Travel Assistance Device (TAD) to Help Transit Riders

University of South Florida Digital Commons @ University of South Florida CUTR Research Reports CUTR Publications 12-1-2005 Travel Assistant Device (TAD) to Help Transit Riders Philip L. Winters University of South Florida, [email protected] Sean Barbeau Nevine Georggi Rafael Perez Miguel Labrador Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/cutr_reports Scholar Commons Citation Winters, Philip L.; Barbeau, Sean; Georggi, Nevine; Perez, Rafael; and Labrador, Miguel, "Travel Assistant Device (TAD) to Help Transit Riders" (2005). CUTR Research Reports. 134. https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/cutr_reports/134 This Technical Report is brought to you for free and open access by the CUTR Publications at Digital Commons @ University of South Florida. It has been accepted for inclusion in CUTR Research Reports by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ University of South Florida. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Travel Assistant Device {TAD) to Help Transit Riders r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r National Research Council PROPOSAL COVER SHEET - IDEA Programs (Note: The total length of IDEA proposals shall not exceed 25 pages, including the cover sheet and all enclosures) Proposal Submitted to: [ ] Safety-IDEA For Use by TRB [ ] NCHRP-IDEA [ ] HSR-IDEA Date Received [x] Transit-IDEA Proposal Number Title of Project: [x ] Concept Exploration (Type 1) Travel Assistant Device (TAD) to Help Transit Riders [ ] Product Application (Type 2) Project Duration _10_ _ _ months Submission Date: 12/6/05 Signed, unaltered, NRC liability certification enclosed with the proposal Name/Address of Submitting Organization and Business Contact Telephone 813-974-2897 [x ] Yes [ ] No Fax 813-974-4962 Priscilla Pope Division of Sponsored Research, ADM200 IDEA Budget $83,680 +Cost Sharing $15,000 University of South Florida 3650 Spectrum Blvd, Suite 160 Tampa, FL 33620-9446 Business Type [ ] Profit [ ] Non-Profit [ x ] Academic Name/Address of Principal Investigator Philip L. Winters Center for Urban Transportation Research University of South Florida = Total Project Cost $98,680 [ ] <10 Size (Number of Employees) [ ] <100 [ ] <200 [ X ] >200 Telephone and Email Fax 813-974-9811 813-974-5168 [email protected] 4202 E. Fowler Ave. CUT 100 Tampa, Florida, 33620-5375 Names of other Key Investigators Sean Barbeau, Nevine Georggi, Rafael Perez, Ph.D., and Miguel Labrador, Ph.D. Brief Summary of Concept and Potential Impact on Practice: This proposed application, Travel Assistance Device (TAD), would use multimedia cell phones with built-in global positioning systems to help new transit riders, especially those who are cognitively disabled. Informational prompts will be delivered to the rider in a "just-in-time" method such as triggering the phone to ring, vibrate or deliver an audio message when the rider should pull the stop cord. Automated alarms can be triggered and the travel trainer and/or parent/guardian remotely alerted in case a rider wanders off their pre-determined path. Traditional phone communication is possible between the rider and the trainer which will allow them to guide the rider to the correct location if they are lost. This device could increase fixed route transit use among the cognitively disabled. While riders with cognitively disabled are the initial target market for this application, TAD could be used by any traveler. Navigating the transit system can be a major obstacle for attracting new riders, especially for special needs populations and tourists. Approximately half of the general population surveyed can not successfully plan an entire trip on the fixed-route transit system using printed information materials. For those with cognitive disabilities (approximately 14.2 million Americans, or 6.9% of the population), it is especially daunting to plan and execute a trip without any personal assistance from travel trainers provided by the transit agency or other group, especially on their first few trips. Potential impacts of TAD include ( 1) increased transit ridership (2) decreased costs to the transit agency by shifting some riders from paratransit to fixed route transit, (3) increased independence and improved quality of life for transit riders and (4) increased productivity of transit agencies' "travel trainers" whose sole job is to provide one-on-one instruction for new riders or existing paratransit riders on how to use fixed-route transit. Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority (FL) is willing to participate in the development and testing of the TAD. Other agencies have endorsed the concept. r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r Travel Assistant Device (TAD) to Help Transit Riders Summary of Concept and Application for Practice Concept and Innovation The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) recognizes that the benefits of transit such as increased mobility and reduced congestion depend on riders. Therefore, one key measure of success for transit agencies is the increase of ridership over the previous year. This proposal seeks to develop a software application, Travel Assistance Device (TAD), which uses multimedia cell phones with built-in global positioning systems to overcome the challenges facing new transit riders, especially those who are cognitively disabled and tourists. This device could increase fixed route transit use among the cognitively disabled. While riders with cognitive disabilities are the initial target market for this application, TAD could be used by any traveler. Potential impacts of TAD include (I) increased transit ridership (2) decreased costs to the transit agency by shifting some riders from paratransit to fixed route transit, (3) increased independence and improved quality of life for transit riders and (4) increased productivity of transit agencies' "travel trainers" (also called "travel instructors") whose sole job is to provide one-on-one instruction for new riders or existing paratransit riders on how to use fixed-route transit. Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority (FL) is willing to participate in the development and testing of the TAD. Navigating the transit system can be a major obstacle for attracting new riders, especially for special needs populations. A range of techniques from advertising to online trip planners to travel trainers are used by transit agencies to overcome this barrier to increase ridership. Research has found that current informational materials do not fully meet this need. According to the National Center for Transit Research (NCTR) 1, approximately half of the general population surveyed could not successfully plan an entire trip on the fixed-route transit system using printed information materials. This situation is magnified for many of the SO million Americans with disabilities who depend on transit as their primary means to and from school, work, doctor appointments, and other essential activities. For those with cognitive disabilities (approximately 14.2 million Americans, or 6.9% of the population\ it is especially daunting to plan and execute a trip without any personal assistance from travel trainers provided by the transit agency or other group, especially on their first few trips. Sample Scenario: Melissa needs to travel from home to work via public transportation. Multimedia alarms and reminders can be used to inform her when to board and when to deboard. For example, her location would trigger her phone to alert her to pull the cord for the next stop (Figure 1). These alarms could take a variety of forms (depending on the specific client) such as ringing, vibrating, playing a recorded audio message and showing a picture/video of the next stop or landmark. 1 Cain, Alasdair. "Design Elements of Effective Transit Information Materials", FOOT Final Report, November 2004. 3 National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research. "Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP)", 1997. 2 +£ Reminder A -=,[)[)[)[)[) = == = = Bus Stop B = Work -=-\ [) [J [J ~ -- Bus Stop A Figure I Alarms could be triggered if Melissa deviates from her planned route (Figure 2). In addition, other people (e.g., parent or guardian, social worker, and travel trainer) could be notified of such deviation from route. The cell phone provides an easy way for these individuals to contact Melissa as to what they want her to do next (e.g., get off at the next stop). 