[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 145 (Thursday, July 28, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45334-45335]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-19090]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Research and Innovative Technology Administration


Innovative Techniques for Delivering ITS Learning; Request for 
Information

AGENCY: Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA), U.S. 
Department of Transportation (USDOT).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: This notice is a Request for Information (RFI) and comments 
that will be used to help identify focus areas for innovative 
techniques for delivering Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) 
learning. Feedback and comments on any aspect of the RFI are welcomed 
from all interested public, private, and academic entities. While all 
feedback is welcomed, USDOT is particularly interested in feedback on 
the questions provided in the last section of this RFI.
    RFI Guidelines: Responses to this RFI should be submitted by August 
29, 2011. Responses to this RFI should be delivered electronically as 
an e-mail or as an attachment to an e-mail sent to [email protected].
    Responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by 
the Government to form a binding contract or issue a grant. Information 
obtained as a result of this RFI may be used by the government for 
program planning on a non-attribution basis. If you wish to submit any 
information under a claim of confidentiality, you should submit via e-
mail to the address given below under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT, 
your complete submission, including the information you claim to be 
confidential commercial information. When you submit information 
containing information identified as confidential commercial 
information, you should include a cover letter setting forth the 
reasons you believe the information qualifies as ``confidential 
commercial information.'' (49 CFR 7.13(c)(4) and 7.17) If we receive a 
request to examine or copy this information, we treat it as any other 
request under the Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552), but we 
will process the request in accordance with the procedures found in 49 
CFR 7.17.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For questions about the program 
discussed herein, contact Mac Lister, ITS Professional Capacity 
Building (PCB) Program Manager, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., 
Washington, DC 20590, 202-366-0375, e-mail: [email protected]. For 
legal questions or issues, please contact Robert Monniere, RITA, 202-
366-5498, [email protected], 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., 
Washington, DC 20590. Office hours for RITA are from 8 a.m. to 4:30 
p.m., Eastern Standard Time, Monday through Friday, except Federal 
holidays. Additional information about the ITS Joint Program Office 
(JPO) and the PCB Program can be obtained at http://www.its.dot.gov/index.htm and http://www.pcb.its.dot.gov/default.asp. A fact sheet 
regarding the ITS PCB Program can be found at:  http://www.its.dot.gov/factsheets/pcb_factsheet.htm.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Summary of PCB Program

    The ITS PCB Program is part of the ITS JPO, within USDOT, RITA. The 
ITS PCB Program provides comprehensive, accessible, and flexible ITS 
learning for the transportation industry. By using the Program, public 
agencies can build and sustain a capable and technically proficient ITS 
workforce, and transportation professionals can develop their 
knowledge, skills, and abilities while furthering their career paths.
    The Program currently offers online courses, blended learning 
courses, the Talking Transportation Technology webinar series, and 
Peer-to-Peer exchanges. It recently partnered with the Institute of 
Transportation Engineers to develop ITS Standards Training; the first 
18 Web-based training modules will be offered in fall 2011.

New Strategic Direction for PCB

    The PCB Program is refocusing its agenda to prepare the 
transportation workforce to adopt new connected vehicle technologies 
and to take better advantage of proven ITS solutions. You can view the 
ITS PCB Program strategic plan online at: http://www.pcb.its.dot.gov/strat_direction_plan.asp.
    The Program is responding to customer needs regarding time and 
budget constraints on training opportunities and the desire to use 
emerging social media tools to better engage and collaborate with its 
audience. In this context, the ITS PCB Program is seeking information 
about possible topics and innovative techniques for delivering ITS 
learning to working transportation professionals.

Subject Matter

    The ITS PCB Program is interested in providing innovative learning 
techniques in the general area of ITS, with two areas of focus: (1) 
Proven ITS technologies that are ready to deploy and (2) emerging 
connected vehicle technology that will feature a connected 
transportation environment among vehicles, the infrastructure, and 
passengers' portable devices. Information about the ITS connected 
vehicle research program can be found at: http://www.its.dot.gov/connected_vehicle/connected_vehicle.htm.

