NATIONAL CENTER FOR METROPOLITAN TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH

ANNUAL REPORT

FISCAL YEAR ENDING JUNE 30, 2001

August 31, 2001

Table of Contents

A. Center Theme................................................................................................. 3

B. Description of Management Structure............................................................. 7

C. Description of Research Programs................................................................. 12

D. Description of Education Accomplishments.................................................... 24

E. Description of Technology Transfer Accomplishments.................................... 30

F. List of Projects.............................................................................................. 36

G. Funding Sources and Uses............................................................................ 39

H. Appendix...................................................................................................... 41

I. Financial Status......................................................................... Financial Section

J. Performance Indicators............................................................. Financial Section

A. CENTER THEME

The theme of the National Center for Metropolitan Transportation Research (METRANS) is transportation within large metropolitan areas.  METRANS works on developing and examining solutions to the transportation problems of major metropolitan areas using an integrated approach that blends engineering, policy, planning, business administration, and public administration expertise.  Within the context of large metropolitan areas, METRANS addresses national transportation issues such as advanced transportation technologies, urban transportation research, transportation infrastructure technologies, intermodal efficiency, and transportation and the environment.  METRANS also has become a national resource for information on solutions to metropolitan transportation problems.  

The Center addresses problems related to all five of DOT’s Strategic Science and Technology Goals, with focus on the types of problems that occur within the Southern California region:

Provide a Safer Transportation System

· Enhanced safety for the transportation infrastructure, public transit patrons, drivers and passengers, and pedestrians

Achieve a High Level of Transportation System Security

· Safety, security, productivity and survivability of the transportation infrastructure under natural disasters, such as earthquakes and floods

Improve Environmental Quality and Energy Efficiency

· Reduced air pollution impacts of transportation

· Upgrading United States Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) and United States Customs Service (Customs) border operations to enhance and expedite passenger and cargo processing, thereby reducing air pollution

· More energy efficient transportation systems

Foster Economic Growth and Productivity

· Reduced congestion on highways, rail, shipping and air transport systems

· Development of the infrastructure and processes to better support international trade and transportation industries

Ensure Improved Access and Increased Mobility 

· Mobility and accessibility for immigrant, disadvantaged, aged and minority populations

· Improved logistics through ports and the transportation corridors serving them

METRANS also directs its work at several of DOT’s Strategic Partnership Initiatives, with research focused in the following areas:

· Enhanced Goods and Freight Movement at Domestic and International Gateways

· Accessibility for Aging and Transportation-Disadvantaged Populations

· Monitoring, Maintenance and Rapid Renewal of the Physical Infrastructure

· Environmental Sustainability of Transportation Systems

· Smart Vehicles and Operators

· Physical Infrastructure

Our research directed at these initiatives also crosses into several other DOT initiatives, such as National Intelligent Transportation Infrastructure, and Next Generation Motor Vehicles.  Research is conducted in these areas as a means to solve problems in metropolitan areas.

METRANS also serves DOT’s needs in International and Multidisciplinary Education, and in Mid-Career Training.  USC and CSULB are uniquely positioned in these areas because of their highly diverse and international student bodies, diverse faculty, excellent facilities, location in the center of the nation’s dominant region for international trade with Asia, and unique course offerings and degree programs.  For example, USC has created an inter-disciplinary certificate program in transportation, and CSULB has an established reputation for professional education in international trade and port operations.   In the last year, CSULB launched a new MA in Global Logistics program to train professionals to deal with the complexities of supplier relations, supplier selection, purchasing negotiations, operations, transportation, inventory, warehousing, third-party vendors, electronic commerce and customer relations.

METRANS complements the two other University Transportation Centers in California by placing special emphasis on transportation issues in Southern California, an area encompassing more than 5% of the nation’s population and the majority of California’s population.  This includes study of Southern California’s major investments in transportation (e.g., goods movement and transit) as well as the prominent problems of congestion, air pollution, and limited mobility for disadvantaged populations.  In addition, METRANS’ emphasis on blending technology and policy research, and on technology transfer, is unique. 

METRANS is committed to focusing on high-priority topics and issues in metropolitan regions.  In its first two calls for proposals, METRANS requested research on methods for improving mass transit and methods for improving goods movement and logistics.  In its third call for proposals, METRANS added the area of infrastructure renewal to mass transit and goods movement.  Using Southern California as our laboratory, our goal is to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of major transportation projects, while simultaneously building the human resource capacity to improve transportation in the United States.

This Annual Report covers the third year of METRANS’ existence.   During this time, METRANS has made substantial progress in its research, technology transfer and educational activities, and demonstrated its commitment to cooperation with Southern California transportation agencies.  METRANS has established itself as a truly interdisciplinary center, operating as a partnership between public and private universities.  Highlights of the 2000/2001 year include:

• METRANS reached a cumulative total of 24 funded research projects.  As of June 30, 2001, 9 projects were completed, and 3 projects were in peer review or undergoing final revision by faculty.  These 24 projects involve 28 faculty and 31 students, working in 13 academic departments

· CSULB launched a Master of Arts Degree in Global Logistics that combines the analytical skills of a traditional MBA with a strong emphasis on logistics in a global setting.  It is a 30-unit graduate program that can be completed in less than two years.  The M.A. in Global Logistics is designed to prepare the professional to deal with the complexities of supplier relations, supplier selection, purchasing negotiations, operations, transportation, inventory, warehousing, third-party vendors, electronic commerce and customer relations.

• The fourth project selection round was completed to award funding for the 01/02 fiscal years.  16 proposals were submitted and 7 projects were funded, encompassing 10 faculty members.

• METRANS organized and supported several major technology transfer and outreach events, including a 2-part ILWU Townhall workshop series (attracting 2000 people), the METRANS annual research conference “eTransport, Moving the New California Economy”, and Activism and Mobility in the Global City, Transportation in Los Angeles 1970-2000 which was held at USC, and sponsored by the Automobile Club of Southern California.  METRANS has also provided the organization and logistics for the FHWA Operations Workshop “Building Freight Capacity through Better Operations: Defining the National Agenda,” held on July 26-27, 2001 held at the Hyatt Regency Long Beach. 

• USC student Dan Mezger was selected to participate in the ENO Foundation leadership forum. 

• More than 100 Southern California high school students participated in the “Transportation in the Future” art contest and exhibition, held in conjunction with the METRANS Annual Conference

· METRANS has obtained dollar-for-dollar matching funds from Caltrans.  In addition, USC has committed a cumulative total of $156,016 in matching funds, and an additional match of $211,650 has been obtained from South Coast Air Quality Management District, Southern California Association of Governments, Toyota, Boeing, California Trucking Association, Pacific Maritime Association, Port of Long Beach, Port of Los Angeles, ILWU, Gateway Cities Partnership, City of Long Beach, and Long Beach City College.

· The METRANS website was enhanced with additional information on investigators and students, and with a new UTC Search Engine.  This search engine allows users to locate documents on any, or all, UTC website on a keyword basis.

B. MANAGEMENT STRUCTURE

University of Southern California holds the prime grants that fund METRANS from the US DOT and CALTRANS.  Center administration is the responsibility of the USC Principal Investigator, but all policy matters are jointly decided by USC and CSULB through the METRANS Executive Committee.  Due to the modest size of the grant, METRANS presently has no full-time staff members.  Instead of full-time positions, METRANS is organized to leverage available skills at both USC and CSULB.  The total staff commitment was approximately 1 FTE in the 2001/2002 fiscal year, spread among all administrative positions.

Executive Committee

The Executive Committee is responsible for all METRANS project selections (research, education and technology transfer) and for setting METRANS policies.  During the 2000/2001 year, Richard Williams left CSULB, and is therefor no longer serving on the Executive Committee (to date, no replacement has been selected).  The remaining membership has not changed since center inception:

· Dan Barber, Professor of Public Administration, CSULB

· Genevieve Giuliano, Professor of Planning, Policy and Development, USC

· Randolph Hall, Associate Professor of Industrial and Systems Engineering, USC

· Forrest Harding, Professor of Business Administration, CSULB

· Petros Ioannou, Professor of Electrical Engineering-Systems, USC

· James Moore, Associate Professor of Civil Engineering, USC

· Marianne Venieris, Director of Center for International Trade and Transportation, CSULB

Executive committee membership is a voluntary (unpaid) service activity. 

Director

Randolph Hall, Professor of Industrial and Systems Engineering at USC, served as director and principal investigator during the 2000/2001 year.  As of July 1, Dr. Hall was promoted to serve as Associate Dean for Research at USC.   Genevieve Giuliano, Professor in the School of Policy, Planning and Development, and the School of Engineering, has been selected as his replacement.  Dr. Giuliano is well known in the transportation community, and currently serves on the Transportation Research Board’s Executive Committee.  She has also served on the METRANS Executive Committee since inception.

