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The Central Valley Transportation Challenge, Christian Wandeler, Steve Hart Dec 2022

The Central Valley Transportation Challenge, Christian Wandeler, Steve Hart

Mineta Transportation Institute

The Central Valley Transportation Challenge provides underserved minority students, who are primarily from rural areas, with high quality transportation-related educational experiences so that they learn about transportation-related topics and opportunities in transportation careers. The CVTC is a project-based learning program that brings university faculty and students to K–12 classrooms in rural areas. The project operated with three main objectives: (1) support K–12 teachers’ understanding and implementation of the CVTC programs; (2) connect K–12 students with university faculty and students, and transportation professionals through the CVTC program; and (3) develop an online hub with transportation-related lesson plans and sequences. The results …


Best Practices In Disaster Public Communications: Evacuation Alerting And Social Media, Frannie Edwards, Kaikai Liu, Amanda Lee Hughes, Jerry Zeyo Gao, Dan Goodrich, Alan Barner, Robert Herrera Dec 2022

Best Practices In Disaster Public Communications: Evacuation Alerting And Social Media, Frannie Edwards, Kaikai Liu, Amanda Lee Hughes, Jerry Zeyo Gao, Dan Goodrich, Alan Barner, Robert Herrera

Mineta Transportation Institute

This research project examines the current state of the practice for disaster public communication, the distrust of government, the training available to public information officers, and the literature available to guide the design of effective public outreach messaging, especially for rapid on-set events. Growing distrust in government had led to lack of public confidence in public agency messaging during emergencies, yet public agency public information officers are using multiple pathways, including both traditional and social media resources, to try to reach impacted communities effectively. The introduction explains the development of wildfire events in the West and their context. A literature …


Fragmented Or Aligned Climate Action: Assessing Linkages Between Regional And Local Planning Efforts To Meet Transportation Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Targets, Serena E. Alexander, Ahoura Zandiatashbar, Branka Tatarevic Nov 2022

Fragmented Or Aligned Climate Action: Assessing Linkages Between Regional And Local Planning Efforts To Meet Transportation Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Targets, Serena E. Alexander, Ahoura Zandiatashbar, Branka Tatarevic

Mineta Transportation Institute

Amid the rising climate change concerns, California enacted Senate Bill 375 (SB 375) to tackle transportation greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. SB 375 requires Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) to develop a Sustainable Communities Strategy (SCS), a regional transportation and land use vision plan, to reduce GHG emissions. Meanwhile, a local government can develop a Climate Action Plan (CAP), a non-binding, voluntary plan to reduce GHG emissions that may align with the regional SCS. Recent progress reports indicate California is not making sufficient progress to meet SB 375 emissions reduction targets, which raises important questions: (1) Are the transportation and land use …


Does Transit Service Reliability Influence Ridership?, Srinivas S. Pulugurtha, Raunak Mishra, Sravya L. Jayanthi Nov 2022

Does Transit Service Reliability Influence Ridership?, Srinivas S. Pulugurtha, Raunak Mishra, Sravya L. Jayanthi

Mineta Transportation Institute

This research focused on analyzing the association between transit service reliability indicators and ridership. Further, the effect of road network, demographic, socioeconomic, and land use characteristics on transit service reliability was analyzed. The analysis was conducted at a bus stop level. Bus arrival/departure and ridership data from the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) was obtained. The road network, demographic, socioeconomic, and land use characteristics were captured within 0.25-mile and 0.50-mile buffers. Pearson correlation analysis was conducted to understand the association between road network, demographic, socioeconomic, and land use characteristics and bus transit service reliability measures. The results show that bus …


Effect Of Weather Events On Travel Time Reliability And Crash Occurrence, Sonu Mathew, Srinivas S. Pulugurtha Nov 2022

Effect Of Weather Events On Travel Time Reliability And Crash Occurrence, Sonu Mathew, Srinivas S. Pulugurtha