3 rr~ cncncncncn) ~ ~(](](]Q) Figure 2 CUTR's prior work funded by Florida Department of Transportation through the National Center for Transit Research with Global Positioning System (OPS)-enabled pocket PCs and cellphones, in addition to recent advances in mobile communications technology, have led the research team to conclude that "OPS-enabled" cell phones could serve as personalized "Travel Assistant Devices (TAD). " 4 That project included the development of software that uses OPSenabled phones to collect travel behavior data such as travel path and travel speed and provide personalized advice based on that behavior. Another project has demonstrated our ability to collect digital pictures recorded by cell phones and display these images on a map-based web page. We also are in final development of using OPS information to deliver targeted text messages based on the location of the cell phone (e.g., "You are in hurricane evacuation zone B"). The project will design and develop a software system based on OPS-enabled cell phones to act as a Travel Assistance Device (TAD) for transit riders. Various forms of informational prompts will be delivered to the rider in a "just-in-time" method such as triggering the phone to ring and vibrate when the rider should pull the stop cord in order to arrive at the correct stop. Other more complex communications may include delivering an audio message from the phone that would tell the person what to do based on their current location. For the sight or hearingimpaired, the phone's vibrate feature could alert them to a nearing stop. Automated alarms can also be triggered and the travel trainer remote! y alerted in case a rider wanders off their pre4 Winters, Philip L.; Perez, Rafael A.; Labrador, Miguel A., Georggi, Nevine L., and Barbeau, Sean J. "Traveling Smart: Increasing Transit Ridership throug h Automated Collection (TRAC) Of Individual Travel Behavior Data and Personalized Feedback" . National Center for Transit Research. University of South Florida. September 2005. 4 r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r determined path. Traditional phone communication is possible between the rider and the trainer which will allow them to guide the rider to the correct location if they are lost. More advanced information such as directions or maps based on the current location of the rider could also be accessed by the trainer or family members at any point. Potential Payofffor Practice: The benefits of TAD include more than increasing ridership for the transit agencies and increasing mobility for the riders. First, TAD will help shift riders from paratransit to fixed route service thus decreasing the costs to the transit agency. Second, it will increase the productivity of transit agencies' "travel trainers" (also called "travel instructors") whose sole job is to provide one-on-one instruction for new riders with special needs or existing paratransit riders on how to use fixed-route transit. Travel trainers ride with the individual and teach them various navigation techniques until they feel that the rider can use the fixed-route transit system on their own. Travel trainers will be able to assist more people with TAD. Finally, the TAD may offer more peace-of-mind for the caretaker of the rider. Often, caretakers are concerned with the safety of the transit rider and therefore are very hesitant to allow their loved one to ride fixed-route transit due to the fear that the person may become lost and unable to return home. The presence of the TAD and knowledge that the rider could be located if they were lost may encourage the caretaker to allow their loved one to ride fixed-route transit. Travel training has shown substantial results in enabling riders to use fixed-route transit, as evidenced by Easter Seals Project ACTION studies of travel instruction programs at The Rapid transit service in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) in Dallas, Texas 8, and Capital Metropolitan Transit Authority (Capital Metro) in Austin, Texas9 • The Rapid showed savings of $298,252 in paratransit costs (21,550 diverted trips) in 2004 from 82 customers that were trained by one travel trainer (1 FTE). In addition, these 82 customers were able to take 8,450 more trips in 2004 than 2003 using the fixed-route transit because of the skills that they acquired while travel training. DART's total savings (after calculating the cost of staff and fixed-transit trips) were estimated at $40,445 in 2004 due to 1,092 trips diverted by their travel training staff (4 FTE). In more detailed study of Capital Metro's program, it was estimated that $50,000 was saved in paratransit costs by the diversion of 2,721 diverted trips. Additionally, 170 of the 180 participants who had never used fixed-route transit previous to the study reported using fixed-route transit for at least part of their travel needs after training, and 25 individuals completely discontinued their use of paratransit. When conducting a survey of sustained fixed-transit use, 85% of participants from a training program in the early 1990s reported the continued use of fixed-route transit one to three years after training. 8 Wolf-Branigin, Haenftling, Green. "Getting Down to Business with Bus Familiarization, Travel Instruction and Orientation and Mobility Services", Feb. 2005. 9 The Austin Resource Center for Independent Living, Inc. "Effective Fixed Route Travel Training: A Collaborative Approach", Project ACTION Transportation Demonstration Project for the National Institute for Accessible Transportation, 1995. 5 r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r Fixed-route ridership is also a more cost-effective option from the transit agency's perspective. According to the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) 2004 Public Transportation Factbook, the average operating cost for the agency per paratransit trip is approximately $17 per trip, 9ompared to approximately $1. 70 per trip for fixed transit routes. As a result, paratransit trips make up only 1.1 % of total transit trips in the United States but account for nearly 8% of total transit operating expenses per year. One of the tactics used to control these costs is to help move able paratransit riders to fixed-route transit through education and training. Support for this project comes from a range of organizations such as a local transit operator and Project ACTION. Raymond C. Miller, Executive Director, Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority {HARTLine) in Florida says, "HARTLine is willing to participate in the development and testing of the TAD in hopes that such a device could increase the quality of living, independence, and mobility for many individuals with cognitive disabilities, as well as others in the general population." Easter Seals Project Accessible Community Transportation in Our Nation (ACTION), an organization funded by the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) and Federal Transportation Administration {FTA) to increase mobility for people with disabilities, also sees great promise in the TAD. Alan Abeson, the director of Easter Seals Project ACTION, wrote us to say: "We are particularly interested in tools that support independent travel by people with various levels of disability. A Travel Assistant Device {TAD) appears to be a tool that holds much promise and therefore worthy of further research and demonstration .... We are hopeful that continued investigation and demonstration of this technology will not only increase independent mobility for travelers, but also enable them to transfer from more costly, specialized (paratransit) services to less expensive (fixed route) services for part or all of their trips." Product Transfer and Implementation: Implementation the technology should be low cost for transit agencies. The basic system would use consumer-owned cell-phones; there would be no need for the transit agency to purchase equipment. The software could be distributed electronically over the cellular network to the clients with little deployment costs. If available, advance vehicle location (AVL) systems or electronic records of transit routes could enable the integration of TAD into transit system's daily operations. The project team has already begun planning for the commercialization of project results by filing patents and identifying potential partners for a Type 2 proposal. The University of South Florida (USF) has filed for several patents for intellectual property and copyrightable applications based on the work of the proposed project team. These technology applications provide the building blocks for TAD: • • • System and Method for Transportation Demand Management (TRACIT w/ Expert System) Wireless Reporting System for Civilian-to-Law Enforcement Communications (Wi-Via) Hurricane Evacuation Zone Finder - a OPS-enabled cell phone application (subproject of Wi-Via) 6 r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r In addition, USF has a patent pending for "Technology to Assist Transit Riders with Special Needs (Travel Assistant Device)" concept. The deployment of the software product could be through licensing arrangements to the transit agency or private company. To facilitate commercialization, USF's Division of Patents and Licensing (DPL) will provide the support including disclosure of inventions, records management, evaluation and marketing, patent prosecution, draft and negotiation of license agreements, and management of active licenses. The project team and representatives of USF' s DPL has had several meetings about the TAD concept with major communication companies as well as specialized providers of secured wireless communications, primarily for law enforcement. USF is also uniquely positioned to help leverage