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Volpe Center Highlights - April/May 2001

Safety

Director's Notes | Focus | Safety | Mobility | Human and Natural Environment |
Economic Growth and Trade | National Security | Papers and Presentations

Promote public health and safety by working toward the elimination of transportation-related deaths, injuries, and property damage.

Aviation Mail Security Hazardous Materials Support (USPS)

The Volpe Center supports the U.S. Postal Service Hazardous Materials (HAZMAT) Program by developing training and awareness programs for Postal Service employees and customers. In particular, the Volpe Center supports Postal Service efforts to train more than 350,000 postal employees in HAZMAT awareness regarding mail shipped through its transportation and distribution network. As part of this effort, Mr. Glenn Goulet of the Environmental Engineering Division and Mr. Terry Sheehan of the Service Assessment Division have produced a number of training videos. In February 2001, they completed "Can You Handle It? Mail Processing Facility HAZMAT Awareness," which describes the operating procedures for identifying and properly handling declared or potential HAZMAT packages at processing and distribution facilities. Their earlier videos include "Last Line of Defense: HAZMAT Awareness" and "HAZMAT Awareness: Everything You Need to Know." The former presents the regulatory and operating cases for the control of both declared and undeclared HAZMAT; the latter describes operating procedures for identifying and handling declared or potential HAZMAT packages at air mail facilities.

The Volpe Center also provides technical support to the HAZMAT Program at bi-annual national forums with major customers of the Postal Service. Typically, up to 10,000 people participate in the forums, which provide the latest relevant information and demonstrate improved mailing operations. Mr. Goulet participated in the Spring Forum held from March 25 through 28, 2001, in Orlando, Florida. He prepared the technical portion of the presentation "Hazardous Materials: What a Mailer Needs to Know," which was given by Postal Service employees; he responded to audience questions; and he provided follow-up consultations with customers on specific HAZMAT issues.

Volpe Staff Participate in FAA Traffic Management "Tools Day"(FAA)

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) recently released new traffic management tools that will be used to combat aviation delays during the Spring -- Summer 2001 severe weather season. On April 16 and 17, 2001, in Herndon, Virginia, the FAA's Traffic Flow Management Integrated Product Team sponsored a "Tools Day" to showcase the new tools for representatives from the aviation industry and FAA who will be using them. Ms. Linda Whitehead, Mr. Rick Oiesen, and Mr. Matt Maki of the Automation Applications Division demonstrated tools developed by the Volpe Center for use in the FAA's Enhanced Traffic Management System (ETMS). ETMS is the real-time operational computer system developed and supported by the Center that the FAA uses to predict, detect, and handle airspace congestion problems. Volpe-developed tools that were demonstrated include:

• Runway Visual Range Web Page: provides airlines and FAA facilities with real-time information about the visibility at airports;
• Diversion Recovery Web Page: notifies FAA traffic managers and airlines when there is a diverted flight that requires special handling;
• Flow Constrained Areas Function: allows an FAA traffic manager to define a volume of airspace that is of interest, e.g., because it contains severe weather, and to examine flights entering that airspace during a selected time period;
• Sector Management Tool: identifies traffic entering a congested sector and recommends schedule changes to meet sector capacity requirements;
• Common Constraint Situation Display: provides information to airlines on constraints in the system, such as congested sectors; and
• Web-Based Traffic Situation Display: provides smaller FAA facilities with a Web-based geographic display for viewing ETMS data such as flights, alerts, and weather.

Enhancing Weather Information for Improved Railroad Safety (FRA)

Accurate and timely weather information is one of the important elements in planning and maintaining safe rail operations. As part of the Volpe Center's support to the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) Office of Research and Development, Volpe staff are coordinating an effort to help the rail community apply new technology to react to adverse weather conditions. On March 27, 2001, Mr. James Lamond of the High Speed Ground Transportation Division and Mr. Michael Rossetti of the Transportation Strategic Planning and Program Development Division attended a workshop, Surface Transportation Weather for Railroads, at the Association of American Railroads (AAR) headquarters in Washington, D.C. The goal of the workshop was to bring together representatives of the railroad and weather communities to identify problem areas in weather forecasting systems for railroads. The meeting also enabled the Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology to gather information for the development of weather requirements for rail transportation.

Later this year, the Volpe Center will co-sponsor -- with the AAR, the FRA, and the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) -- a symposium on Enhanced Weather Information for Improved Railroad Safety and Productivity. The symposium will expand on areas introduced in the March AAR workshop, and will give weather organizations the opportunity to explain to the railroads the latest technologies available to benefit railroad operations. The Center will participate in and help run the symposium, which will be held at NCAR facilities in Boulder, Colorado, on October 17 and 18, 2001.

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