The center director is responsible for the overall management of METRANS, including reporting, matching fund solicitation, outreach, publications, education, supervision of the METRANS Administrator, project management and development of the center research agenda and requests for proposals/qualifications.  The center director is responsible for chairing meetings of the Executive Committee (joint CSULB/USC) and the Advisory Board.

Deputy Director

Rodman Grimm of CSULB Foundation served as Deputy Director for the initial months of the fiscal year, but left CSULB in January of 2001.  Ed Thicksten has served as Acting Deputy Director since this time.  CSULB has not yet appointed a permanent replacement.

The Deputy Director is responsible for collecting performance statistics related to CSULB activities, distributing information to CSULB faculty and students and overseeing the METRANS technology transfer program.  The Deputy Director works under the direction of the METRANS Director.

Associate Director

To expand activities for CSULB and USC students, Professor James Moore serves as Associate Director for Education.  Dr. Moore is responsible for organizing curriculum proposals, internships, teaching exchanges, field trips and student outreach events.  The Associate Director works under the direction of the METRANS Director.  Dr. Moore is also Associate Professor in Civil Engineering and Public Policy and Development at USC.  He is Director of the Civil Engineering Department’s graduate program in Transportation Engineering.

Center Administrator

Christine Lavoie of USC serves as Center Administrator.  She is responsible for the day-to-day administration of center activities, reporting to the Center Director.  This has included coordination of outreach efforts, gathering information needed for annual reporting, coordination of the proposal review process, operation of the internship program and identification of matching fund sources.  Ms. Lavoie’s other (non-METRANS) activities include financial management for the Industrial and Systems Engineering Department.

CSULB Administrator

The position of CSULB administrator was filled by Natalie Kaylor.  She has recently been replaced by Michelle King.  The position is responsible for the collection of performance data at CSULB, and for communicating METRANS information to CSULB faculty, staff and students.  The position will also be responsible for organizing the fall METRANS conference, and for developing center promotions.  The CSULB Administrator works under the guidance of the Deputy Director and the Center Administrator. 

Promotion Manager

Marianne Venieris, Director of the CITT (Center for International Trade and Transportation) at CSULB, serves as the Promotion Manager.  She is responsible for developing outreach materials and managing the development of the website.   She works under the guidance of the Center Administrator.  Ms. Venieris’ other (non-METRANS) activities include leadership for CSULB’s certificate programs in global logistics and transportation.  Ms. Venieris was not budgeted for the 00/01 fiscal year because the task of developing outreach activities was already finished.  She may be involved in future years.

Webmaster

Greg Raitz of CSULB Foundation serves as webmaster.  He is responsible for developing and maintaining the METRANS web page.  He works under the direction of the Center Administrator and Center Director.

Advisory Board

The Director has formed an Advisory Board (Table 1), composed of representatives from agencies and companies that participate in center activities.  The advisory board is used to solicit suggestions for research, to assist in student job placements, and to assist in outreach and technology transfer activities.   The Advisory Board met twice during the 2000/2001 fiscal year.

Faculty Members

METRANS has funded 28 faculty at USC and CSULB, who are now members of the METRANS Center.  Keeping to METRANS’ interdisciplinary theme, the faculty come from four branches of engineering (civil, electrical, industrial and mechanical), as well as business, economics, geography, public policy, planning, and public administration.  These faculty act as principal investigators on METRANS funded projects, and have responsibility for overseeing individual research projects.  They also come together periodically to share insights through coordination meetings and conferences.

Tridib Bannerjee                       Policy, Planning & Development           USC

Daniel Barber                           Public Administration                            CSULB

Satish Bukkapatnam                 Industrial & Systems Engineering           USC

Anastasios Chassiakos  Engineering Technology                        CSULB

Maged Dessouky                     Industrial & Systems Engineering           USC

Michael Driver              Business Administration                        USC

Genevieve Giuliano                   Policy, Planning & Development           USC

Peter Gordon                           Policy, Planning & Development           USC

Lisa Grobar                              Economics                                            CSULB

Randolph Hall                           Industrial & Systems Engineering           USC

Le Dam Hanh                           Civil Engineering                                   USC

Petros Ioannou             Electrical Engineering Systems   USC

Ken James                               Electrical Engineering                            CSULB

Erik Johnson                             Civil Engineering                                   USC

Tim Jordanides             Electrical Engineering                            CSULB

Behrokh Khoshnevis                 Industrial & Systems Engineering           USC

Ilias Kosmatopoulos                 Electrical Engineering Systems   USC*

John Kuprenas                         Civil Engineering                                   USC

Joe Maggadino             Economics                                            CSULB

Naj Meshkati                           Civil Engineering                                   USC

Emily Parentela             Civil Engineering                                   CSULB

Hamid Rahai                             Mechanical Engineering             CSULB

Mansour Rahimi                       Industrial & Systems Engineering           USC

Paul Ronney                             Mechanical Engineering             USC

Reza Toossi                              Mechanical Engineering             CSULB

Richard Williams                       Mechanical Engineering             CSULB*

Chris Williamson                       Geography                                           USC

Hung Leung Wong                    Civil Engineering                                   USC

* Has left CSULB or USC and is no longer involved

Table 1.  METRANS Advisory Committee

Name	Title	Organization
Richard DeRock	Executive Director	Access Services Incorporated
Gill Hicks	President	ACTA
Rebecca Brewster	Deputy Director	ATA Foundation
Lynn Terry	Deputy Executive Officer	California Air Resources Board
Joel Anderson	Executive Vice President	California Trucking Association
John Allison	Program Manager	Caltrans
Ken Nelson	District Director	Caltrans
Robert Sassaman	District Director	Caltrans
Amir Sedadi	Council Liaison	City of Los Angeles
Paul Teng	Director, Office of Infrastructure	Federal Highway Administration
Sandra Balmir	Transportation Planner	Federal Highway Administration
Randall Bolger	Managing Director, Planning & Administration	Fedex
Richard Hollingsworth	President/CEO	Gateway Cities Partnership, Inc.
Susan Collette	Supervising Transportation Planner	Los Angeles World Airport
David Solow	Chief Executive Officer	Metrolink
James de la Roza	Executive Officer County Wide Planning and Development	Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Charles Wallace	Vice President Southern California	Pacific Maritime Association
Geraldine Knatz	Director of Planning	Port of Long Beach
Norm King	Executive Director	San Bernardino Association of Governments
Eric Pahlke	Director of Transportation	San Diego Association of Governments
Barry Wallerstein	Executive Director	South Coast Air Quality Management District
Jim Gosnell	Director, Planning and Policy	Southern California Association of Governments
Bert Arillaga	Chief, Service Innovation Division	U.S. Department of Transportation
M.J. Fiocco	Transportation Specialist	U.S. Department of Transportation
Ronald Knipling	Chief, Research Division	U.S. Department of Transportation
Michael Onder	Team Leader, Freight Operations	U.S. Department of Transportation
Richard Walker	Director	U.S. Department of Transportation
Charles Holland	Portfolio Project Manager	United Parcel Service

C. DESCRIPTION OF RESEARCH PROGRAMS

METRANS has now completed four rounds of proposal selection timed as follows:

Timing of METRANS Requests for Proposals

Fiscal Year     RFP Issued     Due Date        Selections       Start Date

98/99               3/19/1999        4/28/1999        6/1/1999          7/1999 to 9/1999

99/00               7/7/1999          8/11/1999        9/27/1999        1/1/2000

00/01               2/11/2000        3/17/2000        5/8/2000          8/2000

01/02               12/12/2000      2/23/2001        4/24/2001        8/2001 estimated

METRANS’ goal has been to make selections within three months after the RFP is issued.  This allows about 5 weeks for proposal preparation, 4 weeks for peer review, and 3 weeks for compilation of results and communication with the METRANS Executive Committee.  Subsequent delay from selection to award is largely due to requirements of proposal revision, assemblage of a complete proposal package for Caltrans, and processing the awards at Caltrans.

The first two RFPs restricted proposals to the two focus areas of goods movement and transit.  For the third and fourth RFP, infrastructure renewal was added as a third focus area.  A summary of the submitted proposals is provided below

Summary of Proposals Submitted to METRANS

                                                                                 Number of Proposals by Area

Fiscal Year     Proposals      $s Requested        Goods     Transit     Infrastructure       Multiple

98/99                    15           $   808,497               6             8                  0                  1

99/00                    12           $   451,335               6             5                  0                  1           

00/01                    17           $   906,370               10           6                  1                  0

01/02                    16           $   882,261               7             3                  6                  2

Total                    60           $3,048,463               29           22                7                  4           

The number of proposals in the infrastructure area grew substantially in the 01/02 year,  proposals fairly steady in the goods movement area, and proposal dropped in the transit area.  The growth in infrastructure was largely the consequence of a concerted effort to encourage faculty to submit proposals.