Target Audience

    The PCB Program serves the ITS workforce, which includes 
researchers, practitioners, decision makers, and emerging ITS 
professionals, both in the public and private arena. In the last 15 
years, the Program has focused its efforts on educating transportation 
managers, engineers and technical staff at state and local departments 
of transportation and transit agencies to

[[Page 45335]]

plan, implement, operate and maintain ITS technology investments. The 
Program is interested in expanding these efforts to include 
communicating emerging research results from the connected vehicle 
program to a wider audience of transportation professionals, including 
future ITS professionals at the college and university levels. Where 
possible, the Program wishes to partner with professional associations, 
universities, or others to deliver ITS learning to affiliated members 
in the most efficient and effective manner.

New Delivery Mechanisms for ITS Learning

    The ITS PCB Program promotes ITS learning that is engaging, 
effective, and responsive to customer needs. We are seeking ideas for 
innovative learning techniques that are:
     Interactive;
     Collaborative--through the use of social media or other 
`virtual' meeting spaces;
     Designed for the adult learner;
     Internet-based to reduce time and expense;
     Targeted to specific ITS audiences;
     Results oriented with the goal of moving ITS into 
deployment.
    The USDOT has issued this RFI to help determine the most promising 
technologies and applications. Responders are reminded that feedback or 
comments on any aspect of this notice are welcomed from all interested 
public, private, and academic entities. While all feedback is welcomed, 
the USDOT is particularly interested in feedback on the following 
questions. Respondents may respond to some, all, or none of these 
specific questions.

List of Questions

    1. In what specific content areas does the transportation 
profession most need learning regarding ITS technologies?
    2. Are there different audience needs for ITS learning? How would 
you segment these audiences? Examples might be by role, such as 
planner, engineer, decision maker, researcher, or by organization, such 
as state department of transportation, transit agency, universities, or 
private sector organizations.
    3. Are there specific educational methods or techniques that the 
USDOT could employ to accelerate the movement of ITS technologies into 
deployment that would lower the cost and improve the quality of ITS 
learning? What are these, and how might they be implemented? Examples 
could be e-learning techniques, interactive games, or simulations. The 
learning techniques do not have to be specific to ITS, but must be 
adaptable to an audience of working transportation professionals.
    4. The ITS JPO is particularly interested in the use of video to 
demonstrate ITS technologies in use for training purposes.
    a. Are you aware of or do you possess video depicting the 
application of ITS technology, a guest speaker or expert discussing an 
important ITS concept, or a transportation agency representative, 
public official, or citizen describing the benefits of ITS technology 
in his or her community?
    b. How might videos be incorporated into Web-based courses to 
better engage adult learners?
    5. Are you aware of any ITS training applications that work on a 
mobile phone or smart phone platform? Examples might relate to traffic 
and weather alerts, route planning tools, or eco-driving applications. 
How could this ITS technology be adapted to serve as a training tool 
for potential ITS deployers?
    6. How might social media collaboration tools be used to engage 
audiences in ITS learning? Examples might include using a social media 
site for collaboration on coursework, or enabling text messages for 
quick responses during an e-learning.
    7. Are you aware of any learning materials beyond what has been 
developed by the USDOT that explain the concepts of connected vehicle 
technology? This technology may be based on Dedicated Short Range 
Communications (DSRC), other wireless technology or a combination. The 
Connected Vehicle Research Program has developed Vehicle-to-Vehicle and 
Vehicle-to-Infrastructure Test Beds. Information about these facilities 
may be found here: http://www.its.dot.gov/connected_vehicle/technology_testbed2.htm.
    a. What kind of Web-based training should be developed to 
illustrate the concepts of connected vehicle technology to an audience 
of potential deployers?
    b. What kinds of hands-on exercises could be incorporated in Web-
based training to demonstrate the utility of the DSRC or commercial 
broadband equipment in enabling connected vehicle concepts?
    c. How might the Vehicle-to-Vehicle and Vehicle-to-Infrastructure 
Test Beds be used as teaching tools over the next five years?

    Issued in Washington, DC, on the 21st day of July 2011.
John Augustine,
Managing Director, ITS Joint Program Office.
[FR Doc. 2011-19090 Filed 7-27-11; 8:45 am]
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