Remote Sensing for Transportation Products atid Results: Foundations for the Future

摘要

These proceedings summarize the highlights from the Conference on Remote Sensing for Transportation―Products and Results: Foundations for the Future. The conference was held December 10 through 12, 2001, at the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, D.C., as the second in a series of three on the subject of remote sensing in transportation. The first conference was held December 4 and 5, 2000, also in Washington, D.C. This 2-day conference was organized by the Transportation Research Board and sponsored by the Research and Special Programs Administration of the U.S. Department of Transportation and by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials and the National States Geographic Information Council were cosponsors. The conference brought together representatives from academia, transportation agencies, remote sensing businesses, consulting firms, and other groups. The core general sessions heard presentations from the four National Consortia on Remote Sensing in Transportation on the results of their research activities. Session moderators experienced in the transportation industry initiated discussions with conference participants on the impacts of these research activities. A Technology Buffet of displays on remote sensing gave participants the opportunity to visit with individual researchers. In the final session, eight transportation and remote sensing experts offered their assessments of the penetration by remote sensing technologies in the transportation industry and the usefulness of these applications. The conference was preceded by five workshops and a Roundtable for States and Metropolitan Planning Organizations, in which practitioners shared information on the uses of remote sensing in their organizations. The objectives of this conference were 1. Enhancing communication between the transportation and remote sensing communities, 2. Developing a common understanding of current successful applications of remote sensing to transportation, and 3. Crafting strategies for implementation of remote sensing in transportation. A number of people contributed to the success of the conference and deserve recognition. First, I would like to thank the other members of the conference committee for their time and effort in organizing the conference and guiding the preparation of this report. K. T. Thirumalai of the Research and Special Programs Administration at the U.S. Department of Transportation deserves special recognition for helping to develop the conference concept and obtaining federal support for the workshop and the conference. Transportation Research Board Senior Program Officer Thomas M. Palmerlee and his Program Assistant Fred N. Scharf of the Transportation Research Board did an outstanding job with conference logistics. Transportation Consultant Henry L. Peyre-brune prepared and assembled the report manuscript. Finally, I would like to thank all the participants for sharing their ideas, issues, and visions related to remote sensing applications in transportation. The conference, which is the subject of this report, was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The conference committee members responsible for the report were chosen for their special competencies and for their representation of an appropriate balance. This report has been reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise, in accordance with procedures approved by the National Research Council's Report Review Committee. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that assist the institution in making the published proceedings as sound as possible and to ensure that this report meets institutional standards for objec