Jan 07 - 11 2024
| Title | Background and Problem Statements | Objectives | Proposed Research Activities | Desired Products | Notes and Considerations | Funding | Estimated Timeframe | Category of Funding | Status |
| EM - Assessing implications of the private sector build out EV charging | Deanna – What would you like to be measuring but can’t or don’t know how? |
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| EM - Carbon Reduction/Resilience - Measuring performance and goals on resiliency and reducing emissions from the transportation system | Nathaniel Vogt – Ohio DOT: we are working on Carbon Reduction Strategy and Resiliency Improvement Plan. We’ve had a few questions come up about how to measure performance and goals on resiliency and reducing emissions from the transportation system. |
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| EM - A synthesis of data availability and usage | Michael Grant – ICF – you showed so many projects related to equity, when we had the TRB conference, there were a lot of topics around equity and performance measures. That could be an interesting synthesis – think there are several agencies starting to work on this. |
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| EM - Developing tools for estimating the GHG impacts of projects for target setting, project prioritization, and potentially tracking performance over time | suggested by James Bradbury – Georgetown Climate Center |
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| TAM - Examples of the integration of TAM/TPM/ERM | Brief Description |
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| TAM - Synthesis of the use of unit cost estimates in TAM systems | Brief Description |
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| TAM - Service life for trenchless construction | Brief Description |
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| TAM - Impacts of IIJA bridge programs on TAM | Brief Description |
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| TAM - Workforce development for asset management through University curriculum development | - Looking at current practice and examples from states like NM. Utah looking beyond engineering disciplines. Multidisciplinary teams. What do agencies need from TAM professionals? Competencies for asset management. Mapping needs (TAM Guide may have needs) to core skills. Champion |
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| TAM - Impacts of EVs on deterioration curves for bridges and pavement | |||||||||
| OM - Effectiveness of improvement efforts | |||||||||
| OM - Knowledge Management | |||||||||
| OM - Feedback mechanism - How well are we doing (UDOT)? | |||||||||
| OM - Scenario Planning | |||||||||
| OM - Evaluation of process improvement techniques | - Organizational strategies for improvement |
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| OM - Vision for transportation/Moonshots | Potential benefit if you can align political and departmental alignment |
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| OM - Linking performance management, risk, process improvement | (Of the ones recommended, Gary and Gehan support this one the most) |
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| OM - Implementation of the new electric vehicles, charging stations, how it has been pushed to go quickly - prioritization of timing, staging, setting up for the future, building a network of charging stations, making sure it is set up well as it is rolled out quickly | Infrastructure |
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| ERM - Risk based approach in programming - machine learning for bundling (group projects). Enterprise, Indiana AI process (Louis Feagans INDOT) synthesis or peer exchange? - Dan D’Angelo | |||||||||
| ERM - 20-44 implementation (rolling deadline) - looking for an implementation project from existing research projects or ones in progress (potentially 08-151 / 23-15?) - Patrick Cowley | |||||||||
| ERM - Incorporating uncertainty into forecasting, target-setting, and monitoring | Incorporating uncertainty into forecasting, target-setting, and monitoring - low /high matrix - inflation, funding, The RMS also has "ERM - Improving Risk Visualization and Communication Internally and Externally" |
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| SMET - Assessing the impacts of technology deployments and pilots on system performance, including operational efficiency and safety | (please add clarifying details and topic title suggestions) |
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| SMET - Accessing, assessing, analyzing and applying quality, non-motorized (pedestrian and bike) and transit data for planning and operational needs | please add clarifying details and topic title suggestions) |
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| SMET - Incident Response: EV involved incident preparedness from a system performance perspective | Jun Liu of U of Alabama suggested this at the first COPlanning Research Symposium, but it has SMET implications. (I,e EV fires , other ) |
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| CCR - Developing a Framework for Evaluation of Decarbonization Outcomes | FHWA, NCHRP | ||||||||
| G/DM – State DOT and MPO Planning Coordination: Enhancing the 2016 Regional Models of Cooperation Handbook | Full NCHRP | ||||||||
| GM/SC - Balancing Freight and Goods Delivery Needs Into Designing Complete Streets of the Future | AASHTO Committee Support, NCHRP | ||||||||
| OTH - Enhanced AASHTO Committee Coordination to Share Research Benefits | |||||||||
| OTH - Enhanced AASHTO Committee Coordination to Reduce Research Duplication | |||||||||
| OTH - Explore Innovative Ways to Distill Planning and Research Information | |||||||||
| OTH - Successful Examples of Integration of Land Use and Transportation Planning | |||||||||
| OTH - New Vision for Transportation | Focus on critical transportation planning issues and better addressing resilience, access, environmental protection, and financial limitations. |
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| OTH - New Sustainable Funding Sources to Create and Implement Transportation Plans | |||||||||
| EL - Consideration of Alternative Fuels as a Part of the Electrification Process | |||||||||
| EL – Explore Scenario Planning for Electric Fleet Conversion Impact | Focus on new infrastructure needs, air quality, and transportation revenue |
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| PH - Examine Increased Funding of Transportation Activities that can Improve Public Health | |||||||||
| PH - Building DOT Champions for Active Transportation | |||||||||
| PH - Transportation-Induced Barriers to Heath Access | |||||||||
| PH – Methods to Quantify Impacts of Transportation Investments on Public Health | |||||||||
| DEM - Developing Long Term Transportation Plans with Disruptive Commuting Patterns, Post Pandemic | |||||||||
| DEM - Navigating the COVID Data Anomalies | |||||||||
| DEM - Examining the Development of Short-Term Transportation Plans | To be able to adjust for demographic changes, transformational technologies, and other uncertainties. |
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| TI - Enhanced Scenario Planning to Account for Uncertainty of Transformational Technologies | |||||||||
| TI - Examining Transformational Technologies and Transportation Investments | |||||||||
| TI – Applying Big Data to Improve Transportation Planning | |||||||||
| CI - Balancing Data Driven Analysis with Community Input | |||||||||
| CI - Obtaining Meaningful Public Engagement While Meeting Federal Guidance | |||||||||
| CI - Methods to Reconnect Communities Adversely Impacted by Past Transportation Investments | |||||||||
| G/DM - Implementation of Available Resources to Make Better Tradeoff Decisions | |||||||||
| G/DM - Equitable Decision Making for All Communities | |||||||||
| NRF - Navigating Federal Guidance/Programs with Newly Eligible Agencies (with different levels of federal funding knowledge) | |||||||||
| NFR - How to Develop New Plans Required in BIL/IIJA | |||||||||
| NFR - How Agencies Address Federal Requirements (e.g., GHG emissions, land use) Without Having Full Authority Over the Influencing Factors | |||||||||
| NFR - The Mechanics of Working with BIL/IIJA | |||||||||
| NFR – Determining Approaches to Discretionary Grant Application Process, Including being Community Context-Driven | |||||||||
| WF - Better Workforce Management Methods for Transportation Planners | Consider an implementation project for NCHRP Research Report 980 Attracting, Retaining, and Developing the Transportation Workforce: Transportation Planners published in 2021 |
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| WF – Ensuring Balance of New Initiatives with Workforce Capacity and Capabilities | |||||||||
| WF – Better Knowledge Sharing Across Agencies and Transportation Planners | |||||||||
| CCR - Planning for Resiliency and TAM for DOTs, and transit agencies, including RIPs | |||||||||
| CCR – Planning for Severe Weather and Climate Change on Vulnerable Roadway Systems | |||||||||
| GM/SC - Forecasting Freight Movements in Uncertain Economic Times | |||||||||
| GM/SC - Explore how CV and UAVs Help with Goods Movements | |||||||||
| GM/SC - Delivering infrastructure projects during inflationary periods | |||||||||
| EQ - Examining Regional and Municipal Equitable Planning Practices | |||||||||
| EQ - Transportation Planning for Cultural and Societal Needs in Underserved Communities | |||||||||
| EQ - Examining Equity | What is it, is there a common definition, why is it important, is it different from various stakeholder perspectives, and how to achieve it through DOT infrastructure and program investments |
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| ERM - Institutionalizing ERM: Learning from International Practice | |||||||||
| CC - Enhancing executive awareness and understanding of TPM | |||||||||
| CC - Supporting the discipline of data-driven decision making | Research to improve DOTs capability and capacity for data-driven decision making. |
Full NCHRP | |||||||
| CC - Advancing the discipline of data-driven decision making within State DOTs | Research to advance the discipline of data-driven decision making within State DOTs |
Full NCHRP | |||||||
| CC - Performance Measure Dictionary and Technical Guidance | This research would produce an updated guidebook of current and emerging performance |
Update products of NCHRP 20-24(37)G – Technical Guidance for |
Full NCHRP | ||||||
| CC - Advanced Analytics – Using Big Data for Performance-Based Investment | Full NCHRP | ||||||||
| SMET - Acquiring Better Data (Private Sector, Third Party, Fused Datasets) |
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Full NCHRP | |||||||
| SMET - Synthesis: Data Gathering & Data Sharing Agreements to Monetize DOT Data |
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Synthesis | |||||||
| SMET - Determine the role of data to ensure equitable deployments of AVs and shared mobility within communities. |
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Full NCHRP | |||||||
