Remote Sensing for Transportation -- Report of a Conference, December 4-5, 2000, Washington, D.C.

These proceedings summarize the highlights from the Conference on Remote Sensing for Transportation. The conference brought together representatives from academia, transportation agencies, remote-sensing businesses, consulting firms, and other groups. The conference included general sessions providing an overview of remote sensing, trends in transportation, the federal research program in the use of aerial and satellite remote sensing for transportation infrastructure and development, and the activities of the four university consortia established through the federal program. Participants also discussed issues and possible research needs related to the themes of the four consortia--Traffic Surveillance, Monitoring, and Management; Environmental Assessment, Integration, and Streamlining; Transportation Infrastructure Management; and Disaster Assessment, Safety, and Hazards--in breakout sessions. The conference goals were to improve the understanding of remote sensing among transportation professionals and key transportation issues among remote-sensing experts and to help facilitate the ongoing communication among all groups interested in remote sensing and transportation. This conference focused on the application of remote-sensing products and services to transportation. The goals of the conference were to improve the understanding of remote sensing among transportation professionals and of key transportation issues among remote-sensing experts and to help facilitate the ongoing communication among all the groups interested in remote sensing and transportation. These goals were accomplished through a combination of general sessions and breakout discussion groups. The conference opening sessions provided background information on the federal programs, activities under way at the university consortia, trends in transportation, evolving responsibilities of state transportation agencies, and recent developments in remote-sensing technologies and applications. The breakout groups were organized around the themes of the university consortia: Traffic Surveillance, Monitoring, and Management; Environmental Assessment, Integration, and Streamlining; Transportation Infrastructure Management; and Disaster Assessment, Safety, and Hazards. A number of common elements emerged from the presentations, breakout sessions, and discussions at the conference. Eight general themes capture these major elements. These themes focus on closing the knowledge gap, enhancing ongoing communication, expanding workforce development and training, enhancing technology transfer, developing standards, encouraging innovative partnerships, defining specific research needs, and promoting innovative thinking.