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    <copyright>Copyright © 2026. National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.</copyright>
    <docs>http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss</docs>
    <managingEditor>tris-trb@nas.edu (Bill McLeod)</managingEditor>
    <webMaster>tris-trb@nas.edu (Bill McLeod)</webMaster>
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      <title>Research in Progress (RIP)</title>
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      <link>https://rip.trb.org/</link>
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    <item>
      <title>Evaluate Emerging Transportation Technologies and Advancements in Engineering and Roadway Safety Efforts Impact on Crashes</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2606397</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Emerging technologies and advancements in transportation and engineering are becoming increasingly prevalent across the transportation spectrum. From advanced driving systems to the development of innovative corridors, and the use of 3D modeling for engineering, new technologies and tools are being implemented by the public and private sector with the goal of reducing crashes and saving lives. No analysis has been conducted to determine their safety effectiveness and what practical impact they may have in the future. The research team will develop a safety and policy framework to explore the correlations between the emerging technologies and engineering tools and purported reductions in fatalities and serious injuries. The research team will demonstrate how public agencies, like the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), can objectively assess the extent to which emerging technologies and tools will achieve desired safety outcomes.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 02 Oct 2025 09:41:56 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2606397</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Explore and Develop a Unified Drone Management System for CDOT</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2431163</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Over the past decade, the use of drones in transportation has experienced significant growth. These advanced systems have revolutionized transportation by providing a multitude of benefits, such as enhanced accuracy and speed of data collection, as well as access to challenging and hazardous locations. Recognizing their transformative impact, drones have been listed as a Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA’s) Every-Day-Counts Innovation (EDC), demonstrating their profound influence on the transportation industry. Compared to traditional approaches like surveys or manual inspections, drones offer several key advantages. Firstly, they contribute to improved safety by reducing the need for personnel to physically access high-risk locations during inspections and maintenance activities. Secondly, drones enable accelerated construction processes through faster data collection and real-time monitoring, resulting in more efficient project execution. Lastly, drones facilitate expanded asset management by providing comprehensive and up-to-date information on infrastructure conditions. A recent FHWA survey revealed that 45 Department of Transportation (DOT) agencies are already leveraging drone technologies, incorporating features like high-definition cameras, Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) sensors, Millimeter-wave (mmWave) sensors and other advanced sensors. These systems are applied in various critical applications, including construction inspection, bridge inspection, aerial surveillance, accident scene reconstruction, and traffic incident management. Furthermore, 22 DOTs are actively exploring potential drone applications, indicating a growing interest in identifying cost-saving opportunities and optimizing transportation operations. 

For Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), numerous opportunities exist to harness the potential of drones in various aspects of its operations. Opportunities are evident for CDOT to incorporate drones into environmental assessments, wildlife protection, infrastructure health monitoring, interchange/corridor observation, road inspections, bridge inspections, asset cataloging, and accident reconstruction, and cut and fill estimates, to name a few. Incorporating drones into CDOT's practices holds the potential to drive efficiencies, promote safety, and optimize infrastructure management. While CDOT currently benefits from drones in the context of several applications (including performing surveys, environment and water monitoring, and rock fall mitigation), the full potential of drones is yet to be materialized. Toward realizing the full potential of drones at CDOT, two major shortcomings to be addressed are as follows. First, there is a large number of drone technologies in the market and it is not clear which technology (or set of technologies) best serve the specific set of drone applications identified for deployment at CDOT. This is particularly important because the CDOT drone fleet must be capable of serving all of the identified applications, whereas the required capabilities for the drones technology (such as range of flight, sensing capabilities, etc.) vary significantly across applications. Second, a unified platform is required to (1) inventory the CDOT drone fleet, (2) manage the ongoing drones projects that may use the CDOT drones fleet simultaneously in various applications, and most importantly (3) store, manage and analyze the data collected in various drones projects at CDOT.
