The objective of this paper is to demonstrate how GIS and data visualization systems can be used ... more The objective of this paper is to demonstrate how GIS and data visualization systems can be used to identify spatial relationships to add to our understanding of railroad accident factors. Examples are given of the spatial analysis of broken rail accidents and grade crossing accidents on GIS maps. Additionally, using the Weave data visualization system a data dashboard was constructed that shows the complex interaction between variables like track type, FRA track classification, train speed and track density with broken rail accident causes. The findings indicate that broken rail accidents occur most frequently in the Midwest. Possibly this trend is related to climate change and increased temperatures and precipitation in the United States. GIS visualizations also showed that many truck-trailer accidents at grade crossings occur in low population areas. This work indicates that GIS and data visualizations are a useful method of identifying trends in railroad accidents.
This paper presents a systems viewpoint for developing an advanced decision support system for ai... more This paper presents a systems viewpoint for developing an advanced decision support system for aircraft safety inspectors. Research results from a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) sponsored project to use neural network and expert systems technology to analyze aircraft maintenance databases are summarized. One of the main objectives of this research is to define more refined "alert" indicators for national comparison purposes that can signal potential problem areas by aircraft type for safety inspector consideration. Integration aspects are addressed on two levels: (i) integration of the various technical components of the decision support system, and (2) integration of the decision support system with individual behavior, management systems and organizational structure, as well as corporate culture acfi?ss both formal and informal dimensions. The paper summarizes the creation of strategic "inspection profiles" for aging air~raft and reliability curve fittin...
This project develops a knowledge-based expert system and related FORTRAN programs on a microcomp... more This project develops a knowledge-based expert system and related FORTRAN programs on a microcomputer, to provide an aid for quality assurance of concrete. The primary focus of the expert system is to provide information on the variables which effect concrete quality. Potentially, use of an expert system of this type can lead to quicker identification of deficiencies in concrete quality. The expert system accepts as input the properties of plastic concrete, slump and air content. The expert system checks that these values are within the specified limits. If there is a variation in these parameters, the program provides advice and suggests corrective measures which can be implemented to restore the concrete quality. The FORTRAN programs which are integrated with the expert system include calculation of the required compressive strength of concrete for a specified concrete strength; mix design for the calculated required compressive strength; and a program to find the properties of the concrete mix based upon known quantities of the constituent materials.
The New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) Consultant Management Bureau’s primary r... more The New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) Consultant Management Bureau’s primary responsibilities are to negotiate staffing hours/resources with engineering design consultants, and to monitor the consultant's costs. Currently the Consultant Management Bureau uses knowledge of past and current projects as well as engineering judgment to estimate consultant costs. The proposed research will focus on several major issues: 1. The establishment of a central database that contains historic total project cost and staffing level data; 2. The development of a computer based estimating tool that employs the data from the historical database to provide more accurate and efficient estimates of consultant resources. The authors will identify the major variables that affect the consultant's hours and develop predictive models. They will study multiple regression analysis as a method for developing the models. They will only consider techniques that can easily be incorporated in an Excel spreadsheet. The NYSDOT already employs an excel spreadsheet based estimating tool. The authors will determine how to best integrate the new computer tool with the existing spreadsheet. They will also explore how the developed estimating tool can exchange data with Primavera software. One meeting will be held with other interested parties in the NYSDOT to discuss the possibilities for integration. Training will be provided including at least three PowerPoint presentations to NYSDOT engineers. The meeting will occur in the main office, downstate, and in the Buffalo area. The PowerPoint presentations produced for the meetings will be provided to NYSDOT as a deliverable.This is the users manual for the system.
The development of an estimating tool to assist New York State Department of Transportation (NYSD... more The development of an estimating tool to assist New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) managers is described. The tool was developed using Microsoft Access. It enables managers to input project characteristics and then search a data base of historical projects. The estimating tool returns the staffing levels for similar completed projects. The system was also developed to allow newly completed projects to be added to the data base and to allow for the monitoring of design hours expended for projects that are in progress. Regression analysis was also explored as a means of predicting total project design hours. With the assistance of NYSDOT experts important factors that influence required design hours were identified. Estimating tool users can make a regression prediction for the total project hours using historical projects as input data.
... CE Database Search | Descriptions | Search Tips | Subject Heading List. Neural Network for Pr... more ... CE Database Search | Descriptions | Search Tips | Subject Heading List. Neural Network for Predicting Concrete Strength. by Trefor P. Williams , Anil Khajuria , and P. Balaguru pp. 1082-1088 Purchase Information Permissions for Reuse ...