The selection process is competitive.  Though the success rate has been fairly high (approximately 50%), we have ordinarily been unable to fund all proposals that were recommended for funding by referees.  A concern for the center has been the small number of proposals submitted by CSULB faculty.  As a consequence, we are considering alternative ways of promoting transportation activities at CSULB, such as student scholar ships.  

As summarized in the following table, the awards retain the center’s strength in goods movement and freight, while also sustaining activities in transit and infrastructure.  One of the proposals that fit multiple topic areas fit in both the infrastructure and transit areas; the other multiple topic proposal fit in the transit and goods movement areas.    Funding for research declined somewhat from the prior year, as more spending will be devoted to technology transfer and educational activities in the coming year.

Summary of Proposals Awarded by METRANS

                                                                                 Number of Proposals by Area

Fiscal Year     Proposals      $s Awarded          Goods     Transit   Infrastructure    Multiple      

98/99                    6             $    294,299              3             2                  0                  1

99/00                    7             $    324,898              4             3                  0                  0           

00/01                    11           $    580,882              5             6                  0                  0

01/02                    7             $     446,602              3             1                  1                  2           

Total                    31           $ 1,646,681              15           12                1                  3           

In reference to DOT subject areas (Table 4b), our biggest emphases in the most recent selection rounds were in transportation and logistics system operations and management ($130,000), infrastructure maintenance and operations ($108,332), and intermodal operations ($104,104), and fleet operations management ($54,166).  These emphases reflect METRANS’ depth in goods movement and transit, and METRANS’ expansion into the infrastructure area. 

With respect to goals, our largest emphasis has been on mobility (six projects and $396,602) and economic growth and trade ($234,104).  These are consistent with the goals for large metropolitan regions, such as Southern California.  In terms of enabling research, our largest emphasis has been on tools for modeling and design (five projects and $374,935).  For modal emphasis, highways are the most prominent ($234,167), reflecting our research on highway infrastructure and trucking.  Maritime, rail and transit are also represented, with amounts ranging from $108,331 to $125,771.

As intended, all projects selected by METRANS are directed toward DOT’s strategic initiatives.  The following list is cumulative, covering all four years of funding rounds:

Enhanced Goods and Freight Movement at Domestic and International Gateways

· Hanh: Re-engineering the Logistics of Empty Cargo Containers in the SCAG Region (01/02)

· Gordon and Williamson: Development and Test Methodology for the Evaluation of Highway/Widening Plans to Facilitate Freight Flows Throughout a Major Metropolitan Area

· Ioannou and Chassiakos: Dynamic Optimization of Cargo Movement by Trucks in Metropolitan Areas (01/02)

· Grobar and Barber:  An Integrated Approach to Managing Local Container Traffic Growth in the Long Beach/Los Angeles Port Complex Phase II (00/01)

· Hall: Alternative Access and Locations for Air Cargo (00/01)

· Ioannou and Chassiakos: Dynamic Optimization of Cargo Movements by Trucks in Metropolitan Areas with Adjacent Ports. (00/01)

· Kosmatopoulos: Design and Optimization of a Conceptual Automated Yard Using Overhead Rail Systems.  (00/01)

· Parentela: Developing Risk Model for Commercial Goods Transport (00/01)

· Bukkapatnam: Dynamic Coordination Framework for Resource Allocation in Trucking Operations (99/00)

· Gordon: Assembling and Processing Freight Shipment Data: Developing a GIS-Based Origin-Destination Matrix for Southern California Freight Flows (99/00)

· James: Non-Invasive Means of Investigating Container Contents for Customs Agents at Ports (99/00)

· Jordanides: Use of Robotics and Expert Systems in Improving the Handling of Containers at the Port Terminals (99/00)

· Grobar and Barber: Implementing a Statewide Goods Movement Strategy and Performance Measurement of Goods Movement in California (98/99)

· Ioannou and Chassiakos: Modeling and Route Guidance of Trucks in Metropolitan Areas (98/99)

· Khoshnevis: 3D Virtual and Physical Simulation of Automated Container Terminal Facilities and Analysis of Impact on In-land Transportation (98/99)

Accessibility for Aging and Transportation-Disadvantaged Populations

· Giuliano: Travel Patterns of the Elderly (00/01)

· Dessouky and Rahimi: A Task Decomposition Model for Dispatchers in Dynamic Scheduling of Demand Responsive Transit Systems (98/99)

· Giuliano: The Role of Public Transit in Mobility of Low Income Households (98/99)

Environmental Sustainability of Transportation Systems

· Rahai:  Reducing Pollutants from Mobile Sources (01/02)

· Rahimi and Dessouky: A Methodology for Joint Optimization of Service and Life Cycle Environmental Assessment of Transportation Systems (01/02)

· Toossi: Assessment of Hybrid Vehicle Control Strategies in Planning Future Metropolitan/Urban Transit Systems (00/01)

· Williams: Solid State Sorption Air Conditioner System for Containerships and Vehicles. (99/00)  (Phase 2, 00/01)

· Ronney: Improving Fuel Economy and Emissions Performance of Commercial Goods Transportation and Mass Transit Vehicles Using Throttleless Engines (98/99)

Physical Infrastructure

· Wong: Analysis of Vibrations as Infrastructure Caused by High-speed Rail Transit (01/02)

· Johnson: Smart Damping Devices for Monitoring the Health of Bridge Structures (01/02)

· Bannerjee: Freeway Bus Station Area Development: Critical Evaluation and Design Guidelines. (00/01)

· Bannerjee: Highway Oriented Transit System (HOTS): A Comprehensive Land Use-Transportation Strategy to Improve Transit Service Delivery. (99/00)

· Kuprenas: Identification and Analysis of Local Agency Transit Project Performance Criteria. (99/00)

Smart Vehicles and Operators

· Ioannou and Chassiakos: Dynamic Optimization of Cargo Movement by Trucks in Metropolitan Areas (01/02)

· Bukkapatnam and Dessouky: Distributed Architecture for Real-time Coordination in Transit Networks. (00/01)

· Meshkati, Rahimi and Driver: Investigating the Role of Driver Decision Styles in Highway-Rail Crossing Accidents. (00/01)

METRANS has the goal of supporting cooperative research that involves transportation agencies and meets the transportation needs of metropolitan agencies.  Nearly all projects have received financial support from Caltrans, and many others have cooperated with local and regional agencies.   Cooperating agencies are shown below by project:

Bukkapatnam and Dessouky

Distributed Architecture for Real-time Coordination in Transit Networks. 

Access Services

Dessouky and Rahimi

A Task Decomposition Model for Dispatchers in Dynamic Scheduling

Access Services

Dessouky and Rahimi

A Methodology for Joint Optimization of Service and Life Cycle Environmental Assessment of Transportation Systems

Gordon

Assembling and Processing Freight Shipment Data: Developing a GIS-Based OD Matrix

Southern California Association of Governments

Gordon and Williamson

Development and Test Methodology for the Evaluation of Highway/Widening Plans to Facilitate Freight Flows Throughout a Major Metropolitan Area

Grobar and Barber

Implementing a Statewide Goods Movement Strategy and Performance Measurement Southern California Association of Governments

Hall

Alternative Access and Locations for Air Cargo (00/01)

Los Angeles World Airports

Hanh

Re-engineering the Logistics of Empty Cargo Containers in the SCAG Region

Port of Long Beach

Ioannou and Chassiakos

Dynamic Optimization of Cargo Movements by Trucks in Metropolitan Areas with Adjacent Ports.

Los Angeles Department of Transportation

Ioannou and Chassiakos

Modeling and Route Guidance of Trucks in Metropolitan Areas

Los Angeles Department of Transportation

Ioannou and Chassiakos

Dynamic Optimization of Cargo Movement by Trucks in Metropolitan Areas With Adjacent Ports

Johnson

Smart Damping Devices for Monitoring the Health of  Bridge Structures

Kuprenas

Identification and Analysis of Local Agency Transit Project Performance Criteria.

Caltrans Division of Mass Transportation

Meshkati, Rahimi and Driver

Investigating the Role of Driver Decision Styles in Highway-Rail Crossing Accidents.