resources. USF is one of three Corridor universities in Florida's High Tech Corridor where every year, dozens of companies across the 23-county area leverage the strengths in the development of commercially-applicable emerging technologies. Specifically, FHTC has a Matching Grants Research Program to foster applied research between the partner universities and their high tech industry partners. Since the inception of the FHTC, the Matching Grants Research Program has generated more than $128 million in applied research with industries targeted for growth. These industries are: Aviation and Aerospace; Information Technology; Medical Technologies & Life Sciences; Microelectronics & Nanotechnology; Modeling, Simulation and Training; and, Optics and Photonics. In addition, USF Connect is a program tying together the elements of economic development at the University of South Florida. USF Connect provides a single point of contact for businesses and entrepreneurial communities to access many of the resources necessary for success: intellectual property, management expertise, capital partners and support services. Tampa Bay Technology Incubator (TBTI) is part of USF Connect. The 60,000 sq. ft. incubator facility is located in USF's Research Park. The Tampa Bay Technology Incubator provides office and laboratory space and professional advice for companies that meet certain requirements. In addition, the Tampa Bay Technology Incubator works in partnership with the USF Center for Entrepreneurship at the University of South Florida. The Center for Entrepreneurship provides a wide array of successful entrepreneurial business and technology programs to enhance entrepreneurial education, research and training for both incubator clients and community businesses. Based on a recent presentation on the TAD concept at the CUTR Advisory Board annual meeting, a meeting with representatives of Florida Department of Transportation and the Florida Transportation Commission is being scheduled. This may result in additional funding. An initial presentation of the TAD concept at Association of Travel Instruction annual meeting this past summer generated a lot of enthusiasm and offers to help demonstrate the technology. This support could help secure additional state and local contracts and attract potential foundation grants. 7 r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r Investigative Approach This project is currently planned to take place in two phases: Phase I -Technology Development & Prototype Testing of TAD Phase 2-Large-Scale Field Testing of TAD and Development of Travel Trainer TAD Training Program. The project objectives for Phase 1 : 1) Design and develop "Travel Assistant Device" prototype software for GPS-enabled cell phones that will guide transit riders with mental or cognitive disabilities in utilizing the transit system 2) Create an online map-based webpage that will provide a caretaker and travel trainer with the means to remotely monitor the transit rider's location when desired. The following tasks cover only Phase 1. The development of Phase 2 scope will be part of the final report. The proposed scope of services for this project consists of the following tasks. Task 1. Identify requirements for working with individuals with mentaVcognitive/physical conditions • • • Review and satisfy USF's Institutional Research Board (IRB) requirements for research involving human subjects with mental/cognitive or physical disabilities. Identify the range of mental/cognitive/physical conditions that may make the TAD appropriate for use by individuals with these conditions. Form local advisory panel consisting of transit agency representatives (e.g., HARTiine in Tampa), representative from the Successful Transition After Graduation for Exceptional Students (STAGES) program at USF, and others to provide input and feedback to the research team. Task 2. Conduct literature review and technology assessment • • • • • Conduct a literature review to investigate the possibility that the concept is similar or duplicative of other investigations, applications or products. Review best practices for cell phone user interface design, including any special measures that have been identified for those with mental or cognitive disabilities. Review current ability of cellular carriers (i.e. Sprint, Nextel, Cingular, TMobile) to provide OPS-enabled cell phones and server-side solutions. Review multimedia capabilities of current commercially-available GPSenabled phones for potential audio/visual/touch interactions with user. Review capabilities of third-party application designers to access GPS information from various cellular carriers and cell phones. 8 r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r Deliverable: Technical Memorandum 1 -Summarizing Task 1 and Task 2 Task 3. Develop Travel Assistant Device software for cell phone and central database software • • • • • • • • • • Using information gathered in Task 2, identify a particular model OPSenabled cell phone for a OPS enabled cell carrier that has multimedia capabilities and supports 3rd party application access to the OPS data. Purchase one cell phone for use in software development and testing & subscribe to appropriate cellular service plan Design and develop user interface for cell phone software Design and create database that will serve as a backend storage solution for the system Design and develop communication architecture between cell phone and server Design and develop any necessary server-side software, including OIS software using ArcObjects. Test and refine cell phone and server-side software as necessary Conduct pilot testing with team members Test accuracy of OPS-enabled cell phone when used inside bus, including in a "downtown" setting. Refine and finalize software based on pilot testing and user feedback. Task 4. Develop web page with map interface • • • Design and create web page interface including a map using OIS software, such as the OoogleMaps APL Design and create any software necessary to facilitate communication between the webpage and server database Test and refine web page and related software as necessary Deliverable: TAD Application and Documentation Task 5. Conduct small scale pilot test with transit riders • • • • • • Identify up to 6 households with transit riders with special needs who are willing to participate in pilot testing of TAD and are an appropriate clients. Obtain necessary permission from transit riders and/or legal guardians, following IRB protocols identified in Task 1. Purchase or otherwise acquire access to up to 6 cell phones for use by the households and subscribe to appropriate cellular service plans. Conduct pilot test for up to 2 month period, evaluating system performance and troubleshooting problems as necessary. Conduct qualitative follow-up with clients after pilot test period ends. Identify potential financial incentives for transit agencies to adopt the TAD and Travel Trainer programs, such as the cost savings if paratransit riders could be transferred to fixed route with the use of the TAD. 9 r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r Task 6: • • Phase 1- Final Draft Report Prepare draft final report, including a draft scope for Phase 2 (if appropriate), and submit to IDEA for review and comment. Make revisions and print the contractually required number of final reports. Deliverable: Provide final report Key Personnel and Facility The following summarizes roles and background on the co-principle investigators. Resumes can be found in the Appendix. This section also describes the resources available for performing the project. Philip L. Winters will serve as the project manager and primary contact with IDEA staff. He joined the Center for Urban Transportation Research (CUTR) at the University of South Florida as transportation demand management (TDM) program director in 1993. Mr. Winters has over 25 years of experience with TDM research, planning, operations, training and evaluation. Prior to joining CUTR, he worked for 2.5 years in corporate relocation and TDM consulting and 10 years directing a regional non-profit TDM program in Virginia. He has been actively involved in a leadership capacity in transportation at the national level, including past chair of the Transportation Research Board's Committee on Transportation Demand Management, Member of the Executive Committee of Transportation Planning Council for the Institute of Transportation Engineers and director of the TDM Institute of the Association for Commuter Transportation. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering from Virginia Tech. Sean Barbeau will lead the programming of the Travel Assistant Device software for cell phone and central database software. He is a Research Associate at the Center for Urban Transportation Research and Ph.D. student in the Department of Computer Science & Engineering at the University of South Florida. He graduated summa cum laude with a B.S. in Computer Science from USF in 2003. His research interests are in the area of artificial intelligence with a focus in mobile intelligent software systems and applications utilizing Global Positioning Systems (OPS) for Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) and cell phones. Sean Barbeau is a member of the IEEE Computer Society. Rafael A. Perez, Ph.D. will supervise graduate student participation in the project and direct development and design of the intelligent software on both the cellphone and server. Dr. Perez is Professor and Graduate Program Director, Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of South Florida. He received his M.S. and Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Pittsburgh, in 1967 and 1973 respectively. Before joining the University of South Florida as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering in 1983, Dr. Perez worked as Project Manager with Westinghouse International Company. His research interests are in artificial intelligence, neural networks and genetic algorithms. Dr. Perez also has served as Coordinator for the IEEE Computer Society Latin America Distinguished Visitor's Program, Program Evaluator for the Computing Accreditation r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r Commission of ABET, and Mentor for McNair Scholar's Program for Underrepresented minorities. Miguel A. Labrador, Ph.D. will assist in the supervision of graduate student participation in the project and direct design and production of the network communication and protocols necessary to synchronize the cell phone and server. Dr. Labrador is Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of South Florida. He received his M.S. in Telecommunications and Ph.D. degree in Information Science with concentration in Telecommunications from the University of Pittsburgh, in 1994 and 2000 respectively. Before joining the University of South Florida as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering in 2001, Dr. Labrador worked in Telcordia Technologies, Inc. in the Broadband Networking Group of the Professional Services Business Unit. His research interests are in design and performance evaluation of computer networks and communication protocols for wired, wireless and optical networks. Dr. Labrador has served as Technical Program Committee member of many IEEE conferences and is currently member of the Editorial Board of "Computer Communications", Elsevier Science. He is the former Secretary of the IEEE Technical Committee on Computer Communications (TCCC) and the Chair of the IEEE VTC 2003 Transport Layer Protocols over Wireless Networks Symposium. Dr. Labrador is a senior member of the IEEE Communications Society. Nevine Labib Georggi will lead the literature review, coordinate the production of technical memorandums, and assist with the training and testing. Ms. Georggi is a Research Associate at the Center for Urban Transportation Research at the University of South Florida. She received her M.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of South Florida in 2000. Employed at CUTR since 1993 conducting research in a variety of areas, she is currently developing a methodology for measuring the impacts of employer-based transportation demand management (TDM) programs on transit system ridership and transportation system performance, in particular from the management and operations perspective. She is involved in researching the impacts of employing new technologies in advanced public transportation systems, advanced traveler information systems, and transportation safety and security. Other areas of expertise over the past 20 years include Intelligent Transportation Systems planning and integration for the State of Florida, alcohol-related safety research, travel behavior, travel-related statistical analysis, trip generation models, transportation survey design and analysis, project development and environmental studies, web-interfaced searchable solution database, developing transportation resource information center, and specialized library development. Gigi Gonzalez, the director of the Successful Transition After Graduation for Exceptional Students (STAGES) program at USF, and Mark Sheppard, a Travel Trainer for Hillsborough Area Regional Transit (HARTline), will be consulted for additional knowledge in their areas of expertise, special education and travel training, respectively, as needed. As previously indicated, HARTLine has agreed to participate in the development and testing of the TAD. The following resources are available for performing this project. • Server Computer Hardware: o Intel Pentium 4 3 .4 GHz processor O· 4GBRAM o Operating System = Windows Server 2003 SP 1 11 r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r o 2 x 400GB Hard drives o CD-R/RW, DVD+-RW • • • • Software: o IIS 6.0 for web services and applications, including ASP.NET applications o Apache Tomcat web application server for Java applications o Visual Studio .NET 2003 o ESRI ArcGIS software for GIS software development • ArcGIS Server .NET Application Developer Framework (ArcObjects) • ArcGIS Server • ArcGIS SOE • ArcMap • Arclnfo o Netbeans 4.1 IDE w/ Mobility Pack 4.1 o Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Enterprise Database Server o Terminal Server (Remote Desktop) for workgroup environments o Windows Media Services for streaming digital media across networks o Microsoft Office Pro 2003 o Microsoft Visio 2003 o Motorola iDEN SDKs (for cell phone software development) o GoogleMaps Application Programming Interface (API) Cell phones: o 1 x Motorola i830 (Nextel, GPS-enabled) o 1 x Motorola i860 (Nextel, GPS-enabled) o 2 x Motorola i265 (Nextel, OPS-enabled) o 1 x Nokia 6620 (unlocked GSM phone, currently on T-Mobile prepaid service) PDAs: o 3 x HP 6315 iPAQs with T-Mobile GSM/GPRS service o 1 x HP 5555 iPAQ OPS: o 3 x Navman 4410 Bluetooth OPS units o 1 x Navman 3450 mounted OPS unit Many resources are available that will aid in the development of the Travel Assistant Device. A dedicated powerful computer used as a general purpose server (Intel Pentium 4 3.4 GHz processor, 4 GB RAM, Windows Server 2003 SPl operating system, 2 x 400GB hard drives) is able to meet the demand of any application as well as serve as the platform for customdeveloped software. This server also hosts Internet Information Services (11S) 6.0 for custom web services and applications (including ASP.NET). An Apache Tomcat web application server is also in place for Java-based solutions. Visual Studio .NET 2003 serves as the development environment for all .NET based solutions, allowing the development of software using any of the .NET programming languages. ESRI ArcGIS software is available for any geographic information systems (GIS) work, including software development. This suite includes ArcGIS Server .NET Application Developer Framework (ADF) (ArcObjects), ArcGIS Server, ArcGIS SDE for database access, and ArcMap and Arclnfo for desktop GIS work. The .NET ADF integrates with Visual Studio.NET to create a complete GIS software development environment. Additional GIS web interface development is possible using the Google Maps Application Programming Interface (API), which allows the manipulation of objects and markers on a Google map interface. For the development of Java desktop and cell phone software, the 12 r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r Netbeans 4.1 Integrated Development Environment (IDE) with the Mobility Pack 4.1 is available. This environment facilitates the rapid development of software with a built-in compiler and error checker. Many manufacturer Software Development Kits (SDKs) for particular cell phones are also installed and configured. A Microsoft SQL Server 2000 database server manages data associated with the project. This enterprise-level database allows powerful manipulation of information and supports a virtually unlimited number of connections from applications. To facilitate development using all of these software products, a Terminal Services Server (Remote Desktop Server) has been established. Using this software, all developers can connect to the server and work as if they were working at their own desktop, but all data, applications, and processes are maintained on the server. This provides everyone with access to all the software products and leverages the power of the server machine instead of running applications on less powerful desktops. Also, it serves as a central library and repository for code and software to facilitate work in a team environment. A USF Computer Science research lab is available to provide additional work stations and resources. In order to test developed cell phone applications, either the emulators or real cell phones can be used. Emulators simulate a particular cell phone and are included with the SDKs mentioned above. Several physical cell phones currently available include a Motorola i830 (Nextel, OPS-enabled), a Motorola i860 (Nextel, OPS-enabled), two Motorola i265s (Nextel, OPS-enabled), and a Nokia 6620 (unlocked GSM phone, currently on T-Mobile prepaid service). Other Related Proposals: There are several projects that relate to different aspects of this proposal. Each of these projects also involves all the proposed members of our research team. Traveling Smart: Increasing Transit Ridership