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Implementing Transportation Knowledge Networks (2009)

Chapter: Appendix A - Transportation Knowledge Networks: A Business Plan

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Suggested Citation:"Appendix A - Transportation Knowledge Networks: A Business Plan." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2009. Implementing Transportation Knowledge Networks. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/14329.
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Suggested Citation:"Appendix A - Transportation Knowledge Networks: A Business Plan." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2009. Implementing Transportation Knowledge Networks. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/14329.
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Suggested Citation:"Appendix A - Transportation Knowledge Networks: A Business Plan." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2009. Implementing Transportation Knowledge Networks. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/14329.
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Suggested Citation:"Appendix A - Transportation Knowledge Networks: A Business Plan." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2009. Implementing Transportation Knowledge Networks. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/14329.
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Suggested Citation:"Appendix A - Transportation Knowledge Networks: A Business Plan." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2009. Implementing Transportation Knowledge Networks. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/14329.
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Suggested Citation:"Appendix A - Transportation Knowledge Networks: A Business Plan." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2009. Implementing Transportation Knowledge Networks. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/14329.
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Suggested Citation:"Appendix A - Transportation Knowledge Networks: A Business Plan." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2009. Implementing Transportation Knowledge Networks. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/14329.
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Suggested Citation:"Appendix A - Transportation Knowledge Networks: A Business Plan." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2009. Implementing Transportation Knowledge Networks. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/14329.
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Suggested Citation:"Appendix A - Transportation Knowledge Networks: A Business Plan." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2009. Implementing Transportation Knowledge Networks. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/14329.
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Suggested Citation:"Appendix A - Transportation Knowledge Networks: A Business Plan." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2009. Implementing Transportation Knowledge Networks. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/14329.
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Suggested Citation:"Appendix A - Transportation Knowledge Networks: A Business Plan." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2009. Implementing Transportation Knowledge Networks. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/14329.
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Suggested Citation:"Appendix A - Transportation Knowledge Networks: A Business Plan." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2009. Implementing Transportation Knowledge Networks. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/14329.
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Suggested Citation:"Appendix A - Transportation Knowledge Networks: A Business Plan." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2009. Implementing Transportation Knowledge Networks. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/14329.
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Suggested Citation:"Appendix A - Transportation Knowledge Networks: A Business Plan." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2009. Implementing Transportation Knowledge Networks. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/14329.
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Suggested Citation:"Appendix A - Transportation Knowledge Networks: A Business Plan." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2009. Implementing Transportation Knowledge Networks. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/14329.
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Suggested Citation:"Appendix A - Transportation Knowledge Networks: A Business Plan." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2009. Implementing Transportation Knowledge Networks. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/14329.
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Suggested Citation:"Appendix A - Transportation Knowledge Networks: A Business Plan." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2009. Implementing Transportation Knowledge Networks. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/14329.
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Suggested Citation:"Appendix A - Transportation Knowledge Networks: A Business Plan." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2009. Implementing Transportation Knowledge Networks. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/14329.
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Suggested Citation:"Appendix A - Transportation Knowledge Networks: A Business Plan." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2009. Implementing Transportation Knowledge Networks. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/14329.
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Suggested Citation:"Appendix A - Transportation Knowledge Networks: A Business Plan." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2009. Implementing Transportation Knowledge Networks. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/14329.
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29 A P P E N D I X A Transportation Knowledge Networks: A Business Plan

31 C O N T E N T S 32 Executive Summary 32 The Vision 32 The Opportunity 33 The Strategy 33 The Target Market and Projected Benefits 34 The Costs and Funding Model 34 The Value Proposition 35 The Context 35 Unprecedented Challenges in Transportation 35 Need for Innovation 35 Suboptimal State of Information Access 37 Transportation Knowledge Networks Concept 37 Background 37 Approach 39 Purpose 40 Mission, Goals, and Objectives 41 Market 42 Products and Services 46 Stewardship Model 49 Costs and Funding

32 The Vision Imagine a future where . . . Lessons learned from any transportation organization are readily available to others facing similar challenges. No transportation organization pays to reinvent the wheel— it is easy to find out what has been done before. It takes minutes, not hours or days to find current, relevant, and accurate information about any transportation- related topic. A wealth of convenient information is at your fingertips—a consolidated calendar of transportation-related confer- ences, a directory of software products currently in use at transportation agencies, up-to-date contact information for your counterparts in peer agencies. A secure national archive is in place to hold important docu- ments and data sets for transportation professionals of today . . . and tomorrow. This vision can become a reality if a critical mass of trans- portation leaders from the public and private sectors see its value and work together to make it happen. This business plan describes the opportunity, the strategy, and the value propo- sition for moving transportation information access into the 21st century. It shows how following established models from the medical and agricultural fields can provide a method for information sharing among transportation professionals that combines the best features of centralized and decentralized approaches. It also dispels the myth that good information access will happen on its own, without any deliberate and coor- dinated action on the part of the transportation community. This business plan was motivated by a sense of urgency. There are overwhelming challenges to be addressed in trans- portation over the coming decade. Access to high-quality, rel- evant information on demand is critical to our ability to address these challenges. Our increasingly “born digital” workforce is expecting a well-functioning information infra- structure to fuel the significant level of future innovation and agility that will be needed to keep our transportation systems functioning safely, efficiently, and effectively. Over the past five years, there has been growing interest across the transportation community to provide a stronger, more coordinated approach to information access and avail- ability for transportation professionals. Studies have been con- ducted. Models from other fields have been researched. A blue ribbon panel has developed and endorsed the approach. Grass roots efforts to make it happen are well under way. Now it is time to put sufficient resources behind it, move forward, and realize the benefits. The Opportunity Current technology allows us to find and download infor- mation resources held by organizations around the world. Libraries are linking their collections into global catalogs. Universities are implementing digital repositories to provide timely access and long-term preservation for research data and scholarly works. Numerous organizations have blogs, wikis, and content management systems that allow users to easily post or publish their own content. Desktop search tools serve up content in a quick and easy way. This technology comes with the blessing of an unprece- dented level of information access from our desktops—and the curse of information overload. Based on a national survey con- ducted for this business plan, transportation professionals are experiencing information overload in spades and crave a “one- stop shopping” source of information. Most don’t want to become experts in how to navigate the myriad Web sites and data sources that are available. Many are concerned about try- ing to find a “needle in a haystack” using an Internet search for specialized information, and about the quality and complete- ness of the information they may find. Person-to-person com- munication is still the primary means of getting an answer to a question. This technique will always be used, but it clearly has Executive Summary

