The Pacific Southwest Region 9 University Transportation Center (PSR UTC), one of METRANS’ research centers, organized and hosted the 2018 National Travel Monitoring and Exposition Conference (NaTMEC). The conference provides the premier venue where state and MPO traffic data collectors, traffic data users, academics, and managers of data programs come together to be aware of new products and services.

The four-day conference included sessions within four different tracks:

• Traffic Data Collection sessions highlighted cutting edge innovations related to traffic monitoring equipment, field fundamentals, technology, maintenance, and data collection methods for motorized, bicyclist, or pedestrian traffic.
• Traffic Data Tools sessions focused on best practice tools as they relate to traffic data analysis, quality assurance, reporting, storage, and presentation methods, including: software and specialized products for motorized; data integration, analysis, and quality assurance; data visualization; data reporting; vendor tools; and new technologies.
• The Traffic Data Utilization and Non-motorized track detailed shared experiences, innovations, and best practices using motorized, bicyclist, or pedestrian traffic data from State Programs, Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPO), local agency programs, and private industry, with aspects of data visualization and data sharing between agencies.
• Lastly, Traffic Data Applications sessions dealt with the utilization of traffic data in various applications such as database integration for improved decision making, improving traffic volume estimates, work-zone performance evaluation, congestion monitoring, disaster planning and operations management, and MAP-21 reporting, featuring new types of traffic data and their application in these areas.

Presentations at NaTMEC ranged from “Collision Data Analysis” to “Intersection Pedestrian Tracking through Bluetooth Technology” to “Urban Redevelopment Impact on Measuring and Utilizing Non-motorized Traffic.” The conference also held meetings, poster sessions, and workshops, including a mobile workshop in the form of a guided bicycle tour of Orange County.

“We were thrilled to host NaTMEC 2018,” said Victoria Deguzman, METRANS Associate Director of Administration. “This year’s conference drew a record number of attendees (nearly 500), a record number of student participants (more than 50), a record number of vendors (35), and, for the first time, corporate sponsorships. We are truly grateful to all who made this possible—the FHWA for giving us this opportunity, and the countless number of staff, volunteers, vendors, and sponsors who generously shared their time, talent, and resources to make this event such success.”

NaTMEC 2018 took place June 10-13, 2018 and was hosted by the PSR UTC. This year’s conference was supported by the Federal Highway Administration, Office of Highway Policy Information (FHWA), American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), and Institute of Transportation Engineers, Southern California Section (ITE SoCal).

PSR is the Region 9 UTC funded under the US Department of Transportation’s University Transportation Centers Program. It is led by the University of Southern California and includes seven partners: Long Beach State University, UC Davis, UC Irvine, UCLA, University of Hawaii, Northern Arizona University, and Pima Community College. PSR is structured to build a strong university-government-industry partnership through a region-wide network to guide the development and implementation of the center’s research, education, and technology transfer programs.