Through Automated Collection (TRAC) Of Individual Travel Behavior Data And Personalized Feedback Conducted under the National Center for Transit Research at the University of South Florida with funding provided by the Florida Department of Transportation and U.S. Department of Transportation Reducing vehicle trips and vehicle miles of travel are part of a multifaceted approach to address the growing traffic congestion programs. Previous research had analyzed household travel patterns and provided personalized advice to participants to influence household travel habits and thus reduce vehicle trips and vehicle miles of travel. An analysis of covariance conducted on the average contributed vehicle miles of travel and vehicle trips used the post-advice period's travel patterns as the dependent variable. The provision of suggestions had a statistically significant effect on vehicle miles and trips contributed. Overall, this experiment showed that the provision of travel information would reduce vehicle miles of travel. However, the labor and timeintensive post-processing costs hampered widespread application. This project sought to overcome this limitation by using the expanded capabilities and falling prices of Personal Digital Assistants (PDA) and cellular phones in combination with Global Positioning Systems (GPS). This system, TRAC-IT, offers an opportunity to improve the quality of collected data while reducing associated collection and processing costs and errors. This project involved the development and testing of TRAC-IT to provide tailored travel feedback based on actual household patterns to affect change in travel behavior for commuting and non-commuting purposes. Based on the hypothesis that such technology applications will improve the accuracy 13 r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r and costs of data collected, TRAC-IT was developed as an electronic travel diary with capabilities to automatically return suggestions that can modify travel behavior. The study also reports on a preliminary personalized feedback system that provides suggestions encouraging participants to utilize other modes than the drive-alone option. The purpose of this research study was to investigate the challenges associated with equipping/tracking people (not vehicles) to pattern their travel behavior, and then communicate tailored feedback that would assist them with better trip-making decisions. The first objective was to determine the capabilities of existing computer and communication technologies in tracking person movements across modes (car, bike, bus, etc.) and over extended periods (e.g., week versus daily). The second objective was to design, develop and test a prototype application to automate the collection of travel behavior data and provide personalized advice to increase use of transit and other alternatives to driving alone. This project developed a PDA/GPS/wireless card all-in-one portable prototype unit called "TRAC-IT." The unit collects comprehensive individual trip data including; start time, end time, origin, destination, travel speed, trip route, and trip distance with minimal input from participant. Limited field testing was conducted to validate that the technology works. The project also developed a preliminary personalized feedback system that provides suggestions and encourages participants to utilize other modes than the drivealone option. The research team sought to develop a system to automatically collect travel behavior data at the person-level (rather than only track vehicles) and to be able to provide personalized feedback based on the data collected by the person and his or her household. It was concluded that the TRAC-IT system meets or exceeds these three primary requirements to demonstrate its feasibility: 1. Improve the quantity of data collected. Through the OPS component, TRAC-IT was able to collect and record the location of the traveler, travel path, and speed. The PDA component was able to record OPS information as well as collect data on travel purpose and occupancy information. The PDA component also applied algorithms developed specifically for this project to reduce the amount of non-essential data were developed to simplify the analysis. Finally, the system demonstrated the ability to record travel for all major modes (auto, transit, bike, and walk) to provide a richer and deeper view of travel behavior. 2. Improve the data quality. The team found that TRAC-IT's design minimized the need for user inputs through the adoption of Graphical User Interfaces (GUI) wizards (e.g., change of mode, frequently visited locations and quick stops). The development of "Smart Diary" components reduced respondent fatigue (allowing for longer periods of data collection) and improved data quality by populating the fields based on previous patterns by performing complicated real-time data processing and analysis. For example, for most trips, there are only seven questions that the participant is expected to answer: who is traveling, what is their current activity, what is the location at the end of trip, what is the purpose for being at that location, what travel mode did they use for this segment of the trip, whether they were a driver or passenger, and how many household and nonhousehold vehicle occupants were there for this segment. The automated aspects of TRAC-IT gathered completed data because of the development of wizards to capture quick stops, changes of mode, etc. The richness of the data collected via TRAC-IT 14 r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r includes the ability to collect and analyze multimodal travel behavior and patterns at the household level. TRAC-IT also eliminated the need for data entry and associated errors since data could be synched directly into the database. 3. Analyze travel behavior at the individual and household levels. TRAC-IT system was able to successfully upload the data to the server and provide suggestions for more efficient transportation options based on the household travel behavior. There remain additional considerations such as the costs for wide scale deployment or data collection, enhancements of the underlying technology to address specific transit needs, access to technology and privacy issues. Enhancing the Rider Experience: The Impact of Real-Time Information On Transit Ridership Conducted under the National Center for Transit Research at the University of South Florida with funding provided by the Florida Department of Transportation and U.S. Department of Transportation Understanding the potential of technology for increasing ridership and/or decreasing operating costs, the public transportation industry continues to expand its use of a growing range of applications. The objective for this project was to evaluate how ready access to wireless networks and real-time information affects transit system ridership as well as the rider's experiences. The Wi-Ride project hypothesized that ridership would increase if productivity and security in buses could be increased. The project contemplated the installation of network and video devices in all buses so that Internet access and video surveillance services could be provided. The potential benefit of this project is the increased understanding of the potential opportunities and limitations of wireless communication systems that might affect transit system ridership, including data integration, coverage issues, bandwidth, security, etc. University of South Florida's Parking and Transportation Services department was in the process of establishing a meshnetwork on campus to improve operations. The project team proposed installing cameras and video displays on the university's shuttle buses to enhance the riders' perceived safety and usage. Suitable cameras and recording devices were identified and evaluated. Baseline attitude surveys were conducted on campus. In late 2004, the University of South Florida suspended the installation of the meshnetwork on campus (outside the control of the project team) for budgetary and other reasons. This research project was discontinued at Florida Department of Transportation's request. However, prior to discontinuation by FDOT, the research team had developed an alternate approach using a newly introduced high speed wireless service and the identification of cellular gateway to provide the Internet access on express bus service. Enhancing Transportation Safety and Security Via Scalable Location-based Wireless Applications (in progress) Funded by University Consortium for Intermodal Safety and Security (UCITSS) In a post 9/11 world, the government has emphasized the need for enhanced security in different locations serving many purposes; from protecting the transportation infrastructure of the country to making sure food and water reservoirs remain uncontaminated. The task of securing our 15 r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r nation is a daunting task. In addition to government resources, private business and citizen support is needed to properly monitor the myriad of sensitive locations and materials. Modem technology allows a more efficient