COI Spotlight- Physical Infrastructure Systems
In this issue of Highlights, we begin our series "COI Spotlight," which gives an overview of each new Center of Innovation (COI) within the Volpe Center. As of December 2008, the Volpe Center is now organized into eight COIs. Collectively, the COIs focus on cross-cutting transportation, research, education, and multimodal issues. Individually, each COI applies its technical capabilities to U.S. DOT strategic goals and national transportation priorities. Featured this month is the Physical Infrastructure Systems COI, headed by Director Robert M. Dorer.
In the face of increasing transportation network demands and the effects of increased utilization of facilities, the Physical Infrastructure Systems COI maintains cognizance and provides technical support in the design, operation, inspection, maintenance, and rehabilitation of the existing and future transportation infrastructure, including equipment, vehicles, vessels, and rights-of-way, to include waterways, terminals, and intermodal and network facilities.
This technical support adheres to the U.S. DOT goals of safety, mobility, and capacity of the transportation enterprise. It meets this challenge through a staff with an internationally recognized knowledge base in fundamental and applied engineering disciplines including civil, mechanical, electrical, and industrial as well as various transportation and management specialty areas.
The goals of this COI are to ensure the resilience, renewal, and expansion of the Nation's aging transportation enterprise in response to both expected life cycle and safety-critical issues as well as unanticipated operational scenarios that may impose constraints on safety, mobility, and capacity.
By aligning our technical experts in the transportation infrastructure competency area, the Volpe Center has positioned itself to more effectively respond to our current and future customers' needs.
- Robert M. Dorer, Director Physical Infrastructure Systems COI
The Physical Infrastructure Systems COI assists its customers in staying abreast of innovations and enhanced operational methods and processes in these areas.
COI customers include the Office of the Secretary and the modal agencies within the U.S. DOT, the Department of Defense (DoD), the Department of State (DOS), and the Department of Homeland Security/U.S. Coast Guard. The robust portfolio of project areas includes:
- Crash-energy management including anticipating trends in design, implementation, and evaluation of operational safety performance utilizing a hazard analysis approach.
- Rail rights-of-way including technical and operational analysis of current trends, and technologies in education, enforcement, and engineering.
- Emergency operational requirements enhancement and implementation.
- Design and implementation of next generation technologies and COI Spotlight-continue methods in equipment, network, and infrastructure design and operations.
- Maritime and transit safety.
- National airspace system development and deployment.
- Marine systems, rail and transit propulsion technologies, and communication subsystems for train control systems.
Baghdad Central Station with microwave tower in background. The COI is helping rebuild Iraqi infrastructure in support of DoD and DOS. (
Photo courtesy of Mafeks International, LLC)