limitations given the amount of information that is out there— even for a very specialized topic area. The transportation community has the opportunity to work collectively to harness the power of current technology to dra- matically improve our ability to find the information we need, when we need it. A collaborative effort makes sense given our common information needs and the enormous value that can be derived from convenient access to consistently organized information from experts and peers. Given current changes in the transportation workforce, including the loss of many career professionals due to retire- ments, transportation organizations are seeking ways to better preserve and provide access to their institutional knowledge and to help get new employees up to speed as quickly as possi- ble. In addition, many organizations increasingly rely on con- tracted services or partnerships for maintenance, operation, and management—and need to develop new mechanisms for sharing information with their partners. Each transportation organization is now working on an individual basis to manage its own information resources— including plans, policies, procedures, performance data, con- sultant studies, photographs, maps, traffic counts, crash data, and facility inspection reports. Even though the information content is similar across organizations, there are, for the most part, no common ways of tagging, organizing, or structuring this information. A strategically focused, collective effort to facilitate information sharing across organizations could offer tremendous support and added value to these internal efforts. It could provide tools, standards, and processes for organizing, archiving, and accessing information resources, without the need for duplicative investments on the part of individual organizations. It could open up new avenues for agencies to learn from their peers without waiting months or years for a case study or synthesis report to be published. In transportation, we have only scratched the surface of what can be achieved in the information-sharing arena, and we don’t realize what we are missing. Transportation is well behind other fields that have invested in a common information infrastructure to meet their specialized needs. The Strategy A strategy has been developed to make meaningful, measur- able progress over the next five years. The first, critical step is to set up sustainable institutional structures for information sharing in transportation. This involves the following three components: • Establish Regional Transportation Knowledge Net- works (TKNs)—groups of transportation organizations (for example, state DOTs, MPOs, Transit Agencies, and engineering firms) that work together to share their infor- mation resources and collaborate on information access improvements. • Establish a TKN National Coordinating Body (NCB)— responsible for developing national infrastructure for transportation information sharing, and for leading and supporting TKN activities. As outlined in TRB Special Report 284, the TKN-NCB could serve as a national TKN, working with federal agencies such as the Bureau of Trans- portation Statistics (BTS), U.S.DOT modal administrations, as well as other federal agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy. This TKN-NCB would require stable, dedicated funding to successfully carry out these responsibilities. • Establish an Advisory Board with senior transportation community representation to provide strategic direction and ensure accountability. Once these institutional structures are established and fund- ing is secured, specific information products and services can be developed and rolled out. The TKNs will identify needs and opportunities for information sharing among their member agencies. The advisory board will provide direction for alloca- tion of resources among competing needs. The TKN-NCB will provide technical leadership and manage product and service development. The TKN members will implement information sharing initiatives, making use of the products and services developed. This strategy was designed to provide a robust and sustain- able infrastructure for information sharing in transportation. TKNs ensure responsiveness to user needs through substantive and broad participation throughout the transportation com- munity. The TKN-NCB’s national TKN coordination function provides a focal point for action, minimizes duplication of effort, and maximizes synergies and collaboration among par- ticipants. The advisory board provides independent oversight for the effort to ensure that progress is being made and resources are being well spent. The Target Market and Projected Benefits TKNs are envisioned to extend to the entire transportation community but the first target groups are state DOTs, FHWA, University Transportation Centers (UTCs), Metropolitan Plan- ning Organizations (MPOs), LTAP/TTAP Centers, and profes- sional associations that serve these markets. If this strategy is implemented, then transportation profes- sionals will see a noticeable improvement in their level of access to relevant, current information when they need it. Trans- portation organizations will be able to draw upon a rich knowl- edge base from their peer agencies and will be better equipped to manage their own information resources. Agencies will be 33

able to easily showcase their successful programs or practices, enabling others to quickly learn about these successes and apply lessons learned to their own initiatives. The end results will be improved performance, improved efficiencies, and avoidance of unnecessary costs for studies that have already been done, or for building software already available off-the- shelf. Current transportation libraries and information man- agement units will benefit from networking, resource sharing, and capacity-building opportunities. Those organizations unable to provide these functions internally will be able to tap into shared information services. The Costs and Funding Model Required funding for the TKN initiative is $13.5 million annually over a five-year period. This level of funding is roughly half of the National Library of Agriculture’s budget, and less than 4 percent of the National Library of Medicine’s.1 The funding would flow to the TKN-NCB, which would con- tract for services as needed to develop and/or provide informa- tion products and services. Roughly 50 percent of the available funds would be made available to support activities of the TKNs and/or their members for outreach and delivery of spe- cific products and services that have a national benefit. The Value Proposition This business plan responds to the need for an improved, coordinated approach to information sharing among trans- portation professionals using 21st century technologies and organizational models for collaboration and partnerships. Investments in a national TKN will yield benefits that far exceed their costs and are an essential component of a much broader nationwide strategy that will be needed to address the significant challenges that transportation professionals will be tackling in the years to come. TKNs will enable rapid delivery of reliable information to transportation professionals when they need it, enabling them to carry out the mission-critical goals of their organizations, and remain on the cutting edge of new research and technologies. 34 1Figures are for 2005 budgets, as reported in TRB Special Report 284.

35 Unprecedented Challenges in Transportation Transportation organizations are currently faced with an extraordinary set of challenges as they work to sustain and improve the mobility that is essential to our economic well- being, way of life, and security. We are experiencing high lev- els of congestion across all modes of transportation, which are expected to get much worse based on current population pro- jections and trends in international trade. We continue to have unacceptably high fatality levels on our nation’s highways— over 42,000 people died on the road in 2006. We face a mam- moth infrastructure crisis with increasing risks of structural failures, facility closures, and traveler delays as the gap between preservation and replacement needs and available resources widens. There are serious and growing concerns about our vul- nerability to both natural disasters and terrorist attacks, and our ability to rapidly marshal and deploy the resources needed for large-scale emergency evacuations. The transportation sec- tor is a major consumer of petroleum-based fuel (accounting for over 66 percent of U.S. consumption) and a contributor to greenhouse gas emissions (accounting for over one-third of energy-based CO2 emissions). Major shifts in technology and travel behavior will be required to address growing concerns about dependence on fossil fuels, air pollution, and climate change. Our ability to address these issues is severely con- strained by the nation’s economic crisis, the shrinking resource pool for transportation, underinvestment in R&D, and chal- lenged institutional capacity to adjust to new roles and ways of doing business. Need for Innovation Our success in meeting these seemingly insurmountable challenges will depend on our collective ability to expediently discover and implement new technologies, programs, and methods. “Business as usual” will be a recipe for failure. The pace of change must be accelerated in order to prevent severe consequences. The 2005 TRB summary of “Critical Issues in Transporta- tion” pointed out that while transportation and health care account for similar proportions of U.S. GDP, federal invest- ment in health care research is more than ten times greater than its investment in transportation research. Additional, well-focused research investments are clearly needed. It is also clear that transportation is lagging behind health (and other fields) in providing a well-supported “information infrastruc- ture” to ensure that any level of research investment is provid- ing maximum value, and that beneficial innovations occurring within individual organizations (outside of R&D efforts) are expeditiously documented and disseminated to others. Suboptimal State of Information Access Problems with information access are by no means unique to transportation, though as mentioned above, other fields are much further ahead in addressing these problems. We are faced with an explosion of information from multiple, dis- jointed sources, and we lack the time and tools to comb through all of the sources, identify what is relevant to our cur- rent task, and track down what we need. Despite the existence of good Internet search tools, it takes too long to discover and access needed information, and the process is “hit or miss.” Some of us have librarians or other skilled information pro- fessionals available to assist us; but many of us either don’t have access to such professionals or don’t have the time or inclination to use them. We waste time wading through pages of irrelevant or untrustworthy hits to find the few possibili- ties worth investigating. Even when a search identifies rele- vant resources, lack of free and immediate access to these resources presents a barrier to obtaining them. Much of the information we need is not available on the Internet for gen- eral discovery; much is not captured and reliably preserved at The Context

