can be connected to a desktop or laptop computer to transfer the O-D data to a depository database.
Included are a brief background discussion, a description of the hardware and software used and the
design and development of O-D applications, a description of two applications of the handheld data
collection devices, and a list of lessons learned.

Global Positioning System as Data

Collection Method for Travel Research
Geert Draijer, Nelly Kalfs, and Jan Perdok
G. Draijer and N. Kalfs, Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management, Transport Research Centre,
P.O. Box 1031, 3000 BA Rotterdam, Netherlands. J. Perdok, MuConsult, P.O. Box 2054, 3800 CB Amersfoort, Netherlands.

FULL
TEXT

The technology of Global Positioning Systems (GPS) provides new ways for collecting information
about travel behavior. When it is used in combination with an electronic travel diary, valuable
information of high quality about travel behavior becomes available. To learn about the possibilities of
this new technology, a pilot study involving 151 people was performed in the Netherlands. What makes
this pilot unique is the monitoring of all modes of travel, not just travel by motorized vehicles. The
findings suggest that although it is possible to monitor all travel modes, data quality differs among
them. The GPS device registered nearly all car driver trips, compared to half of the tram and train
trips. When trips are registered, public transport trips are registered with a higher accuracy level than
car trips. For specific trips, respondents did not use the equipment because of the burden placed on
them or because of a lack of time. This was especially the case for walking, cycling, public transport,
shopping trips, and visits. Concerning route, distance, and trip segments, it can be concluded that
although valuable information is collected, there remain many difficulties to be overcome.

Use of Respondent-Interactive Geocoding in

Baltimore, Maryland, Mode Choice Survey
Thomas Adler, Leslie Rimmer, Gene Bandy, and David Schellinger
T. Adler and L. Rimmer, Resource Systems Group, 331 Olcott Drive, White River Junction, VT 05001. G. Bandy, Baltimore
Metropolitan Council, 601 North Howard Street, Baltimore, MD 21201. D. Schellinger, URS Greiner Woodward Clyde,
1400 Union Meeting Road, Suite 202, Blue Bell, PA 19422.

FULL
TEXT

Most travel surveys collect information about the locations of trip origins and destinations. The process
of translating the location data collected in surveys into information that can be used in transportation
planning, called geocoding, historically has been difficult and error prone. Geographic information
system data and tools increasingly have been used to improve the process. Described is a new approach
to geocoding that was developed and used in a recent mode choice survey conducted for the Baltimore
(Maryland) Metropolitan Council. This approach, in which respondents complete the geocoding process
themselves, is designed for use in a computer-assisted self-interview survey. Respondents are given tools
that allow them to specify a street address, a nearest intersection, a business name, or a map location to
locate the place that they visited. In the Baltimore application, respondents actively used all four
methods. The analysis of how the methods were used indicates that the geocoding process benefits from
providing all four of these options to respondents.

Determinants of Attrition Rates in

Two-Wave, Two-Day Household
Activity Diary
Probit Analysis
Theo Arentze, Aloys Borgers, Maarten Ponj, and Harry Timmermans
Urban Planning Group, Eindhoven University of Technology, P.O. Box 513, Mail Station 20, 5600 MB, Eindhoven, Netherlands.

FULL
TEXT

Transportation researchers often have used panel data to examine the dynamics of travel behavior.
Although panel data are probably the best means by which to better understand choice dynamics, they
present various challenges to the analyst, with attrition or dropout one of the most critical. Presented
are the results of an analysis of the determinants of attrition in a two-wave panel, conducted in the
Netherlands. Panelists reported their activities for a consecutive 2 days with 1 year between. Attrition
rates between the two waves were predicted as a function of sociodemographics; number of activities,
trips and tours; and the amount of reporting error in the first wave, by using a probit model. The
results of the study indicate that none of these variables was significant, suggesting that no systematic
attrition occurred between the two waves.

Are More Profiles Better Than Fewer?

Searching for Parsimony and Relevance in
Stated Choice Experiments
Peter R. Stopher and David A. Hensher
P. R. Stopher, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803-6405.
D. A. Hensher, Faculty of Economics, Institute of Transport Studies, The University of Sydney, NSW 2006 Australia.