Mineta Transportation Institute

The magnitude of the effect of adverse weather conditions on road operational performance varies with the type of weather condition and the road characteristics of the road links and adjacent links. Therefore, the relationship between weather and traffic is always a concern to traffic engineers and planners, and they have extensively explored ways to integrate weather information into transportation systems. Understanding the influence of weather on operational performance and safety helps traffic engineers and planners to proactively plan and manage transportation systems. The main objective of this research is to evaluate the effect of adverse weather conditions on travel time …


Exploring The Use Of Public Transportation Among Older Adults During The Covid-19 Pandemic: A National Survey, Keertana Sureshbabu, Egbe-Etu Etu, Susan Summerville, Ankur Parmar, Gaojian Huang Nov 2022

Exploring The Use Of Public Transportation Among Older Adults During The Covid-19 Pandemic: A National Survey, Keertana Sureshbabu, Egbe-Etu Etu, Susan Summerville, Ankur Parmar, Gaojian Huang

Mineta Transportation Institute

Public transportation is an essential part of many older adults’ lives, but the pandemic presented new challenges for the vulnerable population. Adults aged 65 years and older experienced additional challenges, such as limited mobility options (e.g., lack of buses or trains in service due a combination of government lockdowns, fear of contracting or spreading the virus, and driver shortages in certain areas) because of the pandemic, which may have resulted in more age-related declines in perceptual, cognitive, and physical functioning. This study explores how older adults living in major metropolitan cities in the United States used and perceived public transportation …


Ai-Based Pedestrian Detection And Avoidance At Night Using An Ir Camera, Radar, And A Video Camera, Hovannes Kulhandjian Nov 2022

Ai-Based Pedestrian Detection And Avoidance At Night Using An Ir Camera, Radar, And A Video Camera, Hovannes Kulhandjian

Mineta Transportation Institute

In 2019, the United States experienced more than 6,500 pedestrian fatalities involving motor vehicles which resulted in a 67% rise in nighttime pedestrian fatalities and only a 10% rise in daytime pedestrian fatalities. In an effort to reduce fatalities, this research developed a pedestrian detection and alert system through the application of a visual camera, infrared camera, and radar sensors combined with machine learning. The research team designed the system concept to achieve a high level of accuracy in pedestrian detection and avoidance during both the day and at night to avoid potentially fatal accidents involving pedestrians crossing a street. …


Spatio-Temporal Analysis Of Roadside Transportation-Related Air Quality (Startraq 2021): A Characterization Of Bike Trails And Highways In The Fresno/Clovis Area, Jaymin Kwon, Yushin Ahn, Steve Chung Nov 2022

Spatio-Temporal Analysis Of Roadside Transportation-Related Air Quality (Startraq 2021): A Characterization Of Bike Trails And Highways In The Fresno/Clovis Area, Jaymin Kwon, Yushin Ahn, Steve Chung

Mineta Transportation Institute

The San Joaquin Valley is identified as an area with a high level of particulate matter (PM) in the air, reaching above the federal and state clean air standards (EPA 2019). Many of the cities in the valley are classified as the most polluted cities in the United States for both particulate matter and ozone pollution (American Lung Association, 2021). To resolve this issue, alternative forms of transportation have been considered in transportation planning. In this study, active transportation mode air quality was monitored on selected Woodward Park and Old Clovis trails and urban bike lanes. Real-time aerosol monitors, and …


Understanding The Role Of Transportation In Human Trafficking In California, Kezban Yagci Sokat Nov 2022

Understanding The Role Of Transportation In Human Trafficking In California, Kezban Yagci Sokat

Mineta Transportation Institute

Human trafficking, a form of modern slavery, is the recruitment, transport, and/or transfer of persons using force, fraud, or coercion to exploit them for acts of labor or sex. According to the International Labor Organization, human trafficking is the fastest growing organized crime with approximately $150 billion in annual profits and 40.3 million individuals trapped in slave-like conditions. While it is not compulsory to involve transportation for human trafficking, the transportation industry plays a critical role in combating human trafficking as traffickers often rely on the transportation system to recruit, move, or transfer victims. This multi-method study investigates the role …