all. An enormous amount of information is on the Internet, but is part of the so-called “deep web” or “invisible web” that cannot be found by search engines. Many times we require information about current practice at peer agencies, but are stymied because it is hard to discover “who is doing what” and we find that most documents of value are behind agency firewalls. Most of us rely on experienced experts within our organizations for guidance. However, this important resource is drying up with retirements of our most senior people and an increasingly fluid workforce. The impact of this suboptimal state of affairs is that we pro- ceed without the information that could help us do a better job, we do not take the straightest line between two points, we are inefficient, and we repeat work that has already been done because earlier work hasn’t been preserved or is too difficult to find. 36

37 Background In 2005, the AASHTO Standing Committee on Research (SCOR) asked TRB to develop a 21st century strategy for trans- portation information management. The TRB study committee, a distinguished group of transportation research and informa- tion management leaders, envisioned a transition from “central- ized and managed physical collections” to a decentralized approach in which information services are provided to users wherever they reside. This was to be achieved through a three- pronged strategy involving (a) a decentralized set of informa- tion provider networks (TKNs) in each region of the country, (b) a well-funded and strategically focused national coordina- tion function within U.S.DOT to provide leadership for infor- mation sharing, and (c) a governance body to provide strategic direction and ensure accountability. One TKN, the Midwest Transportation Knowledge Network (MTKN), was established in 2001 and provided a model that guided the study commit- tee’s recommendations. The committee published its recommendations in TRB Spe- cial Report 284: Transportation Knowledge Networks: a Manage- ment Strategy for the 21st Century. It recommended that a business plan be developed for moving forward with imple- mentation of TKNs. Since TRB Special Report 284 was published, two additional TKNs—the Western TKN (WTKN) and the Eastern TKN (ETKN)—have formed in anticipation of full implementation of the committee’s recommendations. Collectively, the three TKNs have members from over half of the 50 states. To date, TKNs have primarily involved transportation libraries at state DOTs, MPOs, and transit agencies, but they are open to par- ticipation from other information providers—including data offices, GIS clearinghouses, research units, and engineering/ consulting organizations. Current TKNs rely on voluntary contributions of time and resources by member organizations. These voluntary initiatives are making incremental progress, but have very limited resources at their disposal. The NTL has been very supportive of TKN formation. An FHWA Pooled Fund Study involving many of the member organizations par- ticipating in the three TKNs has been providing consultant resources in support of TKN formation and transportation library connectivity. With a strong and unified national commitment to coor- dinate and support existing and future TKNs, the vision described above can be realized. Without such commitment, progress will be slow and is unlikely to reach the critical mass needed to make a real difference. Approach The strategy for managing transportation information in the 21st century has a strong technology component. However, technology is only one piece of the puzzle. Any organization that has set up a document management system, a knowledge base, a discussion forum, or a wiki knows that “if you build it, they will come” is typically not a recipe for success. It is also true, but perhaps not as well known, that our ability to easily find what we need using common Internet search tools depends on work done behind the scenes to make information resources available and findable, as well as the level of skill and perseverance of the user. The bottom line is that most useful information-sharing initiatives rely on continuous effort to identify and encourage quality content contributions, to organize and tag this content so that it is easy to retrieve, and to assist users in finding what they need. Underlying the TRB study committee’s recommendations—and a premise of this business plan—is that meaningful progress in the transporta- tion information-sharing arena will require a strong and coor- dinated network of information providers equipped to meet the varied needs of information consumers throughout the transportation sector. That is where the concept of a “Transportation Knowl- edge Network” (TKN) comes in. Based on successful mod- els from the health and agriculture fields, TKNs are voluntary Transportation Knowledge Networks Concept

associations of transportation organizations that agree to work together to improve information access to their employees and partners. This collaboration focuses on opening the informa- tion resources within each organization for use by others, but it also includes resource sharing, joint purchasing of for-fee infor- mation resources, agreement on standards and technologies that facilitate information sharing, and information exchange on best practices. TKNs involve institutional arrangements for resource sharing and coordination and leverage available tech- nological solutions that provide end users with targeted, “on demand” information access at their desktops. The TRB study committee envisioned that TKNs will be on the front lines, well positioned to understand and meet the specific needs of different user communities. The committee recommended that TKNs be established in every region of the United States, and at the federal level to link information providers to users wherever they may be. A geographic focus for TKNs was recommended as the initial model. However, the committee also left open the possibility that TKNs could in the future be focused on particular modal or topical areas. Are TKNs Synonymous with Transportation Library Networks? TKNs encompass library networks but are broader, involv- ing a wider set of information providers. Library networks have long been in existence—formed for purposes of sharing collec- tions through integrated library systems and inter-library loan programs, group purchasing for subscriptions, professional development for staff, and advocacy. The functions of a TKN suggested in TRB Special Report 284 are consistent with these standard library network functions. While TRB Special Report 284 acknowledged the central role of libraries in knowledge networks, it indicated that other information providers should be involved. For example, on page 54, the report states: Over time, the coverage of regional TKNs could be broadened in several ways. They could be extended to include other data providers, such as transit agencies, metropolitan planning orga- nizations, local governments, and consultants. In addition, net- work information content coverage could be broadened to capture statistical and geospatial data, as well as more traditional narrative information sources (e.g., books, reports, journal articles). This business plan adopts this broader definition of knowl- edge networks, assuming that they include traditional and expanded library services as well as technology that enables other individuals and organizational units to contribute and access information directly. The use of the term “knowledge networks” rather than “library networks” emphasizes the notion that libraries are evolving from our image of places providing access to physi- cal collections to become broader access points for a wide range of information resources—both physical and digital. Current information technologies for metadata harvesting and federated searching enable integration of information from the user perspective without the need for a centralized approach to information storage. Use of the term “knowledge networks” also underscores the importance of having a network of transportation organi- zations actively participating in the endeavor of making information more useable. As shown in Figure 1, raw “data” resources (e.g., articles, CAD drawings, photos, data sets) require addition of metadata (e.g., tags, index terms, geo- graphic locations) to make them findable outside of the unit in which they were created, and additional intelligence (e.g., syn- thesis, interpretation, certification) to make them useful for a particular task at hand. This last step requires application of specialized expertise within subject areas and a means of agree- ing on common terminology and semantics within a particu- lar community of research/practice. Core expertise provided by libraries—discovering, identify- ing, classifying, organizing and preserving intellectual content, 38 Data Information Knowledge Useable Findable Created Raw Materials Metadata Intelligence Figure 1. TKN role in sharing information and data.