FULL
TEXT

Transportation planners increasingly include a stated choice (SC) experiment as part of the armory of
empirical sources of information on how individuals respond to current and potential travel contexts. The
accumulated experience with SC data has been heavily conditioned on analyst prejudices about the
acceptable complexity of the data collection instrument, especially the number of profiles (or treatments)
given to each sampled individual (and the number of attributes and alternatives to be processed). It is not
uncommon for transport demand modelers to impose stringent limitations on the complexity of an SC
experiment. A review of the marketing and transport literature suggests that little is known about the
basis for rejecting complex designs or accepting simple designs. Although more complex designs provide
the analyst with increasing degrees of freedom in the estimation of models, facilitating nonlinearity in
main effects and independent two-way interactions, it is not clear what the overall behavioral gains are in
increasing the number of treatments. A complex design is developed as the basis for a stated choice study,
producing a fractional factorial of 32 rows. The fraction is then truncated by administering 4, 8, 16, 24,
and 32 profiles to a sample of 166 individuals (producing 1,016 treatments) in Australia and New Zealand
faced with the decision to fly (or not to fly) between Australia and New Zealand by either Qantas or Ansett
under alternative fare regimes. Statistical comparisons of elasticities (an appropriate behavioral basis for
comparisons) suggest that the empirical gains within the context of a linear specification of the utility
expression associated with each alternative in a discrete choice model may be quite marginal.

Data Warehouse Strategy to Enable

Performance Analysis
Daniel K. Papiernik, Dhruv Nanda, Robert O. Cassada, and William H. Morris
D. K. Papiernik, TransCore, 8614 Westwood Center Drive, Suite 310, Vienna, VA 22182-2233. D. Nanda and W. H. Morris,
TransCore, 101 North 14th Street, Tenth Floor, Richmond, VA 23219. R. O. Cassada, Programming and Scheduling Division,
Virginia Department of Transportation, 1221 East Broad Street, Richmond, VA 23219.

FULL
TEXT

The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) has engaged to implement an enterprise data
warehouse as part of a strategic investment in its information technology (IT) infrastructure. Data
warehousing provides an information architecture that serves as the enterprisewide source of data for
performance analysis and organizational reporting. To assist VDOT in achieving its strategic outcome
area objectives, a programming and scheduling (P&S) data mart is being developed to track
preconstruction project activities. This data mart and subsequent data marts function as departmental
decision support platforms, enabling VDOTs operating divisions to perform their own enhanced
analytical processing, visualization, and data mining for more informed business decision capabilities.
Presented is a case study based on the enterprise data warehouse and P&S data mart being developed
and implemented for VDOT by TransCore. Explicitly described is how one VDOT division,
Programming and Scheduling, will benefit by investing in IT to achieve its strategic goals. The design
approach, methodology, and implementation procedure for the P&S decision support data mart are
detailed. The methodology for capturing the performance measures that have been defined by the P&S
division in the context of its strategic outcome areas is highlighted. Recommended future direction and
the technologies that the agency should adopt to continue to maximize their IT investment are outlined.

Improving Survivability of Intelligent

Transportation Systems
Application-Level Intrusion Detection Case Study
Brian L. Smith and Robert S. Sielken
School of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22903.

FULL
TEXT

Intelligent transportation systems (ITS) are deployed around the world to improve the safety and
efficiency of surface transportation through the application of advanced information technology.
However, ITS expose the transportation system to new vulnerabilities, making it imper-ative that those
implementing such systems design them to be more survivable. The approaches most commonly used to
increase the survivability of ITS are physical security, hardware redundancy, and software and data
backups. An essential element of a survivable system that has not been adequately addressed is intrusion
detection. Intrusion detection seeks to identify individuals who have gained unauthorized access to a
system, as well as those with authorized access who are abusing the system. Described is the importance of
robust intrusion detection for ITS (and other transportation information systems). The state of the
practice in intrusion detection is summarized, and a case study is presented that investigates the
development of an intrusion detection system (IDS) conceptual design for an essential element of ITS,
electronic toll collection. Through the case study, the researchers found that intrusion detection at the
application level could significantly improve the overall survivability of ITS. From this finding, it is clear
that there is a need to commit resources to developing application level IDS for the wide range of ITS.
Given the importance of surface transportation to a regions economy and the potential vulnerabilities
introduced by ITS, it is imperative that further work be conducted to increase the survivability of ITS.

Asset Management Model and

Systems Integration Approach
Zongwei Tao, F. Gordon Zophy, and John Wiegmann
Booz-Allen & Hamilton Inc., 8283 Greensboro Drive, McLean, VA 22102.