Grade crossing accidents are a major problem for the U.S. railroad industry. Research in grade cr... more Grade crossing accidents are a major problem for the U.S. railroad industry. Research in grade crossing accidents has concentrated on methods to prioritize grade crossings using statistical and probabilistic methods. Recent advances in computer science in the areas of data mining, data visualization, and text mining have made it possible to consider other techniques to better understand the factors involved in grade crossing accidents, and to develop more accurate methods of identifying grade crossings requiring safety upgrades. It is the purpose of this paper to suggest and demonstrate new computer-based methods to better understand and visualize grade crossing data. This paper will discuss computer models that can be implemented to produce insights that can augment the existing prioritization techniques, and stand-alone models that can be used to identify potentially dangerous crossings.
Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 2020
AbstractThis study analyzes the cost performance of design-build (DB) and design-bid-build (DBB) ... more AbstractThis study analyzes the cost performance of design-build (DB) and design-bid-build (DBB) delivery systems to examine whether one project delivery system (PDS) is always superior to the othe...
Proceedings of VNIS '93 - Vehicle Navigation and Information Systems Conference
ABSTRACT The design of a macroscopic traffic simulator using a Geographical Information System (G... more ABSTRACT The design of a macroscopic traffic simulator using a Geographical Information System (GIS) and its implementation for performance evaluation of different Intelligent Vehicle Highway System (IVHS) route guidance strategies are described. The GIS and the associated routing algorithms are intended for deployment in the NY/NJ metropolitan area by TRANSCOM. The GIS allows flexible display of a host of traffic parameters and selection of control actions. Besides GIS and control algorithms, a simulator is implemented to replace the traffic measurements for a secondary road network. The role of the simulator as a tool for designing different control algorithms is discussed. The simulator operates by iteratively updating all the densities on all the included roads. The relations for each road are based on vehicular traffic models. The dependence between the traffic parameters on different roads is incorporated via relations between a road's traffic parameters and those of its entrance and exit roads
Construction Innovation: Information, Process, Management, 2007
Purpose – Competitively bid construction projects are often completed for amounts greater than th... more Purpose – Competitively bid construction projects are often completed for amounts greater than the original low-bid amount. Improved methods of predicting a projects potential to experience large cost overruns would be useful to government agencies for planning capital budgets. The purpose of this paper is to explore the application of treesmaps to the analysis of competitively bid project cost overruns.
The objective of this paper is to demonstrate how GIS and data visualization systems can be used ... more The objective of this paper is to demonstrate how GIS and data visualization systems can be used to identify spatial relationships to add to our understanding of railroad accident factors. Examples are given of the spatial analysis of broken rail accidents and grade crossing accidents on GIS maps. Additionally, using the Weave data visualization system a data dashboard was constructed that shows the complex interaction between variables like track type, FRA track classification, train speed and track density with broken rail accident causes. The findings indicate that broken rail accidents occur most frequently in the Midwest. Possibly this trend is related to climate change and increased temperatures and precipitation in the United States. GIS visualizations also showed that many truck-trailer accidents at grade crossings occur in low population areas. This work indicates that GIS and data visualizations are a useful method of identifying trends in railroad accidents.
This paper presents a systems viewpoint for developing an advanced decision support system for ai... more This paper presents a systems viewpoint for developing an advanced decision support system for aircraft safety inspectors. Research results from a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) sponsored project to use neural network and expert systems technology to analyze aircraft maintenance databases are summarized. One of the main objectives of this research is to define more refined "alert" indicators for national comparison purposes that can signal potential problem areas by aircraft type for safety inspector consideration. Integration aspects are addressed on two levels: (i) integration of the various technical components of the decision support system, and (2) integration of the decision support system with individual behavior, management systems and organizational structure, as well as corporate culture acfi?ss both formal and informal dimensions. The paper summarizes the creation of strategic "inspection profiles" for aging air~raft and reliability curve fittin...
This project develops a knowledge-based expert system and related FORTRAN programs on a microcomp... more This project develops a knowledge-based expert system and related FORTRAN programs on a microcomputer, to provide an aid for quality assurance of concrete. The primary focus of the expert system is to provide information on the variables which effect concrete quality. Potentially, use of an expert system of this type can lead to quicker identification of deficiencies in concrete quality. The expert system accepts as input the properties of plastic concrete, slump and air content. The expert system checks that these values are within the specified limits. If there is a variation in these parameters, the program provides advice and suggests corrective measures which can be implemented to restore the concrete quality. The FORTRAN programs which are integrated with the expert system include calculation of the required compressive strength of concrete for a specified concrete strength; mix design for the calculated required compressive strength; and a program to find the properties of the concrete mix based upon known quantities of the constituent materials.