Metropolitan Transportation Authority

Rahai

Reducing Pollutants from Mobile Sources

Ronney

Improving Fuel Economy and Emissions Performance of Vehicles

South Coast Air Quality Management District

Wong

Analysis of Vibrations as Infrastructure Deterioration Caused by High-speed Rail Transit

Selection Process

METRANS follows a peer reviewed proposal selection process in which each proposal is submitted to a minimum of five people for review, drawn from the following groups:

· University expert (usually two people in category)

· Local transportation agency expert

· Caltrans expert

· US DOT expert

In the most recent RFP, the following DOT employees (or their designated representatives) reviewed proposals.

· Michael Onder, ITS Commercial Vehicle Operations Program

· Bert Arillaga, FTA

· Richard Walker, MARAD

· MJ Fiocco, Office of Intermodalism

· Paul Teng, FHWA

These DOT representatives were selected because of their expertise and leadership in goods movement, transit or infrastructure.

A minimum of three reviews have been returned for each proposal. (For our last funding round, we are happy to report that we received Caltrans and DOT reviews for every proposal that was submitted.)  Summarized results of the evaluations are presented to the METRANS Executive Committee, which makes final selections.

The RFP for the 2002/2003 fiscal year will follow a similar schedule and format as the RFP for the 2001/2002 fiscal year.  We expect to issue the RFP in February of 2002 (as soon as we hear the results of the renewal competition), with a March 2002 due date.  Projects will commence in July or August of 2002.

Research Results

As of this writing, nine research projects have been completed, and three more are in the peer review/revision process.   We expect to receive final reports for 12 more projects by September.   Abstracts are provided below for the seven completed projects.

99-3 A Task Decomposition Model for Dispatchers In Dynamic Scheduling of

Demand Responsive Transit Systems

Since the passage of ADA, the demand for paratransit service is steadily increasing. Paratransit companies are relying on computer automation to streamline dispatch operations, increase productivity and reduce operator stress and error. Little research has been performed to understand the task complexity of dispatchers interacting with their computer systems.

This research was conducted to provide an in-depth understanding of the task complexities and requirements for paratransit dispatchers. To achieve this, we organized, modeled, and analyzed a complete paratransit dispatching task sequence for a Los Angeles area paratransit service provider. Extensive field observations, video recordings, and expert dispatcher interviews were conducted to sketch out a dispatcher’s task sequence model during a high workload period. Using Hierarchical Task Analysis (HTA), this skeleton model was further refined into a comprehensive decision hierarchy (decision tree). The HTA was further extended to capture the sequence of activities between two dispatchers, a paratransit van dispatcher and a lead dispatcher, in the same operation room. The results of this analysis have shown that the dispatchers undergo intensive and complex cognitive processes. Their task performance seems to be heavily influenced by the type of software interface they use. We found HTA to be a useful tool to model these interactions. The sequential decision tree format of HTA also shows promise for training system design. In particular, we recommend the use of this model for part-task training for entry-level dispatchers.

In addition to task modeling, we further analyzed the design of the software interfaces used in this operation from a human factors standpoint: a DOS-based screen design and a Windows-based graphical user interface design. The DOS-based design had the advantage of information simplicity.  However, this design produced long information scanning and navigation time, potentially long learning curve and screen design inconsistency. The Windows-based system had the advantage of a more natural spatial and iconic representation, well-designed popup menus and cursor sensitive information display. The most significant disadvantage of this design was a very long system lag time

(e.g., it sometimes took up to 30 seconds for the system to respond to an input). This problem alone was the reason why the dispatchers did not use this system during high-demand periods. Other disadvantages were high-density clutter at low zoom level, layout inconsistency between zooms, inappropriate color-coding and no direct (active) driver interaction with the system in case of GPS failure. We believe that dispatch software developers should be encouraged to look into a more natural and quick response software interfaces. In general, we recommend a redesign of the current system based on the principles of user-centered interface design.

99-7 Modeling and Route Guidance of Trucks in Metropolitan Areas

The efficient movement of goods in a metropolitan area, where congestion on highways and surface streets is part of daily life, has become more and more challenging. In this project, we analyze the effect of trucks on traffic flow, and consider methods for routing trucks through a complex transportation network. Our results are presented in parts I and II of the report. In part I, using truck and driver models, we have shown that the slower dynamical response of trucks relative to that of passenger vehicles leads to lower traffic flow rates and influence the traffic flow characteristics in various ways that are analyzed. The analytical results compare well with those based on empirical studies presented in the Highway Capacity Manual. The dynamical characteristics of trucks are taken into account in part II in order to develop routing algorithms for trucks in a transportation

network that involves highways and surface streets. We assume that traffic information is available on-line so that uncertainties due to variations in traffic conditions are eliminated or significantly reduced. Applying some of today’s sensor and information technologies can satisfy this assumption.  We use deterministic dynamic routing techniques to route trucks through a complex transportation network in order to minimize travel time. The routing algorithms are simulated using a traffic network from the Los Angeles metropolitan area. We have demonstrated that dynamic routing could reduce travel time significantly. A reduction in travel time could translate into considerable savings and to a more efficient movement of goods.

99-10 Implementing a Statewide Goods Movement Strategy and Performance Measurement of Goods Movement in California

The project objective was to create structural and non-structural solutions to improve capacity utilization of Intermodal Corridors of Economic Significance in the combined Ports Los Angeles-Long Beach.  In addition, this effort tested and validated Transportation System Performance Measurement for Commercial Goods Movement and International Trade as a means of monitoring and determining the cost-effectiveness of productivity improvement measures.

The Center for International Trade and Transportation has sponsored a survey of physical, operational, and institutional constraints affecting utilization of capacity in the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach and related intermodal facilities.  It has also established a permanent Policy and Planning Committee.  This project developed common goals and objectives for a California Goods Movement Strategy by translating the results of both CITT industry surveys and Caltrans’ industry data and observations into a specific set of actions.

CITT port and intermodal productivity survey results and Caltrans data were translated into a hierarchical and sequential candidate list of action items for industry review by CITT Policy and Planning Group, as well as a broader industry review.  We offer a review and analysis of suitability of the traditional and emerging performance indicators for application to measurement of goods movement.

An aspect of the goods movement supply chain involves the truck-terminal interface.  Data was collected from three trucking companies that do business at the Port of Long Beach and Los Angeles, resulting in a sample of almost 20,000 individual moves in 1999.  For the key performance indicator of truck wait times, we estimate that last year transactions which required more than two hour led to truck waits in and around the ports totaling 3.3 million hours for import transactions, and total truck wait hours at 3.76 million in 1999.  The indicator of the temporal distribution of truck trips indicates the distribution is highly concentrated.  More than 25% of all arrivals at the port complex occur between 7:45 a.m. and 8:45 a.m., and almost 20% of trips leaving the port occur from 9:00 to 10:00 a.m.

99-11 The Role of Public Transit in Mobility of Low Income Households

Despite substantial and increasing subsidies, public transit’s market share continues to decline; public transit’s share of person trips is less than two percent.  The remaining transit market has two components:  downtown commuters in the largest U.S. metropolitan areas, and transit dependents — those who are either unable or unwilling to drive, and those who do not have access to a private vehicle.  Car ownership is a function of income.  A fundamental justification for transit subsidies is to provide a basic level of mobility to all persons, especially the transportation disadvantaged, yet even among the disadvantaged, most travel is by private vehicle, and public transit accounts for just five percent of all person trips.

This report examines the use of public transit by low income households.  Using the 1995 Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey, we analyze both stated behaviors regarding usual travel and actual journey to work mode to understand the role of public transit in the mobility of low income households.  We find that public transit is not a reasonable substitute for the private vehicle for most people, poor or not poor.  Regular transit is associated with less trip making and less distance traveled, and the effect is more pronounced for the poor.  A second major barrier to transit use is lack of access:  about one-third of NPTS respondents stated that transit was not available in their town or city.  Other barriers include off-peak commuting and trip patterns that are inconsistent with transit use.  We conclude that transit policy should focus on retaining existing markets by improving service frequency and quality in high demand markets, by exploring more effective ways of providing transit in low demand markets, and by expanding transit to serve off-peak and off-direction commutes.  We note that in most circumstances, private vehicle access is the key to improved mobility for the poor as well as the non-poor.  Economic development policies to increase the supply of jobs, goods and services in low income neighborhoods are also encouraged.

