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Volpe Center Highlights - May 1999

Mobility

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

Ensure that the transportation system is accessible, integrated and efficient, and offers flexibility of choices.

Paper on Global Supply Chain Presented at SAE Conference (RSPA)

Ms. Bahar Barami, of the Policy and Technology Analysis Division, presented a paper, "Freight Technologies as the Integrators of the Global Supply Chain," at the 11th Annual Society of Automotive Engineers International workshop on Reliability, Maintainability, Supportability, and Logistics, held at the DaimlerChrysler Technology Center in Auburn Hills, MI. The 3-day workshop focused on issues related to logistics and infrastructure performance. Ms. Barami served as a Logistics track panelist. Her paper examined the extent to which the recent growth in international trade has been driven by advanced global logistics and information technologies. The presentation's underlying theme was that the current logistics paradigm shift to demand-driven forces has had significant implications for transportation R&D and infrastructure investment needs. The presentation also demonstrated that although today's integrated supply chains allow producers to simultaneously reduce costs, improve service, and enhance the market reach of global trading partners, the process poses considerable challenges for the nation's transportation infrastructure. Ms. Barami's presentation is part of her work as the National Science and Technology's Executive Agent for the Enhanced Freight Movement at Gateways Private-Public Partnership.

Volpe Presents at Air Transport Conference (FAA)

Dr. Judith Brki-Cohen, of the Operator Performance and Safety Analysis Division, presented an overview of the Realistic Radio Communications Simulation Project at the Qualification Program/Air Transport Association Conference in Honolulu, HI. The purpose of the study, sponsored by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), is to determine the requirements for realistic communications during pilot training and evaluation in the flight simulators. Dr. Brki-Cohen presented a project overview to the Instructor/Evaluator Focus Group and administered an industry practices questionnaire to the conference participants. On another occasion, Dr. Brki-Cohen presented an overview of the Volpe Center's Flight Simulator Fidelity Requirements Study for the FAA at the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Simulation Facilities Working Group and Modeling and Simulation Technical Committee meeting, at the Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA.

Volpe Participates in the Air Traffic Control Association's International Technical Conference (FAA)

Dr. Kim Cardosi, of the Operations Performance and Safety Analysis Division, gave a presentation entitled "Human Factors of Information Technology" at the Air Traffic Control Association's International Technical Conference in Vienna, Austria. The presentation focused on human factors guidance for information presentation decisions, and was based on work sponsored by the FAA. Dr. Cardosi, and several other Volpe Center employees who attended, familiarized themselves with the European approach to a National Airspace System architecture as part of the recently completed draft Flight 21 Functional Specification, which will serve as the guide for the implementation of new capabilities towards the realization of the FAA's Free Flight concept.

Volpe Center Develops High-Speed Track Safety Standards (FRA)

As part of ongoing Volpe Center support for the FRA's High-Speed Track Safety Standards, which were published in September 1998, Dr. Herbert Weinstock, Chief of the Structures and Dynamics Division, gave a presentation on Vehicle-Track Interaction to the American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association (AREMA) Committee 5. This Committee is responsible for the AREMA standards related to track geometry design, with special interest in research related to rates of runoff and transitions in spirals as well as vertical and horizontal curves. Dr. Weinstock's presentation, "Development of Track Geometry Standards for Train Speeds above 110 MPH," described the analytic studies and simulations conducted by the Volpe Center to support the development of the standards and the methodology used to establish the limits for track geometry variations.

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