| Guide for Effectively Linking Performance Measures, Risk Management, and Process Improvement | Multiple research efforts have looked at the disciplines of Performance Measures, Risk Management, and Process Improvement. The high-level definition of these three disciplines are as follows: While these disciplines are heavily researched individually, very little research has taken place regarding the relationship between the three efforts and the benefits and challenges of linking them. Generally, the steps are established and separately treated within the specific system, which may impact efficiency, create redundancies, and disrupt the plans due to mixed responses. Developing the different relationships among the processes and then identifying a framework linking these processes can provide efficiencies across agencies and align efforts more readily to overarching goals and objectives. This research request is to develop a framework to support the link between the three disciplines or if improvements are needed within each discipline to support and connect to the others. |
The objectives of this research are: |
AASHTO Strategic Plan Alignment: This project aligns to the AASHTO Strategic Plan by developing transportation standards and guidance. This research will aid DOTs in the furthering of organizational excellence and effective services by providing a framework through which risk and performance can be effectively measured while creating improved processes organizationally. This framework will further align internal and external agencies and their transportation interests by suggesting global updates to effective performance and risk management. As current guidelines are analyzed and potential updates are identified, transportation agencies and systems can improve through the promotion and implementation of these new processes. From this endeavor, DOTs will be able to develop continual process improvement, ensure stronger alignment among committees, and in turn create effective transportation workforce capabilities. |
400000 | 24 months | Full NCHRP | |||
| ERM - Improving Risk Visualization and Communication Internally and Externally | Risk communication is the act of sharing information about potential threats to people and infrastructure with the objective of saving life and property. This covers a wide range of information, including asset condition, mobility, safety, economic impacts, environmental impacts, and others. Effective verbal, visual, and written communication promotes the recovery of disrupted systems while maintaining public confidence in these systems. This requires that all communication tracks be congruent and effective. |
The objectives of this research are to develop guidance in the following initiatives which can be used to develop effective risk visualization communication within DOT’s, with external agencies, and the public in the by performing study into the following initiatives: |
LINK TO 2021-2026 AASHTO STRATEGIC PLAN: This project aligns to the AASHTO Strategic Plan by providing information that will help DOTs develop further organizational excellence and effective services in knowing how to create the best risk communication strategies that will share risk information both internally and with external agencies and the public at large. Knowledge of risks will lead to better transportation products and services by helping to identify what aspects of transportation require improvement and safety enhancement. This will also lead to further examination of current and emerging trends present in transportation policies and practices, while promoting a range of new policy options that can be implemented. This project will align with AASHTO’s plan to provide safety, mobility, and access for everyone by providing blueprints for effective communication with external agencies and the public. By making the public aware of potential risks, and pursuing solutions to these risks, DOTs will be able ensure that social equity within the public sphere is preserved while transportation systems are made safer. Effective communication with community organizations, especially, will forge strong connections between transportation agencies with public interest. The ability to effectively communicate risks both within an agency and externally to key stakeholders is important in decision-making and assuring effective mitigation strategies are assigned and appropriate resources are dedicated. Risk management is an effective tool for decision-making but communicating risks, potential impacts and likelihood of occurrence as well as appropriate mitigation is often not well understood. This proposal builds off of a similar RPS developed as part of NCHRP 20-123(04) but adds in and emphasizes the element of visualization to improve communication. It also emphasizes the concept of risk tolerance. |
Full NCHRP | |||||
| Developing New Performance Metrics for Risk Management | “Risk” can simply be defined as an uncertainty that presents either an opportunity or a threat regarding an agency’s ability to carry out their mission. Thus, agency success in risk management rests on the ability to quantify the impacts of the full range of uncertainties that may apply to them. Typically, these impacts are assessed in terms of the agency’s existing performance measures, like asset condition or safety. However, there may be much more to the story in terms of the potential for value creation or cost-cutting related to uncertainty. This would mean not only identifying and quantifying all sources of value/cost related to uncertainty, but would also mean considering risk management as integral to asset management, and not just an afterthought or add-on to traditional condition-based asset management. As part of this, an agency would need to quantify the benefits and costs of their risk management efforts overall. For example, “We have met X% of our risk mitigation goals in the fiscal year”. Hence, depending upon the nature of the goals and objectives of an agency’s risk management program, it is essential for the agency to have a “framework” that satisfies their management needs with appropriate measures, tools, methods, and processes. The term ”metrics” is a useful term for not only defining appropriate “measures” for quantifying risk-related entities, but also in articulating how these measures will be utilized in the overall risk management framework. This research is intended to explore the current practices and state-of-the-art for metrics, and identify potential options that would be suitable for transportation agencies in the future. |
Objectives: |
Full NCHRP | ||||||
| ERM - Improving Responsible Risk-Taking Perception in Transportation Agencies | Emphasis on developing tools and methodologies to document risk tolerance and acceptance parameters associated with taking risks. |
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| OM - Creating Organizational Culture and Focus to Build Greater Resiliency | State departments of transportation (DOTs) and other transportation agencies are working to deliver greater resiliency in their transportation systems. Agencies are changing established business processes, technical methodologies, tools, and systems to build resiliency. In order to achieve sustainable change and have lasting improvements in resiliency, agencies need to also address organizational culture in order to bring about greater enthusiasm and focus on resiliency building. Organizational culture is defined as the underlying beliefs, assumptions, values and ways of interacting that contribute to the unique social and psychological environment of an organization. It focuses on building shared values to achieve the organization's goals and objectives. When transportation agencies have good organizational culture, employees know how agency executives want them to respond to any situation, employees believe that the expected response is the proper one, and employees know that they will be rewarded for demonstrating the organization's values. |
Greater understanding of the elements of good organizational culture and how it can be applied to transportation agencies to achieve greater resiliency is needed. This research project would include identification of agencies that have had success in building resiliency and examine what elements of organizational change supported the successful resilience building. Research on sectors outside of transportation where resilience is important would be conducted to understand the organizational culture elements. The ingredients for building organizational culture to achieve greater focus on building resilience will be created for transportation agencies. The proposed research be composed of the following components: |
Full NCHRP | ||||||
| CC - Determine the appropriate level of overhead expenditures for managing new grant programs to prevent fraud and mismanagement, while maximizing public benefit | Both federal and recipient agencies have the goal of maximizing the public benefits from investment of the limited transportation funding. Additionally, there is a cost and/or risk to every activity or inaction related to program delivery. Whenever an available dollar is moved from physical or operational improvements on the system to program administration, the public loses the benefit of that dollar. Similarly, every dollar that is lost from the system because of fraud or diverted away from the program goals due to whatever form of mismanagement, the public loses the intended benefit of that dollar. Therefore, the goal of all agencies should be to minimize the negative risks and costs associated with administering the funding programs, even if that means the occasional dollar is lost to fraud or mismanagement when the cost to prevent that loss is greater than the cost of the loss itself. It seems especially important to avoid duplicative administrative costs generated from the various governmental levels. The essential issue is determining the end-user public return on investment (ROI) from adding program requirements for both the federal agency and the recipient agency. |
Develop a means of determining the balance between program requirements that minimize the risks of fraud and/or of not meeting program goals with maximizing the benefits to the end users (i.e., the public). |
Full NCHRP | ||||||