FULL
TEXT

Transportation asset management is an integrated set of best practices and systems that achieve optimal
and cost-effective investment and use of transportation assets throughout their service life cycle. Most
infrastructure management programs and systems contain certain elements of asset management
functions. However, they lack a strong capacity to accomplish the overall asset management goal.
Presented is an asset management model together with an approach for systems integration. The asset
management model illustrates basic asset management goals, strategies, principles, and analysis
methods. An example of an integrated maintenance program incorporates the features of the model.
Supporting the asset management model is a systems integration approach that demonstrates how
component asset management systems can be integrated at different stages of their development life
cycles. The integration process is needed to ensure that system interoperability truly supports an
effective asset management program. The approach can be defined in five phases: (a) business
integration, (b) system requirements integration, (c) logical design integration, (d ) physical design and
development integration, and (e) implementation integration. Each phase carries a particular
integration objective and develops unique integration products. An operational scenario tool is
introduced as an implementation strategy for asset management.

Web-Based Expert Geographical

Information System for Advanced
Transportation Management Systems
Kaan zbay and Shirsendu Mukherjee
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey,
Piscataway, NJ 08855-0909.

FULL
TEXT

The Internet is fast becoming the standard environment for client-server applications that involve
multiple users. The proliferation of Internet-based application development tools opens new doors to
transportation researchers who work in real-time decision support system development. In the 1990s,
one of the most important problems in advanced transportation management systems research was the
development of better incident management systems. Although the incident management process has
been well studied, the development of real-time decision support systems that can be used by all the
involved agencies remains a challenging area of transportation engineering research. Existing incident
management systems are developed on various traditional computing platforms, including UNIX and
Windows. However, with the advent of the World Wide Web and Internet-based programming tools
such as Java, it is possible to develop platform independent decision support tools for the incident
management agencies. Web-based support tools offer an invaluable opportunity to develop nextgeneration online decision support tools for real-time traffic management. The applicability of Webbased tools to the development of online decision support systems for incident management is explored
and demonstrated, and a prototype incident management decision support system (DSS) that has most
of the capabilities of similar UNIX-based DSS support systems is developed and tested. Briefly
described are the implementation and development of a prototype wide-area incident management
system using Web-based tools.

Real-Time Indicators of Vehicle

Kilometers of Travel and Congestion
One Year of Experience
Ho-Ling Hwang, David L. Greene, Shih-Miao Chin, and Angela A. Gibson
Oak Ridge National Laboratory, P.O. Box 2008, Building 3156, MS-6073, Oak Ridge, TN 37831-6073.

FULL
TEXT

Automated traffic data posted on the Internet by four cities have been continuously downloaded,
processed, and archived for more than 1 year by an automated system developed by Oak Ridge
National Laboratory and funded by the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Although the
experimental system is far from national in scale and scope, it has shown that automated collection and
processing of local traffic data via the Internet for national purposes is feasible and practical. Strong
seasonal patterns make it too early to estimate statistical models of traffic growth, but comparisons of
the same months in 1998 and 1999 indicate changes ranging from 1 percent to 3 percent for the
monitored systems. Direct measurements of delay on the monitored systems are lower than published
estimates for previous years. Although some progress in the input of missing data has been made,
missing data are still a major problem, and better methods are needed.

Geographic Information System

Procedures to Improve Speed and
Accuracy in Locating Crashes
Lauren Elise Carreker and William Bachman
L. E. Carreker, Parsons Brinckerhoff Quade & Douglas, 3340 Peachtree Road, NE, Suite 2400, Tower Place,
Atlanta, GA 30326-1001. W. Bachman, Center for Geographic Information Systems, Georgia Institute of Technology,
Atlanta, GA 30332-0695.

FULL
TEXT

Locating statewide crashes for system or facility analyses can be difficult and time-consuming. In many
localities, crash data are manually transcribed from paper crash reports and then located, by a separate
operator, on a linear reference scheme. Data quality and quantity reduce an operators ability to
accurately identify route and milepoint locations for a large percentage of crashes. A study of crash
data in Georgia has identified potential location errors. The study also revealed that numerous technical
solutions such as improved data transcription guidelines, multiple public and private road databases,
geographic information systems, and standard relational databases potentially can strengthen the
functionality of crash location systems. An analysis of an existing crash location procedure is described,
and alternatives techniques designed to speed the location process and improve location accuracy are
discussed.

Cost-Benefit Analysis of Geographic

Information System Implementation
Illinois Department of Transportation
James P. Hall, Tschangho John Kim, and Michael I. Darter
J. P. Hall, Illinois Department of Transportation, 2300 South Dirksen Parkway, Springfield, IL 62764. T. J. Kim, Department of
Urban and Regional Planning, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 611 East Lorado Taft Drive, 111 Temple Hoyne
Buell Hall, Champaign, IL 61820. M. I. Darter, ERES Consultants, 505 West University Avenue, Champaign, IL 61820.