The New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) Consultant Management Bureau’s primary r... more The New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) Consultant Management Bureau’s primary responsibilities are to negotiate staffing hours/resources with engineering design consultants, and to monitor the consultant's costs. Currently the Consultant Management Bureau uses knowledge of past and current projects as well as engineering judgment to estimate consultant costs. The proposed research will focus on several major issues: 1. The establishment of a central database that contains historic total project cost and staffing level data; 2. The development of a computer based estimating tool that employs the data from the historical database to provide more accurate and efficient estimates of consultant resources. The authors will identify the major variables that affect the consultant's hours and develop predictive models. They will study multiple regression analysis as a method for developing the models. They will only consider techniques that can easily be incorporated in an Excel spreadsheet. The NYSDOT already employs an excel spreadsheet based estimating tool. The authors will determine how to best integrate the new computer tool with the existing spreadsheet. They will also explore how the developed estimating tool can exchange data with Primavera software. One meeting will be held with other interested parties in the NYSDOT to discuss the possibilities for integration. Training will be provided including at least three PowerPoint presentations to NYSDOT engineers. The meeting will occur in the main office, downstate, and in the Buffalo area. The PowerPoint presentations produced for the meetings will be provided to NYSDOT as a deliverable.This is the users manual for the system.
The development of an estimating tool to assist New York State Department of Transportation (NYSD... more The development of an estimating tool to assist New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) managers is described. The tool was developed using Microsoft Access. It enables managers to input project characteristics and then search a data base of historical projects. The estimating tool returns the staffing levels for similar completed projects. The system was also developed to allow newly completed projects to be added to the data base and to allow for the monitoring of design hours expended for projects that are in progress. Regression analysis was also explored as a means of predicting total project design hours. With the assistance of NYSDOT experts important factors that influence required design hours were identified. Estimating tool users can make a regression prediction for the total project hours using historical projects as input data.
... CE Database Search | Descriptions | Search Tips | Subject Heading List. Neural Network for Pr... more ... CE Database Search | Descriptions | Search Tips | Subject Heading List. Neural Network for Predicting Concrete Strength. by Trefor P. Williams , Anil Khajuria , and P. Balaguru pp. 1082-1088 Purchase Information Permissions for Reuse ...
Grade crossing accidents are a major problem for the U.S. railroad industry. Research in grade cr... more Grade crossing accidents are a major problem for the U.S. railroad industry. Research in grade crossing accidents has concentrated on methods to prioritize grade crossings using statistical and probabilistic methods. Recent advances in computer science in the areas of data mining, data visualization, and text mining have made it possible to consider other techniques to better understand the factors involved in grade crossing accidents, and to develop more accurate methods of identifying grade crossings requiring safety upgrades. It is the purpose of this paper to suggest and demonstrate new computer-based methods to better understand and visualize grade crossing data. This paper will discuss computer models that can be implemented to produce insights that can augment the existing prioritization techniques, and stand-alone models that can be used to identify potentially dangerous crossings.
Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 2020
AbstractThis study analyzes the cost performance of design-build (DB) and design-bid-build (DBB) ... more AbstractThis study analyzes the cost performance of design-build (DB) and design-bid-build (DBB) delivery systems to examine whether one project delivery system (PDS) is always superior to the othe...
Proceedings of VNIS '93 - Vehicle Navigation and Information Systems Conference
ABSTRACT The design of a macroscopic traffic simulator using a Geographical Information System (G... more ABSTRACT The design of a macroscopic traffic simulator using a Geographical Information System (GIS) and its implementation for performance evaluation of different Intelligent Vehicle Highway System (IVHS) route guidance strategies are described. The GIS and the associated routing algorithms are intended for deployment in the NY/NJ metropolitan area by TRANSCOM. The GIS allows flexible display of a host of traffic parameters and selection of control actions. Besides GIS and control algorithms, a simulator is implemented to replace the traffic measurements for a secondary road network. The role of the simulator as a tool for designing different control algorithms is discussed. The simulator operates by iteratively updating all the densities on all the included roads. The relations for each road are based on vehicular traffic models. The dependence between the traffic parameters on different roads is incorporated via relations between a road's traffic parameters and those of its entrance and exit roads
Construction Innovation: Information, Process, Management, 2007
Purpose – Competitively bid construction projects are often completed for amounts greater than th... more Purpose – Competitively bid construction projects are often completed for amounts greater than the original low-bid amount. Improved methods of predicting a projects potential to experience large cost overruns would be useful to government agencies for planning capital budgets. The purpose of this paper is to explore the application of treesmaps to the analysis of competitively bid project cost overruns.
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