approach to this concept through the use of personal electronic devices such as camera cell phones or Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs). The overall approach of this project continues to be using existing, readily available technologies and resources to develop a low-cost system that receives and delivers video, text, etc. based on location. To the extent possible, the software was developed using programming languages that are not unique to a particular vendor. The system could be easily and cost-effectively deployed. As more carriers become e911 compliant, the limitation of the system to Nextel's service and particular phones should pass. This project developed a prototype system that can serve as a modem high-tech "Neighborhood Watch" enabling law enforcement officials access to the many "eyes and ears" of the public. Cell phones with embedded digital cameras allow the instant capture and remote submission of suspicious circumstances through pictures or video to authorities that may warrant further attention or action by law enforcement. Not only does this give the responding party a visual representation of the situation, but other information such as time, date, voice recordings, and physical location of the reporting party in Global Positioning System (OPS) coordinates can also be automatically attached to the report. Using this data, the proposed system intelligently filters and organizes submissions so they can be efficiently managed by a dispatcher. The system also allows the dispatcher to handle many more submissions simultaneously identifying trends and patterns that may not be immediately obvious to a human observer. Another aspect of the proposed system is its "reverse 911" component for data-enabled mobile phones. When a threat to the public or individuals is identified, the dispatcher could instantly relay a message to individuals with cell phones or PDAs in a certain geographic area. Examples of such information could be the need to evacuate a particular area (e.g., hurricane) where the real-time control of when, where, and to whom such information is disseminated. The research team has been able to produce software with features that are not yet accessible to developers in the general public (MMS generated from code on the cell phone). The project team has been able to successfully send digital pictures from the phone and depict the location on a website. ArcGIS is being used for more advanced mapping functions, including determining whether a given set of OPS coordinates are within a given segment of a map. Mobile Originating (MO) message, or a message sent from a mobile phone to a server, has been developed for the cell phone that sends pictures with information in a MMS Message to an E Mail account. Server-side Java classes have been developed that allows the system to retrieve messages from an E-Mail account and save the information in it to database on the server. Mobile Terminating (M.T.) messaging system (messages to phone initiated by the server) was implemented which directs messages to phones based on their geographic location. The project team has successfully implemented a prototype application that runs on a cell phone, reports the position of the phone to the server, and then, based on GIS calculations against a Hillsborough County map, returns a text message to the phone with information on the hurricane evacuation zone that the individual is currently located in. Another prototype implementation allows the "dispatcher" to click on the phone number of the phone that sent a picture message to the server, type and message, and send it back to the cell phone. Testing continues on sending multiple M.T. messages to phones based on their current physical position as selected by a user of the web page. 16 r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r Testing the Impact of Personalized Feedback on Household Travel Behavior (TRAC-IT Phase 2) (in progress) Conducted under the National Center for Transit Research at the University of South Florida with funding provided by the Florida Department of Transportation and U.S. Department of Transportation Making smart travel choices requires understanding the operation of the transportation system and influencing the use of public transportation. This knowledge begins with collecting data to measure or monitor travel behavior. This research project is Phase II of the ongoing NCTR project "Traveling Smart: Increasing Transit Ridership by Automatic Collection (TRAC) of Individual Travel Behavior Data and Personalized Feedback" or TRAC-IT. The focus of Phase I was to design, implement and test a portable automatic activity diary system. A personal digital assistance (PDA) combined with a global positioning system (OPS) was assembled as one unit PDA/OPS and loaded with an activity diary that collects information such as travel purpose, origin, destination, travel time, speed, occupancy, etc. The task of designing the service (including user devices and communication options), identifying the data to be captured, transmitted, and processed, designing user interfaces, creating the database design, and preparing system testing procedures (communication system and PDA) is ongoing. Additionally, a "OPS-Enabled" cell phone has been identified as a possible cost-effective replacement for the PDA/GPS device combination and could even provide additional benefits such as extended battery-life and increased portability due to its smaller size. Also, the task of building an expert system that provides customized feedback advice tailored to an individual's travel behavior patterns is well underway. The goals of Phase I were to (1) test the technology of gathering travel data and providing feedback advice through the PDA/GPS prototype and (2) test and refine the communications protocols used in the process. The trial expert system developed for this phase tested the suggestion generation rationale on a handful of households for a particular set of sample travel scenarios but did not monitor or measure travel behavior changes. Phase II will test the handheld device prototype ("OPS-Enabled" cell phone or PDA/OPS) on a larger sample of households and measure the changes in household travel behavior after providing tailored travel advice using the trial expert system developed in Phase I. Using the electronic travel diary system developed in Phase I, this project will collect baseline travel behavior data from a sample of households over an extended period (2 - 4 weeks). The data collected will be instantly transferred to a database that comprises the expert system, will be analyzed and appropriate travel suggestions will be generated. The customized travel suggestions will be presented to the experimental group and not to a control group. Another round of activity-based travel data will be collected using the handheld device after providing the suggestions. Analysis of travel behavior changes before and after travel advice will be analyzed and presented. The project objectives are to (1) fine tune the trial expert advice system prototype designed in Phase I by testing the system on a larger sample of households and expand its capability to provide customized advice, and (2) quantify changes in travel behavior patterns after providing personalized travel advice to encourage individuals to choose a mix of travel choices to satisfy their travel needs rather than only choose the single occupant vehicle. 17 r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r Smart Phone Application to Influence Travel Behavior (TRAC-IT Phase 3) (approved but not yet under contract) To be conducted under the National Center for Transit Research at the University of South Florida with funding provided by the Florida Department of Transportation and U.S. Department of Transportation In earlier phases of this project, the NCTR-funded TRAC-IT project developed and pilot tested an application to track an individual's travel behavior using a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) platform linked with a Global Positioning Systems (GPS). The system works across all modes of transportation (i.e., not tied to a vehicle such as a car or bus). In addition, TRAC-IT automatically analyzes the data collected from the device to give personalized feedback advice, based on its server-side expert system. TRAC-IT captures travel patterns regardless of mode, automates the collection of travel characteristics (e.g., time, distance, and even mode), transmits the data to a database, conducts the analysis of the household's travel patterns using the expert system and provides feedback to the individuals in the household. The objective of this project is to influence travel behavior by mode, route, or time of day through the integration of traveler information, GPS, location-based services and TRAC-IT's PDA-based travel behavior advisory system into cell phone application. This project will enhance TRAC-IT's effectiveness for influencing travel behavior. With the recent explosion of "smart phones" on the cellular phone market, a large amount of the population is now carrying their own personalized