99-18 Identification and Analysis of Local Agency Transit Project Performance

Improvement in delivery performance for locally managed projects will strengthen the infrastructure upon which mass transit systems depend, assist in forecasting and minimizing service disruptions, and enhance delivery of transit services in metropolitan areas.  The goal of this research was to identify both positive and negative factors in the management of local transit projects that affect the local agency satisfaction with the project delivery process and affect project budget performance and schedule performance.  A one-page survey was created and distributed to local agencies for data collection on completed projects.  Eighteen completed surveys were returned within the research period.  The data contained in these surveys is summarized in this report and analyzed with respect to project characteristics, performance, and key project success / hindrance factors.  Based on the analysis, summary level information with respect to cost and schedule performance has been established, and two specific key success factors and two key hindrance factors have been identified for implementation / consideration in the management of future local transit projects.  Additional data collection is recommended with additional analysis potentially leading to even more efficient use of dwindling available funds, as well as further improved project delivery according to identified success criteria.

9-19 Solid State Sorption Air-Conditioning for Containerships and Vehicles – Phase 1

This project investigates the vapor compression air-conditioning (A/C) system that utilizes an adsorption compressor that replaces the conventional mechanical compressor. The potential application of an advanced design to the needs of the transportation sector is the focus for this work.  Much of phase I effort was to refurbish the system to safe operating condition, and to evaluate its performance. The system coefficient of performance for both mechanical and adsorption type compressor operations were 1.99 and 0.68 respectively.  Phase II experimental work will include a detailed characterization of the adsorption beds, optimization of the operating temperatures, and cycling algorithm. The results of this work will provide the basis for design of improved sorption refrigeration systems for automotive and space conditioning applications.

99-22 Highway Oriented Transit Systems (HOTS):  A Comprehensive Land Use-Transportation Strategy to Improve Transit Service Delivery

This research presents a new methodology for transit-oriented development of a regional Highway Oriented Transportation System (HOTS).  The study explores the possibilities of development of transit centers around freeway bus stations that will accommodate future growth and density while reducing automobile trips and improving air quality of Southern California.  The system operates express buses on the existing freeway system without exiting the freeway for stops.  Transfers to other transit or non-transit modes take place at these transit centers or stations.  We have reviewed literature on bus rapid transit and as a case study examined stations on the (I-110) Harbor Transitway. 

Upon review, we find that the Harbor Transitway or the “Study Area” is predominantly Hispanic; relatively young, blue collar, less educated, low income, and transit dependent.  The public’s reliance on bus is three times higher compared to Los Angeles County as a whole.  However, ridership forecasts on Harbor Transitway are not commensurate with the capital infrastructure investment made on the transit stations.  With more than one-quarter of all households in the area without an automobile, there is strong demand for transit.  Our analysis suggests that ridership would be significantly higher if the amenity mix and land use surrounding the transit stations accommodated higher densities and allowed for a greater mix of uses.  Hence, we propose a market-oriented design and development strategies that promote joint development opportunities in the Harbor Transitway.  These strategies augment the mixed-use fabric of existing and emerging employment and retail centers, with additional commercial, office, and residential uses.  Two-station neighborhoods – 37^th Street near USC, and Manchester – are used as illustrative examples to show the nature of such transit-oriented development.  Our methodology not only emphasizes higher transit ridership and more efficient transit system, but also establishes identifiable centers of local and regional significance in the Southern California area.

99-25 Assembling and Processing Freight Shipment Data: Developing a GIS-Based Origin-Destination Matrix for Southern California Freight Flows

Freight movements within large metropolitan areas are much less studied and analyzed than personal travel.  This casts doubt on the results of much conventional travel demand modeling and planning.  With so much traffic overlooked, how plausible are the results?

The goal of this research is to propose and execute a systematic non-survey based method to overcome this common omission and develop an origin-destination (O-D) matrix of freight flows.  Our approach is based on secondary data sources, most of which are widely available.

We also plan to load the estimated freight flows and concurrent passenger volumes onto the regional highway network of a large metropolitan region, the greater Los Angeles area of Southern California.  Our approach illustrates a low-cost way in which metropolitan planning agencies can meet the problem of missing freight flow information.

After collecting, processing and manipulating freight data for the Southern California region from most of the available and relevant sources, we analyze the various freight movements in and out of the region, through the region, as well as within it.  Most of the data are allocated to more than 1,500 Traffic Analysis Zones (TAZs). By integrating economic analysis, transportation modeling and GIS technologies, a GIS-based origin-destination matrix was built for Southern California freight flows. The results of the freight O-D matrix calculations are shown to be reliable through various checks with control totals.

To load the freight flows onto the regional highway network, a three-step feedback transportation model was developed. It includes trip generation, trip distribution, and traffic assignment.  Most of the trip generation work was done during the construction of the GIS-based origin-destination matrix.

A doubly-constrained gravity model was used to co-distribute and calibrate personal trips and freight trips in the trip distribution step. A version of User-Optimal-Strict On Network Assignment (UO-S-NA) will be utilized to assign all of the vehicle trips to the regional highway network.

99-27 Dynamic Coordination Framework for Resource Allocation in Trucking Operations   

The research conducted under this project has led to the architecting of a novel multi-agent framework to coordinate dynamic resource allocation. The research approach has been developed for a specific problem of allocating, real-time, trucks to “on-call” pickup requests, which is a common and important issue in several parcel and goods movement industries.  Here, each entity including different trucks and the dispatcher is represented by an autonomous and self-interested computational entity referred to as an agent.  All on-call pickup jobs are announced to the trucks by the dispatching agent. The truck agents bid for the pickup order based on their knowledge about the current and anticipated loads as well as the location of the announced pick-up job, and they negotiate with the dispatching agent to win the pickup order. During negotiation, the bids of the truck agents as well as counter-bids from the dispatching agent are progressively revised until a bid value acceptable to both a truck agent as well as the dispatcher is reached. At this point, the pick-up job is awarded to the truck.  This research has also led to the emergence of understandings on the effects of some (heuristic) evaluation and pricing policies, as well as reinforcement learning strategies on the overall performance of a coordination system. The coordination system for resource allocation resulting from this research was applied to a specific resource allocation scenario resembling local goods pickup operations of a major company involved in commercial goods movement. Our simulation studies, built based on an actual goods pickup environment, reveal the potential for a multi-agent negotiation based method for real-time coordination of pickup and other resource allocation operations.

Other Research Activities

· The second annual METRANS research conference was held in spring of 2001, and was attended by 110 people, including most METRANS investigators and students, and representatives from local and national transportation organizations.  Jeff Morales (Caltrans Director) was keynote speaker, and Richard Biter (Office of Intermodalism) was lunchtime speaker.  The conference included a full day of presentations by faculty and industry professionals, and was accompanied by exhibits of research by METRANS investigators.

· The METRANS Administrator continues to identify transportation funding sources, and has advertised these to faculty at CSULB and USC.  In addition, the METRANS web page has been designed to link to 24 agencies that fund transportation research.

D. DESCRIPTION OF EDUCATION ACCOMPLISHMENTS

METRANS has initiated a range of educational activities, with particular emphasis on student involvement in research projects.  We have also organized events to reach-out to pre-college students, including a very successful competition among Los Angeles County high school students.

METRANS again participated in the UTC “outstanding student award” program in 2001.  Thomas O’Brien, a Ph.D. student in the USC School of Policy, Planning and Development, received this year’s award.   Mr. O’Brien has been an Eno Fellow, and Fulbright Scholar in the past.  This year he was also awarded an Eisenhower Fellowship to support his dissertation research.

USC transportation students fared well in other national competitions.  Falan Guan, a Ph.D. candidate in the School of Policy Planning and Development focusing on GIS-based analysis of the location and transportation choices made by multi-worker households received a coveted HUD Dissertation Fellowship.  Daniel Mezger, a masters student in the School of Policy, Planning, and Development was designated an Eno Fellow in 2001.

In addition, METRANS made student involvement an explicit criterion in making research awards in our RFP.  As a result, all projects have had significant student participation (some undergraduate, some graduate and some both).  Investigators have furthermore been encouraged to budget for student presentations at conferences, such as the Transportation Research Board annual meeting.

Pre-College Events

One of the exciting activities in the 2000/2001 year was the “Transportation in the Future” art competition.  METRANS received funding from Toyota and Southern California Association of Governments to fund more than $4,000 in prizes to 13 winners, and to hold a special reception in honor of the winners.  UTC funding provided administrative support for the competition, including mailing announcements to all LA County high schools, processing more than 105 entries, judging the entries, notifying contestants of the outcome and organizing the ceremony and exposition.  The Art Center College of Design (the leading college for transportation design in the United States) assisted in judging, and also contributed scholarships for the winners. 

Continuing Education Programs

These are described in the technology transfer section under technical training.