Large Eddy Simulations Of Wind Shear From Passing Vehicles Under A Freeway Overpass, Hamid Rahai, Assma Begum Oct 2022

Large Eddy Simulations Of Wind Shear From Passing Vehicles Under A Freeway Overpass, Hamid Rahai, Assma Begum

Mineta Transportation Institute

California is moving toward a 100% clean energy future, and expanded wind energy will be a major component of the state’s future energy portfolio. Innovations in wind energy resources will move California closer to achieving its goal. To gain a better understanding of transient pressure and the wind shear generated at the bridge poles from passing vehicles, this study performed large-eddy simulations of a vehicle (also called an Ahmed body) moving under a freeway overpass at a distance of 0.75 w (width) from the bridge poles. Results include transient contours of mean velocity, turbulent kinetic energy, vorticity, and pressure around …


Understanding The Safety And Usability Of Personal Vehicles For Non-Driving Individuals With Disabilities And Their Families/Care Providers, Anil R. Kumar, Hannah Bowman Oct 2022

Understanding The Safety And Usability Of Personal Vehicles For Non-Driving Individuals With Disabilities And Their Families/Care Providers, Anil R. Kumar, Hannah Bowman

Mineta Transportation Institute

The connections between shared personal vehicles of individuals with disabilities (IWDs) and their household family members play an important role in the mobility, overall health, and well-being of all involved actors, yet this topic remains mostly overlooked within publicly available research. Families that include a non-driving IWD are more likely to be low-income, and often struggle with the costs of operating a family car but, due to insufficient public transportation options, they own vehicles despite their prohibitive cost. This exploratory study utilized the Systems Engineering Initiative for Patient Safety (SEIPS) model, a framework focused on assessing the interplaying sociotechnical factors …


Exploring The Effects Of Meaningful Tactile Display On Perception And Preference In Automated Vehicles, Kimberly D. Martinez, Gaojian Huang Oct 2022

Exploring The Effects Of Meaningful Tactile Display On Perception And Preference In Automated Vehicles, Kimberly D. Martinez, Gaojian Huang

Mineta Transportation Institute

There is an existing issue in human-machine interaction, such that drivers of semi-autonomous vehicles are still required to take over control of the vehicle during system limitations. A possible solution may lie in tactile displays, which can present status, direction, and position information while avoiding sensory (e.g., visual and auditory) channels overload to reliably help drivers make timely decisions and execute actions to successfully take over. However, limited work has investigated the effects of meaningful tactile signals on takeover performance. This study synthesizes literature investigating the effects of tactile displays on takeover performance in automated vehicles and conducts a human-subject …


Understanding Covid-19’S Impact On Local Transportation Revenue –A Mid-Crisis View From Experts, Asha Weinstein Agrawal, Serena Alexander, Ashley M. Hooper Oct 2022

Understanding Covid-19’S Impact On Local Transportation Revenue –A Mid-Crisis View From Experts, Asha Weinstein Agrawal, Serena Alexander, Ashley M. Hooper

Mineta Transportation Institute

When COVID-19 swept into the United States in early 2020, it upended two patterns of behavior critical to transportation funding: how people traveled and where economic activity occurred. This study explored how, one year into the pandemic, experts in California believed that the COVID-19 pandemic was impacting local transportation budgets. We interviewed 34 funding experts who represented local transportation and public works departments, state officials, and municipal finance experts. In these conversations, conducted from December 2020 to March 2021, we asked interviewees how they saw COVID-19 impacting their overall local transportation budgets in the short and long term as well …


Twilytics: A Social Perception Analysis Of Public Transit Systems During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Egbe-Etu Etu, Imokhai Tenebe, Ankur Parma, Likhitha Yelamanchili, Dang Minh Nhu Nguyen, Louis Tran, Ihor Markevych Sep 2022