| EM - Using State and Local Stakeholder-Driven Performance Measures to Monitor Progress Toward National Goals | In many cases, states and other local government agencies have performance measures developed through the extensive public outreach in the various federally and internally required strategic planning efforts. Not surprisingly, these “local” performance measures are often related to but different from the federally mandated performance measures. For example, freight mobility in an urban area often means travel time (i.e., traditional congestion), similar to the federal system performance measures (PM3); however, in a rural area, it means the system’s ability to carry the desired loads (i.e., height, width, and load restrictions not meeting expectations causing loads to be rerouted over longer distances). In either case, the results are wasted time, money, and fuel, and more greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Reducing this waste is really the goal of the federal measures above. Therefore, the same goal is being monitored, whether using the federal measures or the state and local (hereinafter, local) performance measures. This is just one example of many similarly developed local performance measures related to a national goal area but with different metrics and definitions than the national measures. By definition, the local measures are important to the end users of the transportation system by virtue of being developed through public input. Therefore, local policymakers often want or require these measures to be used in the decision processes and to tell the local story of transportation performance, safety, condition, etc. (hereinafter, performance). It would reduce waste and improve public transparency if these local measures could also be used to tell the national system performance story. This would avoid potentially conflicting messages from local and national sources and avoid the duplicate work of collecting, monitoring, and analyzing similar measures related to the same basic goal. Additionally, the collective of local measures could be used to tell a more comprehensive and complete story of the nation’s overall movement toward its shared transportation goals through a “drill down” approach of providing greater and greater detail from the national level through the regional, state, and local community levels. |
Develop a means of consolidating the many related local measures into a set of national measures that describes and monitors how well the national transportation system is meeting (or not meeting) the traveling public’s needs as related to Congress’ strategic goals for the nation’s transportation system. |
Full NCHRP | ||||||
| EM - Synthesis: Multi-Objective Resource Allocation | As funding for resource allocation increase and decrease each year it is critical for agencies to ensure that they are spending the resources the best they can and meeting as many needs as possible. The challenge of meeting condition needs vs operational needs vs quality of life is increasing each year for agencies. Thus, as agencies work each year to make resource allocation decisions for multiple service areas, and analysis the impacts of these decisions are often difficult to captured with performance measures. For example, condition measures for physical asset classes (pavements, bridges, etc.); performance measures for system operations (snow and ice control, traffic operations, emergency response) and quality of life measures (safety, accessibility, equity) are used by agencies to evaluate these resource allocations. State agencies generally have flexibility to adjust the level of investment of these categories, yet evaluation of the tradeoffs or optimization of these decisions are often limited to similar measures (bridge condition vs pavement condition). Is there potential benefit in expanding the scope of these analyses to include performance measures and investment classes of less similar nature. What tools do agencies use for this cross-asset allocation; How are the tools used for asset resource allocations to include services and quality of life investments? |
Investigate, compile, and categorize examples of organizations’ efforts of using performance measures and data supported tools for cross resource allocation and goal-oriented decisions. |
Synthesis | ||||||
| OM - Managing Workforce Changes and Availability | Transportation agencies traditionally had a very steady workforce. The combination of changes in young people’s work patterns and the economic changes that drive workforce availability requires that agencies need to act more proactively on how to deliver transportation programs. Research is needed to understand the behavioral patterns and mechanisms to both mitigate variability in workforce availability and what can be done proactively to benefit the agency. With the increased funding states are receiving based on the IIJA and BFP. NMDOT has identified the fact that we may run into contractor availability to meet the needs of the upcoming projects. |
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Full NCHRP | ||||||
| OM - Synthesis: Effectiveness of Process Improvements | Several states have established offices to implement continuous improvement processes such as Lean, Design Thinking, or Change Management. Over 30 of these offices participate in the Transportation Lean Forum (TLF), an informal group that operates in association with the AASHTO Subcommittee on Organization Management. In addition to formal offices, some states make less formal “grass roots” efforts to improve their processes. A synthesis would conduct a side-by-side study of the states’ efforts, including efforts in states that are not participating in the TLF, find what is working and what is not, assist states to identify improvements that they might implement, and set a baseline of the current “state of the art” that could inform future research on the outcomes of these efforts. |
Lean Improvement research questions:
Efficiency research questions:
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Lean Improvement: Several DOTs have established offices to implement continuous improvement processes such as Lean, Design Thinking, or Change Management. These include a t least thirty US States, five Canadian Provinces, England, the Netherlands, and Sweden. Efficiencies: Several state DOTs (e.g., CA, MN, OH) and England are required to submit annual efficiency reports. (30 states + other agencies have initiatives). What can be learned from these efforts? For instance, in England, the focus is on construction-only. (Nigel) |
Synthesis | |||||
| Advancing Comprehensive Performance Measurement of Transportation Outcomes | Transportation and its infrastructure are not ends in themselves but means for accessing places for economic activity, i.e., overcoming the friction between where you are and where you want to be. Transportation agencies, departments of transportation (DOTs), and other infrastructure owner-operators (IOOs) work to create public value in providing safe mobility. This is balanced with a desire to support societal goals and improve the quality of life. Many agencies continue evolving toward community-centered transportation by adopting more comprehensive and outcome-oriented goals for accessibility, affordability, resiliency, sustainability, public health, and security. |
From the perspective of getting to a more coherent national practice, the objective of this research is to get our proverbial arms around how to do this better. This begins with documenting the current state of the art, identifying methodological and institutional gaps, and charting a path toward elevating practice nationwide. |
Full NCHRP | ||||||
| CC – Measuring the public value and wider societal benefits created by transportation investments | Performance measurement and performance-based management have a long history in state DOTs as a discipline to track progress toward goals and optimize resource decisions. However, transportation agency goals are evolving from a pure operational focus to a focus on broad societal goals and creating value for the public. The value created by transportation investments spans not only transportation but also education, human services, land use, environment, and economy. A broader view of value and methods are needed to account for not only quantifiable value but also qualitative value. Another challenge is time horizons - how to value and manage investments today to deliver benefits in the much longer term. This research would develop and test measures of wider societal benefits deriving from the delivery of transportation investments. |
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| TAM - Management System Treatments vs. Projects | Transportation agencies are required to use asset management systems, including pavement and bridge asset management systems, to comply with Federal requirements for developing asset management plans. These systems are valuable for supporting a number of business functions, including: analyzing the existing asset inventory and its condition; developing effective asset lifecycle strategies; determining resources required to maintain assets in good repair; and recommending priorities for asset treatments. However, a major challenge transportation agencies face is in using their asset management systems is in trying to develop realistic projects that utilize management system recommendations. The systems generally recommend specific treatments, but do not scope realistic projects. Thus, significant manual effort is required to review management system treatment recommendations, often from multiple systems, and combine these into candidate projects. Research is needed to determine how to extent existing asset management systems to better develop projects from the treatment recommendations these systems generate. Such research will help agencies better comply with Federal requirements, save staff time, and result in development of projects that best support agency asset lifecycle strategies and best practices. |
Research is needed to determine how to extent existing asset management systems to better develop projects from the treatment recommendations these systems generate. The proposed research would include the following tasks, at a minimum: |
Full NCHRP | ||||||
| TAM - Synthesis: Current state of resilience work | All states are taking on resiliency in their asset management plans this year, and there are additional resilience-focused programs available from FHWA. |
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55000 | 12 months | Synthesis | ||||
| TAM - Synthesis: Best Practices for Managing Ancillary Transportation Assets | Information To Be Gathered: To further the implementation of asset management beyond pavements and bridges, there is a desire to understand how different agencies are approaching the management of these assets. How the Information Will Be Gathered: Information will be gathered through a literature review, a survey of state DOTs, and follow-up interviews with selected DOTs for the development of case examples. Information gaps and suggestions for research to address those gaps will be identified. |
Recent research has documented approaches to performing this work and several states have developed programs of differing levels of maturity. A Synthesis project at this time will enable agencies to understand the current state of the practice and identify leading practices that can be adopted to advance their own programs. |
Synthesis | ||||||
| Using Emerging Technologies to Capture, Process, and Optimize Asset Inventory and Condition Data | Agencies are becoming more reliant on asset inventory and condition data to create a virtual digi-tal twin to the real world assets that exist and change over time. These changes can result from accidents, natural events, maintenance or construction activities. These changes need to be reflected in the digital twin as close to real time as possible to maintain the usefulness and validity of the virtual twin. |