FULL
TEXT

An in-depth investigation of the costs and benefits of geographic information system (GIS)
implementation in the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) is presented. The investigation
addresses a critical need to determine the organizational impact and cost-effectiveness of this
enterprisewide information technology to achieve the greatest benefit. IDOT conducted an
enterprisewide effort to portray GIS capabilities and to identify candidate GIS projects. Fourteen major
GIS projects were selected on the basis of management priority, ease of implementation, and user
commitment. A comprehensive cost-benefit analysis was developed over fiscal years 1995 through 2004.
Costs were reasonably estimated from historical costs of the GIS investigation effort and future costs of
GIS technical support and user area resources. The greatest portions of costs, over the 10-year time
frame, were for personnel (67 percent) and consultant services (19 percent). For the more difficult
benefits determination, the research employed two categories of benefits: efficiency and effectiveness.
Efficiency benefits would result from the automation of previous manual efforts, such as special-purpose
cartographic production, with GIS outputs. Effectiveness benefits arise from traditionally intangible
areas, such as increased integration and accessibility of information for improved decision making.
Effectiveness benefits were estimated conservatively for two high-priority areas: accident analysis and
program development. The result of the cost-benefit analysis of GIS implementation yielded a net present
value of $2.9 million and an internal rate of return of 99.8 percent over the analysis period. This provided
IDOT management with knowledge for strategic resource allocation decisions.

Maines Approach to Data Warehousing for

State Departments of Transportation
Paul OPacki, Rick Dubois, Nancy Armentrout, and Steve Bower
P. OPacki, GIS/Trans, Ltd., 675 Massachusetts Avenue, Suite 1400, Cambridge, MA 02139. R. Dubois, Management
Systems Division, and N. Armentrout, GIS Unit, Maine Department of Transportation, State House Station 16,
Augusta, ME 04345. S. Bower, GIS/Trans, Ltd., 65 Wortheim Lane, Richmond, VT 05477.

FULL
TEXT

Most transportation agencies are faced with changing needs, challenges, and limited resources. State
departments of transportation need tools to address these issues. One such solution combines data
warehouse and geographic information systems (GIS) technology to allow easy access to reliable
information for systemwide query, analysis, and reporting. To meet these challenges, to be more
responsive, and to provide staff and managers with a better platform with which to deliver integrated
transportation information to both internal and external customers, the Maine Department of
Transportation (MeDOT) has turned to integrating data warehousing and GIS technologies. A detailed
overview of MeDOTs Transportation Information for Decision Enhancement (TIDE), a robust GISlinked data warehouse, is given. A range of inherent technical issues involved in a project of this nature
is discussed. The role that TIDE has played in breaking down the functional boundaries that have
existed on both informational and technical fronts and how this robust tool facilitates the growth of
agency integration also are discussed.

Integrating Genetic Algorithms and

Geographic Information System to
Optimize Highway Alignments
Manoj K. Jha and Paul Schonfeld
M. K. Jha, Maryland State Highway Administration, 707 North Calvert Street, Baltimore, MD 21202.
P. Schonfeld, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Maryland at College Park, College Park, MD 20742.

FULL
TEXT

A comprehensive highway cost model can be used for optimizing highway alignments subject to a
number of design constraints. Because a geographic information system (GIS) can spatially represent
the locations of properties, floodplains, streams, and other geographical characteristics of significance in
a highway cost model, it can provide valuable input to a highway design optimization model.
Additionally, a GIS-based model can be developed to compute geographically sensitive costs to be used
with an iterative optimization scheme. However, connecting a GIS to a highway optimization model
requires full automation of an entire search process in which there is a continuous exchange of inputs
and outputs until the optimized solution is obtained. An integrated model is developed by linking a GIS
model with an optimization model employing genetic algorithms (GAs). The GIS model provides
accurate geographical features, computes location-dependent costs, and transmits these costs to an
external program. That program computes length-dependent costs and user costs and then, using GAs,
optimizes the highway alignment to minimize the sum of all costs. An example study using real land use
and environmental features is presented for a part of Talbot County, Maryland. The computational
performance of the integrated model is assessed.

Geographic Information SystemBased

Analysis of Right-of-Way Cost for
Highway Optimization
Manoj K. Jha and Paul Schonfeld
M. K. Jha, Maryland State Highway Administration, 707 North Calvert Street, Baltimore, MD 21202.
P. Schonfeld, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Maryland at College Park, College Park, MD 20742.

