Assessment of Data-Collection Techniques for Highway Agencies

2003 ◽  
Vol 1855 (1) ◽  
pp. 129-135 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen Robichaud ◽  
Martin Gordon
Keyword(s):  
Data Collection ◽  
Prince Edward Island ◽  
The United States ◽  
Traffic Monitoring ◽  
Public Works ◽  
Department Of Transportation ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Highway Network ◽  
Traffic Volumes ◽  
Cost Implications

In the last decade, many agencies within Canada and the United States have initiated programs to assess the effectiveness of their traffic-monitoring programs and the value gained from their traffic-monitoring dollars. A project was initiated by the British Columbia Ministry of Transportation to assess the accuracy of the existing traffic-monitoring system and to compare it to alternatives for estimating traffic volumes on the highway network. The study included a review of findings from similar projects by the New Brunswick Department of Transportation and the Prince Edward Island Department of Transportation and Public Works. The options for traffic data collection considered by all three provincial agencies and the accuracy and cost implications that can be expected from each option are presented. Two methods for expanding short-term traffic counts to estimate average daily traffic volumes are discussed. The reported accuracy estimates allow practitioners to better understand cost and accuracy trade-offs.

Findings from the California Vehicle Inventory and Use Survey

2019 ◽  
Vol 2673 (11) ◽  
pp. 349-360 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mobashwir Khan ◽  
Anurag Komanduri ◽  
Kalin Pacheco ◽  
Cemal Ayvalik ◽  
Kimon Proussaloglou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Data Collection ◽  
Commercial Vehicle ◽  
The United States ◽  
Department Of Transportation ◽  
California Department ◽  
Fine Grained ◽  
Vehicle Type ◽  
Vehicle Data ◽  
Almost All ◽  
Data Collection Effort

This paper describes the findings from the California Vehicle Inventory and Use Survey (CA-VIUS) which was administered between June 2016 and January 2018 and obtained data from a total of 11,118 fleets and 14,790 trucks. The surveys were segmented by registration, geography, vehicle type, and vehicle age, and the data collection effort exceeded sampling targets across almost all segments. The CA-VIUS is the largest statewide commercial vehicle data collection effort in the United States and will replace the 2002 National VIUS in transportation planning and emissions studies throughout California. Currently, the wealth of information provided by the survey is supporting the development of the California Statewide Freight Forecasting Model which is a fine-grained behavioral freight model. This model will allow California Department of Transportation and its partners to make more informed infrastructure and operational investment decisions. The CA-VIUS data will also be useful for researchers and practitioners hoping to understand the impacts and benefits of commercial vehicle movements on air quality, economic activity, safety, and vehicle usage. This paper documents key sampling and survey approaches, but mainly focuses on the key findings observed in the survey. This is a practical paper geared towards practitioners who are seeking to analyze a new VIUS survey and those who wish to implement one of their own.

Length-Based Vehicle Classification Schemes and Length Bin Boundaries

2013 ◽  
Vol 2339 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-29 ◽  
Author(s):  
Herbert Weinblatt ◽  
Erik Minge ◽  
Scott Petersen
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
The United States ◽  
Traffic Monitoring ◽  
Vehicle Classification ◽  
Pavement Performance ◽  
Department Of Transportation ◽  
Classification Schemes ◽  
Weigh In Motion

Vehicle classification data are an important component of traffic-monitoring programs. Although most vehicle classification conducted in the United States is axle based, some applications could be supplemented or replaced by length-based data. The typically higher deployment cost and reliability issues associated with collecting axle-based data as compared with length-based data present a challenge. This paper reports on analyses of alternative length-based vehicle classification schemes and appropriate length bin boundaries. The primary analyses use data from a set of 13 Long-Term Pavement Performance weigh-in-motion sites, all in rural areas; additional analyses are conducted with data from 11 Michigan Department of Transportation weigh-in-motion sites located in rural and small urban areas and one site located in an urbanized area. For most states, the recommended length-based vehicle classification scheme is a four-bin scheme (motorcycles, short, medium, and long) with an optional very long bin recommended for use by states in which significant numbers of longer combination vehicles operate.

