Visualization for Project Development (2006)

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74 This questionnaire will be used in preparation for an interview with your agency. It will help you to prepare for the interview that will be conducted via telephone or by appointment. Please distribute this questionnaire to as many people and departments within your organization that might be able to provide valuable insight for the technology of visualization. Multiple responses are encouraged. If you do not have a specific answer to a question, please leave it blank or provide me with an approximated answer (please note your answer is approximated). Returned questionnaires (mail or e-mail) are welcomed if respondents cannot attend the interview. You and your organization are also encouraged to submit supporting documentation, photographs, renderings, and computer animation/graphics with the questionnaire. Dependent on the responses to questions, the interview itself should last between 45–60 minutes. Interviews will be set up well in advance, giving you and your staff sufficient time to prepare. A consensual time for the interview will be determined by both parties. Returned questionnaires, supporting documentation, and other content should be sent to: Charles Hixon, Director of Creative Services Bergmann Associates 28 East Main Street 200 First Federal Plaza Rochester, New York 14614 Additionally, you are welcomed and encouraged to contact me at: Telephone: (585) 325-8368 Fax: (585) 325-8307 E-mail: chixon@bergmannpc.com I appreciate your time and effort responding to this questionnaire. Please do not hesitate to telephone me at: 585-325-8368 with your questions or concerns. Sincerely yours, Chuck Please return this Questionnaire by no later than May 4, 2005. This questionnaire is to be used as part of a case study for the synthesis topic, “Visualization for Project Development.” This study is being conducted on behalf of the Transportation Research Board (TRB) for the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) as synthesis study topic 36-04. This synthesis will use case studies to gather and present information on the current best practices and experiences with the use of visualization technologies in transportation project development. APPENDIX G Report Questionnaire

75 Responder Information: Name: __________________________________________________________________________ Title: ___________________________________________________________________________ Department: ______________________________________________________________________ Agency/Organization: ______________________________________________________________ Address: _________________________________________________________________________ Telephone: _______________________________________________________________________ Fax: _____________________________________________________________________________ E-mail: ___________________________________________________________________________ QUESTIONNAIRE General Questions: Historical: 1) How long has your organization been utilizing Visualization technologies? 2) What factors led your organization to utilize Visualization? 3) How did visualization get started within your transportation agency? a) Who initially championed the effort? i) What resistance did you meet and how did you overcome it? b) How were you able to implement visualization services within your organization? i) Who were the decision makers that you had to convince? c) How did you determine what visualization technologies to use? d) What department or section did your Visualization group evolve from? i) CAD ii) Landscape Architecture iii) GIS iv) Other, please specify 4) How much of your Visualization workload is completed by consultants? a) If yes, has your agency set specifications/guidelines for consultants to follow?

76 Current Capabilities: 1) Has your department developed a specific Visualization program that is recognized by your agency or organization? a) If yes, please describe the program. b) If no, is there a plan to create a formal program at your organization? 2) What is the hierarchy of your agency? a) What is the process to obtain funding and approvals for Visualization services within your department? b) How does upper management impact the decision-making process within the department/group? c) Is Visualization centralized or decentralized within your transportation agency? i) How do Visualization policy and procedures get disseminated to the regions/district offices? 3) Does your agency request visualization to be used on design projects? a) If yes, are there parameters to determine the use of visualization? For example, large projects versus small projects, overall budget, etc. b) If no, why? 4) How are you currently using Visualization technologies within your agency or organization? a) Active Design Projects i) Is Visualization integrated or utilized with other departments or groups within your organization? (1) If yes, please specify the department/group and the relationship. (a) CAD (b) GIS (c) Other, please specify: (2) If no, do you see a future need to establish a close relationship with other departments or groups within your transportation agency? ii) Is there an active effort to incorporate 3-D design into the design process? (1) If yes, 5) Why is your department continuing to utilize Visualization technologies?

77 into the department/agency’s databases on an on-going basis so that it can be utilized for visualization purposes later). (c) What design discipline areas is the technology of Visualization being used? (Select all that apply.) (i) Public involvement (ii) Construction sequencing (iii) Environmental review (iv) Planning (v) Mitigation (vi) Safety issues (vii) Land use (viii) Legal (ix) Development (x) Other (d) If Visualization will become part of the design process for your agency, will the function be part of the existing design team or a separate work group? (2) If no, are there future plans. b) Non-Design Projects i) Do you complete non-project-related visuals for other departments/groups within your transportation agency? (a) If yes, please specify the relationship. c) Research and Development i) Is Visualization within your group or organization integrated with software and hardware vendors? (1) If yes, please specify the vendor and the relationship. (2) If no, do you see a future need to establish a close relationship with a hardware or software vendor? (a) Please specify the process to incorporate 3-D design. (b) How is data preparation being done? (For example, putting in 3-D geo-referenced data

78 6) Is Visualization within your group or organization integrated or coordinated with other governmental agencies such as the United States Military, Homeland Security, etc.? a) If yes, please specify the agency and the relationship. 7) Is Visualization within your group or organization integrated with other agencies or consultants? a) If yes, please specify the agency/consultant and the relationship. 8) Do you or members within your agency belong to other groups or organizations that promote the use of Visualization? a) TRB b) AASHTO c) SIGGRAPH d) AEC SYSTEMS e) Others—please specify: 9) What Visualization applications are you using at this time? a) Hand renderings b) 2-D graphics c) 3-D renderings d) Photo-simulation e) 2-D and 3-D computer animation f) Virtual reality simulation g) Web development h) Multi-media development i) Video production j) Other 10) How is the department/group conducting research and development? a) What sources are being used to gather information? 5) Is Visualization within your group or organization integrated or coordinated with other transportation agencies? a) If yes, please specify the transportation agency and the relationship.

79 a) Where are the projects coming from? i) In-house design projects ii) Large projects iii) Others—please specify: Staffing: 1) Do you have a specific Visualization staffing protocol at your agency? a) If yes, please list and detail job titles and descriptions. i) Do you have a minimal and optimal staffing configuration? (1) What is the ideal composition of your Visualization department? (2) What is the minimum that can achieve successful results? b) If no, is there a plan to create formal job titles and descriptions? 2) How did staffing occur within the Visualization department/group? a) Where did they come from? i) Department transfers ii) In-house CAD technicians iii) Outside hiring iv) Other, please specify: 3) Is there a training program for visualization technologies within your agency? a) If yes, what types of applications are available for training? b) If yes, what training sources are you utilizing? i) In-house training and mentoring ii) Conferences and seminars iii) Vendor specific training iv) Other, please specify: c) If no, please specify why: b) Are you using consultants or other agencies for R&D? i) If yes, please specify: 11) How is your department/group sustaining visualization productivity levels?

80 a) For either option, why? Technical Questions : Standards: 1) Does your department/group have visualization standards? a) If yes, please specify: i) Naming conventions, font type, border type, etc. ii) Software programs used iii) Hardware platforms iv) Protocol when starting up a project. b) If no, are there plans to generate standards? 2) How are the standards created? a) Who creates them i) Are standards dictated to you by others within your organization? ii) Are the standards centralized or decentralized? Budgetary Issues: 1) What is the budgetary process for Visualization? a) Centralized or decentralized b) Who sets spending limits and how are they determined? i) How are you educating decision-makers that have little to no experience with Visualization? 2) When utilizing Visualization on a design project, what economic factors determine which visualization application to be used? a) Is there a budgetary hierarchy in place when applying visualization to design projects? 3) Does your department conduct a costs–benefit analysis when using visualization technologies? 4) Is there a specific budget for training? a) Financial b) Scheduling 5) Is training coordination centralized or decentralized?

81 4) What is the Visualization groups’ relationship with the agency’s Information Technology (IT) department? a) Are there obstacles to overcome with IT? b) Does the IT department help with your research and development efforts? Results of Using Visualization Questions: 1) What would you recommend to start up Visualization within a transportation agency today? 2) What visualization applications have worked best? a) Why did they work? b) What did they accomplish? 3) What visualization applications have failed? a) Why? b) What actions has your department/group taken to correct these failures? 4) What are the key lessons that your department/group learned when utilizing visualization technologies? i) What worked? ii) What did not work? 5) What has been the most successful use of visualization technologies to date? Goal Related Questions: 1) Where do you see visualization technologies developing within your organization over the next 2–3 years? 2) Does your organization have a strategic business plan for Visualization in place for the next 2–3 years? a) If yes, please detail your projections. a) If yes, please detail the analysis. i) Do not limit this assessment to financials, please consider productivity savings, scheduling enhancements, quality control, and the approval process, etc. b) If yes, what results have been achieved to date? c) If no, why not?

82 iii) Training iv) Other 4) Where do you see visualization technologies developing within the next 5–10 years? Other Comments: 1) If there are other comments and suggestions that you would like to add to this questionnaire, please insert them below. Questionnaire Complete—Thank You! Thank you for helping to research the synthesis on Visualization for Project Development by completing this questionnaire. You do not have to fill out this questionnaire. It can be used as just a guideline for the interview process. If you do complete and fill out the questionnaire, please save an electronic copy and forward it to me via e-mail, fax, or standard mailing services. Please send the complete questionnaire to: Charles Hixon, Director of Creative Services Bergmann Associates 28 East Main Street 200 First Federal Plaza Rochester, New York 14614 Additionally, you are welcomed and encouraged to contact me at: Telephone: 585-325-8368 Fax: 585-325-8307 E-mail: chixon@bergmannpc.com Please respond to this questionnaire by no later than May 4, 2005 b) If no, why not? 3) What are the short-term visualization goals of your department/group for the next 2–3 years? i) Software applications ii) Hardware