Emerging and current technologies hold the promise of transforming asset data col-lection for transportation asset management such as the use of drones for inspec-tions, LiDAR field data collection, continuous monitoring of real-time sensor data, and more. While the technology has been transforming, MAP-21 and the Fast Act jump started at many agencies in attaining an inventory of infrastructure assets and trans-portation data. At the same time, accessibility and affordability to collect high volumes of asset inventory data, such as LiDAR point cloud data, present the problem of how agencies can visualize and manage such large amounts of data and integrate the many layers for each transportation asset management plan. Now that the need for such data is federally recognized, further research is needed to understand what the latest technologies for asset management can offer an agency as well as how fre-quently that information needs to be captured and optimized. Research is needed in the following areas: |
Full NCHRP | ||||||
| TAM - Organizational Best Practices around Asset Management and TSMO | The purpose of this study is to research best practices and case studies of Transporta-tion Agency Organizational and Decision-Making Structure to shift from processes driven by planning, design, and construction to organizational structures driven by the need to maintain and operate an established, integrated system based on principles of asset management and transportation system operations. |
To rethink how a transportation agency should be organized to maintain and operate an existing system in real time. That includes a focus on preservation and maintenance of existing assets, responding quickly and effectively to incidents and emergencies, and operating the system at an optimized level of service given funding constraints. The research will consider what systems and processes need to be in place to monitor conditions and operations, the role of maintenance and asset management in programming and project development, effective use of agency forces, budgeting for maintenance and replacement over the lifecycle, and how to manage risk as a compliment to resource constrained asset management strategies. The research will look at various public and private sector models that look at organizational structure, element driven contracting, funding allocation models, and the role of in house vs contract resources to maximize the cost effectiveness of resource investments. |
Full NCHRP | ||||||
| ERM - Assessing Financial Risk at the Program and Enterprise Levels | Financial risks can threaten the strategic objectives of transportation agencies - e.g., the safe and reliable and efficient movement of people and goods. For example, the Highway Trust Fund is tied to taxes on gas and diesel. However, the recent COVID-19 pandemic greatly reduced American consumption, thus dramatically reducing revenues. State DOTs have seen their budgets slashed by 30% or more, forcing delays in some projects. Furthermore, external mandates can impose both risks and opportunites. A well-funded mandate could mean state DOTs have additional funding for enhancing resilience, while an unfunded mandate could force a DOT to choose between maintenance and projects. The objective of this project is to help transportation leaders with decision-making tools for allocating limited resources when subjected to unpredicatable financial conditions. |
The purpose of the proposed research project is to provide state DOTs with the necessary tools to assess and manage financial risk at the enterprise and program levels. The specific research tasks to accomplish the main objective include: • Task 1 – Conduct an in-depth literature review of all studies related to assessment and management of financial risks in transportation agencies, especially at the enterprise and program levels, including national and international examples as available. |
Rank 5 in 2021 |
450000 | 18-24 months | Full NCHRP | |||
| Incorporating Risk Management into Maintenance Practice | FHWA Directive 5520 encourages state DOTs to develop risk-based, cost effective strategies to minimize the impacts of climate change. Environmental stressors, such as extreme heat and extreme cold, and changes in the frequency and magnitude of extreme events, is changing the lifecycle of transportation assets; i.e, reducing service life, shortening replacement cycles, and increasing maintenance costs. Maintenance personnel offer valuable insight as to the costs associated with achieving performance goals. At the same time, maintenance personnel will require guidance as to how to incorporate risk models into maintenance, inspection, replacement, and repair cycles so that scheduled and routine maintenance continue to mitigate the risk from asset deterioration. |
To fulfill the requirements of MAP-21 and FAST Act, state DOTs started to establish enterprise risk management (ERM) programs and develop risk-based assets management plan. FHWA Directive 5520 further encourages state DOTs to develop risk-based, cost-effective strategies to minimize the impacts of climate change and extreme weather events. Environmental stressors, such as natural disasters (e.g. earthquake, flood, high wind, wildfire etc.), higher average temperature etc. are changing the lifecycle of transportation assets, which also change the maintenance needs of infrastructure assets. Incorporating climate change into risk modeling and risk-based maintenance planning is important for an informative, forward-looking, and sustainable decision making and funding allocation strategy. Guidance and tools are not currently available to support the practice. The purpose of the proposed project is to develop a guidance and prototype tool to help state DOTs assess and manage risk in maintenance practice. The specific research tasks to accomplish the main objective include: |
Ranked 3 in 2021 |
420000 | 18-24 months | Full NCHRP | |||
| ERM – Integrating Accepted Best Practices Learned and Revisiting Our Organizational Mission Across Sectors to Create a More Safe, Equitable Society | Started from War Games topics, planning to submit to the Domestic Scan Program Areas we may want to include: Also consider barriers to addressing societal needs, how leading agencies have overcome these challenges (for example): |
Process |
Domestic Scan | ||||||
| Keeping Inventory and Condition Data Up to Date | Emerging technologies, such as the use of drones for inspections, LiDAR field data collection, and continuous monitoring of real-time sensor data (among others), hold the promise of transforming asset data collection for transportation asset management. As this technology has been evolving and improving, federal regulation, specifically, MAP-21 and the FAST Act, has pushed many agencies to collect and utilize a detailed inventory of infrastructure assets and transportation data. With the collection of high-volume asset inventory and condition data, such as LiDAR point cloud data, the accessibility and affordability of data collection has become a clear issue for agencies, particularly as they aim to manage and visualize collected data for both strategic and operational transportation asset management planning purposes. Therefore, research and guidance on the benefits and applications of these emerging technologies as well as how frequently that inventory and condition data need to be collected or assessed is necessary. |
Working backward from the key decisions that need to be made across stakeholder groups over an asset’s lifecycle, this project seeks to identify current practices and recommend ongoing improvements in relation to collecting, storing, sharing, and maintaining asset inventory and condition data (“data management”). With a focus on implementation, the project will build on existing research by identifying the pros and cons of different data management methods and technologies, so that decision makers across departments can collaborate more effectively when planning and investing in data management approaches. The practice of data management is evolving at a rapid pace, given the proliferation of new technologies that are being used increasingly alongside traditional approaches. In parallel, agencies are recognizing the multi-stakeholder nature of asset management, as departments such as compliance, safety, engineering, operations and environmental begin to see the benefits of access to reliable, accurate asset information. This project will answer key data management questions such as: What data should be collected to address all stakeholder needs? How, when, and how often? Using which technologies and platforms? At what cost? And why? |
500000 | 1824 months | Full NCHRP | ||||
| Data visualization platforms and tools for statewide asset inventory data analysis and management | Emerging technologies hold the promise of transforming asset data collection for transportation asset management such as the use of drones for inspections, LiDAR field data collection, continuous monitoring of real-time sensor data, and more. While the technology has been transforming, MAP-21 and the Fast Act jump started at many agencies in attaining an inventory of infrastructure assets and transportation data. At the same time, accessibility and affordability to collect high volumes of asset inventory data, such as LiDAR point cloud data, present the problem of how agencies can visualize and manage such large amounts of data and integrate the many layers for each transportation asset management plan. Now that the need for such data is federally recognized, further research is needed to understand what the latest technologies for asset analysis can offer an agency as well as how frequently that information needs generated. Research is needed in the following areas: |
Full NCHRP | |||||||
| Development of Asset Class Strategies to Address the Lifecycle Capital and O&M Needs of Assets | This is a typical function of an AMS, in which different asset classes, such as different types of roads (interstate, state, local, or possibly differentiated by traffic volumes), bridges, etc are allocated different treatments and possibly different budgets per asset class. This synthesis could be both a panel study (cross-section of states) and a time series study (how the policies developed over time), and could also involve systems which use life cycle costing and those which do not. |
Synthesis | |||||||
| Successful Practices for Managing Uncertainty: Lessons Learned from the Pandemic | Among the many difficulties raised by COVID-19, the pandemic does have the potential of affecting asset management practices in diverse ways. On the one hand, reduced traffic might reduce road maintenance costs; on the other hand, ordering more goods might increase truck traffic and thus increase deterioration. Even if deterioration were the same, the road agency would always have the option of utilizing a less expensive treatment alternative and thus reduce the capital needs and maintenance budget. |
● Survey and interview State DOTs and others as to their practices during COVID. For example: observe their budget outlays, activities performed and data collection. |
