Visualization for Project Development (2006)

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37 OPPORTUNITIES TO ADVANCE VISUALIZATION IN TRANSPORTATION As at the time of NCHRP Synthesis 229, there are now a num- ber of opportunities (new and underway) that, if more effec- tively taken, can provide considerable insight to improving the comfort levels of departments of transportation (DOTs) with visualization. These opportunities allow for an orches- trated approach throughout the transportation community: • Fill the gaps in knowledge and practice. The TRB Task Force on Visualization in Transportation (ABJ95T) has developed a comprehensive “Working Research Agenda” that identifies the gaps in knowledge and prac- tice relating to the findings of this synthesis. A current copy of this research agenda has been provided as part of this synthesis and may be found in Appendix A. • Create technology transfer initiatives to exploit technology advances from areas outside trans- portation. Discussed in the previously noted research agenda, a more comprehensive effort to this effect would prompt a more effective transfer of technolo- gies, and possibly spur the development of new tech- nologies, for the highway project development process. • Develop the means to introduce visualization to the engineering curriculum at all levels. Visualization should be incorporated into all levels of engineering training, from undergraduate to graduate, from bench- level engineer to project and program manager, and ultimately to the highest levels of the profession. There are a number of professional activities to improve the educational process through visual learning environ- ments. Particular attention is being given to the science and engineering communities. Some of the resources to support these improvements are: – The National Science Foundation, – The Learning Foundation, – The Association for Computing Machinery SIG- GRAPH Education Committee’s Visual Learning for Scientists and Engineers (available online at http://www.siggraph.org/education/vl/vl.htm), and – The Gordon Research Conference on Visualization in Science and Education. • Identify the types of data that need to be collected to document the costs and benefits associated with using visualization in the project development environment. One approach is to begin with the development of an agreed on “work breakdown struc- ture” that could be used across different project appli- cations. The work breakdown structure can be a basis for a database from which practitioners can derive information on relative levels of effort, costs, and so forth. • Define the functional requirements for visualization tools that can significantly increase user friendli- ness. Such functional requirements might be used to prompt the industry to respond to practitioner needs in the development of new capabilities and the refinement of existing capabilities. • Develop an expert system that can aid the user in identifying and selecting visualization options. The system should convey the benefits of each option based on project-specific applications and needs. ADDITIONAL FINDINGS There are new and strong interests in highway construction for leveraging 3-D models to enable electronic machine control and stakeout processes. The challenge has been that these models need to be created first, and not every DOT is equipped to deliver them. New developments in CADD software are looking to make the delivery of those 3-D models much eas- ier, however the uses of visualization throughout the project design process remain largely nonintegrated. Integration of visualization uses throughout the project design process would support readily available models for contractors. There is a growing interest to rethink the design process and to make design more interactive in a way that is project- specific. One of the most effective ways of doing this is through the use of immersive and semi-immersive simulators. For years, the effectiveness of this approach has been demon- strated in the defense, aerospace, and automotive industries. The FHWA’s International Technology Exchange Program recently published its findings of a safety scan, Roadway Human Factors and Behavioral Safety in Europe CHAPTER SIX CONCLUSIONS

38 (available online at http://trb.org/news/blurb_detail.asp? id=6313). In its findings, the scan team observed a number of progressive methods underway to improve the safety of roadway design, including human-centered roadway analysis and design and driving simulators for roadway design and visualization. The report contrasts the more extensive and integrated use of driving simulators as part of design in Europe with the less extensive and less inte- grated use in the United States, even though the “level of fidelity (e.g., degrees of motion, image size and quality) at the agencies visited was comparable to the range of simu- lators in the United States.” In the United States, the ease with which DOTs will be able to leverage these tools will depend on • Improving the frequency and ease with which DOTs can create 3-D models in support of visualization tools and • Gearing 3-D and 4-D data standards toward the needs of the highway transportation industry. CONCLUDING REMARKS Although visualization is certainly about technology, the effective application of visualization is ultimately about effective communication: • Between those who establish the functional require- ments of a system and those for whom the system must satisfy real and/or perceived personal as well as social needs and values; • Between those who formulate preliminary system require- ments and those who must translate those requirements into design; • Between those who design and those who build and maintain the system; and • Between those who collectively design, build, and maintain the system and those who ultimately use the system. Visualization is proving to be an effective tool in facili- tating communications. The research outlined in Appendix A could accelerate the continued development of these tech- nologies while ensuring the broadest possible application by groups within the transportation engineering field. In contrasting the findings of NCHRP Synthesis 229 with the findings of this synthesis it becomes clear that there has been a considerable increase in the use of visual- ization technologies on all fronts. Despite these advance- ments, however, visualization in state DOTs within the United States remains largely an incomplete and minimally organized afterthought with regard to the project develop- ment process. This situation, however, is beginning to change. More and more transportation stakeholders are begin- ning to see the value of visualization and are starting to insist on it through all aspects of the project develop- ment process. This trend is evidenced both in increas- ing demands of DOTs for 3-D modeling by highway contractors and in recent SAFETEA-LU legislation. The FHWA’s “Interim Guidance for Implementing Key SAFETEA-LU Provisions on Planning, Environment, and Air Quality for Joint FHWA/FTA Authorities” states the following (available online at http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/ hep/igslpja.htm): Visualization Techniques in Plans and Metropolitan TIP Development: As part of transportation plan and TIP [transporta- tion improvement program] development, MPOs [metropolitan planning organizations] shall employ visualization techniques (see amended 23 U.S.C. 134(i)(5)(C)(ii) and 49 U.S.C. 5303(i)(5)(C)(ii)). States shall also employ visualization tech- niques in the development of the Long-Range Statewide Trans- portation Plan (see amended 23 U.S.C. 135(f)(3)(B)(ii) and 49 U.S.C. 5304(f)(3)(B)(ii)). States and MPOs must employ visual- ization techniques prior to adoption of statewide and metropolitan transportation plans and metropolitan TIPs addressing SAFETEA-LU provisions. In the transportation community, visualization is becom- ing less the special interest that it used to be and more a core requirement within the highway project development process. Transportation agencies need to adapt to this change.