Seasonal Factors Using Vehicle Classification Data

1997 ◽  
Vol 1593 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-28 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nikiforos Stamatiadis ◽  
David L. Allen
Keyword(s):  
Data Collection ◽  
Cost Allocation ◽  
The United States ◽  
Vehicle Classification ◽  
Seasonal Adjustment ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Weigh In Motion ◽  
Traffic Volumes ◽  
Adjustment Factors ◽  
Relationship Of

The increased use of equipment having automatic vehicle classification capabilities and weigh-in-motion devices produces a large amount of new data that can provide some insights into understanding traffic patterns more efficiently. These data can be used in determining seasonal adjustment factors for correcting traffic counts, in estimating truck traffic for highway cost allocation studies, and in predicting traffic volumes for roadways. However, due to practical limitations, it is not possible to obtain continuous data collection for all roads; thus, short-term counts are usually performed. Therefore, it is important to understand the relationship of the data obtained in a short-term period to those for the entire year. A study is currently under way that determines these relationships and develops seasonal adjustment factors for the state of Kentucky. The first step of the study was a survey of current uses of vehicle classification data and methods used for data collection throughout the United States. The results indicated that most states use no seasonal adjustment factors nor are they planning to develop any factors in the near future. At the same time, analysis of 2 years of vehicle classification data was used to develop seasonal and daily factors for Kentucky. Currently, the validation of these factors is under way. The preliminary analysis indicated that seasonal adjustment factors are essential in developing accurate estimates of traffic volumes for each vehicle type, and their use can improve the estimation of daily volumes.

Winning the Argument and Moving the Fight: The Legacy of a Grassroots Humanitarian

Public Voices ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 115
Author(s):  
Mary Coleman
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
United States ◽  
Winning Strategy ◽  
Supreme Court Decision ◽  
The United States ◽  
Colleges And Universities ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
The Political ◽  
Political Actors ◽  
Trade Offs

The author of this article argues that the two-decades-long litigation struggle was necessary to push the political actors in Mississippi into a more virtuous than vicious legal/political negotiation. The second and related argument, however, is that neither the 1992 United States Supreme Court decision in Fordice nor the negotiation provided an adequate riposte to plaintiffs’ claims. The author shows that their chief counsel for the first phase of the litigation wanted equality of opportunity for historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), as did the plaintiffs. In the course of explicating the role of a legal grass-roots humanitarian, Coleman suggests lessons learned and trade-offs from that case/negotiation, describing the tradeoffs as part of the political vestiges of legal racism in black public higher education and the need to move HBCUs to a higher level of opportunity at a critical juncture in the life of tuition-dependent colleges and universities in the United States. Throughout the essay the following questions pose themselves: In thinking about the Road to Fordice and to political settlement, would the Justice Department lawyers and the plaintiffs’ lawyers connect at the point of their shared strength? Would the timing of the settlement benefit the plaintiffs and/or the State? Could plaintiffs’ lawyers hold together for the length of the case and move each piece of the case forward in a winning strategy? Who were plaintiffs’ opponents and what was their strategy? With these questions in mind, the author offers an analysis of how the campaign— political/legal arguments and political/legal remedies to remove the vestiges of de jure segregation in higher education—unfolded in Mississippi, with special emphasis on the initiating lawyer in Ayers v. Waller and Fordice, Isaiah Madison

scholarly journals Costing interventions in the field: preliminary cost estimates and lessons learned from an evaluation of community-wide mass drug administration for elimination of soil-transmitted helminths in the DeWorm3 trial

BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. e049734
Author(s):  
Katya Galactionova ◽  
Maitreyi Sahu ◽  
Samuel Paul Gideon ◽  
Saravanakumar Puthupalayam Kaliappan ◽  
Chloe Morozoff ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Data Collection ◽  
Drug Administration ◽  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Mass Drug Administration ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Secondary Outcome ◽  
Data Quality Control ◽  
Soil Transmitted Helminths ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Rich Data

ObjectiveTo present a costing study integrated within the DeWorm3 multi-country field trial of community-wide mass drug administration (cMDA) for elimination of soil-transmitted helminths.DesignTailored data collection instruments covering resource use, expenditure and operational details were developed for each site. These were populated alongside field activities by on-site staff. Data quality control and validation processes were established. Programmed routines were used to clean, standardise and analyse data to derive costs of cMDA and supportive activities.SettingField site and collaborating research institutions.Primary and secondary outcome measuresA strategy for costing interventions in parallel with field activities was discussed. Interim estimates of cMDA costs obtained with the strategy were presented for one of the trial sites.ResultsThe study demonstrated that it was both feasible and advantageous to collect data alongside field activities. Practical decisions on implementing the strategy and the trade-offs involved varied by site; trialists and local partners were key to tailoring data collection to the technical and operational realities in the field. The strategy capitalised on the established processes for routine financial reporting at sites, benefitted from high recall and gathered operational insight that facilitated interpretation of the estimates derived. The methodology produced granular costs that aligned with the literature and allowed exploration of relevant scenarios. In the first year of the trial, net of drugs, the incremental financial cost of extending deworming of school-aged children to the whole community in India site averaged US$1.14 (USD, 2018) per person per round. A hypothesised at-scale routine implementation scenario yielded a much lower estimate of US$0.11 per person treated per round.ConclusionsWe showed that costing interventions alongside field activities offers unique opportunities for collecting rich data to inform policy toward optimising health interventions and for facilitating transfer of economic evidence from the field to the programme.Trial registration numberNCT03014167; Pre-results.

scholarly journals Risk, Recessions and Resilience: Towards Sustainable Local Labor Markets through Employment Portfolio Analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (14) ◽  
pp. 7926
Author(s):  
Bharman Gulati ◽  
Stephan Weiler
Keyword(s):  
Labor Market ◽  
Labor Markets ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
The United States ◽  
Local Economy ◽  
Local Labor Markets ◽  
Local Labor Market ◽  
Business Survival ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
New Business

This paper explores the role of local labor market dynamics on the survival of new businesses. The characteristics of the local labor market are likely to influence the survival of new businesses, the level of entrepreneurship, and the resilience of the regional economy. We apply portfolio theory to evaluate employment-based and income-based measures of risk-and-return trade-offs in local labor markets on new business survival in the United States. Our results show that volatility in local labor markets has a positive impact on new business survival, especially in Metropolitan Statistical Areas. The results are robust across different timeframes, including during economic downturns, thus highlighting the contribution of new businesses in developing the resilience of the local economy, and further promoting sustainable regional economic development.

scholarly journals Bringing Older Adults to the Table: Opportunities for Consumer Engagement in Planning and Policy Making

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 102-102
Author(s):  
Alice Prendergast ◽  
Kristi Fuller
Keyword(s):  
Data Collection ◽  
Community Engagement ◽  
Community Involvement ◽  
Social Connectedness ◽  
Planning Process ◽  
The United States ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Service Planning ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Design Data

Abstract Efforts to include community voice in health policy and service planning are gaining recognition and support in the United States. Findings suggest community involvement can contribute to a better understanding of systems and factors that impact health, and, subsequently, more effective and sustainable policy and program design. Additionally, engagement can increase community buy-in, and community members can gain a greater awareness of services; increased confidence navigating systems; feelings of social connectedness; and capacity to advocate around issues through participation. Despite these findings, the extent to which community members are engaged in planning and decision-making varies considerably. Researchers from Georgia State University conducted a review of state plans on aging using the Person-Centered Outcomes Research Initiative (PCORI) Engagement Principles and the Health Research & Educational Trust’s Community and Patient Engagement Spectrum as frameworks to assess evidence of community engagement. The frameworks recognize engagement throughout the planning process, including design, data collection and interpretation, and dissemination. The review revealed that few planning processes described significant engagement, but rather met the minimal requirements established by federal policy. Federal guidance on community-informed planning practices is sparse, as are resources to support states in adopting these processes. To address this gap, the research team drew on the frameworks and other promising practices to design two community engagement projects, both in partnership with Georgia’s Division of Aging Services. Methods for participant engagement, data collection, interpretation and application of results, and lessons learned through both projects will be discussed, as well as potential implications.