Synthesis | ||||||
| Linking DOT Project Prioritization Process with TAM Project Selections with ROI | Several economic optimization methods are linked with TAM project selections. One of the economic indicators in measuring them is the ROI (which can be defined in various ways), but there are others such as NPV, IBC, FYRR and more. This research needs statement refers to the need of connecting prioritization / different approaches to asset management (such as optimization) and TAM project selections and economic indicators. |
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| Calculation of Maintenance Backlog | There are several known methods of estimating the maintenance backlog – via budget (raising the network to a given level within a given number of years), length or percentage of the network under a given maintenance standard (such as PCI, PSI, IRI or other indicator), |
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| Cost Comparison of Doing Work Early on Assets | This question is usually dealt with in road assets but can be expanded to bridges and other assets as well. It is part of a life cycle cost analysis when the evaluation is performed on different treatments which are differentiated by their frequency (usually every X years) and thus influencing their cost. Many Asset Management Systems incorporate this kind of analysis. |
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| Best Practices of Linking Required Planning/Performance Documents/Processes | A State DOT Transportation Asset Management Plan (TAMP) documents the investment strategies and expected outcomes from various asset classes, starting with the bridges and pavement of the National Highway System. The State DOT TAMP does not replace any existing state transportation plan (e.g., LRTP, freight plan, operations plan, etc.) but does provide critical inputs to existing plans, linking capital and maintenance expenditures related to asset preservation. |
The objective of this synthesis is to identify best practices from State DOTs of how to improve processes through required performance-based planning and programming document development and implementation through exploring: |
Question whether this topic should wait until the results of NCHRP Project 08-113 Integrating Effective Transportation Performance, Risk, and Asset Management Practices are released. They are covering similar topics, though the current research statement seems to be more focused on the federal TAMP/ TPM while 08-113 is about AM/ Perf Mgmt more generally |
Synthesis | |||||
| CC - BIM for Infrastructure: A Focus on Performance and Asset Management | Research is needed on the importance of data governance from the conception of a project’s data dictionary, through the inventory and condition assessment and continuing with the data management and integration into transportation asset management systems. A question worth pursuing is whether all aspects of language, wording, numbering, and measurement units should be standardized or if template guides could be developed for each agency to standardize their unique asset type requirements, but in a nationally recognized format for easy translation. After establishing governance routines for asset data collection and management, the next phase of research would involve the security aspects of an agency’s data as well as the quality assurance measures applicable to grow confidence in the data’s quality. A full review of best practices for data security procedures could break the barrier of IT to asset manager. Additionally, once definitions and governance procedures are established, the quality assurance process becomes more stream-lined and gives better confidence to the decision makers. |
● Guidance on establishing BIM data governance and quality standards to support asset management. |
TRB Research Ideas – Data Quality/Standardization TRB Research Ideas – Data Governance |
Full NCHRP | |||||
| Impact of Incomplete/Missing Annual Pavement Condition Data and Proposed Mitigation Strategies | Due to external stakeholder requirements and expectations (e.g., MAP 21 and FAST Acts) as well as internal DOT uses, DOTs typically collect pavement condition data (i.e., roughness, cracking and rutting or faulting depending on the pavement surfaces) on an annual cycle. However, disruptions of typical agency activities related to COVID-19 have resulted in data collection challenges, focusing attention on potential impacts of missing a data collection cycle. DOT may also face unforeseen workforce, contracting, data collection or processing challenges or other issues which could result in missed pavement data collection. In these cases, DOTs would benefit from understanding the range of potential impacts as well as potential mitigation strategies available to address these issues. Furthermore, in times of reduced budget, DOTs may desire to reduce the frequency of data collection, however they should be informed of the potential impacts of that decision. |
1. Evaluate the impacts of incomplete/missing annual pavement data collection to various aspects of agency asset and performance management, including technical considerations, such as network-level condition summary and performance forecast, maintenance, rehabilitation, and reconstruction decision-making, and condition deterioration and treatment improvement modeling. Proposed research activities include: |
Recommended funding of $250,000 includes $225,000 for a half-time investigator for 18 months. |
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| Developing a Robust Education, Training and Workforce Development Program for TPM and TAM | TAM and TPM provide the foundation for performance-based investment decisions in transportation agencies at the federal, state, and local levels. Despite the fact that many transportation agencies have embraced the implementation of robust TAM and TPM programs to support their stewardship responsibilities, these topics are not typically incorporated into traditional education programs. In many cases, practitioners working in these areas acquire the skills needed while working on the job or take advantage of training materials available through various sources with limited support. Challenges with attaining skills, building competencies in an organization are compounded by knowledge succession needs with an aging workforce, tighter budgets, and uncertain in-person opportunities during an on-going pandemic, as well as evolving career expectations from skilled candidates in a globally competitive digital economy. A more accessible, efficient and attractive landscape of offerings, programs and career paths are needed to tackle the spectrum of training needs and challenges for effective TAM and TPM. Task DescriptionTask 1: Define TPM and TAM Training and Education Needs Task 2: Conduct a Gap Analysis Task 3: Develop Recommendations |
Better define the needs for education, training and workforce development related to transportation asset management and transportation performance management. Develop resources as needed for the following sub-areas: |
No more than 15 months to complete the scoping study. |
AASHTO Committee Support | |||||
| Implementation of NCHRP 08-118: Risk Assessment Techniques for Transportation Asset Management | Implementation of NCHRP 08-118: Risk Assessment Techniques for Transportation Asset Management |
Implementation | |||||||
| Implementation of NCHRP 08-129: Incorporating Resilience Concepts and Strategies in Transportation Planning | Implementation of NCHRP 08-129: Incorporating Resilience Concepts and Strategies in Transportation Planning |
Implementation | |||||||
| Implementation of NCHRP 23-06: A Guide to Computation and Use of System Level Valuation of Transportation Assets | Determining the value of a transportation organization’s physical assets is important for both financial reporting and transportation asset management (TAM). In financial reporting, determining asset value is a fundamental step in preparing a balance sheet for financial statements to inform regulators and investors. For TAM, presenting data on the value of physical assets, such as pavement, bridges, and facilities, communicates what an organization owns and what it must maintain. Furthermore, information about asset value and how it is changing can help establish how the organization is maintaining its asset inventory and helps support investment decisions. Calculating asset value for TAM is not simply good practice; it is also required of state Departments of Transportation (DOT) by Federal regulations. Title 23 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 515 details requirements for State DOTs to develop a risk-based Transportation Asset Management Plan (TAMP). The TAMP must include a calculation of the value of National Highway System (NHS) pavement and bridges, as well as the cost to maintain asset value. Recently NCHRP Project 23-06 was performed to develop guidance for calculating asset value to support TAM applications. This research resulted in the development of the Asset Valuation Guide. This document is intended as a companion publication to the Transportation Asset Management Guide published by AASHTO. The Guide is accompanied by a web tool with an online version of the guidance. The guidance was developed to provide immediate support to highway and transit agencies developing their 2022 TAMPs, and to provide continuing support for other TAM-related applications. |
The objective of this implementation project support further testing and use of Asset Valuation Guide developed through NCHRP Project 23-06. This project will aid a set of transportation agencies in implementing the asset valuation guidance. A set of case studies will be developed based on the agency implementation efforts. Details on the case studies will be added to the web-based version of the asset valuation guidance and subsequent versions of the Asset Valuation Guide. Further, the web and printed versions of the Guide will be revised to reflect the additional experience gained from the case studies. To support accomplishing the research objectives the effort will incorporate the following activities at a minimum: |
Implementation | ||||||
| Integrating Risk and Resilience into the Performance Management Decision-Making Process | This program will establish a series of individual research projects born out of NCHRP 23-09, Scoping Study to Develop the Basis for a Highway Standard to Conduct an All-Hazards Risk and Resilience Analysis. Similar to other NCHRP research programs such as NCHRP 20-102, Impacts of Connected Vehicles and Automated Vehicles on State and Local Transportation Agencies, this is a long-term research program that will result in an industry standard for all-hazards risk and resilience analysis for use in decision-making. The product of this research program will be a collection of tools and techniques that transportation agencies can for all-hazards risk and resilience analysis similar to what has been produced for the Highway Capacity Manual and the Highway Safety Manual. |