Field Experiences

Field experiences are a routine part of transportation engineering courses offered at USC and CSULB.  There are many opportunities for unique site visits in Southern California, including technology facilities, such as Caltrans District 7's Transportation Management Center (TMC) and the Caltrans District 12 TMC; the Los Angeles County Department of Transportation (LADoT) Automated Traffic Surveillance and Control (ATSAC) Center; the California Private Transportation Company's (CPTC) fully electronic State Route 91 Express lanes and the Transportation Corridor Agencies' (TCA) system of Orange County toll roads; and the Partnership for Advanced Transit and Highways' (PATH) technology test bed facility at UC Irvine, the City of Irvine, the City of Anaheim, and Santa Ana.  Southern California also includes specialized transportation facilities such as commuter, heavy, and light rail systems; the El Monte busway and the Harbor transitway, the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, and the Alameda corridor. 

Opportunities to visit these facilities and discuss problems and objectives with associated professionals and officials contribute considerable depth to transportation education and research.  METRANS will serve as a clearinghouse for field experiences associated with USC and CSULB classes and research, ensuring that faculty and students participating in METRANS sponsored research have maximum access to these facilities.  Further, METRANS will alert funded and other teaching faculty to opportunities for site visits, and will provide assistance in organizing site visits.  Recognizing the need for more effort in organizing these trips, James Moore II has been appointed Associate Director for Education, and will be greatly expanding these efforts in the coming year.

California Transportation Foundation’s Transportation Education Symposium

USC transportation engineering and transportation planning undergraduates consistently participate in the California Transportation Foundation's (CTF) annual Transportation Education Symposium.  The CFT makes this experience available to student participants at no cost to the students.  In 1999, USC requested that the CTF include CSULB in its annual solicitation of participants.  The USC members of the METRANS executive committee screens the USC designees for these experiences.  USC Civil Engineering senior Eric Sheetz and CSULB Civil Engineering students Diego Monroyand Hamad Hussain Al-Jassam attended the November, 2000 Symposium at Asilomar Conference Center in Monterey, CA.  METRANS funded transportation to Northern California for the USC and CSULB participants.  USC's Fall, 2001 attendees will likely include one civil or industrial engineering student and one urban planning or public policy student.

Institute for Transportation Engineers Student Chapters

A student chapter of the Institute for Transportation Engineers (ITE) was formed at CSULB in 1997 during the final stages of the original METRANS proposal process.  The chapter currently has approximately 20 student members, and is advised by CE Assistant Professor Emelinda Parentela.  ITE agreed to the formation of an ITE student chapter at the University of Southern California, and Prof. Moore serves as the faculty advisor.  The first meeting occurred in Spring 2001.  The USC and CSULB ITE student chapters participated in the ITE Southern California Chapter’s Student Night in April 2001, at which the CSULB chapter presented a class project and won third place.

Group such as the Women's Transportation Seminar (WTS) have requested a point of contact for USC students involved in transportation.  The ITE student chapter helps meet the objectives of students from multiple schools within USC, and the objectives of professional organizations interested in encouraging students to enter the transportation professions.  The existence of student chapters at CSULB and USC provides an additional avenue of collaboration across the two campuses.

MERIT Research Program

Every year, a select group of promising incoming freshmen are invited by USC School of Engineering faculty to work on projects in their research laboratories or in the field.  These student researchers actively participate in the development of new technology throughout their undergraduate years.  In addition to giving students excellent first-hand research experience, this program can help offset the cost of education.  Each participant earns an annual stipend for their work.  The School of Engineering currently provides a stipend of $2000; $1500 as wages and $500 for research expenditures. This renewable award is separate from other financial assistance offered by the University.

These undergraduate Merit Research Scholars are brought to the attention of USC faculty based on the student's interests and the faculty member's willingness to participate in the Merit research program.  USC engineering faculty funded by METRANS are encouraged to participate in the Merit Research Program.  Funded METRANS projects and lists of investigators are forwarded to the Office Student Affairs in the School of Engineering to ensure that prospective students know these research projects are available to them.  Prof. James Moore II will act as a liaison to encourage placement of MERIT Scholars in transportation projects.

Administrative Support for Faculty:

In an effort to leverage DOT funding, the METRANS Administrator provides support to faculty as needed with budgets and processing of information for proposals within the university systems.   Also, she assists with proposal preparation in the NSF Fastlane system.  And she has collected and distributed information on funding opportunities.  These activities are enabled in part through funding by USC, which pays 40% of the Administrator’s salary.    

Student Competition Support

The METRANS Administrator has compiled opportunities and will continue advertising them both by email to identified students and by advertisement on the METRANS web site. 

At least three USC doctoral students in transportation (Dr. Seongkil Cho and Prof. Shin Lee, Urban and Regional Planning, School of Policy, Planning and Development; and Hengsheng Zhong, Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering) have or are expected to have completed their doctoral dissertations in time to compete for the  Council of University Transportation Centers 2001 Milton Pikarsky Memorial Award.

Doctoral Student Lecture Positions at CSULB

One important mission for the University of Southern California is training and education of doctoral students intending to become faculty members.  The School of Policy, Planning, and Development (SPPD) and the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at USC have previously teamed with the School of Social Ecology and the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at the University of California at Irvine to provide lectureship opportunities for each other's senior graduate students.  SPPD also places advanced planning doctoral students at CSU Northridge.

The USC/CSULB METRANS partnership provides an excellent opportunity to extend this approach.  METRANS is working to provide opportunities for collegiate and graduate teaching experience at CSULB to advanced doctoral candidates at USC working in areas related to transportation policy and transportation engineering.  Students selected for this experience must have passed their PhD qualifying examination, be making satisfactory progress on their doctoral dissertations, and have a professed interest in a faculty career. Preliminary work began this year to explore specific courses that would be appropriate. James Moore II is coordinating this activity.

Degree Programs and Courses

Student involvement in transportation education and research continues to be strong at both USC and CSULB.  Rather substantial changes in transportation-related course offerings, particularly at CSULB, make year-to-year comparisons difficult.  More generally, civil engineering enrollments (a large source of transportation-related course enrollments) at CSULB have declined, while civil engineering numbers at USC have remained approximately stable. Enrollment in other programs has remained stable.

Student involvement in transportation research projects is also difficult to compare across years.  In FY 99-00 we issued two RFPs and awarded $811,908 in research projects.  This was done in order to coordinate project awards with our funding cycle.  In FY 00-01 we issued one RFP and awarded $446,602 in research projects. In addition, student involvement includes research projects funded from other sources and reflects the variability of university-wide extramural funding levels. Although the number of students reported as being involved in transportation research this year has declined relative to last year, a larger amount (and a slightly larger share) of METRANS funding has been allocated to student support.

USC’s curricular offerings in transportation continue to expand.  Graduate special topics courses that have been offered in the past year include “Mathematics of Transportation Networks,” “Advanced Geometric Design,” and “California Transportation Law.”  A new, permanent graduate course, “Transportation and the Environment,” was proposed by Prof. Genevieve Giuliano, and approved by the University.  It will be offered for the first time in Fall of 2001.  In the School of Policy, Planning and Development, the Master of Planning “Transportation and Land Use” field specialization has been restructured, and a new field specialization in Transportation has been introduced for the Master of Public Policy.

Graduates from the degree programs are highly diverse.  47% of domestic graduates were non-Hispanic white, 38% were Asian/pacific islander, 16% were Hispanic and 4% were African American. 

USC Interdisciplinary PhD Program in Transportation Systems Engineering

The expanded set of transportation research opportunities at USC and CSULB creates further opportunities for expanding graduate education, and for collaboration between the two institutions.  The study of transportation science and transportation systems transcends disciplines.  The problems that emerge in this area are inherently inter-disciplinary, and a multidisciplinary approach is needed if meaningful remedies are to be produced.  The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering offers MSCE and PhD options for students interested in transportation engineering.  Students are afforded the flexibility to take some course work in this program outside the Department and School, but this is still fundamentally a disciplinary track.

There are several units at USC that offer coursework relevant to the study of transportation systems, and public and private transportation problems.  These units include the Departments of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Industrial and Systems Engineering, Electrical Engineering – Systems, the School of Policy, Planning, and Development, and the Marshall School of Business.  Most of these courses are taught by USC faculty on the METRANS Executive Committee.  However, no unit at USC offers the range of coursework and research opportunities representative of an advanced degree program in transportation systems or transportation systems engineering, broadly defined.

The USC members of the METRANS Executive Committee, the Electrical Engineering – Systems faculty, the School of Policy Planning and Development faculty, and the Civil Engineering faculty concur that establishing an interdisciplinary Ph.D. program in Transportation Systems Engineering is the best, most cost-effective way to make use of the USC's transportation faculty resources.  As result, the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department will propose mounting a new Ph.D. degree in transportation, in cooperation with other units, that draws on the teaching resources represented by the University's full complement of transportation faculty.  A prospectus for this new program has been approved by the University of Southern California.  This approves the concept of the program in principle.  USC faculty on the METRANS Executive Committee are collaborating to draft the proposed curriculum.