]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 16 Sep 2024 08:52:03 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2431163</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Construction Digital Delivery Technology Scan</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2040453</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) is embarking on a digital delivery initiative to move from PDF-based processes to digital. Research is necessary
to determine the impact of this change on statewide construction inspection activities including the surveying and
computing technology that will be necessary in the field. Technology needs may differ by Transportation Service
Center (TSC) depending on their percentage of consultant vs. internal inspection activities, the number of MDOT
construction staff and the complexity of typical projects. This technology may include Global Positioning System (GPS) units, Total Stations,
Levels, Laptops, Tablets, Smartphones, Monitors (at this time UAVs and virtual reality are out of scope) and the
proper software to consume digital deliverables, document inspection measurements and create content for
downstream asset management functions. Digital delivery methods will rely on field connectivity to the internet.
There are issues with the use of cell phone hotspots so other means of connectivity should be investigated.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 06 Aug 2024 15:17:57 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2040453</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Digital Delivery: Roadmap for Implementing Building Information Model (BIM) for Infrastructure at GDOT</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2342181</link>
      <description><![CDATA[
The primary objective of this research is a “roadmap” to help strategically guide GDOT to “BIM maturity” (agency-wide digital delivery implementation). This roadmap would address the technology, process, and people to implement such a change including ultimate goals, intermediate objectives, and corresponding timelines. The benefit of this research is to formalize GDOT’s support of this initiative and provide a vision to guide the supporting, ongoing efforts.   ]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 21 Feb 2024 09:42:39 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2342181</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Vehicle Classification Technologies for Toll Collection</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1948960</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Toll facilities (roads, bridges and tunnels) are used primarily for revenue generation to repay for
long-term debt issued to finance construction, capacity expansion, operations and maintenance
of these facilities. Tolls are one form of a broad concept known as road pricing. In addition to
revenue generation, road pricing is used for other reasons including transportation demand
management to reduce peak hour travel and the recurring traffic congestion on some corridors.
Tolling technologies have evolved rapidly in the past two decades and today offer many solutions
for toll collection. Traditional (mostly cash) tolling has been gradually replaced by electronic toll
collection (ETC) that enables users to go through toll lanes without stopping. In addition to
improving traffic safety and enhancing the efficient use of the existing infrastructure, ETC results
in reduction in toll collection costs.
The three most important components of ETC are user account identification, vehicle
classification (where vehicles are charged differently according to class), and determination of the
distance traveled. Most of the tolling agencies in Region-6 (and most of the U.S.) determine the
user fee based on the number of axles. The latter is often identified using induction loop sensors
buried in the pavement and energized by low-voltage electrical currents that produce
electromagnetic fields above the roadway. Vehicles traveling through these fields produce digital
signatures that are used to identify the number of axles. The loop sensors used by many tolling
authorities in the U.S. are manufactured by TransCore, Inc. and are known as “Intelligent Vehicle
Identification System (IVIS).
The IVIS sensors have high accuracy rate in classifying vehicles. However, loop detectors
present several problems including the intrusive nature of their installation and maintenance
(disruptive lane closures), high failure rate, sensitivity to rebar in concrete pavements, and their
undermining of the structural health of the surrounding pavement. Loop failure can result
because of several reasons including cracks across saw cuts, broken loop or lead-in wires, and
sealant failure.
The aim of this study is to provide tolling authorities in Region-6 with detailed analysis of the
fitness of various non-pavement-intrusive vehicle classification technologies (imaging, radar,
Lidar, thermal profiling, etc.) under different roadway, traffic, and environmental conditions to
inform decision-makers of the accuracy, performance, and lifecycle-cost of these technologies.