Integrating Risk and Resilience into the Performance Management Decision-Making Process |
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| Refinement and Evaluation of Policies, Procedures and Requirements Related to the National-Level Asset Management Performance Measures (PM2 Measures) | Evaluate and assess the existing national-level performance measure requirements for asset management at the state level to determine applicability and usability of PM measures in asset management decision making. As appropriate, provide recommendations and refinement of the performance measures for better use an application. |
1. Evaluate current federal PM2 measures, both pavement condition measures and bridge measures, for performance thresholds, and overall performance measure with respect to: Consistency, Usefulness, and Alignment. 2. Identify and address in detail specific challenges for each condition measure for consistency, including thresholds. For example, determine if wheel path cracking considerations could be revised to provide more consistent results across pavement types (e.g. composite, concrete) and pavement widths (e.g. <12 ft.) 3. Provide recommendations to improve existing measures and/or identify metrics that better reflect conditions enhance decision-making taking into account not only the assessment of current and future condition but also their implications in economic analyses of long-term maintenance and rehabilitation. |
NCHRP 20-24(20), 20-24 (97), 20-24 (127) |
Full NCHRP | |||||
| Improved TAM Approaches for Aligning Network and Project Level Decisions Across Asset Classes | The goal of this research is two-fold: to provide guidance on how transportation agencies can best use existing management systems and tools to integrate network and project-level analysis and provide a framework for an improve asset modeling approach that better integrates the project and network levels incorporating multiple asset types and consideration of multiple objectives. The research is intended to be of immediate value in helping transportation agencies better comply with Federal requirements to set performance targets and develop asset management plans. Also, it will help agencies to extend asset management approaches to additional systems and assets, besides the NHS pavement and bridge assets addressed through the Federal regulations. In addition, the research will help define improved approaches for asset management models for public agencies, researchers and system developers to use in developing the next generation of asset management systems. |
Accomplishing these objectives will require:
Urgency and Potential BenefitsThe proposed research will help transportation agencies better respond to recently-adopted Federal requirements related to asset management. Over time the research will help transportation agencies develop more accurate performance targets and TAM plans, as well as help agencies better incorporate best practices in TAM in their business processes. Also, the research will help define transportation agency’s needs for improved future asset management systems and models, lowering the cost and shortening the development time required for the industry to develop the next generation of asset management systems. Implementation PlanningThe target audience for the research findings and products of this work will be State DOTs, MPOs, transit agencies, and other transportation agencies, as well as researchers and engineering staff involved in transportation. The key decision-makers who can approve, influence, or champion implementation of these research products are the senior staff and CEOs of the transportation agencies. The AASHTO committees that will be involved in the adoption and implementation of the results will be the AASHTO Committee on Planning and its subcommittees on Asset Management. Literature Search SummaryThe proposed research is intended to build upon previous research related to developing asset management analytical approaches, including:
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Full NCHRP | ||||||
| Risk Analysis and Vulnerability Practices Across Transportation Agencies | This research should: |
The proposed research must consist of: |
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| System Level Asset Valuation | The objectives of this research are to examine methods for evaluation of system assets. Thorough research should: |
The proposed research will have the following deliverables: |
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| Aligning the Organization for TAM | The focus of this research is to support a scan tour or peer exchange addressing organizational alignment for TAM. This falls into three distinct but equally necessary categories: a review of previous knowledge, a inter-agency gathering to assess differing organizational models and policies to TAM, and finally a report or summary of the findings. |
As outlined above, the first component of the research is a literature and practice review, which should include: The inter-agency scan workshop must focus on bringing together agencies that can speak to distinct organizational models. The first step is to identify candidate agencies to participate in scan. Next, draft amplifying questions to guide discussion toward identification of what led to successful practices. Finally, The final summary report must document the findings of the workshop, such as successful practices in aligning organizations to support transportation asset management and linking operational activities to organizational structures. |
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| Organizational and Cultural Factors for Successful TAM Implementation | Research is needed addressing the question: “What are the organizational/cultural factors that were in place before and/or during implementation that created a successful TAM program?” Develop a guidebook to convey lessons learned. Key point: must use an organizational development or similar consulting firm. Not the usual suspects! |
The proposed research be composed of the following components: |
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| Transportation Asset Management and Overall Transportation Management | This research will focus on understanding TAM’s relationship to other transportation goals such as economic development, safety, environmental sustainability, mobility, and livability. Two products are sought through this research: 1) Framework for understanding the relationships between TAM and broad transportation goals. 2) Guidance on how to ensure TAM connectivity to broad transportation goals throughout the transportation decision-making cycle. |
As part of this research, the contractor will research domestic and international frameworks for TAM’s relationships with broad transportation goals. These frameworks should be described in sufficient detail with visuals aids to communicate these relationships. The contractor will work in cooperation with the project panel in identifying the best framework for communicating the relationship between TAM and broad transportation goals. Based on this interaction with and feedback from the panel, the contractor will then develop guidance on how these relationships can more explicitly be used during the planning, programming, project delivery, and maintenance/operations process to maximize TAM benefits. Other issues that should be considered include the following: (1) What are the performance measures for understanding the relationships; and (2) are there quantitative ways to demonstrate how these relationships can be influenced? |
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| Organizational Models for Successful Transportation Asset Management Programs | This research will focus on understanding successful organizational models for TAM program so that guidance can be provided on how to improve organizational capacities. Two products are sought through this research: 1) Understanding of current organizational models for TAM programs 2) Catalog of possible organizational models for TAM programs that transportation agencies could consider for improving TAM capabilities. |
As part of this research, the contractor will research domestic and international models for TAM program organizations and develop a set of models that represent the various approaches. These models should be described in sufficient detail with diagrams for DOTs to use to improve TAM program organizations. The contractor will work in cooperation with the project panel in identifying the best organizational models for TAM programs that an agency should consider when seeking improvements for their TAM programs. Based on this interaction with and feedback from the panel, the contractor will define at a minimum four distinct organizational models for TAM programs. These models need to be described in sufficient detail with diagrams and key role descriptions. Other issues that should be considered include the following: (1) How to balance accountability versus collaboration; and (2) how would you measure the effectiveness of one model versus another? |
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| Forecasting the Financial Needs for Transportation Assets – LCC Model | The objective for this research is to examine the costs and value associated with maintaining assets, and then to develop a usable model for forecasting the cost and value. Such a model must include, but not be limited to: |
The proposed research will: |
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| Improving Asset Inventory and Reducing Lifecycle Costs through Improved Asset Tracking | The proposed research will: |
The research plan should: |
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| Guidance for Tracking Critical Data Items to Reduce Asset Lifecycle Costs and Support Treatment Decisions | The proposed research will:
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The research plan should:
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| Methodology to Perform Dynamic Changes to Treatment Plans when Delays Occur | The proposed research will first develop a methodology that will allow dynamic changes to treatment plans. Then, the research must test the methodology, as well as identify and quantify cost savings benefits of using the methodology or tool. |
The research plan should: |
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| Comparison of ISO Framework and Legislative Requirements for Asset Management Plan | Identify linkage between ISO standards and MAP-21 TAMP requirements. Identify gaps or inconsistencies and propose solutions. The proposed solutions may include guidelines for agencies, research needs, modification to the standards, or agency specific standards that address agency specific needs. |
The project will include at least the following tasks: |
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| Guidance in the Development of Communication Plans and Asset Management | The focus of this research can be divided into three main categories. Firstly, prior information must be collected and organized. This is accomplished through: |