Twilytics: A Social Perception Analysis Of Public Transit Systems During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Egbe-Etu Etu, Imokhai Tenebe, Ankur Parma, Likhitha Yelamanchili, Dang Minh Nhu Nguyen, Louis Tran, Ihor Markevych

Mineta Transportation Institute

In the United States, public transit ridership in 2020 declined by 79% compared to 2019 levels. With lockdowns implemented during the early days of the pandemic, direct human-to-human interactions migrated to virtual platforms (e.g., Facebook, Twitter, and Reddit). Social media platforms have aided researchers in answering numerous questions about current societal dilemmas, including COVID-19. This study investigates the public’s perception of transit systems via a social media analysis given the emergence of vaccines and other COVID-19 preventive measures. Findings revealed themes of fear and confusion concerning the use of public transportation during the pandemic. The public had doubts regarding the …


Damage Detection And Damage Localization In Bridges With Low-Density Instrumentations Using The Wave-Method: Application To A Shake-Table Tested Bridge, Mehran Rahmani, Xintong Ji, Sovann Reach Kiet Sep 2022

Damage Detection And Damage Localization In Bridges With Low-Density Instrumentations Using The Wave-Method: Application To A Shake-Table Tested Bridge, Mehran Rahmani, Xintong Ji, Sovann Reach Kiet

Mineta Transportation Institute

This study presents a major development to the wave method, a methodology used for structural identification and monitoring. The research team tested the method for use in structural damage detection and damage localization in bridges, the latter being a challenging task. The main goal was to assess capability of the improved method by applying it to a shake-table-tested prototype bridge with sparse instrumentation. The bridge was a 4-span reinforced concrete structure comprising two columns at each bent (6 columns total) and a flat slab. It was tested to failure using seven biaxial excitations at its base. Availability of a robust …


Routes To Lower Greenhouse Gas Emissions From Freight Transportation In The City Of San José, Serena Alexander, Kyle Laveroni, Maxwell Friedman, Janani Thiagrajan Sep 2022

Routes To Lower Greenhouse Gas Emissions From Freight Transportation In The City Of San José, Serena Alexander, Kyle Laveroni, Maxwell Friedman, Janani Thiagrajan

Mineta Transportation Institute

Freight represents approximately 30% of all transportation-related emissions in the U.S., but local climate action plans (CAPs) and freight plans often place limited emphasis on freight emissions reduction strategies. The objective of this report is to examine and present strategies for the City of San José, California to reduce GHG emissions from freight. The authors conducted a geospatial analysis of freight data related to San José, and an analysis of relevant literature and successful freight reduction strategies implemented globally. The report also provides key objectives and generalized strategies to reduce GHG emissions from freight as well as specific recommendations for …


Charging Drivers By The Gallon Vs. The Mile: An Equity Analysis By Geography And Income In California, Samuel Speroni, Asha Weinstein Agrawal, Michael Manville, Brian D. Taylor Sep 2022

Charging Drivers By The Gallon Vs. The Mile: An Equity Analysis By Geography And Income In California, Samuel Speroni, Asha Weinstein Agrawal, Michael Manville, Brian D. Taylor

Mineta Transportation Institute

This study used data from the 2017 National Household Travel Survey California Add-On sample to explore how replacing the current state vehicle fuel tax with a flat-per-mile-rate road-user charge (RUC) would affect costs for different kinds of households. We first estimated how household vehicle fuel efficiency, mileage, and fuel tax expenditures vary by geography (rural vs. urban) and by income. These findings were then used to estimate how much different types of households pay in the current per-gallon state fuel tax, what they would pay if the state were to replace fuel taxes with a flat-rate road-usage charge (RUC) that …


Pathway To Promote Diversity Within Public Transit Workforce, Mehri Mohebbi, Sumita Raghuram, Ahoura Zandiatashbar Aug 2022