computing devices. Mass production has lowered the cost of such phones substantially, making them more affordable for the average consumer. Data functionality such as text or multimedia messages, email, and streaming video is becoming common and now possible at broadband speeds due to the advancement of cell phone & wireless technologies. Additionally, the FCC has mandated that all cell phones meet the e911 standards of location reporting within 25 meters by Dec. 31st, 2005. This mandate sets the stage for commercialized location-based services that will be personalized to the user based on their current physical location. These same services can contribute further to the TRAC-IT system. Cell phone popularity continues to grow as does the sophistication of the devices. It is estimated that currently over one quarter of the world's population owns a cell phone. This project would expand the PDA-based TRAC-IT by adapting the application to cell phones and integrating the technology with other databases as 511 traffic information systems and transit AVL systems to increase the utility and effectiveness of the application. Location-based services such as approaching transit vehicles, alternate routes and driving directions can be calculated and delivered directly to the user based on both real-time incident and traffic conditions and their past travel behavior, allowing them to alter their mode or planned route before they encounter a problem. It also will examine modifications on the client side (e.g., within the phone) and server-side (e.g., hosted on a computer) to make the TRAC-IT system fully automated and scalable from small towns to large urban cities. 18 r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r IDEA BUDGET SUMMARY Project Title: Travel Assistant Device CTAD) to Help Transit Riders Principal Investigator: P. Winters, S. Barbeau, N. Georqqi. R. Perez, and M. Labrador Organization: University of South Florida Phone: 813-974-9811 Project Duration (Months): __ 10,;;;;.__ _ _ _ _ _ __ (Please attach budget detail as needed) FUNDING REQUESTED FROM IDEA PROGRAM PERSONNEL: S. Barbeau P. Winters N. Georggi R. Perez, PhD M. Labrador, PhD S. LoBianco (Prag. Asst) PhD Student # hours $/hr 500 40 180 88 88 65 550 $36.18 $74.40 $38.04 $81.03 $65.61 $19.61 $19.74 Subtotal CONSULTANTS AND SUBCONTRACTORS: (specify) None Subtotal MATERIALS & EQUIPMENT: (indicate items exceeding $1,000) None Subtotal = = = = = = = IDEA Costs 18,090 2,976 6,847 7,131 5,774 1,275 10,857 52,949 Cost-Sharing $ 5,952 3,118 $ $ 1,275 $ 10,345 $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ OTHER DIRECT COSTS: (specify) Equipment: Cellphones (up to 8) Service: Phone, Cell Office Supplies Local travel Tuition 1,750 1,400 120 240 1,814 5,324 25,407 0 83,680 Subtotal OVERHEAD COSTS: ( 45 %) (no overhead charged on tuition) GENERAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE: 0 % Total Cost: PROPOSED COST SHARING (if any) Direct (cash) contribution from proposing organization: In-kind contribution from proposing organization: Direct funding from other sources: Nat'I Ctr for Transit Research atUSF Value of staff, etc., contributed b other sources: $ $ $ $ $ $ 4,655 15,000 $ $ 15,000 $ 98,680 Signature:_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Date:._ _ _ _ _ _ __ The project team will include faculty, students, and secretarial and other support staff who will work directly on the project and whose costs are reflected in the direct costs of the project. 19 r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r Cost Sharing, In-House Contributions, and Joint Ventures Though cost-sharing is not required for Type 1 projects, the National Center for Transit Research at the University of South Florida has agreed to provide $15,000 to help support researchers working on this project. Reports and Briefings The following summarize the deliverables to be provided under this project. Quarterly Progress Reports-These will be provided to IDEA Project Manager. Reports will include the following sections: 1. 2. 3. 4. Work done in quarter being reported Work to be done in next quarter Requested modifications to Scope, Budget, or Schedule, as appropriate An updated schedule Technical Memorandum I -Technical memorandum summarizing the literature review {Task 1) and the technology update {Task 2). Final Travel Assistant Device Application and Documentation. Final Report- A Draft Final Report will be submitted for review. Upon approval, a Final Report will be submitted in with the required number of copies. Streaming video presentation will be placed on the NCTR website and its availability will be promoted to the public transportation industry through presentations at appropriate conferences, listservs, and other sources. Web Meetings To supplement in-person project briefings, CUTR proposes using its web conferencing capabilities to present updates on the progress and results of the investigation to TRB IDEA committees, panels, or staff. We find bringing together groups of people can happen faster and at a fraction of the cost of what it would have cost for an in-person meeting or event. CUTR maintains a license for 20+ virtual seats from Microsoft Office Live Meetingtm online communication services. All that is required is a phone and a computer with an Internet connection. "Attendees" hear the audio portion of the live presentation via a toll-free telephone call and simultaneously view the material (e.g., PowerPoint presentation) via the Internet. Small groups can use collaborative tools such as online whiteboards, polling, live application viewing (e.g., software demonstrations without the need to download the software application), and interactive chats. In this way, people from anywhere in the country or abroad can work together without the cost in time and dollars spent traveling. CUTR has been an industry leader in the use of netconferencing/netmeeting applications for the transportation professional. For example, CUTR's National Center for Transit Research (NCTR) has sponsored numerous netconferences in partnership with the Association for Commuter Transportation (ACT) that routinely attract 75 to 150 "conference attendees" who never had to leave town to "attend". The recorded versions of 20 r If] r these netconferences can be found at NCTR's National TOM and Telework Clearinghouse website: http://www.nctr.usf.edu/clearinghouse/. r- r r r r r r r r r r r r r [' r 21 r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r LIABILITY STATEMENT-REVISED AUGUST1997 This signature of an authorized representative of the proposing agency is required on the following unaltered statement in order for the IDEA Program to accept the agency's proposal for consideration. Proposals submitted without this executed and unaltered statement by the proposal deadline will be summarily rejected. An executed, unaltered statement indicates the agency's intent and ability to execute a contract that includes the provisions below. Proposing Agency: University of South Florida TitleDirector Date S onsored Research I I. / " ' / <l ~- CONTRACTOR LIABILITY (a) The parties agree that the contractor and its employees and agents ("Contractor") will be primarily responsible for performing the work required under the contract, and shall therefore be legally responsible for, and shall indemnify and hold the Academy harmless for all claims asserted against the Academy, its committee members, officers, employees, and agents, by any third parties, whether or not represented by a final judgment, if such claims arise out of or result from Contractor's negligent or wrongful acts in performing such work, including all claims for bodily injury {including death), personal injury, property damage, and other losses, liabilities, costs, and expenses {including but not limited to attorneys fees). (b) With respect to entities of State government that are subject to State law restrictions on their ability to indemnify and hold harmless third parties ("Restricted State Entities"), the obligation to indemnify and hold harmless the Academy in Paragraph (a) shall apply to the full extent permitted by applicable State law. In addition, each Restricted State Entity executing this contract represents and warrants that no part of any research product or other material delivered by such Restricted State Entity to the Academy ("Work Product") shall include anything of an obscene, libelous, defamatory, disparaging, or injurious nature; that neither the Work Product nor the title to the Work Product will infringe upon any copyright, patent, property right, personal right, or other right; and that all statements in the Contractor's proposal to the Academy and in the Work Product are true to the Contractor's actual knowledge and belief, or based upon reasonable research for accuracy. (o) The term 11 wrongful act" as used herein shall include any tortious act or omission, willful misconduct, failure to comply with Federal or state governmental requirements, copyright or patent infringement, libel, slander or other defamatory or disparaging statement in any written deliverable required under the contract, or any false or negligent statement or omission made by Contractor in its proposal to the Academy. (d) The obligations in paragraph (a) of this clause to indemnify and hold harmless the Academy shall not extend to claims, damages, losses, liabilities, costs, and expenses to the extent they arise out of the negligent or wrongful acts or omissions of the Academy, its committee members, officers, employees, and agents. (e) Both the Academy and Contractor shall give prompt notice to each other upon learning of the assertion of any claim, or the commencement of any action or proceeding, in respect of which a claim under this paragraph may be sought, specifying, if known, the facts pertaining thereto and an estimate of the amount of the liability arising therefrom, but no failure to give such notice shall relieve the Academy or Contractor of any liability hereunder except to the extent actual prejudice ls suffered thereby. (f) The Academy and Contractor agree to cooperate with each other in the defense of any claim, action, or legal proceeding arising out of or resulting from Contractor's performance of the work required under this contract, but each party shall control its own defense. The Academy shall also have the option in Its sole discretion to permit Contractor or its insurance carrier to assume the defense of any such claims against the Academy. (g) The obligations under this clause survive the termination, expiration, or completion of performance under this contract. ATTACHMENT 3 r:· r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r .. · ,JUN. 8. 2004 9: 09AM BIB I: NO. 3042 Ian& Nay 21,.200, 159310Z11ZA1 Dl'll'lmlOJI 1 univexeity of Soutb ,1orida 4202 l&lt ravler !11npa n. P. 3 AVID\11, ADIi 200 rL 33&20•5150 rJLDG ID. : ft8 pzec:•cling ~ement • • date4 Al)i:ll 1,, 1998 rat•• aw~n_. £a tbi1 ape....t ase Im uee cm annt1, contH0t1 ad otllal' GOftrmlellt, IA:l•ct. to tu ccmtitiOIII ia laatiaa JU. agnaautatl Vitll tu Pldftal sBC'l'xoj J, · r191L:t'IDi Db XbiixifffiiTivi i!oaf nm• I&~• TYIIII WIZID WI.AL. vao.c1z ■ &L) PR ■ D.(IRB ■ ~•1ao BnBC'RIW l'IIRIOD ~ -TO 01/01/00 07/01/00 07/01/00 0,101/0~ 01/01/00 01/30/03 01/30/03 07/01/00 OC/30/03 rDmL PDIAL PDIAL rUDU, P:mAL PDIU\L Ol/l0/03 01/30/03 0&/30/03 07/01/00 01/30/03 07/01/00 0&/30/03 01/01/03 01/30/04 •DAIi ··pUAL IUD. 0,10110, 01/30/04 0?/01/03 06/30/0t PRBD. 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ONU lllloGUi. cwnct, ■ C ■ I put m otlaar _. ta t11t1 111111111&, U11 oqal ■ at.l1 GIi IIIIINII' TD mntVfW,1 UD!vens,r o, ~ 'ftll nDllltl GOtWa taue1a nodcta PPMJIPT 91 M:':D W IPIM UPJSII ciunmna11 (IJGIIIIOIII A.aA. j?/4~-, 1•1•rm1 ... ,u111am , a. M. Ian Phillips (DIii) . 7 Logan PDIICNI, IID•A'DMZlC: naa anm pmpp P PP1Z ™ f f l l l Vice President for Research lflffal) (lfm.11 June 8, 2004 IIY 21. 2fff fault HU IUIIOIDIDTnl: '91epbaus 'J) Arif Karim (2021 401-2808 a -- r .. r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r "' '"0 'fi "0 ~ ~ ....ra.. , U) QJ c:ii:: -B::, ~ U) p. 0 ~ '" ~ cu ~ ........"" I.M Cll 0 I.M 0 tll ~ cu I B ,3 ..::t 0 U) N QJ '"cu .c ""P-4 ~ t-1 ~ "0 0 ~ I cu cu u ""C> . 00 P-4 ( ...,§ I -ne--------Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority November 21, 2005 Raymond C . Miller, Executive Director 4305 East 21st Avenue , Tampa , Florida 33605-2300 Phone: (813) 623-5835 • Fax: (8 13) 664-1119 Philip L. Winters TOM Program Director Center for Urban T ransportation Research Un iversity of South Florida 4202 E. Fowler Ave., CUT!00 ~fa.11Jpct, FL 33620-..3375 Dear Mr. Winters, HARTiine is highl y encouraged by the possibility of using cell phones as "Travel Assistant Devices (TAD)" as proposed by the Center for Urban Transportation Research (CUTR) at the University of South Florida (USF). The TAD has the abi lity to aid many transit riders, including those with cognitive disabilities, to successfu lly navigate the transit system. Such a device could not only contri bute to the independence of such indi viduals, but also provide a prolonged increase in transit ridership by creating and supportin g life-long riders w ho uti lize transit as their primary mode of transportation. An additional advantage would be the enabl ing of riders to transfer from costly paratransit to significantly less expensive fixed-route services provides a tremendous cost-saving to the transit agency. We have employed travel trainers instructing patrons how to use HART's transit system for I 0 years and have been able to help over 2,000 individuals. We predict that the travel trainer will be able to utilize the TAD in their practices to help significantly reduce the time necessary to train these individuals, allowing more people to receive travel instruction each year. The TAD could pro vide an automated equivalent to a travel trainer's verbal prompts. which coach the rider as to v ✓ hen to board and exit the bus. I·or the ricers who become confused and require the con~tan~ coachi ng in order to successfully ride transit, the TAD could provide them with the unique opportunity to ride independentl y, a task they couldn' t otherwise perform. HARTiine is willing to participate in the development and testing of the TAD in hopes that such a device could increase the qual ity of living, independence, and mobility for many individuals with cognitive di sabilities, as we ll as others in the general population. Respectfull y, ~ec-....:yi--~~~ Raymond C. Miller Executive Director rr I rl ~ I r. r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r Project{Jt:nc,N Easter Seals Ve if.'/J)itu/ / /r'f I ,;,·,,,,i1r· i :· .' l J ·~ 'r ! .: i • J ;1·i'/1 ,/.;s,:i11/.:1;,•.· i Ii t !: ·,' 1 · ·: · i 1, •. ' 1 1 • L__ _ _ Center for Urban Transportation Research College of Engineering University of South Florida 4202 East Fowler Avenue, CUT100 Tampa, Florida 33620-5375 September 9, 2005 To Whom It May Concern, Funded through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Transportation Administration, Easter Seals Project ACTION promotes cooperation between the transportation industry and the disability community to increase mobility for people with disabilities under the ADA and beyond. We offer various resources, as well as training and technical assistance, in an effort to make the ADA work for everyone, everyday. More than a dozen years after our creation, our goal - and our name - remains unchanged: Accessible Community Transportation in Our Nation (ACTION). For over 15 years Easter Seals Project ACTION has worked in various ways to increase awareness about the importance of transportation as an integral part of independent living for people with disabilities and older adults. While there are numerous supports and services available for people who want to learn to use public transportation, these resources are not consistent throughout the country and often depend upon the degree of commitment from the local transportation provider and human service community. Therefore, we are always interested in identifying and promoting innovative and cost-effective resources. Easter Seals Pn:,_ject ACnCH\J r r r r r t We are particularly interested in tools that support independent travel by people with various levels of disability. A Digital Travel Assistant appears to be a tool that holds much promise and therefore worthy of further research and demonstration. Of particular interest to Easter Seals Project ACTION is the relationship between Digital Travel Assistant technology and safety, quality of life and independence. We are hopeful that continued investigation and demonstration of this technology will not only increase independent mobility for travelers, but also enable them to transfer from more costly, specialized (paratransit) services to less expensive (fixed route) services for part of all of their trips. r r r r r s:,~----_.a..J r r r r r r r r r Digital Travel Assistants, used in combination with other services, such as travel training, is an exciting technology worthy of exploration. We eagerly anticipate what the future may hold for all people using public transportation. Alan Abeson, Ed.D. Director Saint P aul PUBLIC SCHOOLS A World of Opportunities Visually Impaired Program Independent Sch o o l Dis trict 62 5 1930 Como Aven ue Saint Paul, /vlN 55108-2778 Telephone: (65 1) 603-4880 • Fax: (65 1) 523-6336 • www.spps.org November 16, 2005 Sean Barbea u Research associate Center for Urba n Transportation Research Universi ty of South Florida 4 202 E. Fow ler Avenue, CUTl00 Tdmpa, FL 336 20-5375 Dear Sean : I fully su ppor t ou r Trave l I nstru ction Depa rt me nt's r equ es t to parti cipate in th e pilot t esti ng phase of the Travel Assist ance Device (TAD) . I am fu lly awa re t ha t part icipation in t h is project may include having one of ou r t ravel instruction st udent s carrying a cell phone with the Travel Instr uct or and Travel Trainer subsequently providing feedback to the research team . I am excited about your research project and its application in realworld conditions . Our Travel Instructors, Susan Olsson and Lyd ia Peterson as we ll as ou r Travel Trainer, Mary LeClai re, are anx ious to get started . Thank you for you r consideration . ~~''-Jane Caci ch Lead Teacher