A developed and complete research plan must focus on the three main categories of research. There must be a review of international and domestic best practice. This should include relevant existing guides and past work, such as NCHRP 742: Communicating the Value of Preservation. Focus groups and piloting of stakeholders should be formed to do media/communicate/develop sales techniques to frame topics to best to change minds |
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| Infrastructure Needs for Autonomous Vehicles | The objectives of this research are to quantify the expected abilities of autonomous vehicles, to establish an expected timeline of integration within the greater transportation networks, and to examine what infrastructure changes are most beneficial for autonomous vehicles. |
Research into this area requires surveying all the major players involved in the development and implementation of autonomous vehicles. |
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| How to Recruit, Train and Maintain a TAM Staff | The primary focus of this research is, at a most basic level, to help agencies strengthen their work force. This should be accomplished by researching areas where: |
The research plan for this project must include, but need not be limited to: |
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| Guideline for Cross-Jurisdictional Asset Data Integration | The research should focus of two primary areas of focus. The researchers must develop a guidebook for data integration across jurisdictional lines, as well as review the existing standards for civil data. This could include projects such as Civil Integrated Management (CIM) and the researchers must document the positive and negative ramifications of the various standards. |
The research plan must consist of: |
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| Synthesis on Advancing Technology in Asset Data Collection | Emerging technologies hold the promise of transforming asset data collection for transportation asset management such as the use of drones for inspections, LiDAR field data collection, continuous monitoring of real-time sensor data, and more. While the technology has been transforming, MAP-21 and the Fast Act jump started at many agencies in attaining an inventory of infrastructure assets and transportation data. At the same time, accessibility and affordability to collect high volumes of asset inventory data, such as LiDAR point cloud data, present the problem of how agencies can visualize and manage such large amounts of data and integrate the many layers for each transportation asset management plan. Now that the need for such data is federally recognized, further research is needed to understand what the latest technologies for asset analysis can offer an agency as well as how frequently that information needs generated. |
Research is needed in the following areas: |
• Identify tools (online forum, listserve, or others) to facilitate the community of practice. This project proposes the establishment of a community of practice for asset management data collection rather than the creation of a traditional research report. |
Synthesis | |||||
| AI and Deterioration Modeling | This research project would aim to develop a Primer or Guidance document to help agencies tasked with managing infrastructure (including pavement and bridges) to assess their current data, data collection processes, and data needs to best position them to be able to take advantage of burgeoning artificial intelligence techniques to develop increasingly accurate predictive models regarding their infrastructure. |
The quality of data is extremely important – “garbage in, garbage out” - and quality of data in terms of accuracy and precision is already getting much needed attention. However, while many agencies are actively improving collection of accurate and more data, collection the right quality data for accurate and precise prediction requires an additional level of scrutiny. Collection of more accurate and precise data will undoubtably increase the accuracy of predictions, accurate predictive modeling also relies on understanding the underlying variables that affect the predictions. For example, variables that might affect the structural deterioration (for instance in the next time period) of an infrastructure element such as a pavement management section, might include: Similar attributes would be considered significant variables for deterioration prediction in bridges, and this would also apply to many other non-bridge, non-pavement types of infrastructure assets. Statistical analysis of this type of data for predictive analysis purposes is not new and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) techniques have been used in this area for decades. However, with the advent of automated data collection techniques and with the quantity of available data growing at a considerable rate (so called ‘Big Data’), various types of AI such as artificial neural networks (ANNs) and deep learning techniques, are beginning to supersede some of these traditional statistical techniques. The ‘training’ portions of these techniques will require accurate and repeatable data as well as information on significant variables. In addition, one the most valuable aspects of AI is the ability these types of techniques to continuously learn and improve. In this respect, it is again very important for agencies to understand how this learning could be accomplished, not just initially but continuously over time, using processes that involve continuous updates (e.g. through crowd sourcing). Agencies would therefore benefit considerably by having guidance available to help them set up their data capture and governance techniques to best benefit from AI modeling, training and continuous learning in the future. Ideally, an agency would collect data that has the necessary attributes to facilitate an AI analysis and have processes in place that would allow continuous learning such that predictive modeling for the agency would continue to be trained and improved as the AI continued to learn. The current reality is such that condition data that is being collected may not be easily utilized in an AI analysis. The consequence is that the complicated decision-making process that highway agency executives depend upon may not be producing the level of accuracy in condition and funding projections that is required to make funding decisions in their investment strategies. |
Full NCHRP | ||||||
| Guide to Promote the Use of Performance-Based Decision Making in Maintenance | |||||||||
| Real Option Methodology for Risk Assessment in Asset Management | The Real Option method allows infrastructure owners to evaluate the advantage of options that an infrastructure manager has over time. As time passes, a manager will have the ability to intervene as as an object may deteriorate at a faster rate than expected. Likewise, a manager may postpone a planned intervention if the condition is better than expected. In addition to the option to defer, a manager may have the option to expand or contract the infrastructure or the infrastructure network, as well as to shut it down temporarily, abandon it, grow it or switch it (de Neufville and Scholtes, 2011). The options provide an owner with the flexibility adapting the infrastructure to uncertain future needs. Owners, thus, neither under-, nor overinvest and consequently minimize the risks of their decisions. The external factors affecting risk include weather events, condition development, system demands, funding and other critical variables. The methodology proposes a way to systematically analyse and define these uncertainties and make predictions taking the defined uncertainty fully into consideration. Real option valuation is known using binomial lattices (a form of decision trees) and/or Brownian motion random walk algorithms. Infrastructure life-time net benefits can also be calculated by simulating the uncertainty using continuous Monte Carlo simulations. Using different stakeholders’ costs of different design alternatives and management strategies, the costs can be calculated over a large sample of potential futures. The methodology is able to address multiple levels of risk and weight them as necessary and thus make multi-objective, cross-asset investment decisions under uncertainty to best support the national goals identified in 23 USC 150(b). The ultimate objective is to provide the decision-maker with tools that add value to the decision-making process and improve the robustness of the infrastructure network as a whole. In that sense, novel approaches for the evaluation of risk will be sought to capture the stochastic nature of interdependent infrastructure. A graph theory approach to evaluate criticality of network node failure as shown by Buldyrev and colleagues (2010) may prove interesting for the evaluation of consequences, and thus the real option value for the infrastructure, simulated by network programming methods. The application and evaluation of a large sample of data and data simulations is computationally challenging. Furthermore, decision-making tools are urged to be simple and understandable. As big data may improve predictability and performance of models, strong emphasis must be laid on the usability of such models. In this project, it is suggested that particular focus will be on addressing these challenges with the outlook of combining big data and the model’s user interface design. References: |
The ultimate objective is to provide the decision-maker with tools that add value to the decision-making process and improve the robustness of the infrastructure network as a whole. In that sense, novel approaches for the evaluation of risk will be sought to capture the stochastic nature of interdependent infrastructure. A graph theory approach to evaluate criticality of network node failure as shown by Buldyrev and colleagues (2010) may prove interesting for the evaluation of consequences, and thus the real option value for the infrastructure, simulated by network programming methods. |
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| Conduct Regional and National Peer Exchanges | FHWA | ||||||||
| Synthesize Best Practices for Internal Staff Development | Synthesize best practices for workforce development and training in order to enhance the capabilities of a TAM team/staff or attract internal staff to become involved in TAM program/implementation. |
Synthesis | |||||||
| Create Catalog of Condition Assessment Protocols | Document and provide examples of condition assessments for all types of assets. |
Full NCHRP | |||||||
| Develop TAM Big Data Case Studies | Create case studies addressing noteworthy applications of big data analytics to TAM. |
This is a note test. |
Full NCHRP | ||||||
| CC - Improve Asset Performance by Bundling Capital Projects | Research effective corridor planning strategies that promote sustainable capital asset improvements that impact asset class performance and other performance areas. |
Full NCHRP | |||||||
| Incorporate Change Management into TAM Implementation | Develop a framework, recommended actions, and synthesis of noteworthy practices for agencies to use in incorporating change management strategies in TAM practice. |