and working with users to clarify their needs and locate relevant resources—is crucial in our information-based economy. Cur- rent library science professionals bring a rich set of skills to the table and are increasingly technology savvy. Special libraries bring an in-depth understanding of particular topic areas and an ability to work closely with other information providers and with user communities to improve both the ability to find and use information. Well-supported transportation libraries with strong established partnerships throughout the trans- portation community will be key drivers of successful TKNs. Purpose A strong information infrastructure for transportation is essential for maximizing value from R&D investment and making real progress in meeting the challenges noted above. Initiatives in domains including medicine, law, agriculture, and the physical sciences have provided researchers and prac- titioners in these fields with ready access to the information they need. Similar effort is needed in the transportation field. A strong information infrastructure supports: • Peer-to-peer sharing of information, which is becoming increasingly important as organizations struggle to cope with loss of institutional knowledge due to retirements and increasing staff turnover rates; • Discovery of benchmarking information, that enables agen- cies to compare their performance to peers and learn about successful practices; • Faster access to information resources, including geospa- tial data sets, photographs, CAD drawings, plans, and envi- ronmental impact statements; • Faster progress in meeting challenges by enabling practi- tioners to discover and use relevant information when they are in a position to take action; and • More efficient and effective conduct of research—by ensur- ing that new studies build upon rather than duplicate prior work, providing easy access to relevant information, and helping transportation professionals target their work to areas of greatest need and opportunity for impact. TKNs can be viewed as the backbone of a transportation information infrastructure. They can provide the connec- tions and the protocols for information produced at any given node to flow to other nodes. TKNs piggyback on exist- ing networks—both human and electronic. They build on the following: • Widespread access to high-speed Internet connections among transportation professionals; • Existing repositories of information (print and electronic; documents and data) maintained by transportation libraries; research centers; public agencies; and private and nonprofit organizations; • Existing library networks—dominated by the Online Com- puter Library Center (OCLC) that provides WorldCat—a global library catalog with one billion holdings; and • Existing professional organizations and associations that produce and disseminate transportation information. Investments are already being made to develop and main- tain information repositories and Web sites on particular top- ics within the transportation domain. TKNs don’t duplicate these existing efforts. Rather, they increase the value of existing information resources by bringing them to a broader audience, making them more findable, and connecting them to related resources. As the next generation of “born digital” transportation pro- fessionals takes its place, with high expectations for easy access to information from the desktop, a well-functioning informa- tion infrastructure will be viewed as an obvious and essential part of doing business—not a luxury. Value of Information Services According to a 2005 study by IDC, “it has become obvious that tasks related to creating, organizing, finding, and analyz- ing information have become significant time sinks.” The study found that employees engaged in information work (in government, healthcare, financial services, and manufacturing) spend about 18 hours a week—almost half time—searching and gathering information for document preparation. The same study also found that on average 6.5 hours per week are wasted on unsuccessful searches and recreating content that already existed. This translates into a waste of $10,000 per year per employee. Today’s modern libraries provide services that eliminate some of this wasted time. A 2007 survey of library users by Outsell, Inc. found that government users reported savings of 12.2 hours on average for each interaction with the library. The last comprehensive study on the value of information services within the transportation field was conducted in 1998 by the FHWA. This study documented numerous examples of high returns from library services—including a case from New York State DOT in which an annual savings of $9 million in life-cycle costs were attributed to a literature review that revealed a new concrete mix for use on bridge decks. A 2004 TR Update article on the value of transportation information relates the following example: In 1994 one of the Pennsylvania Transportation Institute’s research associates came to the author with a question. She needed to know what types of snow plows were available because her research group needed to either find one in the literature or start a series of designs and tests to get one that could clear large amounts of snow and throw it far enough off the road in one pass. They 39

were very interested in the height and the angle of the plow. A search of the literature found some articles that seemed to answer her questions. However, the most useful article was in Finnish and not translated. The article was obtained, and she was able to find all the details she needed from the charts and the pictures. It saved her ‘reinventing’ something that had already been done very well and had been tested. The value, a great deal of time and effort. The value was never computed in terms of money but her group did not have to duplicate research, wasting time and money. The Library Connectivity Pooled Fund Study has been col- lecting more recent “success stories” that demonstrate the value of transportation libraries: • The Minnesota DOT transportation library located data needed by an engineer on the BTU energy content of various fuels—the engineer had searched for 2 hours; the librarian found what was needed in 2 minutes. • The Wisconsin DOT transportation library located a NHTSA-related study about the demerit point/administra- tive license withdrawal system used by other states and pro- vided it to the general counsel’s office within 15 minutes of receiving the request. This saved the agency from going for- ward with a proposed $50,000 procurement to study this same topic. • The Kansas DOT (KDOT) transportation library located a 1949 paper on a test that KDOT had been doing since the 1930s to predict alkali-silica reaction in cement-aggregate mixtures. The information in the paper, as well as the accompanying discussion comments, helped to answer the questions. The requestor felt that additional tests would not be necessary because the information the librarian sent to him resolved his questions. Valuable KDOT staff time was saved, as the test takes 1 year to complete. Mission, Goals, and Objectives Mission The following mission statement is proposed for TKNs: Support and sustain a network of transportation information providers . . . to collaborate and leverage collective resources . . . so that they can provide transportation professionals . . . with timely and convenient access to relevant information . . . that enables faster progress . . . toward meeting critical transportation challenges. The TKN effort should be judged to be successful if it accomplishes a noticeable improvement in access to usable information (a.k.a. knowledge) and is able to do this by effec- tively leveraging available resources. Thus, progress and per- formance of the effort should be evaluated based on whether transportation professionals perceive impact and value, as well as the extent to which it creates a strong, well-functioning network of information providers. Goals The proposed goals of the TKN initiative are: Goal 1—Better Information Access for Transportation Professionals Achieve a noticeable improvement in information access as perceived by transportation professionals. This improve- ment should be felt both by members of larger organizations that have their own libraries as well as by those affiliated with smaller organizations that cannot justify “providing an internal library and information services.” Improvements in informa- tion access to be achieved include the following: • Easier discovery of pertinent information on key topics of interest; • Greater availability of full text digital documents accessible from the desktop; and • Greater accessibility of existing national, state-level, and regional data sets of interest. Goal 2—Increased Collaboration among Transportation Information Producers and Providers Achieve greater collaboration across transportation infor- mation producers and providers that results in the following: • Use of consistent standards and technologies that facilitate information sharing and make possible a more seamless information discovery and access experience for users; and • Improved awareness among providers of the information resources available within each organization so that oppor- tunities for resource sharing can be identified and so that organizations are able to build their collections in a com- plementary manner. Goal 3—Preservation of Valuable Transportation Information Resources Provide and facilitate use of national print and digital repos- itories for preservation of valuable information resources that are at risk due to retirements, employee turnover, agency 40

moves, and other factors. Use best practices for digital preser- vation to ensure that materials remain accessible as older file formats cease to be supported by available software. Goal 4—Capacity Building within the Transportation Information Professional Community Increase and further develop a proficient transportation information professional community that enables each infor- mation provider to provide better service to their customers. Performance Measures The following list of candidate performance measures is aligned with these goals. These can be used at the national level or by individual federal or regional TKNs. These measures can be tailored to specific targeted market segments and focus areas that are established in an annual strategic planning process at the national or region level. End User Market Penetration and Benefits • Changes in user awareness and use of available informa- tion services and tools (including the national reposito- ries), ascertained from surveys; • Percentage of users reporting benefits to research or prac- tice from use of information services or tools, ascertained from surveys; • User-reported time savings from use of information ser- vices or tools, ascertained from surveys; and • Changes in information accessibility—measured based on access time and cost for a standard “basket” of information goods. Information Provider Involvement and Benefits • Percentage of transportation information providers that are members of a TKN; • Percentage of TKN members reporting that belonging to a TKN significantly improved their customer services and ability to share resources; • Increased professional development of staff involved in TKNs; and • Increase in the relative value institutions assign to TKN membership in comparison with costs of membership. Shared Information Resources • Percentage of unique holdings of transportation libraries that can be found in standard search engines and nation- ally available transportation specific search tools; • Percentage of current research projects in progress that can be found in standard search engines and nationally avail- able transportation-specific search tools; • Percentage of completed research efforts that can be found in standard search engines and nationally available trans- portation-specific search tools (abstracts and full text); and • Adoption of standards and practices for interoperability of transportation information. Product and Service Accomplishment vs. Target • Percentage achievement of target new products and ser- vices (targets to be established through annual strategic planning process); and • Percentage achievement of target new collections Market Broad Market for TKNs TKNs are intended to benefit the transportation commu- nity at large: public and private sector organizations involved in funding, planning, and providing transportation in all modes, and in R&D that supports improved transportation practice. Organization types could include: • U.S.DOT Modal Administrations (FAA, FHWA, FMCSA, FRA, FTA, MARAD, NHTSA, PHMSA, RITA, SLSDC) and Research Centers (Volpe Center, TFHRC, TTRC, Hughes Center, National Transit Institute, NADS, U.S. Merchant Marine Academy); • State DOTs; • LTAP/TTAP Centers; • City and County Public Works Agencies; • Public Transit Agencies; • Railroads; • Trucking Companies; • Shippers; • Logistics Firms; • Airlines; • Air and Sea Ports; • Pipeline Owners; • MPOs; • Private Engineering/Consulting Firms; • Professional Associations • Universities and Associated Transportation Research Centers/Centers of Excellence Within these organizations, practitioner types who would use and benefit from TKNs include: • Executives and their staffs, • Managers, 41

• Engineers, • Planners, • Analysts, • Researchers, • Librarians/Information Professionals, • HR Professionals, and • IT Professionals. This is a very large and heterogeneous market. It would require an enormous effort to address its diverse set of needs and conduct meaningful outreach in a comprehensive man- ner. Rather than attempting this, it would be better to define different segments for targeting of TKN products and services and establish priorities with respect to which market seg- ments should be targeted initially versus in later phases of TKN evolution. Market segments could be defined a number of ways—by organization type, mode, geographic scope (national/state/ regional/local), function (planning, design, construction, maintenance, operations, research), goal (safety, mobility, environment, infrastructure), or some combination of these. Market segments could be prioritized based on degree of need for improved information access, level of likely benefits from investments in information sharing, or ability to pay for information-sharing products and services. TKN products and services can be initially geared to one or two well-defined market segments, but designed so they can be easily expanded to include additional markets—once initial infrastructure was built and success is demonstrated. The ini- tial market segment should be one where clear and significant benefits of investment could be demonstrated, where resources could be secured, and where there is already some level of awareness of and support for the TKN concept. Based on these criteria, initial target markets for TKN products and services are state DOTs, FHWA, UTCs, MPOs, LTAP/TTAP Centers; and professional associations that serve these markets. If TKNs are viewed as a business, then the tar- get customers are those individuals who make buying deci- sions. Target customers are senior technical and management staff within DOTs, and directors of UTCs, MPOs, and LTAP/ TTAP Centers. This is a manageable group to which outreach efforts may be targeted. Products and Services The TKNs’ function is to continually improve and support the “transportation information infrastructure.” A vision for this infrastructure is shown in Figure 2. Key elements are: • A portal serving as a national focal point for transportation information, providing access to the core information resources. Ideally, this portal is designed to allow for each component to be sharable so that other organizations can incorporate selected components into their respective Web sites. It should also be designed to ensure that credit is properly given to organizations that share their informa- tion through the portal. • A network of organizations that actively share their infor- mation resources. 42 Transportation Information Portal (provided by national TKN coordination function – components available for incorporation into other web pages) Find Information Ask a Question Event Calendar Find a Person Submit a Resource Research in Progress News Communities of Practice Transportation Topics Information Resources & Tools (Responsibility for coordination, contributions and maintenance shared across TKNs/Information Providers) Standards & Crosswalks (metadata, thesaurus, taxonomy) Knowledge Services & Protocols (Resource archiving, digitization, cataloging, bulk purchasing, interlibrary loan) US DOT RITA, Modal Admins State DOTs TRB (TRIS, RiP, Needs) Universities MPOs GIS Data Tabular Datasets Standards & Guidelines Manuals Directories Images & Video Tutorials Legislation Lessons Learned Events Performance Data Commercial Databases Library Resources OCLC, TLCat, First Search Other Federal Agencies Local Jurisdictions AASHTO Industry, Non-Profits Figure 2. Transportation information infrastructure vision.

• An evolving collection of information resources and tools for accessing these resources, including bibliographic data- bases, document repositories, library catalogs, journals, datasets, shared calendars, directories, etc. • Services and protocols for assisting information providers with processes of collecting, cataloging, indexing, digitiz- ing, and archiving information resources; for integrating various external information resources; and for sharing resources with others. • Standards that facilitate information sharing, including a thesaurus or taxonomy of terms, glossaries, metadata stan- dards, data exchange standards, and crosswalks that allow for translation across different formats. National leader- ship to coordinate these activities is essential. Pieces of this infrastructure exist, built and maintained by the National Transportation Library, the Bureau of Trans- portation Statistics, TRB, and transportation libraries in uni- versities and state DOTs. Information resources that are of general interest to the transportation community are also scat- tered across hundreds of Web sites maintained by multiple administrations and offices within U.S.DOT, AASHTO, and other associations, state DOTs, MPOs, and universities. Skilled transportation librarians and researchers have learned to navigate the current set of available resources. However, for the uninitiated, the lack of connectivity and integration across sources makes it confusing and difficult to find things. Improvements are being made, but progress has been slow due to limited resources. With some incremental investment, leadership, and coordination to get transportation informa- tion stakeholders “rowing in the same direction,” dramatic improvements to information access are possible. The TKN Ten Ten key functions have been identified that will enable the national network of transportation information providers to achieve its mission and realize the vision of the transportation information infrastructure described above. Table 1 lists these functions and indicates their alignment with the four TKN goals. 1. National Digital Repository Continue to build the current NTL digital repository, expanding outreach and training to enable and encourage trans- portation organizations unable to build their own repositories (or who have limited capacity) to contribute resources. Provide online tools that allow individual researchers, practitioners, 43 Goals Access Collaboration Preservation Capacity Building 1. National Digital Repository—including documents and data X X X 2. National Print Repository X X X 3. National Transportation Portal with Federated Search X X 4. Information Modules X X X 5. Research/Literature Review Services X X 6. Standards Coordination + Thesaurus X X 7. Targeted Collection and Digitization Efforts X X X 8. Information Provider Outreach, Coordination, and Communication X X X X 9. Library Connectivity Support and Advocacy X X X X 10. User Outreach and Education X X Table 1. Functions and alignment with TKN goals.

research offices, or libraries to upload digital materials to the repository. Develop materials that describe the current capabil- ities of the repository and use these materials to engage TKN members in a discussion of what new capabilities are desired. As a result of these discussions, develop a strategic plan for extending the capabilities of the repository, including provid- ing seamless access to a distributed set of digital information collections, and maintaining 24/7 access to information for transportation professionals from multiple computers (home and office). Collections should accommodate a wide variety of information resources, including data sets, CAD drawings, photographs, videos, and training materials. Specifically address both preservation and access capabilities, including access con- trols and providing for planned redundancy via mirrored sites. Periodically assess the technology platform to ensure that it best meets the needs. 2. National Print Repository Provide resources needed to develop a national archive for print materials. This archive would include existing print col- lections within U.S.DOT and would provide secure storage for “last copies” of transportation information resources of national significance. This would provide a home for selected collections from library closings and professional papers of retiring practitioners. Provide cataloging, interlibrary loan, and digitize-on- demand services to enable access to the print collection. 3. National Transportation Portal with Federated Search Design and develop a national transportation portal hosted by the TKN-NCB that provides a single point of access to materials from a variety of sources, including but not limited to TRIS online, the NTL digital repository, the BTS statistical datasets and tools, TRB/NCHRP publications, TRB Research in Progress and Research Needs databases, OCLC WorldCat and TLCat (the WorldCat transportation subset), peer- reviewed transportation journals, the Communities of Practice sites provided by FHWA and other organizations, and other Web resources. Provide and continually improve federated search tools that allow users to find materials across all of these sources that are relevant to a particular topic area or question. Include modules for peer-to-peer information sharing and for users to obtain “real-time” syntheses of current practice for particular topic areas. 4. Information Modules Provide a series of “information modules” for inclusion on the National Transportation Portal, but also made available for inclusion on other TKN member Web sites. These would include a guide to current legislation of interest to transporta- tion practitioners, a directory of experts by transportation topic area, a guide to practitioners in state DOTs and MPOs by role and topic area, a consolidated calendar of transportation- related conferences and workshops (offered by TRB, AASHTO, HEEP, ASCE, etc.), descriptions of current practice for specific topic areas across multiple agencies, a collection of online tuto- rials or training materials, state- or locally developed manuals or guidelines (e.g., for access management, corridor planning, roadside maintenance), data standards, GIS data sets, bench- marks, and performance data. This item would also include access to fee-based informa- tion resources, including professional journals, scientific literature, and standards documents. Negotiation of group subscription rates at a national level would reduce access costs to these resources for individual TKN members. Where licensing for direct access to such resources for employees of multiple organizations cannot be negotiated, a subsidized interlibrary loan service would be explored using the “Loan- some Doc” service of the National Library of Medicine as a possible model. The national coordination function would work with regional TKNs to identify priorities and encourage develop- ment of these information modules, establish basic standards that would allow these to be searched and shared, as well as standard services (such as RSS feeds or email notifications when information changes). One promising avenue to be explored is for NCHRP, UTC, and U.S.DOT research initia- tives to be structured to produce new information modules or update existing ones. For example, a research project to perform a multi-state synthesis of current practice could be scoped to produce as one of its deliverables a set of tagged results in a format that could be easily integrated into the por- tal. This approach could dramatically increase the value provided through these research programs by making the information produced more easily accessible and integrated with related resources. 5. Research/Literature Review Services Offer research and literature review services to the trans- portation community (on the national portal; provided via discussion forum, email, phone, or messaging). There are tremendous benefits to be gained through offering services of skilled, specialized transportation information professionals for conducting literature reviews, building annotated bibli- ographies on particular topic areas, or simply tracking down answers to specific information requests. Availability of these services widely throughout the transportation community would save time and provide better information for both research and practice. Individual requests could be “farmed out” to specific designated specialists (among the TKN membership) by subtopic. Over time, additional efficiencies 44

would be realized as multiple requests on the same topic were received. 6. Standards Coordination and Thesaurus Provide technical leadership for widespread adoption of standards for information sharing within the transportation community. Use of common standards is an underpinning of the success of information-sharing efforts. The library com- munity has decades of experience with data standards (e.g., MARC, Dublin Core). Standards are continuing to evolve for sharing information resources over the World Wide Web. In the transportation community, a thesaurus of transportation research terms (the TRT) was initially released in 2001 and has been steadily improved since then. There is a need to take the TRT to the next level and encourage more widespread use of standard terms for indexing and tagging of information resources. There is also a continuing need within the trans- portation community to agree on standard metadata for describing both documents and datasets. The national coordi- nation function is the logical place for leadership in this area. 7. Targeted Collection and Digitization Efforts Pursue targeted projects at the national and regional levels to collect and digitize information resources in areas of histor- ical or strategic significance. One of the key strengths offered by TKNs is that they can offer a strategic approach to collec- tion, digitization, and preservation of information. It is not economically feasible or desirable to capture and preserve every piece of transportation-related information that is pro- duced. However, there are some types of information resources that are of particular importance at a national, regional, local, or organization level. Having information producers and providers at the same table allows for development of coherent strategies about what types of investments in information collection and preservation are worthwhile. Definition and execution of targeted collection and digitization projects will provide clear end results and accountability for investments made. Examples of targeted collection projects include assem- bly of strategic highway safety plans from all of the states, dis- play of key household survey results from all United States metropolitan areas, or preservation of the professional papers of key recently retired leaders in the transportation field. 8. Information Provider Outreach, Coordination, and Communication Provide mechanisms for transportation information providers to function as a network. The success of the TKN concept depends on having strong nodes and strong links. The nodes are the information providers; the links are the commu- nication channels and personal relationships across the infor- mation providers. There needs to be a continuing function to identify and develop leaders within the transportation infor- mation provider community; to encourage participation; to support communication by providing opportunities to meet in person, via telephone or video conference, and online forums; and to coordinate activities so synergies can be achieved and efficiencies realized. This function includes involvement of a wide range of information providers including transporta- tion libraries, state DOT, UTC and MPO website maintainers, and special centers such as the AASHTO Center for Environ- mental Excellence, and the ARTBA/FHWA National Work Zone Safety Clearinghouse. 9. Library Connectivity Support and Advocacy Provide technical support and advocacy for transportation libraries. This function is related to the general “Information Provider Coordination and Communication” function, but is specifically geared to transportation libraries, which are at the core of basic TKN functions. Many operate on a shoestring, with a solo librarian; some have no professional library staff. Strengthening the existing libraries, enabling them to share their holdings through OCLC and TLCat, supporting them in negotiation of favorable group rates for subscriptions, and helping them to provide improved service for their customers is an essential component of TKNs. This function currently is partially being carried out through the Transportation Library Connectivity Pooled Fund Study. 10. User Outreach and Education Provide outreach and education geared both to managers and executives of transportation organizations and to end users of transportation information resources. Many executives and end users are not familiar with the information resources that currently exist. This results in underuse of transportation infor- mation resources and lack of support for continued improve- ments to these resources. The objectives of the outreach efforts would be to (1) build widespread understanding of what is available, (2) provide information and training that practi- tioners require to make productive use of existing resources, (3) provide managers and executives of transportation organi- zations with an understanding of how their organizations could use and benefit from the resources that exist, and (4) allow for continuing feedback from transportation information users about the types of improvements they would like to see. Tangible Results Implementing “the TKN Ten” will allow the transporta- tion community to realize the vision for a user-focused 45

transportation information system, as articulated within TRB Special Report 284: Envision state department of transportation employees working at their desks on time-sensitive projects or proj- ects with long time scales: • They identify a need for information and, because of good marketing in the agency, they know where to turn. • They open their Internet or intranet browser to the library page or information portal and choose the service they desire, such as literature review, facts on file (common questions from across the country that are stored for easy retrieval), or reference requests. • They find a front-end application that asks them how they want to search for information—geographically, topically, by title or author, or by other formats. This interface is visually engaging and easy to use. With a click, they are taken to that search tool, or this infor- mation is all on the first page. • They type in their search phrase or point and click to icons and retrieve the desired information. The databases and systems that are being searched are noted while the search is under way (“now searching BIOSIS . . .”). • They can clarify whether they want information in nar- rative form, tabular or geospatial data, or all of these. To help refine the search, questions that librarians typically ask users are programmed into the system. • Once they come up with a list that reflects the informa- tion they are seeking, they can check boxes to say “I want to save this information” and create a customized list stored under their e-mail address or account. • They can then retrieve the documents and data on the list, with highlights pointing to the specific text relevant to their search. Because the documents and data are tagged, they are able to find specifically what they are seeking. The behind-the-scenes effort to obtain, catalogue, index, tag, and store the information is not obvious. • They are able to pull quotes from the documents, with prompts helping them understand copyright laws and appropriate uses and references. • If a document is not available electronically, they are offered a menu for delivery: interlibrary loan (because of the Transportation Libraries Catalog or First Search, the location of the closest borrowing institution is known); electronic document delivery (from where and how much); purchase of paper copies (from where, how much, and how fast); or whatever the correct terminol- ogy is for the suite of options. In this vision, they will not have to pay $800 for a full document if they want only a paragraph from it. • When the site includes data references, they can easily understand the data platform and relevant uses. • The results are provided to them in good English with- out cryptic abbreviations. • Ideally, the system is somewhat fun or at least easy to use, and they understand the sources they are searching, how far those sources will take them, and when they will need to seek additional information. Stewardship Model National Coordination Function The crux of the TKN concept is to have a centralized National Coordination Body that acts to leverage and enable synergistic actions on the part of a large number of other organizations. The MTKN is an example of this at the regional level—seed funding from the NTL and the resources of a full- time leader enabled a group of libraries from nine state DOTs, three universities, and one private firm to achieve significant benefits from their membership. Despite having no additional funding or resources since 2003, the MTKN has grown to include fifteen organizations, with the addition of another pri- vate engineering firm and a regional planning commission. The current Transportation Library Connectivity Pooled Fund Study and the efforts of the NTL are showing that rela- tively modest investments in coordination and assistance can go a long way toward enabling collective progress toward a common goal. With help from the Pooled Fund Study and the NTL, new Western and Eastern TKNs have formed, bringing the total number of TKN members to forty-nine. These efforts are indicative of the strong grass roots interest and commit- ment within the transportation community to move forward with information-sharing initiatives, even with the currently available limited resources. Development of a central national portal that provides access to transportation information resources is an essential activity that will provide a valuable resource for practitioners. It will provide a concrete and highly visible means of show- ing progress and benefits as TKN activities expand. It will take national leadership, commitment of resources, and coordi- nated effort on the part of multiple organizations to develop and sustain the vision of a “one-stop shop” for transportation information. TRB Special Report 284 recommended that the national coordination function be within RITA, but it did not specify where within RITA this function should be placed. Similar national coordination functions for the fields of agri- culture and medicine are being served by the National Agricul- ture Library and the National Library of Medicine. The NTL has established relationships with the transportation library community, and is playing a key leadership role in assisting with regional TKN formation and implementation of the dig- ital repository. 46

The following types of functions would be provided by the National Coordinating Body: Management and Coordination • Strategic planning and budgeting, • Technical leadership with respect to collections, cataloging, indexing, and archiving, • Staff direction, • Development and administration of grants to TKN mem- bers for service provision, • Coordination of library connectivity activities and support to TKNs, • Coordination within U.S.DOT and between U.S.DOT and other federal agency information providers with respect to integration of information resources, and • Performance monitoring—evaluating performance, devel- oping lessons learned and recommendations for improve- ment, and communication to the advisory board. Information Architecture • Architecture of approach to information integration, • Technical design and development of the digital repository and national portal, • Provide information technology expertise to ensure use of best practices, • Leadership in development and adoption of data standards throughout the transportation community, potentially including TransXML, and • Work to ensure coordination and integration with ITS data standards efforts. Standards and Cataloging • Continued development and maintenance of the TRT, including ongoing coordination and processing of input from the transportation community and • Cataloging and indexing. Collection Management • Manage and coordinate development and maintenance of the digital and print repositories. Information Systems Management • Manage the national transportation information portal, including regular updates and integration of new informa- tion modules as they are developed—includes webmaster and database administration roles. User Services • Direct providing of reference and literature review services to users and • Develop educational and outreach materials. Advisory Board An independent Stakeholders Council would be established with representation from AASHTO membership, academia, and other national libraries. Given the initial market focus on state DOTs, UTCs, MPOs, and LTAP/TTAP centers, the fol- lowing candidates for the advisory board could be considered: • Three to four representatives selected from the following AASHTO committees: Standing Committee on Research (SCOR), Standing Committee on Highways (SCOH), Stand- ing Committee on Planning (SCOP), Standing Committee on Performance Management (SCoPM); Standing Com- mittee on Finance and Administration Subcommittee on Information Systems (AASHTO IS); • One MPO executive director; • One member of the National LTAP Association (NLTAPA) executive committee; • One member of the Special Libraries Association Trans- portation Division executive board; • One engineering/consulting firm representative; • One University Transportation Center director; • One university transportation library director; • One state DOT library director; • One Transportation Research Board representative; and • One representative from the National Agriculture Library or other non-transportation organization (able to provide an external perspective and lessons learned from a similar undertaking). The advisory board should have flexibility to be reconsti- tuted, for example, to include more multimodal (transit, air) representation. Members should serve staggered 3-year terms in order to provide continuity. The advisory group could be established by the U.S.DOT, the National Academy of Sciences, AASHTO, another rele- vant industry association, or some combination thereof. Once established, the TKN advisory board would provide input to the allocation of initial year resources and establish- ment of priorities for information product and service devel- opment. Subsequent quarterly meetings would focus on review of accomplishments and performance and providing feedback from the stakeholder community. The advisory board would also be responsible for conducting an indepen- dent assessment of TKN performance, conducted annually or biennially. 47

Regional TKNs One of the key findings of the input phase to develop this business plan was that the need for regional TKNs is not broadly understood or accepted. Some people feel that regional TKNs are not needed given today’s technology for information sharing (and overnight delivery services). They feel that stick- ing to a national network would provide what is needed and wish to avoid adding unnecessary layers of coordination and bureaucracy. However, participants in the existing Midwest TKN point out that having regional TKNs provides a greater level of strength and stability to the national network than would otherwise exist. Regional TKNs provide opportunities for leadership development within the transportation information provider community that reduces its vulnerability to depar- tures of key individuals. Regional networks also allow for more focused outreach activities than would be possible at the national level and provide opportunities for face-to-face com- munication at already-existing regional gatherings of trans- portation professionals. As noted earlier, three Regional TKNs are already up and running and provide an excellent starting point. As these TKNs evolve and others are formed, a range of organizational models can be considered, depending on the needs, goals, and resources of the members. The following models provide two variations that illustrate the range of possibilities: Variation I—Informal. A loose association of transpor- tation information providers meets annually and has bimonthly conference calls. Responsibility for leadership is rotated among the membership. The TKN’s primary function is to share information and identify opportunities for individual member organizations to share resources or collaborate on specific projects. There is no membership fee, but each member is asked to commit to some level of information sharing, including providing a listing of their information resources in a National TKN directory. Two levels of membership could be established—one for organizations with significant collections to share, and another for organizations that have more limited informa- tion resources to offer. Individual TKN members apply for available grants (from the national coordination func- tion or other sources) on behalf of the TKN for specific projects. Variation II—Formal. A nonprofit association that has meetings and conference calls and provides a specific set of ser- vices to its members. The TKN services are provided by either full- or part-time staff, consultant services, or a combination. These services are funded through a combination of annual membership dues and fees. The TKN may offer certain pre- mium services for an additional fee. The TKN may also iden- tify grant opportunities and prepare grant applications to fund projects of interest to the membership. Regardless of how TKNs are organized, TKN-NCB could provide each regional TKN with a Web site for collaboration and maintain contact with designated TKN representatives to provide information about and obtain feedback on national information-sharing initiatives. 48

49 would be performed by the regional TKNs in partnership with the National Coordinating Body. Therefore, the amounts shown for this latter set of activities (marked with asterisks) include grants for TKN members. It is envisioned that these grants would be made in response to specific proposals to develop products or services (e.g., to digitize a collection and make it available to the entire transportation community) rather than on a formula basis. For estimation purposes, it was assumed below that roughly 50 percent of the total would be for TKN member activities, including outreach and delivery of specific products and services that have a national benefit. The estimated average annual funding needs (over a 5-year period) for different TKN functions are displayed in Table 2. These costs would need to be “front loaded” to accommodate start-up activities and technology investments. Note that these are rough estimates to relate specific activities to line item budgets. Actual allocation of a given budget across functions could vary considerably. This breakdown of needs is consistent with the high end of the recommendations of TRB Special Report 284. The total investment would be $13.5 million annually. Functions 1, 2, 3, and 6 would be performed by the national coordination function. Functions 4, 5, and 7–10 (marked with asterisks) Costs and Funding Function Investment 1. National Digital Repository—including documents & data $800,000 2. National Print Repository $500,000 3. National Transportation Portal with Federated Search $1,000,000 4. Information Modules* $3,400,000 5. Research/Literature Review Services* (could be partially self-supporting through fees for service for non-TKN members) $1,000,000 6. Standards Coordination + Thesaurus $800,000 7. Targeted Collection & Digitization Efforts* $4,500,000 8. Information Provider Outreach, Coordination and Communication* $500,000 9. Library Connectivity Support and Advocacy* $500,000 10. User Outreach & Education* $500,000 TOTAL $13,500,000 Table 2. TKN funding needs by function—average annual investment over 5 years.

Next: Appendix B - Initial Web Survey Questionnaire and Results »
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TRB's National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Report 643: Implementing Transportation Knowledge Networks explores a business plan for the development of Transportation Knowledge Networks (TKNs) in the United States. The business plan defines ten key products and services to be provided to transportation practitioners by the regional TKNs, with support from a national coordination function. TKNs are defined as “decentralized, managed networks linking information providers to users wherever they are located.”

Note Added 10/22/2010 - In a follow-up effort, the research team developed an Directory of U.S. transportation libraries and information centers that could be potential participants in the TKNs. The directory is available online at the National Transportation Library website.

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