Pathway To Promote Diversity Within Public Transit Workforce, Mehri Mohebbi, Sumita Raghuram, Ahoura Zandiatashbar

Mineta Transportation Institute

There are many aspects of the transportation industry that can be focused on, but the lack of resiliency is one of the most urgent. Enhancing resiliency and creative problem-solving is essential to the industry’s growth and survival. But it cannot happen without building a more diverse workforce. Women still make up a small fraction of transportation workers, and African American and Hispanic employees are even less represented. These disparities are increasingly pronounced in many senior positions, particularly in STEM fields. Meanwhile, the public transportation industry is experiencing a severe and worsening workforce shortage and many agencies have reported substantial difficulty …


“Tele-Commuting” During The Covid-19 Pandemic And Beyond: Unveiling State-Wide Patterns And Trends Of Telecommuting In Relation To Transportation, Employment, Land Use, And Emissions In Calif, Tianjun Lu, Jian-Yu Ke, Fynnwin Prager, Jose N. Martinez Aug 2022

“Tele-Commuting” During The Covid-19 Pandemic And Beyond: Unveiling State-Wide Patterns And Trends Of Telecommuting In Relation To Transportation, Employment, Land Use, And Emissions In Calif, Tianjun Lu, Jian-Yu Ke, Fynnwin Prager, Jose N. Martinez

Mineta Transportation Institute

Telecommuting, the practice of working remotely at home, increased significantly (25% to 35%) early in the COVID-19 pandemic. This shift represented a major societal change that reshaped the family, work, and social lives of many Californians. These changes also raise important questions about what factors influenced telecommuting before, during, and after COVID-19, and to what extent changes in telecommuting have influenced transportation patterns across commute modes, employment, land use, and environment. The research team conducted state-level telecommuting surveys using a crowd-sourced platform (i.e., Amazon Mechanical Turk) to obtain valid samples across California (n=1,985) and conducted state-level interviews among stakeholders (n=28) …


Connected Simulation For Work Zone Safety Application, Vahid Balali Jul 2022

Connected Simulation For Work Zone Safety Application, Vahid Balali

Mineta Transportation Institute

Every year, over 60,000 work zone crashes are reported in the United States (FHWA 2016). Such work zone crashes have resulted in over 4,400 fatal and 200,000 non-fatal injuries in the last 5 years (FHWA 2016, BLS 2014). Apart from the physical and emotional trauma, the annual cost of these injuries exceeds $4 million-representing significant wasted resources. To improve work zone safety, this research developed a system architecture for unveiling high-risk behavioral patterns among highway workers, equipment operators, and drivers within dynamic highway work zones. This research implemented the use of a connected virtual environment, which is an immersive hyper-realistic …


Creating Safer Communities For The Use Of Active Transportation Modes In California: The Development Of Effective Communication Message Strategy For Vulnerable Road Users, Samer Sarofim, Aly Tawfik Jul 2022

Creating Safer Communities For The Use Of Active Transportation Modes In California: The Development Of Effective Communication Message Strategy For Vulnerable Road Users, Samer Sarofim, Aly Tawfik

Mineta Transportation Institute

Despite increased efforts to improve safety in recent years (e.g., the Focus Cities Program in California), California continues to have a high rate of pedestrian and bicyclist fatalities. Currently, the state currently lacks a cohesive messaging strategy to improve behaviors related to pedestrian and cyclist traffic safety practices. To fulfill this need, this research showcases the differential effect of message framing on attitudes and intended behaviors related to pedestrian and cyclists traffic safety practices. This project investigated factors & risky behaviors contributing to accidents involving vulnerable road users, preventive measures to decrease accidents involving vulnerable road users, and more. The …


Biological Hydrogen Gas Production From Food Waste As A Sustainable Fuel For Future Transportation, Pitiporn Asvapathanagul, Leanne Deocampo, Nicholas Banuelos Jul 2022

