General goals
In a coordinating partnership with the City of Long Beach Public Works, SWTWC will connect the City of Long Beach workforce challenges and needs with the application of new intelligent transportation systems (ITS) technologies.
Duration
Status: Ongoing
Anticipated Partnership Duration: January 2016 – Center lifetime
Timeline and Overview
SWTWC met with the Long Beach Innovation Team (i-team) in August 2015. The i-team’s goal is to expand the City of Long Beach’s capacity to advance research and development, and make it easier for innovative entrepreneurs to start and grow their business in Long Beach.
After networking with i-team, SWTWC learned about METRANS University of Transportation (UTC) Grant Recipient and California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) Professor Dr. Mohammad Mozumdar. SWTWC Director Thomas O’Brien and Associate Director Tyler Reeb connected i-team with Dr. Mozumdar to explore a potential partnership to utilize Dr. Mozumdar’s new road sensors.
The i-team reached out to the City of Long Beach Public Works who in turn agreed to form a coordinating partnership, facilitated by SWTWC, with Dr. Mozumdar to deploy next generation road sensor technology using Bellflower Boulevard adjacent to CSULB as a real-world testbed.
The partnership also enables documentation of a real-world municipal-academic partnership utilizing ITS best practices which SWTWC Associate Director Tyler Reeb showcased at the 2016 Workforce Adaptation Webinar on April 19, 2016 in a collaborating partnership with the Colorado Department of Transportation. Reeb’s presentation was titled “Preparing the Sharing Economy: A Structured IT approach to Workforce Adaptation.”
Upon finalization of the software and machine for the micro-sensors, Sean Crumby, Deputy Director of Public Works for the City of Long Beach, will allow Dr. Mozumdar and his team of graduate students to install the road sensors under Bellflower Boulevard when the city repaves that street. Documents and details of the coordinating partnership to follow.
At the time of submitting this document, SWTWC is exploring the possibility of adding the Institute of Transportation Engineers as a strategic member of this partnership.
Key Deliverables
- Real-world testbed for innovative ITS solutions
- Deployment of next generation road sensor technology on Bellflower Boulevard, Long Beach adjacent to CSULB
- Documentation of a municipal-academic partnership
- Identify best practices and develop a model or template to connect workforce development stakeholders to innovative research efforts in transportation
- Best practices from partnership and model showcased at CDOT Workforce Adaptation Webinar
Anticipated Outcomes
This partnership will be utilized as a model for SWTWC to connect other research efforts in transportation to workforce development stakeholders by connecting workforce issues with innovative solutions in transportation. It also ties into the Center’s goal of tapping into the research capacities of UTCs and workforce development stakeholders to form partnerships that will support the transportation workforce.
This partnership enables SWTWC to connect the City of Long Beach Public Works with the rollout of new ITS technologies developing at the local university: California State University, Long Beach, and will build the foundation for similar partnerships between the City and the university.
SWTWC will also document best practices from this municipal-academic partnership for future research and development of similar partnerships.
Furthermore, with the documentation of this partnership, SWTWC anticipates that there is potential deployment of road sensors and other similar technology in rural, urban, and suburban settings which will allow for smart and connected corridor technologies capabilities in various communities; e.g. tribal communities which will further highlight the need for a skilled and well-trained transportation workforce.
Contribution Analysis
- SWTWC networked with i-team and METRANS UTC grant recipients.
- SWTWC connected the needs the City of Long Beach, i-team, and grant recipients.
- SWTWC facilitated a coordinating partnership between Dr. Mozumdar and the City of Long Beach Public Works through i-team.
- SWTWC Associate Director Tyler Reeb presented best practices of the municipal-academic partnership, and presented the results in the 2016 CDOT Workforce Adaptation Webinar.
- SWTWC created a model and template for workforce development stakeholders and innovative solutions.
Documentation
City of Long Beach. (2016). Long Beach innovation team. Retrieved from http://www.longbeach.gov/iteam/.
Mozumdar, Mohammed. “Development of Micro Wireless Sensor Platforms for Collecting Data on Passenger-Freight Interactions.” February 2016. Long Beach, California. Link: https://www.metrans.org/sites/default/files/research-project/METRANS%2014-06%20Mozumdar_Final%20Report.pdf.
Mozumdar, Mohammed. Research Brief. Accessed November 10, 2016. Link: https://www.metrans.org/sites/default/files/research-project/14-06%20Research%20Brief.pdf.
SWTWC. (2016). Preparing the sharing economy: A structured IT approach to workforce adaptation. [Presentation]. Retrieved from https://www.swtwc.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Preparing-the-Sharing-Economy-A-Structured-IT-Approach-to-Workforce-Adaptation.pptx.
SWTWC. (2015). Idea exchange with Long Beach innovation team. [Presentation]. Retrieved from https://www.swtwc.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/InnovationTeam-Meeting.pdf.