FULL
TEXT

At the planning stages of a highway project, various location alternatives must be explored, subject to a
set of design constraints. A computerized tool with which to compare alignment alternatives would
significantly reduce the time and resources spent as well as help find a minimum cost (or maximum net
benefit) solution. Highway design optimization (HDO) is a computerized process that minimizes an
objective function composed of significant highway costs, subject to a set of design constraints, including
curvature, gradient, and sight distance. Several costs of alignments, such as right-of-way, earthwork, and
environment costs, are sensitive to geography. A geographic information system (GIS) may be exploited
to compute such costs for use in HDO models (HDOMs). Most known HDOMs focus only on refining the
optimization approach and do not provide a comprehensive formulation for all costs sensitive to
alignment. Provided is a comprehensive formulation for right-of-way cost computation. A GIS- based
algorithm is developed to compute the right-of-way cost, which is integrated with an HDOM based on
genetic algorithms. Two examples are used to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach.

Tree Induction of Spatial Choice Behavior

Jean-Claude Thill and Aaron Wheeler
J.-C. Thill, Department of Geography, State University of New York at Buffalo, Amherst, NY 14261.
A. Wheeler, Department of Computer Science, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131.

FULL
TEXT

Discussed is the merit of inductive learning as a tool with which to discover geographic knowledge in
data-rich environments, and particularly as an analysis tool in spatial decision-making theory. The
capability and applicability of Quinlans C4.5 decision tree induction algorithm to the class of problems
involving the choice among discrete travel destinations within an urban area are analyzed. The C4.5
algorithm and its relation to other decision tree induction algorithms and to spatial behavioral modeling
are described, and its implementation on spatial behavior data from the MinneapolisSt. Paul
metropolitan area is illustrated.

Complete Count of U.S.

Transportation Workforce
Basav Sen and Michael A. Rossetti
Volpe National Transportation Systems Center, 55 Broadway, Cambridge, MA 02142.

FULL
TEXT

Described are the development and application of an original methodology for a comprehensive and
consistent count of transportation-related employment in the United States. In addition, the study
represents a general example of how transportation analysts can effectively use and combine
classification-based data to answer specific crosscutting questions. The method involved computing the
union of two different sets of transportation employment data: transportation industry data, counting all
workers in industries that provide or support transportation, and transportation occupational data,
counting all workers performing transportation functions. A union, instead of a straightforward sum, was
used to avoid double counting of workers employed in the defined transportation and transportationrelated industries. A broad definition of transportation-related industries and occupations was used,
allowing a complete accounting of employment generated by transportation in the economy. It was
concluded that transportation industries account for 13 million workers, or about 10 percent of total
nonfarm employment of 128.4 million, and transportation occupations outside of transportation industries
accounted for another 3.5 million workers, or about an additional 3 percent of nonfarm employment.
Thus, about 16.5 million workers either work directly in or support transportation activity in the U.S.
economy; this constitutes about 13 percentapproximately 1 in 8 jobsof the nonfarm workforce.

Driving to Distractions
Recreational Trips in Private Vehicles
William J. Mallett and Nancy McGuckin
W. J. Mallett, MacroSys Research and Technology, 499 South Capitol Street, Suite 504A, Washington, DC 20003.
N. McGuckin, 3932 Garrison Street, Washington, DC 20016.

FULL
TEXT

An increasing amount of travel, both long- and short-distance trips, is made in private vehicles for
recreation. Peak congestion around attractions and leisure spots can be worse than congestion in the
city center during peak periods. Moreover, recreational travel within, to, and through metropolitan
areas contributes to congestion problems and points to the need for its incorporation into travel
forecasting. The importance of leisure travel in state economies raises the question of why this segment
of travel is not more often studied. The 1995 American Travel Survey and the 1995 Nationwide
Personal Transportation Survey are used to examine the characteristics of recreational trips by private
vehicle. Recreational trips by other modes, such as transit and airplane, are not included. Data from the
surveys show that private vehicle recreation trips make up about 14 percent of all local trips, 23 percent
of all long-distance trips, and 15 percent of total vehicle kilometers traveled on U.S. roads. Recreation
trips are not equally distributed among all groups of people, however. African Americans report about
half the amount of recreational automobile trips and one-third the average kilometers as whites. Other
differences by race or ethnicity indicate that Hispanic families tend to travel in larger groups than
African Americans or whites. Age, too, is a determining factor in the amount and type of recreational
travel. Both the young and the old make more trips on a daily basis, but they make far fewer longdistance trips than those in middle age.