Biological Hydrogen Gas Production From Food Waste As A Sustainable Fuel For Future Transportation, Pitiporn Asvapathanagul, Leanne Deocampo, Nicholas Banuelos

Mineta Transportation Institute

In the global search for the right alternative energy sources for a more sustainable future, hydrogen production has stood out as a strong contender. Hydrogen gas (H2) is well-known as one of the cleanest and most sustainable energy sources, one that mainly yields only water vapor as a byproduct. Additionally, H2 generates triple the amount of energy compared to hydrocarbon fuels. H2 can be synthesized from several technologies, but currently only 1% of H2 production is generated from biomass. Biological H2 production generated from anaerobic digestion is a fraction of the 1%. This study aims to enhance biological H2 production …


Developing A Feasible Business Model For Expanding The Ev Market To Lower Income Californians, Samer Sarofim, Aly Tawfik Jul 2022

Developing A Feasible Business Model For Expanding The Ev Market To Lower Income Californians, Samer Sarofim, Aly Tawfik

Mineta Transportation Institute

Electric vehicles (EVs) are a valuable tool in addressing the climate and energy challenges placed on our transportation systems. However, while national and international market shares of EVs have been rising with exponential rates, access to EVs of low-income populations has been significantly slower. This research developed a business model for expanding the EV market to low-income Californians. The team developed the model from qualitative data from various stakeholders, including Electric and Solar Companies, Professional and Community-Based Organizations, State Agencies, research institutions, and more, which enabled insights regarding various barriers that hinder the adoption of EVs. The team also used …


Design Of An Evaluation Plan For Senate Bill 1046, Maria Chierichetti, Armin Moghadam, Fatemeh Davoudi Jul 2022

Design Of An Evaluation Plan For Senate Bill 1046, Maria Chierichetti, Armin Moghadam, Fatemeh Davoudi

Mineta Transportation Institute

In an effort to understand and decrease alcohol-impaired driving as a primary collision factor In California, the research team designed an evaluation plan for California Senate Bill 1046 and its focus on ignition interlock devices as a sentence for Driving Under Influence offense. This plan will evaluate whether Senate Bill 1046 affected the Driving Under the Influence crash frequency and severity, and whether sociodemographic and geographic factors influence its effectiveness. This report lays the foundation for the evaluation that will be conducted in 2024. The research team conducted a meta-analysis of the last 12 years of literature and research on …


Analyzing The Use And Impacts Of Oakland Slow Streets And Potential Scalability Beyond Covid-19, Gordon Douglas, David Moore Jul 2022

Analyzing The Use And Impacts Of Oakland Slow Streets And Potential Scalability Beyond Covid-19, Gordon Douglas, David Moore

Mineta Transportation Institute

This report presents the results of a mixed-methods study of the 2020-2022 Oakland Slow Streets program. An official response to the Covid-19 pandemic, the program used signs and temporary barricades to limit thru-traffic on 21 miles of city streets to create more and safer space for walking, cycling, and outdoor recreation. Researchers collected data throughout the summer of 2021 on seven designated slow streets plus one cross street and one control street for each – a total of 21 street segments representing conditions in seven different neighborhoods across Oakland. Data collection comprised in-person passerby counts, observations and photographs of local …


Manual For Asphalt Pavement Repair And Resurfacing Preparation, Dingxin Cheng, Gary Hicks, Roger D. Smith Jul 2022

Manual For Asphalt Pavement Repair And Resurfacing Preparation, Dingxin Cheng, Gary Hicks, Roger D. Smith

Mineta Transportation Institute

Timely repairs of pavement defects are essential in protecting an important investment and asset that public agencies have. These repairs may be made as durable “stand-alone” repairs of isolated problems, or as part of preparations for a total resurfacing. This manual provides basic information on the planning, materials and construction aspects of common pavement repairs such as crack sealing, crack filling, and patching, as well as a broader look at other preparations needed for total resurfacing a pavement, whether the resurfacing is a surface treatment or a thin hot mix asphalt (HMA) overlay.


