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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2011. Requirements and Feasibility of a System for Archiving and Disseminating Data from SHRP 2 Reliability and Related Studies. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/22881.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2011. Requirements and Feasibility of a System for Archiving and Disseminating Data from SHRP 2 Reliability and Related Studies. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/22881.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2011. Requirements and Feasibility of a System for Archiving and Disseminating Data from SHRP 2 Reliability and Related Studies. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/22881.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2011. Requirements and Feasibility of a System for Archiving and Disseminating Data from SHRP 2 Reliability and Related Studies. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/22881.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2011. Requirements and Feasibility of a System for Archiving and Disseminating Data from SHRP 2 Reliability and Related Studies. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/22881.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2011. Requirements and Feasibility of a System for Archiving and Disseminating Data from SHRP 2 Reliability and Related Studies. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/22881.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2011. Requirements and Feasibility of a System for Archiving and Disseminating Data from SHRP 2 Reliability and Related Studies. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/22881.
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T R A N S P O R T A T I O N R E S E A R C H B O A R D WASHINGTON, D.C. 2011 www.TRB.org The Second S T R A T E G I C H I G H W A Y R E S E A R C H P R O G R A M REPORT S2-L13-RW-1 Requirements and Feasibility of a System for Archiving and Disseminating Data from SHRP 2 Reliability and Related Studies ZONGWEI TAO, JEFFREY SPOTTS, AND ELIZABETH HESS Weris, Inc. Reston, Virginia

Subscriber Categories Highways Data and Information Technology Operations and Traffic Management

The Second Strategic Highway Research Program America’s highway system is critical to meeting the mobility and economic needs of local communities, regions, and the nation. Developments in research and technology—such as advanced materials, communications technology, new data collection technologies, and human factors science—offer a new opportunity to improve the safety and reliability of this important national resource. Breakthrough resolution of sig- nificant transportation problems, however, requires concen- trated resources over a short time frame. Reflecting this need, the second Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP 2) has an intense, large-scale focus, integrates multiple fields of re- search and technology, and is fundamentally different from the broad, mission-oriented, discipline-based research pro- grams that have been the mainstay of the highway research in- dustry for half a century. The need for SHRP 2 was identified in TRB Special Report 260: Strategic Highway Research: Saving Lives, Reducing Congestion, Improving Quality of Life, published in 2001 and based on a study sponsored by Congress through the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21). SHRP 2, modeled after the first Strategic Highway Research Program, is a focused, time- constrained, management-driven program designed to comple- ment existing highway research programs. SHRP 2 focuses on applied research in four areas: Safety, to prevent or reduce the severity of highway crashes by understanding driver behavior; Renewal, to address the aging infrastructure through rapid de- sign and construction methods that cause minimal disruptions and produce lasting facilities; Reliability, to reduce congestion through incident reduction, management, response, and mitiga- tion; and Capacity, to integrate mobility, economic, environ- mental, and community needs in the planning and designing of new transportation capacity. SHRP 2 was authorized in August 2005 as part of the Safe, Ac- countable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU). The program is managed by the Transportation Research Board (TRB) on behalf of the Na- tional Research Council (NRC). SHRP 2 is conducted under a memorandum of understanding among the American Associa- tion of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), and the National Academy of Sciences, parent organization of TRB and NRC. The program provides for competitive, merit-based selection of re- search contractors; independent research project oversight; and dissemination of research results. SHRP 2 Report S2-L13-RW-1 ISBN: 978-0-309-12900-8 © 2011 National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved. Copyright Information Authors herein are responsible for the authenticity of their materials and for ob- taining written permissions from publishers or persons who own the copyright to any previously published or copyrighted material used herein. The second Strategic Highway Research Program grants permission to reproduce material in this publication for classroom and not-for-profit purposes. Permis- sion is given with the understanding that none of the material will be used to imply TRB, AASHTO, or FHWA endorsement of a particular product, method, or practice. It is expected that those reproducing material in this document for educational and not-for-profit purposes will give appropriate acknowledgment of the source of any reprinted or reproduced material. For other uses of the ma- terial, request permission from SHRP 2. Note: SHRP 2 report numbers convey the program, focus area, project number, and publication format. Report numbers ending in “w” are published as web documents only. Notice The project that is the subject of this report was a part of the second Strategic Highway Research Program, conducted by the Transportation Research Board with the approval of the Governing Board of the National Research Council. The members of the technical committee selected to monitor this project and to review this report were chosen for their special competencies and with regard for appropriate balance. The report was reviewed by the technical committee and accepted for publication according to procedures established and overseen by the Transportation Research Board and approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council. The opinions and conclusions expressed or implied in this report are those of the researchers who performed the research and are not necessarily those of the Transportation Research Board, the National Research Council, or the program sponsors. The Transportation Research Board of the National Academies, the National Research Council, and the sponsors of the second Strategic Highway Research Program do not endorse products or manufacturers. Trade or manufacturers’ names appear herein solely because they are considered essential to the object of the report. SHRP 2 Reports Available by subscription and through the TRB online bookstore: www.TRB.org/bookstore Contact the TRB Business Office: 202-334-3213 More information about SHRP 2: www.TRB.org/SHRP2

The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. On the authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal government on scientific and technical matters. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone is president of the National Academy of Sciences. The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences, as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers. It is autonomous in its administration and in the selection of its members, sharing with the National Academy of Sciences the responsibility for advising the federal government. The National Academy of Engineering also sponsors engineering programs aimed at meeting national needs, encourages education and research, and recognizes the superior achieve- ments of engineers. Dr. Charles M. Vest is president of the National Academy of Engineering. The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences to secure the services of eminent members of appropriate professions in the examination of policy matters pertaining to the health of the public. The Institute acts under the responsibility given to the National Academy of Sciences by its congressional charter to be an adviser to the federal government and, on its own initiative, to identify issues of medical care, research, and education. Dr. Harvey V. Fineberg is president of the Institute of Medicine. The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy’s purposes of furthering knowledge and advising the federal government. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the Academy, the Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone and Dr. Charles M. Vest are chair and vice chair, respectively, of the National Research Council. The Transportation Research Board is one of six major divisions of the National Research Council. The mission of the Transportation Research Board is to provide leadership in transportation innovation and progress through research and information exchange, conducted within a setting that is objective, interdisci- plinary, and multimodal. The Board’s varied activities annually engage about 7,000 engineers, scientists, and other transportation researchers and practitioners from the public and private sectors and academia, all of whom contribute their expertise in the public interest. The program is supported by state transportation departments, federal agencies including the component administrations of the U.S. Department of Transporta- tion, and other organizations and individuals interested in the development of transportation. www.TRB.org www.national-academies.org

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This work was sponsored by Federal Highway Administration in cooperation with the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. It was conducted in the second Strategic Highway Research Program, which is administered by the Transportation Research Board of the National Academies. The proj- ect was managed by David J. Plazak, Senior Program Officer for SHRP 2 Capacity and Reliability. The research reported herein was performed by Weris, Inc. Dr. Zongwei Tao, PE, Founder and President of Weris, Inc., was the Principal Investigator. The other authors of this report are Jeffrey Spotts and Elizabeth Hess, Weris associates with expertise in digital archiving and information technology, respectively. SHRP 2 STAFF Neil F. Hawks, Director Ann M. Brach, Deputy Director Kizzy Anderson, Senior Program Assistant, Implementation Stephen Andrle, Chief Program Officer, Capacity James Bryant, Senior Program Officer, Renewal Mark Bush, Senior Program Officer, Renewal Kenneth Campbell, Chief Program Officer, Safety JoAnn Coleman, Senior Program Assistant, Capacity Eduardo Cusicanqui, Finance Officer Walter Diewald, Senior Program Officer, Safety Jerry DiMaggio, Implementation Coordinator Charles Fay, Senior Program Officer, Safety Carol Ford, Senior Program Assistant, Safety Elizabeth Forney, Assistant Editor Jo Allen Gause, Senior Program Officer, Capacity Abdelmename Hedhli, Visiting Professional Ralph Hessian, Visiting Professional Andy Horosko, Special Consultant, Safety Field Data Collection William Hyman, Senior Program Officer, Reliability Linda Mason, Communications Officer Michael Miller, Senior Program Assistant, Reliability Gummada Murthy, Senior Program Officer, Reliability David Plazak, Senior Program Officer, Capacity and Reliability Robert Raab, International Coordinator Monica Starnes, Senior Program Officer, Renewal Noreen Stevenson-Fenwick, Senior Program Assistant, Renewal Charles Taylor, Special Consultant, Renewal Dean Trackman, Managing Editor Hans van Saan, Visiting Professional Pat Williams, Administrative Assistant Connie Woldu, Administrative Coordinator Patrick Zelinski, Communications Specialist

F O R E W O R D David J. Plazak, SHRP 2 Senior Program Officer This report provides an assessment of the feasibility of developing and populating an online archive for the great variety and volume of data being produced by the SHRP 2 Reliability focus area research program. The goal of the archive, if feasible, is to provide researchers and other interested parties with ready access to data needed to independently validate the results of SHRP 2 Reliability research and to conduct follow-on research. For this project, the term “data” was defined in the broadest way possible to include statistical data, analytical tools and models, written reports, pictorial data, and video data. Extensive, high-quality data resources are critical to the understanding of nonrecurring highway congestion and travel time reliability. The reliability of transportation facilities can only be assessed in the context of a statistical distribution of travel times. A number of things affect travel times on a day-to-day basis, including fluctuations in travel demand, inadequate base capacity, weather, traffic incidents, special events, work zones, and poorly functioning traffic control devices. Months and months of travel time data and related data such as weather conditions are needed to understand reliability problems and how they can be addressed on a regional or corridor basis. The report establishes several alternative information technology architectures that could be used to develop an online reliability data archive, and it analyzes their advantages, disad- vantages, and costs. The report recommends a solution based on cloud computing data stor- age and a mixture of open-source and commercial, off-the-shelf software. This alternative was further assessed through the construction of a prototype data archive, which is also described in the report. The prototype archive was populated with a variety of data from SHRP 2 Reliability Project L03, which created a large quantity of data holdings of different types. Finally, the report finds that a SHRP 2 Reliability Archive is feasible and recommends that SHRP 2 move ahead with projects to design, build, and populate an online archive for the Reliability focus area. Work on the data archive is planned to be under way in 2011. It will ultimately be populated with data from all of the SHRP 2 Reliability research projects and closely related projects from other SHRP 2 research focus areas.

C O N T E N T S 1 Executive Summary 1 Introduction 2 Findings 4 Conclusions 4 Recommendations 5 CHAPTER 1 Background 6 CHAPTER 2 Research Approach 7 CHAPTER 3 Findings 7 SHRP 2 Management Perspective 8 Project Contractor Perspective 9 Literature Research 11 Role and Importance of Metadata 13 Vision for the Archival System 14 Conceptual Design for the Archival System 16 System Requirements 17 User Interfaces 24 Data Integrity and Quality 27 Data Rights 27 Institutional Framework and Governance 28 Technical Issues 29 OLAP and User-Defined Functions 31 Establishing Solution Alternatives 32 Solution Components and Implementation Approaches 38 Life-Cycle Costs Analysis 41 Life-Cycle Costs of the Alternatives 45 References 46 CHAPTER 4 Conclusions 46 Final Recommendations 53 Conclusions 53 References 54 Appendix A. Overview of Reliability and Other Projects 57 Appendix B. Life-Cycle Cost Worksheets 61 Appendix C. Requirements and Scoring 67 Appendix D. Relevant Systems Reviewed

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TRB’s second Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP 2) Report S2-L13-RW-1: Requirements and Feasibility of a System for Archiving and Disseminating Data from SHRP 2 Reliability and Related Studies explores the feasibility of developing and populating an online archive for the great variety and volume of data being produced by the SHRP 2 Reliability focus area research program.

The goal of the archive, if feasible, is to provide researchers and other interested parties with ready access to data needed to independently validate the results of SHRP 2 Reliability research and to conduct follow-on research.

For this project, the term “data” was defined in the broadest way possible to include statistical data, analytical tools and models, written reports, pictorial data, and video data.

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