CSULB/USC Joint PhD Program

USC and CSULB faculty are discussing the creation of a new joint PhD Program in Civil Engineering with a focus on transportation engineering.  Both institutions already have joint curricula in place.  The length of the joint CSULB/USC program would be 64 units, either 30 at CSULB and 34 at USC, or 27 at CSULB and 37 at USC.  USC Ph.D. students in civil engineering must complete at least 60 units of coursework and four units of dissertation registration (CE 794a,b).  Mounting a new CSULB/USC Joint Ph.D. Program does not require creation of a new degree at either institution. Consequently, this new program would take only students with a BSCE credential

This new degree option may potentially be of considerable importance to METRANS.  It would provide an avenue for CSULB graduate students funded as research assistants on METRANS research projects to continue their graduate education beyond the MSCE degree. In previous years, a small but consistent stream of CSULB engineering undergraduates have transitioned to USC for graduate work.  Hopefully, this program would increase this flow, and prove to be of permanent and lasting importance to the USC School of Engineering and CSULB College of Engineering in addition to METRANS.

CSULB MA in Global Logistics

CSULB will launch a new Master of Arts in Global Logistics in Fall 2001.  The new degree is interdisciplinary, combining the analytical skills of a traditional MBA with a strong emphasis on logistics in a global setting.    It is a 30 unit accelerated graduate program that can be completed in less than two years, and it will be offered through CITT.  Development of the degree is a response to increasing demand for broad training in global logistics and supply chain management.  It is designed to prepare the profession to deal with the complexities of supplier relations/selection, purchasing negotiations, operations, e-commerce and many other dimensions of supply chain management.

E. DESCRIPTION OF TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Technical Training:

CSULB offers a series of industry driven training programs through the University College and Extension Services/ CITT.  The Global Logistics Specialist (GLS â) professional designation is the foundation of a spectrum of programs to cover the industry's training/education needs.   It is designed to set a professional standard for the international trade logistics industry and, as such, is aimed at foreign traders and all stakeholders involved in the movement of cargo around the world.  This includes both asset-based companies (ocean carriers, rail, trucking and warehousing) and non-asset based companies (freight forwarders, customs house broker, consolidators, etc.).  In an industry/university partnership, the curriculum is designed to provide broad based, hands-on training for individuals involved in, or entering any part of the logistics chain. Carefully selected topics have been grouped into five core modules that will be offered within a one year time frame one night per week from 6:30 - 9:30 PM at CSULB's World Trade Center offices in Long Beach.  Each module contains up-to-date, practical information delivered through innovative hands-on instruction making the program a unique training concept in this industry.  After successfully completing all five module and submission of a capstone project on integrated logistics planning, the participant will earn a professional designation and be a Global Logistics Specialist. 

Additionally the CITT offers an on-line U.S. Customs Examination preparation, and HazMat training programs at the CSULB's World Trade Center offices in Long Beach and at company workplaces.

Workshops:  CITT Workshop 1

With sponsorship from METRANS, The Center for International Trade and Transportation (CITT) is conducting a series of three workshops.  These workshops are an outcome of the ILWU Town Hall Meetings and the growing realization that solutions must be found to address growing congestion problems and increasing public resistance to growth in containerized goods movement.  The first workshop was held in May, and its purpose was to lay out the possible implications of extending the hours of operation of ocean terminals in order to improve port and supply chain operations efficiency.  Using a tool called the “Implications Wheel”®, industry stakeholders identified over 300 implications.  The information gathered is being analyzed and summarized, and will be distributed to stakeholders in the form of a white paper.  The second workshop, scheduled for October 2001, will explore the potential of information technology for easing congestion in the seaports and on the region’s freeways.

ILWU Town Hall Meeting

With sponsorship from METRANS, The Center for International Trade and Transportation (CITT) staged the Third Annual ILWU State of the Trade and Transportation Industry Town Hall Meeting and Industry forum, titled, “Solutions: Perspectives on the Future of Goods Movement in the Southern California Region” at the Carpenter Performing Arts Center at California State University, Long Beach, California.  The event was staged in two parts and attracted a total of about 1,600 industry stakeholders, including organized labor, port authorities, and public officials. 

The emphasis of the Third ILWU Town Hall Meeting was on presenting “solutions” from the perspective of various industry stakeholders to coordinate and improve the logistics pipeline of seaport-bound multimodal goods movement.  The message of the meeting was, “global connectivity and collective responsibility for future growth, economic well-being, and job security in the Ports of Los Angeles/Long Beach.  Industry panelists offered solutions from their unique industry perspective that would avoid potential gridlock in the Ports and on connecting freeways.

Part One:

Subtitled: Third Annual ILWU State of the Trade and Transportation Town Hall Meeting, staged on January 31,2001.  The focus of Part One was on a proposal presented by the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU).  This was a history-making event as for the first time, organized labor proactively presented a solution, rather than reacting to plans traditionally offered by management.  The ILWU proposal was critiqued and analyzed by an industry panel.

Part Two:

Subtitled: A Forum for the Trade and Transportation Industry, was staged on February 15, 2001. The focus of Part Two was on proposals addressing the same issues presented by Industry stakeholders followed by a critique and analysis of an industry panel that included members of the ILWU.

The CITT received full support of and financial sponsorships from the ILWU Locals #13, #63, and  #94 leadership, the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA), and the executive directors of the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.  Furthermore, the event received formal endorsement by the board of directors of twelve trade associations.  The event was open and free of charge to anyone affected by and interested in trade related transportation issues.

Prior to both events, a VIP reception was held.  The purpose for the reception was to provide industry leaders an opportunity to communicate with the presenters.

Both events were webcasted; the webcasts will remain available for one year, until February 2002, at www.amp.csulb.edu/projects .

The outcome of the events was a full success by any measure.  It brought together a cross-section of the ILWU rank and file and industry professionals to educate them on the need for collaboration between stakeholders and for devising a plan to deal with the projected exponential growth in containerized goods volume.  A participant survey yielded 454 responses.  Participants viewed the events as having high value, and supported a continuation of the Annual Town Hall series.

The ILWU State of the Trade and Transportation Industry Town Hall Meetings have been praised by union members, management and Long Beach and Los Angeles Port officials. The extent of local stakeholder support is demonstrated by the formal endorsements received, as well as by the $42,500 in matching funds contributed to CITT in support of this event.

“Building Bridges”

A bi-monthly newsletter, Building Bridges, began publication in January 2001.  The newsletter is a briefing document intended to inform and promote dialogue within the maritime/logistics industry community.  5000 copies of each issue are distributed to ILWU local members, industry leaders, and METRANS Advisory Board Members.  In addition, the newsletters are made available at the Town Hall meetings, at trade association meetings, and via the METRANS and CITT websites.

The objectives of Building Bridges are:

· To provide a neutral communications channel on industry issues

· To lead to fruitful and open dialogue

· To encourage closer cooperation among all industry stakeholders

The newsletter is formulated, edited and distributed by an Editor-in-chief selected by the CITT Engagement Subcommittee.  An Editorial Board including members of the subcommittee, an ILWU representative, and the METRANS Director provides oversight.  Copies of the first three issues of Building Bridges are included in the Appendix.

Outreach Events

METRANS held its second annual research conference in the spring of 2001, as mentioned earlier.  In addition:

METRANS provided logistical support for the event Activism and Motility in the Global City, Transportation in Los Angeles 1970-2000, held on December 14, 2000 by the Automobile Club of Southern.  The event took place on the USC Campus and was attended by 186 participants and staff.  The event brought together some of the region’s significant transportation trends of the past 30 years, along with scholars, public officials, and citizens  

METRANS provided the organization and logistics for the FHWA Operations Workshop “ Building Freight Capacity through Better Operations: Defining the National Agenda,” held on July 26-27, 2001 at the Hyatt Regency Long Beach.  This workshop is designed to set priorities for goods movement and freight in future legislation to renew TEA 21 (see agenda attached).  FHWA selected METRANS as the event organizer because of the center’s accomplishments in the goods movement area.

Outreach - Video Documentation

Technology transfer activities at CSULB also included documenting and digitizing a select group of research projects with the objective of creating archives, and providing videos for webcasting via the METRANS website.  Approximately 80% of the documentation task was completed during the 2000/2001 year.  The remaining 20% of production and editing tasks are scheduled to be completed by September 30, 2001.

