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 Featured Program: Transportation Safety Systems Center
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Our featured program this month is the UGPTI's Transportation Safety Systems Center (TSSC). The main goal of TSSC is to improve the safety of our transportation network. Based out of Lakewood, Colorado, the center has been in operation since 1996, and is primarily responsible for the development and maintenance of software used by state and federal safety specialists nationwide.
The
software developed by the center can be divided into two general groups: a roadside systems suite and an investigative systems suite. The roadside systems are generally used by safety specialists at weigh stations and ports-of-entry to assist them with inspecting commercial vehicles on the roadside. The investigative systems are used by safety specialists during on-site reviews at the carrier's primary place of business. Two of the systems are also available for private industry use to assist them with their safety management programs.
In addition to software development for safety enforcement programs, the center is also extensively involved with safety-related research and analysis. The research is directed toward potential improvements to the prioritization algorithms used to better target enforcement efforts, as well as toward enhancements to the various software programs. Research studies include
"A Smarter Way to Measure Motor Carrier Safety" and
"Analysis of Commercial Vehicle Driver Traffic Conviction Data to Identify High Safety Risk Motor Carriers." For a complete list of current research projects
click here.
Additionally, the TSSC staff offers a variety of training presentations. A more recent presentation at
Commercial Vehicle Safety Research Summit - Disseminating Research Results can be found
here.
Director Brenda Lantz offered that if tribal transportation directors are not using TSSC's
Aspen software to help in conducting commercial vehicle and driver inspections, and/or CAPRI software for conducting compliance reviews on commercial vehicle companies (as well as all any of our other related software programs or web sites), the center would be available to provide an overview session of available software and services to fit tribal transportation needs.
"Our staff is available to hold overview sessions of any of the software we develop and/or of the types of analyses we've completed," said Lantz. Software distribution is also free of charge due to collaboration with Federal Motor Safety Carrier Administration (FMCSA).
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| New GIS & HPMS Software Coming Soon |
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Last month, we spotlighted a new Geographic Information System (GIS) software that the UGPTI has developed and test piloted with the Mandan, Hidatsa, Arikira (MHA) Nation in North Dakota. Additionally, the Institute has developed HPMS software that was highlighted in the previous newsletter.
Both of these newly developed software programs are ... with older and current versions of ArcGIS.
GIS is vital for road planning and asset management. The Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute stands ready to provide tribal agencies with initial and on-going technical assistance to enable them to harness the power of Transportation-GIS models and information systems. Faculty and graduate students will provide in-house and continued support in the design and initial implementation of GIS-Transportation networks, as well as on-going support and training in the use of the software for road planning and asset management.
Tribal planners will be guided though the process of establishing an initial inventory of assets and roadway networks, linking the IRR inventory with widely used GIS models, and conducting planning analyses such as truck trip routing and system needs assessments. Graduate students (under the supervision of faculty) will consult with individual tribal planners, providing one-on-one technical assistance as requested.
Please note that our GIS software IS compatible with older and current versions of ArcGIS software.
If you are interested in obtaining this software and technical assistance free of charge, please
contact us to get on the list. Outreach and implementation of the project is slated to begin this summer.
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Tribal Outreach Task Force
The UGPTI recently initiated a Tribal Outreach program to aid local and regional Native Nations in establishing and maintaining specific programs to enhance tribal livability, community, and cultural values. UGPTI recognizes that livability as a whole is a broad concept, so we have narrowed our focus specifically to issues that have negatively affected tribal communities.
The objective of this task force is to afford an opportunity for tribal representatives and agencies with a vested interest in improving tribal livability with a platform to identify areas of concern (transportation, health care, education, employment, poverty, etc.), to sustain cultural and historic preservation, and to improve tribal to state relations.
Currently, our member directory includes representatives from MHA Nation, Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, ND House of Representatives, American Indian Public Health Resource Center (AIPHRC), Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), USDA- Rural Development, Farm Services Agency (FSA), Northern Plains Tribal Technical Assistance Program (NPTTAP) and the UGPTI.
Our next (Q2) meeting is scheduled this month. We are still looking for tribal representation in both North and South Dakota. Please
contact us for more information.
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2017 North Dakota GIS Event
Planning is well underway for the 2017 North Dakota GIS User Conference that will be September 19-20 on the campus of Bismarck State College. Two intriguing topics will be discussed in the keynotes:
"Five Societal Forces Catapulting GIS into the Mainstream
" and "
The Economic Geography of Disease".
The Planning Committee is looking for presenters and exhibitors. If you are interested please visit their
website
for supplemental information.
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About Us
Mission:
The UGPTI's Tribal Outreach effort improves safe transportation of people and goods on tribal reservations to enhance livability, community and cultural values through increased accessibility to employment, workforce development opportunities, education, healthcare and housing.
Vision:
The Tribal Outreach effort will be a leader in facilitating improvements in tribal transportation to enhance livability, community and cultural values for reservation residents.
Currently, the effort offers outreach in:
- funding opportunities
- grant writing assistance
- training (workforce development, youth, education, technology)
- program/resource assistance
- partnership/collaborative opportunities
- outreach task force
- monthly newsletter
Other resources and services will be offered as they become available. Please visit us on the web to
apply for assistance.
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