Posts tagged as "technology"
Webinar on Engaging People with Disabilities and Older Adults in Coordinated Planning
SURTC researcher Del Peterson will be participating in a webinar November 22 on engaging people with disabilities and older adults in coordinated planning. He will be presenting results from SURTC research regarding the use of technologies to improve public participation in transportation planning. The webinar is being hosted as part of a project sponsored by the Department of Health and Human Services' Administration for Community Living. More information about the webinar is below:
What's Research Got to do with It? Applying Evidence-based Practices to Improve the Participation of People with Disabilities and Older Adults in Coordinated Planning
Learn how evidence-based practices can be incorporated into strategies to engage people with disabilities and older adults in coordinated transportation planning; hear stories from SURTC researchers and ACL catalysts about how evidence-based practices are used in their work; obtain resources to identify evidence-based practices; and learn how to tap into the UTC program and other federal and non-federal resources related to research.
Speakers
- Del Peterson, associate research fellow with the Small Urban & Rural Transit Center (SURTC) located at North Dakota State University (NDSU)
- Crystal Lyons, president of Crystal Fortune Lyons, LLC, and a professional consulting company specializing in disability policy development and DOJ and DOT ADA Title II compliance.
- Jed Johnson, MSW, MBA, Director, National Veteran Caregiver Training Program, Easter Seals headquarters
- Full speaker biographies (PDF)(133 KB)
Webinar Information
- Nov. 22, 2:00-3:00 p.m. Eastern Time
- Click here to participate in the webinar.
To learn more about the Inclusive Coordinated Transportation Project, visit TransitPlanning4All.
Categories: Events, Research
Research Report – Effortless Passenger Identification System
A recently completed SURTC study evaluated the use of radio frequency identification (RFID) technology to track transit passengers. The technology is referred to as the Effortless Passenger Identification System (EPIS).
The RFID tags used by EPIS can be read at longer distances than the contactless or proximity cards currently used in the industry. This characteristic allows passengers to be identified and counted as they board and alight vehicles without requiring them to physically present their card within a short distance of an on-vehicle reader.
This study was funded by the Transportation Research Board's Transit Innovations Deserving Exploratory Analysis (IDEA) program and led by SURTC researcher Del Peterson. Peterson evaluated the technical, operational, and economic feasibility of using medium-range RFID technology to track transit passengers.
The technology successfully recorded riders boarding the bus almost 90 percent of the time during field testing conducted at North Dakota State University (NDSU). Controlled testing results indicated that the reader received a valid signal from the RFID card if it was in plain sight and there was no interference present.
Consumer acceptance surveys of college students, people with physical and mental disabilities, and parents of school-aged children yielded positive findings regarding the merit of this technology. The main obstacles are the issues of multiple reads occurring when riders get too close to the antennas, and the inability to read the cards successfully when interference is present.
A cost-benefit analysis showed that with proper ridership numbers, EPIS technology can provide an economic benefit to transit agencies.
A link to the final report is provided below. For more details, contact Del Peterson at del.peterson@ndsu.edu
SURTC Studies the Use of Technologies for Improving Public Participation
Public participation in the transit planning process is vital to ensure that transit services meet the needs of the public and provide the greatest benefit possible. However, the public is not always engaged in the planning process, and certain segments of the population may be underrepresented. The emergence of new technologies, including smartphones, webcasts, online surveys, and social media, provides promise for engaging the public and removing barriers to participation.
A study conducted by SURTC investigated the impacts of technology in improving public participation. The project consisted of four major activities: onboard surveys using electronic mobile devices, online surveys, webcasts, and social media. The use of each of these tools was tested to determine their impacts on increasing public participation.
The study found that transit agencies can use online surveys and mobile devices for intercept surveys as complements to traditional surveys to reduce data entry costs, improve data quality, and increase participation, though there are limits to their effectiveness. Transportation planners found webcast recordings to be very useful for providing information to the public. The use of social media as a means for transit agencies and transportation planners to engage the public and disseminate information will continue to grow.
This research was sponsored by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and conducted by Jeremy Mattson, Del Peterson, and David Ripplinger. The full report will be posted on the FTA website and listed on the SURTC website when it is available. Contact Jeremy Mattson (jeremy.w.mattson@ndsu.edu) or Del Peterson (del.peterson@ndsu.edu) for more information.