Toll facilities have multiple lane configurations including highways with multiple lanes at highway
speeds and ramps at reduced speed. The classification technology must be accurate at high
speed, low speed, single lane facilities, multiple lane facilities, and all kinds of weather. The
study involves in-depth review of available non-pavement-intrusive vehicle classification
technologies; gathering and analyzing data on the performance and cost of available
technologies from manufacturers and toll facility operators; and making presentations to the
tolling industry in Region-6.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 09 May 2022 06:49:06 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1948960</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Examine Reconnaissance Scanning of Underground Utilities in the ROW</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1877345</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Mapping of buried utilities using rigorous subsurface utility engineering (SUE) quality level B (QLB), as is frequently performed or recommended, can be costly. It can also be ineffective for unknown utilities (i.e., utilities that exist but for which no information is available). This is particularly common and problematic in areas of oil and gas operations. When undiscovered until construction, these unknown utilities may cause serious scheduling disruptions as well as higher construction costs, along with safety and environmental risks. There is a need for a faster, less expensive method of scanning the right of way (ROW) for these unknown utilities. This research shall evaluate, select and test the application of newly available geophysical measurement systems. These systems would allow quickly and cheaply detecting and mapping unknown pipelines or other utilities in the ROW. It compares the effectiveness and cost of deployment to standard QLB SUE and reports on technologies that are both technically and cost effective for identifying unknown utilities.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 13 Oct 2021 14:16:03 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1877345</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Utilization of Connectivity and Automation in Support of Transportation Agencies’ Decision Making (Project G3)</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1682039</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This project will identify, develop, and implement a suite of simulation models and methods for use in assessing the implications of the presence of connected vehicles (CV), automatous vehicles (AV), and connected automated vehicles (CAV) in the traffic stream and in evaluating the impacts of associated applications that use these technologies. The project will build on current national and international efforts including the on-going research conducted by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). As such, the research will start with a comprehensive review and assessment of the literature and existing products on the subject including examining the products of the FHWA effort. Using the review and assessment as a basis, high priority CAV applications to be addressed in this project will be identified based on defined criteria and a framework and guidelines will be developed for the use of analysis, simulation, and modeling of CAV. The project will then develop procedures for calibrating and validating simulation models to ensure the proper use of these models in replicating emerging vehicle technologies and applications. The research team will also identify and develop utilities and extensions of existing models to allow the modeling of selected high priority modeling applications. The project will demonstrate the use of the project development to support agency decisions with regard to high priority CAV applications.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 31 Jan 2020 17:07:21 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1682039</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Impacts of Connected Vehicles and Automated Vehicles on State and Local Transportation Agencies--Task-Order Support. Infrastructure Modifications to improve the Operational Domain of Automated Vehicles</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1571373</link>
      <description><![CDATA[No abstract provided.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 03 Dec 2018 15:39:03 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1571373</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Techno-Market Analysis of US Biorefinery Supply Chains from Feedstock to Alternative Jet Fuels</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1549413</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Cont.. and UT is responsible for generating the feedstock availability database for further analysis by the project team.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 21 Sep 2018 18:24:46 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1549413</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Techno-economic and Life-Cycle Analysis of Alternative Aviation Biofuels Supply Chains</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1549412</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Project has 4 main components and Purdue will provide necessary analytical support to this process.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 21 Sep 2018 18:24:44 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1549412</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Aircraft Technology Modeling and Assessment -Project 10</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1549347</link>
      <description><![CDATA[To Support FAA in Modeling and assessing the potential future evolution of the next generation aircraft fleet.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 21 Sep 2018 18:22:07 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1549347</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Aircraft Technology Modeling and Assessment</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1532759</link>
      <description><![CDATA[To support the FAA in Modeling and assessing the potential future evolution of the next generation aircraft fleet.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 17 Aug 2018 11:41:31 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1532759</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Aircraft Technology Modeling and Assessment</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1532756</link>
      <description><![CDATA[To support the FAA in Modeling and assessing the potential future evolution of the next generation aircraft fleet.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 17 Aug 2018 11:41:25 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1532756</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Role in the Techno-market Analysis of U.S. Biorefinery Supply Chains from Feedstock to Alternative Jet Fuels</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1501431</link>
      <description><![CDATA[No abstract provided.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 06 Feb 2018 14:40:25 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1501431</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>PSU's Role in the Techno-Market Analysis of U.S. Biorefinery Supply Chains from Feedstock to Alternative Jet Fuels</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1501428</link>
      <description><![CDATA[No abstract provided.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 06 Feb 2018 14:15:30 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1501428</guid>
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