AASHTO Committee Support | |||||||
| Develop Approaches for Corridor Planning and Allocation | • Asset conditions are typically determined currently in separate silos - leading to asset treatments that are applied on varied schedules by asset (pavement, bridges, culverts) even over the same corridor. |
Develop guidance on an asset management corridor planning process to prioritize and schedule project delivery for cost effectiveness while also considering mobility/accessibility issues, drainage, and more. |
• Conduct a review and evaluation of existing agency corridor planning processes with respect to transportation asset management |
• Asset management corridor planning how-to guide including case studies |
350000 | 18 months | Full NCHRP | ||
| Engage Stakeholders in TAM | Agencies have made progress in implementing TAM within their agencies. The impact of TAM will be much greater if stakeholders are engaged as a part of the decision-making and TAM approaches were collaborative for given geographic areas. |
Develop communication tools and methodologies for engaging stakeholders in TAM program activities such as strategies development, performance management implementation, and budget development. |
• Collect existing documentation of best practices related to TAM stakeholder engagement and communication |
• Communication portfolio that allows asset owners/managers to draw on best practices from others during TAM program activities to engage stakeholders |
300000 | 18-24 months | Full NCHRP | ||
| Support Data Governance Implementation | • Recent NCHRP research products have documented data governance techniques and provided tools for agencies to assess their current data governance practices and identify strategies for improvement. |
Provide support to implement the data governance practices and processes recommended through NCHRP 08-115, Guidebook for Data and Information Systems for Transportation Asset Management. |
• Conduct outreach to identify implemented examples of transferable TAM-related data governance practices. These might include: |
• Library of documented examples |
150000 | 12 months | Implementation | ||
| Assess Benefits Realized from TAM | • It’s difficult to communicate the value of an asset management approach to the public. |
Develop a framework and guidance for calculating and communicating the overall benefit of improved asset management approaches to transportation agencies, transportation system users, and society of improved asset management approaches. The framework should address monetized benefits, as well as issues such as equity, sustainability, and resilience. Illustrate use of the framework and examples through a set of pilot studies of U.S. agencies. |
• Literature and practice review |
• Guidebook for calculating and communicating the benefits of a TAM approach |
250000 | 18 months | Full NCHRP | ||
| Develop Methods to Allow Agencies to Incorporate Quantitative Risk Assessment at Project and Network Level | Managing risk is a critical component of asset management. On a day-to-day basis transportation asset managers spend much of their time responding to or mitigating a large number of risks, which may range from external events that damage transportation infrastructure to unplanned changes to budget or workloads resulting from unexpected events. Various recent and on-going research efforts aim to improve approaches for risk management for transportation agencies. However, most of these efforts treat risk management as a high-level activity. Further research is needed to develop quantitative, repeatable approaches at the appropriate staff level, to assessing and identifying the highest priority risks transportation agencies face in managing physical assets. This project aims to develop such approaches to assess risks (e.g., financial, strategic, operational, political, environmental, technological, social justice risks) and incorporate them into life cycle analysis and planning efforts. |
The objectives of this research are to: High risk threats to be studied include, but are not limited to, extreme events (e.g., earthquakes, fires, hurricanes, avalanches, tornadoes), asset failure (structural and operational), financial, strategic, political, environmental (e.g., sea level rise, flooding), technological, and social justice risks. The final deliverables could include guidebook with a spreadsheet or a framework for assessing high risk threats and incorporating the results into TAM efforts. The guidebook should feature a comprehensive review of existing literature and current practice. It should present a standard definition of resilience as well as step-by-step instructions to develop models, methods, and metrics for estimating resilience of highway systems to high risk threats. Pilot studies should be conducted with select agencies to test the guidance and calculation procedures. |
The target audience for the research results is asset management and risk-management champions at state and local government transportation agencies. The results of this project will potentially empower these individuals in convincing other decision makers in these agencies to take actions that not only align with traditional performance management objectives but also that result in lower risk and higher resilience for the whole transportation system. The results of this project can also be effective in communicating the rationale behind risk-based decisions to the general public. Due to legal implications of identifying and documenting risks, the research and final product should include advice on how to protect the agency from litigation if they cannot implement a recommended action. Risk assessment is at the core of implementing a risk-based asset management approach. Therefore, FHWA and AASHTO view this as a subject of great importance. In addition, risk management cuts across all areas of a state DOT’s business and just about any AASHTO Committee and any state DOT and local agency could realize benefits from these research results. |
450000 | 12-18 months | Full NCHRP | |||
| Evaluate Federal Measures and Metrics for Pavements | The Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century (MAP-21) transportation bill established federal regulations that require each State Department of Transportation (DOT) to develop a Transportation Asset Management Plan (TAMP), and implement Performance Management. These regulations require all DOTs to utilize nationally defined performance measures for pavements on the National Highway System (NHS). These nationally defined performance measures (referred as PM2 hereafter) are aimed at providing nationally consistent metrics for DOTs to measure condition, establish targets, assess progress toward targets, and report on condition and performance. Furthermore, Federal measures provide the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) the ability to better communicate a national performance story and to more reliably assess the impacts of Federal funding investments. |
The objective of this research is to: 2. Provide recommendations to improve existing measures and/or identify metrics that better reflect pavement failure mechanisms and enhance decision-making taking into account not 3. Identify and address in detail specific challenges for each condition measure (Ride Quality, Rutting, Faulting, and Cracking) for consistency, including thresholds. For example, determine if wheel path cracking considerations could be revised to provide more consistent results across pavement types (e.g. composite, concrete) and pavement widths (e.g. <12 ft.) 4. Evaluate structural capacity indicators for potential consideration as a Federal measure. |
Proposed research activities include: 2. Conduct a comparative analysis between state and federal measures and determine the ability to utilize federal measures to replicate network-level decisions. 3. Evaluate alternative methods of federal measure with best practices of state measures to develop a list of alternative methods that could be used for pavement management measures and meet both State and Federal needs. 4. Provide summary and comparison of current vs. alternative methods with respect to evaluation criteria at national and individual state levels 5. Provide guidance on how to enhance the utility of current federal measures and/or condition thresholds and recommend revisions in a format useful to adoption into the HPMS Field Manual |
Desired products include: |
This topic is of significant interest to AASHTO, TRB, and the DOTs, having ranked third amongst potential NCHRP topics in the recent TAM Research Prioritization conducted as part of the 2020 Mega Meeting of the AASHTO Subcommittee on Asset Management, in cooperation with the TRB Asset Management Committee (AJE30). |
500000 | 12-18 months | Full NCHRP | |
| Causes and Effects of Transportation Data Variability | • State departments of transportation (DOTs) and metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) across the United States are required to establish performance targets as part of their asset management efforts. The target- setting requirements for transportation performance management (PM2) of pavement and bridge condition generally require agencies to consider three factors; the measured condition of the assets, expected deterioration over time and project level accomplishments. The measured condition of the asset is the ultimate measure of progress and an effective way for agencies to demonstrate that they are making progress as required by federal regulations. |
The outcome from this effort will benefit quality assurance (QA) methods for data collection and inspection efforts, quantify the variability and sensitivity in target setting for DOTs, and help budget planning for asset inconsistencies. |
• Review and summarize existing published research related to the |
• According to FHWA’s transportation performance management (TPM), the purpose of transportation asset management is to provide the most efficient investment of funds. This decision-making is being based on data that is subject to variability. Understanding and quantifying (if possible) the impact of data variability will allow federal, state, and local agencies to recognize the importance of data quality and how it might impact their ability to deliver projects and strive for the national transportation goals. The outcomes and benefits are: |
• Since the performance measures are consistently tied to specific data inputs, each state could use this research to understand the potential volatility in target setting and performance measures. The summary of best practices and pitfalls will also allow transportation agencies and vendors to improve inspection protocol. Testing of the data should be a part of the research, with a few select agencies comparing potentially the same data in a single year across multiple sources or reviewing the historic trends of individual data pints to highlight inconsistencies and the impact of those inconsistencies to overall measures and targets. |
400000 | 12 months | Full NCHRP |