Managing The Curb: Understanding The Impacts Of On-Demand Mobility On Public Transit, Micromobility, And Pedestrians, Susan Shaheen, Elliot Martin, Adam Cohen, Jacquelyn Broader, Richard Davis Jul 2022

Managing The Curb: Understanding The Impacts Of On-Demand Mobility On Public Transit, Micromobility, And Pedestrians, Susan Shaheen, Elliot Martin, Adam Cohen, Jacquelyn Broader, Richard Davis

Mineta Transportation Institute

In recent years, innovative mobility and shifts in travel and consumption behavior are changing how people access and use the curb. Shared mobility—the shared use of a vehicle, bicycle, scooter, or other mode—coupled with outdoor dining, curbside pick-up, and robotic delivery are creating new needs related to the planning, management, and enforcement of curb access. This study examines curb planning and management from several angles, such as safety, social equity, and multimodal connections. This research employs a multi-method approach to identify the changing needs for curb space management and how to meet these needs through new planning and implementation policies …


Blockchain And Distributed Autonomous Community Ecosystems: Opportunities To Democratize Finance And Delivery Of Transport, Housing, Urban Greening And Community Infrastructure, William Riggs, Vipul Vyas, Menka Sethi Jul 2022

Blockchain And Distributed Autonomous Community Ecosystems: Opportunities To Democratize Finance And Delivery Of Transport, Housing, Urban Greening And Community Infrastructure, William Riggs, Vipul Vyas, Menka Sethi

Mineta Transportation Institute

This report investigates and develops specifications for using blockchain and distributed organizations to enable decentralized delivery and finance of urban infrastructure. The project explores use cases, including: providing urban greening, street or transit infrastructure; services for street beautification, cleaning and weed or graffiti abatement; potential ways of resource allocation ADU; permitting and land allocation; and homeless housing. It establishes a general process flow for this blockchain architecture, which involves: 1) the creation of blocks (transactions); 2) sending these blocks to nodes (users) on the network for an action (mining) and then validation that that action has taken place; and 3) …


Aligning The Transit Industry And Their Vendors In The Face Of Increasing Cyber Risk: Recommendations For Identifying And Addressing Cybersecurity Challenges, Scott Belcher, Terri Belcher, Kathryn Seckman, Brandon Thomas, Homayun Yaqub Jul 2022

Aligning The Transit Industry And Their Vendors In The Face Of Increasing Cyber Risk: Recommendations For Identifying And Addressing Cybersecurity Challenges, Scott Belcher, Terri Belcher, Kathryn Seckman, Brandon Thomas, Homayun Yaqub

Mineta Transportation Institute

Public transit agencies in the United States depend on external vendors to help deliver and maintain many essential services and to provide critical technologies, from ticket purchases to scheduling to email management. While the integration of new, advanced technologies into the public transit industry brings important advancements to U.S. critical transportation infrastructure, the application of digital technologies also brings with it a new assortment of digital risks. Transit agencies of all sizes are finding themselves subject to cyber incidents—most notably ransomware attacks—like those experienced by larger, more prominent companies and critical infrastructure providers. The findings in this report focus on …


Contracting Strategies: A Different Approach To Address Long-Term Performance, Maria Calahorra-Jimenez Jul 2022

Contracting Strategies: A Different Approach To Address Long-Term Performance, Maria Calahorra-Jimenez

Mineta Transportation Institute

For cost-efficiency, public safety, and sustainability, improving long-term performance in highway projects is imperative for public administrations. Project delivery and procurement methods provide an opportunity to align design and construction processes with this goal. While previous studies have explored whether project delivery methods impact the long-term performance of highway projects, these studies did not focus on how core elements within project procurement relate to long-term performance. Thus, to fill this gap, this research explores how and to what extent long-term evaluation criteria are considered in design-build best-value procurement of highway projects. To this end, the team conducted content analysis on …