The following METRANS projects are included in the video documentation:

99-03   Task Decomp Model for Dispatchers in Dynamic Scheduling of Demand Responsive Transit Systems

99-05   Improving Fuel Economy and Emission Performance of Commercial Goods Transportation

99-07   Modeling and Route Guidance of Trucks in Metropolitan Area

99-14   3D Virtual and Physical Simulation of Automated Container Terminal Facilities and Analysis of Impact on In-Land Transportation

99-19   Solid State Sorption Air Condition System for Containerships and Vehicles

99-22   Highway Oriented Transit System (HOTS):  A Comprehensive Land Use-Transportation Strategy

00-06   Assessment of Hybrid vehicle Control Strategies in Planning Future Metropolitan/Urban Transit Systems

Research Project Selection

Five of the selected research projects have clear commercialization potential.  

· Rahai: Reducing Pollutants from Mobile Sources (01/02)

· Johnson: Smart Damping Devices for Monitoring the Health of Bridge Structures (01/02)

· Toosi: Solid State Sorption Air Conditioner System for Containerships and Vehicles. (99/00)  (Phase 2, 00/01)

· Ronney: Improving Fuel Economy and Emissions Performance of Commercial Goods Transportation and Mass Transit Vehicles Using Throttleless Engines (98/99)

· Khoshnevis: 3D Virtual and Physical Simulation of Automated Container Terminal Facilities and Analysis of Impact on In-land Transportation (98/99)

All projects are creating prototypes that we hope to see used in actual transportation in the future.

Website

The METRANS website is fully operational.  In addition to required listings of projects and center personnel, users can download the METRANS strategic plan and annual report, obtain information on recent events (e.g. conferences, Town Hall meetings), identify educational programs in transportation and link to 120 sources of transportation information.  In particular, we have sought out organizations that find funding for transportation research, student internships, student awards and professional organizations, and provided links to their webpages. 

In 2000/2001, the website was enhanced in a variety of ways, including project report downloads, a bulletin board for discussion on transportation topics, and directories of faculty, students and courses. The outreach newsletter Building Bridges is available on the website.  We also added a UTC search engine, to locate documents on UTC websites by keyword.  Information on research projects, researchers and students is available, as are all completed project final reports, METRANS conference presentations, and meeting summaries.

Commercialization Project

METRANS has funded one technology commercialization project.   The project falls in our goods movement focus area.  The objective of the project is to design and develop a system of staggered guide vanes, placed on the top and sides of trucks and trailers near their rear ends for reducing their overall drag.  Reduction in the drag will result in reduction in fuel consumption, which is beneficial both economically and environmentally. 

The effects of top and bottom rear guide vanes on surface static pressure of a model truck with and without a crosswind have been experimentally investigated. Results show significant increase in the base pressure and reduction in the overall pressure force applied to the truck with both the top and bottom guide vanes.   Further studies are underway to investigate the overall drag of the vehicle with 1) Rear momentum injection and 2) Different boat tail models. The task in this period includes development of the optimized configuration for a prototype development.

Results for the optimized configuration indicate more than 25% reduction in the overall drag of the model truck without the crosswind and more than 20% drag reduction with the crosswind at 60 MPH. Based on the optimized design configuration, a prototype model for a medium size trailer has been developed for road tests. The road tests will be performed according to the SAE standard to assess the effects of the optimized boat tail on the fuel efficiency of the trailer-truck.

Project Reports

Project reports are distributed through the METRANS website.  The Research page of the site provides a convenient mechanism for downloading and viewing reports.  All completed reports are available online.

F. LIST OF PROJECTS

The following lists new, ongoing and completed research projects in METRANS.  Complete project descriptions can be found on the METRANS web site at www.metrans.org  .

New Projects:

Project Number                   01-2        

Research Project                Reducing Pollutants from Mobile Sources

Project Number                   01-3

Research Project                Analysis of Vibrations as Infrastructure Deterioration Caused by

                                                High-speed Rail Transit

Project Number                   01-5

Research Project                Re-engineering the Logistics of Empty Cargo Containers in the SCAG Region

Project Number                   01-6

Research Project                A Methodology for Joint Optimization of Service and Life Cycle

Environmental Assessment of Transportation Systems

Project Number                   01-10

Research Project                Smart Damping Devices for Monitoring the Health of  Bridge Structures

Project Number                   01-14

Research Project                Development and Test Methodology for the Evaluation of Highway/Widening

                                                Plans to Facilitate Freight Flows Throughout a Major Metropolitan Area

Project Number                   01-16

Research Project                Dynamic Optimization of Cargo Movement by Trucks in Metropolitan Areas

                                                With Adjacent Ports

Ongoing Projects:

Draft Report Submitted

Project Number:  99-14

Research Project:               3D Virtual and Physical Simulation of Automated Container Terminal Facilities and Analysis of Impact on In-Land Transportation

Project Number:                  99-20

Research Project:               Use of Robotics and Expert Systems in Improving the Handling Containers at the Port Terminals

Project Number:                  99-23

Research Project:               Non-Invasive Means of Investigating Container Contents for Customs Agents at Port

Research in Progress

Project Number:                  99-5

Research Project:               Improving Fuel Economy and Emissions Performance of Commercial Goods Transportation and Mass Transit Vehicles Using Throttleless Engines

Project Number:                  00-3

Research Project:               Alternative Access and Locations for Air Cargo

Project Number:                  00-5

Research Project:               Developing Risk Model for Commercial Goods Transport

Project Number:                  00-6

Research Project:               Assessment of Hybrid Vehicle Control Strategies in Planning Future Metropolitan/Urban Transit Systems

Project Number:                  00-7

Research Project:               Solid State Sorption Air Conditioner System for Containerships and Vehicles Phase II

Project Number:                  00-8

Research Project:               Travel Patterns of the Elderly

Project Number:                  00-11

Research Project:               Investigating the Role of Driver Decision Styles in Highway-Rail Crossing Accidents

Project Number:                  00-12

Research Project:               Freeway Bus Station Area Development: Critical Evaluation and Design Guidelines

Project Number:                  00-13

Research Project:               Distributed Architecture for Real-Time Coordination in Transit Networks

Project Number:                  00-15

Research Project:               Dynamic Optimization of Cargo Movement by Trucks in Metropolitan Area with Adjacent Ports

Project Number:                  00-16

Research Project:               Design and Optimization of a Conceptual Automated Yard Using Overhead Grid Rail System

Project Number:                  00-17

Research Project:               An Integrated Approach to Managing Local Container Traffic Growth in the Long Beach/Los Angeles Port Complex Phase II

Completed Projects:

Project Number:                  99-3

Research Project:               A Task Decomposition Model for Dispatchers in Dynamic Scheduling of Demand Responsive Transit Systems

Project Number:  99-7

Research Project:               Modeling and Route Guidance of Trucks in Metropolitan Area

Project Number:  99-10

Research Project:               Implementing a Statewide Goods Movement Strategy and Performance Measurement of Goods Movement in California

Project Number:  99-11

Research Project:               The Role of Public Transit in Mobility of Low Income Households

Project Number:                  99-18

Research Project:               Identification and Analysis of Local Agency Transit Project Performance

Criteria

Project Number:                  99-19

Research Project:               Solid State Sorption Air Condition System for Containerships and Vehicles – Phase I

Project Number:                  99-22

Research Project:               Highway Oriented Transit System (HOTS): A Comprehensive Land Use-Transportation Strategy to Improve Transit Service Delivery

Project Number:                  99-25

Research Project:               Assembling and Processing Freight Shipment Data:  Developing a GIS-Based Origin-Destination Matrix for Southern California Freight Flows

Project Number:                  99-27

Research Project:               Dynamic Coordination Framework for Resource Allocation in Trucking Operations

G. FUNDING SOURCES AND USES

Funding Sources

This section reports on cumulative budgeted expenses and income for the first three years of METRANS’ existence (1998 – 2001).  METRANS received $2,303,266 in total funding during this period.  42% of funds have come from U.S. Department of Transportation, and an equal match amount has come from California Department of Transportation.  METRANS has obtained additional funding from a variety of state/local government, industry and other (organized labor) sources in support of research projects and technology transfer events.  7% of funding has come via cost-share from the University of Southern California.  $1.38 in matching funds has been obtained for each dollar of federal funding.

Funding Uses

The primary use of METRANS funds has been for research, accounting for 57% of total expenditures.   METRANS administrative expenses have amounted to 25% of the total.  This percentage includes administrative expenses associated with mounting events and contests, administrative support for educational and technology transfer activities, preparation of the strategic plan and maintenance of the METRANS web site.  The third largest expenditure category has been technology transfer.  Although educational expenses have been a modest 1%, student salaries account for the largest expense category in research projects.  METRANS is meeting educational needs through student involvement in projects. 

Please refer to Section I of the financial section of the report for additional detail on expenditures and income. 

APPENDIX