Staff Presentations from Rural & Intercity Bus Conference Online
The following presentations given by SURTC researchers Jeremy Mattson and Del Peterson at the 20th National Conference for Rural Public & Intercity Bus Transportation are available to view or download on the SURTC website:
- Use of Alternative Fuels and Hybrid Vehicles by Small Urban and Rural Transit Systems
- Transit, Technology, & Public Participation
- Effortless Passenger Identification System
These and other presentations are available in the Staff Presentation section of the SURTC website.
Webinar Recording: Transit, Technology & Public Participation
The Center for Urban Transportation Research (CUTR) has posted a recording online of a webinar conducted by SURTC researchers Del Peterson and Jeremy Mattson on using technologies, such as smartphones, webcasts, online surveys, and social media, for increasing public participation in transportation planning. The presentation was conducted as part of CUTR's webcast series. The webinar can be viewed at the link below, using the required recording ID. Visit the CUTR Webcast page to view other recordings as well as upcoming webinars.
Webinar recording: Transit, Technology & Public Participation
Recording ID: Transit-Tech
SURTC to Conduct Webcast of Metro COG Public Input Meeting
SURTC will conduct a webcast of a public input meeting hosted by the Fargo-Moorhead Metropolitan Council of Governments (Metro COG) on March 27. The meeting is regarding a current study of the Trunk Highway 75/Trunk Highway 10/Center Avenue corridor in Moorhead and Dilworth. The meeting and the webcast will run from 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm. Click here to attend the live webcast.
SURTC is conducting the webcast as part of a project to test the use of technologies such as webcasts, smartphones, online surveys, and social media for increasing public participation in transportation planning.
CUTR Webcast Series: SURTC Presenting Transit, Technology & Public Participation
SURTC researchers Jeremy Mattson and Del Peterson will be presenting findings from their Transit, Technology & Public Participation Study during a webcast Thursday April 5 at 11am CDT.
The Center for Urban Transportation Research (CUTR) will be hosting the presentation as part of their online webcast series.
The objective of this project was to evaluate the benefits of employing an integrated system of technologies and practices to improve public participation in the public transportation planning process. A demonstration project was developed in the Fargo-Moorhead metropolitan area addressing the issues of limited agency resources, individual participation barriers, and the technology divide, among others. A combination of on-vehicle rider surveys, transit-oriented social networks, electronic transportation surveys, and public meeting webcasts were designed to mitigate these issues. For more information, view the project posts.
Effortless Passenger Identification System to be Studied
A new SURTC study will evaluate the use of radio frequency identification (RFID) technology to track transit passengers. The technology is referred to as the Effortless Passenger Identification System (EPIS).
The RFID tags used by EPIS can be read at longer distances than the contactless or proximity cards currently used in the industry. This characteristic allows passengers to be identified and counted as they board and alight vehicles without requiring them to physically present their card within a short distance of an on-vehicle reader. Use of the technology, which has already found a market in pupil transportation, will improve the accuracy of ridership data collection while making it easier and less time consuming for riders to pay the fare. Many transit agencies, applications, and rider segments are expected to benefit from deployment of EPIS.
The technical feasibility of the system will be tested in Southern California and North Dakota where EPIS will be evaluated under real-world and controlled conditions for different transit rider segments. A full-scale field test will be conducted with university students. Controlled testing will be done to investigate EPIS effectiveness when used by different transit rider segments. The economic feasibility of EPIS will also be evaluated by conducting a thorough cost-benefit analysis for various agency and ridership scenarios.
For more details, contact Del Peterson at del.peterson@ndsu.edu.
Webcast Recordings Posted
Recordings of webcasts for the Nov. 22 public input meeting for the 9th St./Veteran's Boulevard corridor study and the Nov. 30 Transit Development Plan (TDP) meeting are now available online.
Additional Webcasts Planned
SURTC will conduct a webcast of Fargo-Moorhead Metro COG's public meeting Nov. 22 regarding its 9th St East/Veteran's Boulevard corridor study. The meeting takes place from 5:00 to 7:00 pm at the West Fargo Sheyenne 9th Grade Center Commons Area, and the webcast will begin at 5:30.
SURTC is also conducting a webcast of Metro COG's public input meeting on Nov. 30 regarding its Transit Development Plan (TDP). The webcast, which will begin at approximately 11:45, will include a presentation on the draft TDP.
Recordings of the webcasts will be posted afterwards. Links for viewing the live webcasts are as follows: