A Glimpse of How Data, Tools and Technology Are Used in Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) Planning Process (November 20, 2014)

Recording: https://connectdot.connectsolutions.com/p40b40asdex/ 

Date: November 20, 2014

Description:  The current U.S. transportation authorization legislation, MAP-21, institutionalizes performance-based planning. That approach evaluates the existing system through a series of performance measures, and then selects and prioritizes projects by evaluating their anticipated effect on those measures. Practiced well, performance-based planning can help resource-strapped agencies address the most significant needs and realize the greatest return on their investments.

The regional travel demand model has been the key tool for regional transportation needs assessment in the Metro-Atlanta region for decades, but advances in performance measurement have outstripped the ability of the travel demand model to capture all the information available today. Open source data and tools, as well as private resources such as Google Maps with Traffic and datasets built from other navigation devices, are now readily available as an alternative source of quantitative information. Using such datasets effectively is a serious challenge for travel demand modelers and transportation planners, and it will have important ramifications for how we build and use modeling and analysis tools in the future.

This webinar will cover how planners and modelers work with emerging new mega data and traditional travel demand model data in the performance planning process, by explaining how the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) is using these new datasets and analysis tools to support its planning activities.

Kyung-Hwa Kim will talk about selecting the right data and tools for performance-based planning under MAP-21. David D’Onofrio will present the Atlanta Roadside Emissions Exposure Study (AREES) – Linking Travel Model Output to Emissions Exposure. Melissa Roberts will describe how ARC uses online surveys to gather public feedback related to Regional Planning.

Presenters:

Kyung-Hwa Kim is the Performance Analysis and Monitoring Manager at the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC). Before she joined ARC, she worked at Metro in Portland, Oregon, for 20 years as a modeler. At ARC, Kyung-Hwa is responsible for the Air Quality and Climate Change program, Congestion Management Planning, Safety Planning, Data Management/Monitoring/Analysis, Social Equity Planning, Health Impact Studies, Performance Measurement, and Model Support for Regional Policy Analysis.

David D’Onofrio completed a dual Master’s degree in urban planning and atmospheric science from Georgia Tech in May 2009. He joined the staff at the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) in June 2009. David is a principle planner overseeing ARC’s air quality and climate change program. His primary responsibilities include transportation conformity planning, air quality impact assessment, climate change scenario testing and travel demand model analysis.

Melissa Roberts is the Community Engagement Coordinator for the Transportation, Access, and Mobility Division at the Atlanta Regional Commission. Melissa has worked as a community development, public policy and event planning professional for more than 10 years with experience developing large-scale community-building and fundraising events, including marketing, soliciting sponsorships, detailing logistical plans and volunteer recruitment. She holds a Master of Public Administration from the University of Pittsburgh and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Delta State University.