scholarly journals Limited Genetic Diversity in North American Isolates of Phytophthora erythroseptica Pathogenic to Potato Based on RAPD Analysis

Plant Disease ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 89 (4) ◽  
pp. 380-384 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rick D. Peters ◽  
Rod J. Clark ◽  
Albert D. Coffin ◽  
Antony V. Sturz ◽  
David H. Lambert ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Diversity ◽  
North America ◽  
New Brunswick ◽  
Prince Edward Island ◽  
Random Amplified Polymorphic Dna ◽  
Geographic Origin ◽  
The United States ◽  
Vitro Assay ◽  
Phytophthora Erythroseptica

Pink rot of potato (Solanum tuberosum), caused by Phytophthora erythroseptica, is found wherever potatoes are grown, and in the last decade, it has reemerged as an economically important disease in Canada and the United States. A selection of isolates of P. erythroseptica from major potato-growing regions in North America, namely Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick, Canada, and Maine and Idaho, U.S.A., was assessed for genetic diversity with randomly chosen decanucleotide primers which were used to amplify regions of DNA to reveal polymorphisms among templates (random amplified polymorphic DNA [RAPD]). The isolates varied in their geographic origin as well as in their sensitivity to mefenoxam, as determined by an in vitro assay. In three separate RAPD screens (I, II, and III) with 23 isolates of P. erythroseptica chosen from a larger collection, 1,410, 369, and 316 robust, scorable bands were amplified, respectively. However, among the bands amplified in screens I, II, and III, only 3, 1, and 3 bands, respectively, were polymorphic. When three primers yielding polymorphisms were used to screen 106 isolates from Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick, or a representative collection of 32 isolates from Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Maine, and Idaho, no major variation was discovered. RAPD markers were not correlated with geographic origin or mefenoxam sensitivity of the isolates. From an evolutionary standpoint, the absence of genetic diversity among the isolates of P. erythroseptica we examined may be attributable to the relatively recent introduction of a small founding population of the pathogen in North America.

Why and How We Need to Fill Criminal Justice Data Gaps

2021 ◽  
Vol 33 (4) ◽  
pp. 259-261
Author(s):  
Arthur Rizer ◽  
Dan King
Keyword(s):  
Criminal Justice ◽  
Data Collection ◽  
Data Storage ◽  
Justice System ◽  
The United States ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Crime And Punishment ◽  
Data Gaps ◽  
Key Terms ◽  
Silver Bullet

For the past 50 plus years the United States has been debating the very nature of our criminal justice system. Are we too lenient? Are we too vindictive? Do we give too much power to our cops and prosecutors or too many protections to defendants? But maybe most important, is there a better way? Can we ensure we have both safety and dignity built into our system? These questions are extremely difficult for law makers to answer because of the moral implications involved with crime and punishment, but also because of one glaring weakness: data sharing and reporting. We simply do not have comprehensive data collection systems for policy makers to draw on to design interventions that can protect public safety and help heal community wounds. While there is no silver bullet that will fix these problems, we believe attention should be paid to: 1) fixing inconsistencies in key terms so data collection can be universal, 2) fixing the issues with delayed reporting so the data we have is up to date for researchers and policy makers, and 3) addressing issues with inadequate and inconsistent data storage so not only will the data be available but assessable to those who can use it to improve the system.

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