There are six main program groups at the Institute. Each may have specialized programs or service bureau's within the group. The groups are:
Center for Transportation and the Environment
The Center for Transportation and the Environment (CTE) is a USDOT University Transportation Center which facilitates constructive interaction between state transportation departments and environmental advocacy groups, and seeks to mitigate the impacts of surface transportation on the natural and human environment.
Visual Analytics, Modeling, and Simulation
Visual Analytics, Modeling, and Simulation (VAMS) is an area new to the Institute in 2005. Within this area are three programs that are in various stages of maturity. The Commercial Vehicles and Safety program provides data analysis and program evaluation support to the Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program (MCSHP) of the NC State Highway Patrol as well as conducts collaborative research and development with and for government, industry, and domain specific organizations. Spatial Data, Research, Training, and Technical Support represents the work formerly under ITRE’s Municipal Technical Services Program. It provides Geographic Information Systems (GIS) work as well as formal GIS training. Pavement Management Systems is included in this program. Visual Simulation and Modeling is an ‘emerging’ research area at ITRE. Modeling work currently being pursued by the group lies in the area vehicle-pedestrian interaction; in roundabout and continuous turn lane treatments aimed at improving access for visually impaired individuals.
Highways Systems Group
The Highway Systems Group offers work zone safety and traffic engineering research and training to a wide range of state and national clients. It also offers traffic operations and policy research. This group also houses the Triangle Regional Model Service Bureau which provides a variety of travel demand forecasting services to stakeholder agencies: the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT), the Triangle Transit Authority (TTA), the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO), and the Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization (DCHC-MPO) using the Triangle Regional Travel Demand Model.
N.C. Local Technical Assistance Program
The North Carolina Local Technical Assistance Program (NC LTAP) offers four primary types of assistance - training workshops, technical materials, technical information services, and quarterly newsletters.
Public Transportation Group
The Public Transportation Group (PTG) has achieved national stature as the only university research program focusing on the operations of transit systems. It is responsible for research, training, and technical assistance in the area of public transportation. Activities focus on the following transportation modes: urban fixed-route and paratransit, rural demand-responsive transit, passenger rail, bicycle and pedestrian, taxicab and livery. This group houses the Bicycle and Pedestrian Program which has a the distinction of long-standing working partnerships with NCDOT's Division of Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation, one of the oldest comprehensive bike programs in the country. This partnership works closely together on research and technical assistance projects.
Pupil Transportation Group
The Pupil Transportation Group is the only one of its kind in the country, dedicated to addressing pupil transportation issues. The group applies transportation engineering principles and technology to the operation and management of school buses in order to provide safe and efficient transportation for school children. This group includes the Transportation Information Management System program which pioneered the development and training of the Transportation Information Management System, better known as TIMS, a computer assisted routing program. This program provides support for TIMS used in every secondary school system in North Carolina.The Operations/Research Education Laboratory (OR/Ed. Lab) is also housed in this group. This program has developed a system of Integrated Planning for School and Community (IPSAC), which fully integrates community and regional data, 10-year economic and demographic forecasts, demographic and land use studies, digitized pupil and school location files, and mathematical optimization algorithms. The OR/Ed. Lab has provided services to more than 20 school systems in North Carolina since 1992 and a majority of the school districts are on-going clients. |
