Ecological survey needs related to transportation activities and new approaches for meeting those needs are examined in a synthesis report produced under the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP Project 20-5, Topic 39-12). The report is based on a 2008 survey of personnel at state departments of transportation and state fish and wildlife agencies who were most familiar with environmental survey needs and new approaches to meeting them. Examples of new approaches include data collection and analysis, bringing data into common geographic information systems (GIS) formats, and improving cooperative working relationships among transportation and resource agencies. The report also provides a matrix of new technologies and methods organized by different phases in the transportation process as well as case studies and a list of referenced literature and websites. For more information, link to NCHRP Synthesis 400: New Approaches to Ecological Surveys (Project 20-5, Topic 39-12). (1-8-10)

[back to top]

The Winter 2010 issue of the Federal Highway Administration’s quarterly GIS in Transportation newsletter features a Q&A with the Geographic Information Systems Manager at the Nebraska Department of Roads, on the development of an online Right of Way (ROW) GIS-based application to help highway construction technical personnel access data for ROW staking purposes.  The newsletter also includes an editorial on the development by the New York State DOT of a GIS application for obtaining data on road status and damage assessments associated with emergency management. Updates on recent GIS reports are also provided. For more information, link to the GIS in Transportation Newsletter – Winter 2010. (12-28-09)

[back to top]

The Federal Highway Administration’s Resource Center has published the December 2009 issue of its Centered on Service newsletter. The latest issue features an article on the use of visualization technologies in transportation planning, including three-dimensional imaging and animations and geographic information system-based planning tools. The article includes highlights of a recent FHWA-sponsored peer exchange on the use of 3-D visualization techniques by transportation agencies. The newsletter also provides updates on technical assistance, technology deployment, training, and upcoming events. For more information, link to Centered on Service Vol. 5, Issue 4. (12-22-09)

[back to top]

The Environmental Protection Agency has released an external review draft of a GIS tool and related user’s guide for generating scenarios of housing-density changes and calculating impervious surface cover for the conterminous United States. The tool was prepared by the National Center for Environmental Assessment’s Global Climate Research staff to distribute the population projections and create land use data described in EPA’s 2009 final report "Land-Use Scenarios: National-Scale Housing-Density Scenarios Consistent with Climate Change Storylines." Comments are due Jan. 7, 2010. For more information, link to the Federal Register notice and NCEA’s website. (12-8-09)

[back to top]

The Federal Highway Administration will host the fifth in its quarterly series of webcasts on the application of GIS and other geospatial technologies to transportation on Dec. 14, 2009, from 1-2 PM EST. The webcast will feature the Washington Department of Transportation’s Winter Operations Geospatial Application. For more information, including summaries of previous webcasts, link to the Quarterly GIS Webcasts. (12-3-09)

[back to top]

The Federal Highway Administration has published a summary of the fourth in its quarterly series of webcasts on the application of GIS and other geospatial technologies to transportation. The Sept. 25, 2009, webcast focused on the development of the Nevada Department of Transportation’s GeoTrans multi-level referencing system and Event GeoLocator application to track and analyze data on crash events. The summary covers the PowerPoint presentation at the webcast and includes details of the question-and-answer session following the presentation. For more information, including summaries of previous webcasts, link to the Quarterly GIS Webcasts. (10-20-09)

[back to top]

The Federal Highway Administration has published the Fall 2009 issue of its quarterly newsletter on efforts by state departments of transportation, metropolitan planning organizations, and other transportation organizations to develop and implement GIS and geospatial technologies. The current issue features a Q&A with Washington State Department of Transportation officials on WSDOT’s GIS-based winter operations system. The application has allowed WSDOT to better track and manage maintenance activities and respond to winter storm events. The newsletter also includes an editorial on a new web-based GIS Portal developed by the Minnesota Department of Transportation and includes updates on recent GIS reports. For more information, link to the GIS in Transportation Newsletter – Fall 2009. (10-19-09)

[back to top]

A compilation of new technologies, practices, and other tools for environmental field data collection during the analysis of existing conditions, impacts, and potential mitigation required under the National Environmental Policy Act are provided in a new report produced under the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP Project 25-25, Task 48). The research sought to develop and maintain an ongoing compendium of environmental fieldwork technologies through an online survey of all state departments of transportation. Detailed follow-up interviews also were conducted with state DOTs that identified themselves as leaders in environmental fieldwork technologies and practices in four disciplines: cultural resources, ecology, water permitting, and noise analysis. Additional surveys of selected consultants of some of the state DOTs were also performed. The report documents results of the surveys for each of the discipline areas and presents conclusions. For more information, link to the Compendium of Environmental Fieldwork Technologies (NCHRP 25-25, Task 48). (10-16-09)

[back to top]

The Federal Highway Administration has published a report summarizing the proceedings at a peer exchange held on Aug. 22-23, 2009, for recipients of FHWA’s Eco-Logical grants to discuss various GIS activities implemented under the program. In 2007 FHWA funded 15 cooperative agreements totaling $1.4 million with state and local departments of transportation, resource agencies, metropolitan planning organizations, and others for pilot projects supporting the new planning provisions and environmental review process under SAFETEA-LU and Executive Order 13274. The report summarizes the presentation sessions and discussions at the peer exchange and is intended to serve as a resource for transportation agencies on the uses of GIS to support implementation of an ecosystem approach to project development. For more information, link to GIS Applications in Eco-Logical Grant Projects – Peer Exchange Summary Report. (10-13-09)

[back to top]

AASHTO is sponsoring the 23rd Annual Geographic Information Systems for Transportation (GIS-T) Symposium to be held April 12-14, 2010, in Charleston, W.Va. The symposium will feature keynote speakers, discussion forums, workshops, presentations, and a technology hall where exhibitors showcase their services. Organizations and individuals from government and private industry with information related to GIS in transportation are encouraged to share their experience by presenting at the symposium.  For more information, link to the GIS-T Symposium Website. (9-2-09)

[back to top]