NCRST-SEPP Project Planning

NCRST - SEPP Project Planning

The initial project selected for NCRST-SEPP considers a planned segment of I-69 that traverses Memphis, TN, and Northwest Mississippi for which an EIS has been completed which serves as the research test bed to quantify benefits delivered by the technology deployment project. In addition, the project also addresses Hurricane Katrina lessons learned to derive nationally significant motivations toward enhanced geospatial preparedness for application to transportation planning practices (Download Project Overview).

Each project task will involve a sequence of steps that will include 1) Developing a synthesis paper that outlines the task and the opportunity for deploying CRS&SI for improvements, 2) A white paper that provides additional insight about the CRS&SI data and applications that may be employed to accomplish the tasks, 3) A results and validation report that describes the outcomes and quantifies benefits delivered, and 4) A final report for the task that encapsulates the task, task activities, and the outcomes. In addition to these steps and products, for each task there will be a technology distribution and deployment evaluation sheet developed that will describe how best to present the technologies, methods, results, and benefits to communities of practitioners.

Research Tasks and Resonsibilities

Although there will be significant collaboration across tasks, specific responsibilities have been identified for research tasks and responsibilities. Tasks, task descriptions, general CRS&SI technology application strategies, and responsibilities are provided in the table below.

Task 1: Project Management T1: Scope the project and develop project work plan. CRS&SI Approach: Map corridor boundaries, highlight potential resource conflicts such as wetlands, historic properties, endangered species, effects to existing homes ect., and extract key decision points. Lead: MSU	Task 7: Existing and Projected Environmental and Land Use Conditions T7: Description: Document existing and projected environmental and land use conditions. CRS&SI Approach: Map current and planned land use and relevant characteristics and components of the corridor. Environmental concerns and factors need to be accessed - determinations need to be made whether to avoid ( the costs and associated effects if we do) , minimized ( changes in project alignment/design), or mitigated ( where and how to locate the best mitigation). Lead: MTRI (MSU and ORNL Contribute)
Task 2: Public ParticipationT2 Description: Develop public participation plan. CRS&SI Approach: Based on the the identified conflicts/concerns create maps and data layers that allow people to begin to prioritize and rank effects. Lead: MSU	Task 8: Establish Purpose and Needs T8 Description: Early stage activities to establish purpose and prioritize need to meet goals. (Includes Huricane Katrina Lessons Learned Component) CRS&SI Approach: Map deficiencies, inadequacies, and long-term planning factors to document needs and establish long-term goals for the corridor. Lead: MSU (ORNL and MTRI Contribute)
Task 3: Resource Agency InvolvementT3 Description: Develop resource agency involvement plan. CRS&SI Approach: Improve maps and data sharing with resource agency assistance to attempt to avoid effects where ever possible and where not possible look to ways that would minimize and possibly enhance identified concerns. Lead: MSU	Task 9: Generate Alternatives T9 Description: Generate alternatives that meet purpose and need for project. CRS&SI Approach: Automated generation of alternative alignments and tabulate impacts of alignment options. Lead: MSU (MTRI and ORNL Collaborate)
Task 4: Spatial Data PlanT4 Description: Develop a data plan. CRS&SI Approach: Develop and deploy methods to share with partners all spatial data needed. Lead: ORNL	Task 10: Identify Feasible AlternativesT10 Description: Identify feasible alternatives by evaluating all alternatives that achieve goals. CRS&SI: Automate analysis of constraints and screening criteria to identify feasible alternatives and eliminate non-viable alternatives. Lead: MSU (MTRI and ORNL Collaborate)
Task 5: Multi-modal Demand and PerformanceT5 Description: Analyze current and future projected multimodal demand and performance CRS&SI Approach: Improve linkage between demand forecasting models and CRS&SI technologies to estimate long-term demand and map deficiencies. Lead: ORNL (MSU and MTRI Contribute)	Task 11: Generate Preferred Alternative T11 Description: Compare alternatives to generate preferred alternative(s). CRS&SI Approach: Automate analysis to prioritize feasible alternatives and select preferred alternative(s). Lead: MSU (MTRI and ORNL Collaborate)
Task 6: Document Conditions T6 Description: Map characteristics and conditions of the existing transportation system. CRS&SI Approach: Employ CRS&SI technologies to provide enhanced maps of the characteristics and conditions of the existing transportation system. Lead: MSU (ORNL and MTRI Contribute)	Task 12: Corridor Plan Document T12 Description: Compile results into a corridor plan document. CRS&SI Approach: Gather needed information and products for inclusion in a corridor plan document that includes all key findings, map-based and tabular data and information summaries, and implementation recommendations that include detailed map-based and tabular information. Lead: MSU (ORNL and MTRI Contribute)

National Consortium for Remote Sensing in Transportation (NCRST)

Streamlining Environmental and Planning Processes (NCRST - SEPP)

SEPP Project Links

Related Resource Links