Associations, Organizations and Committees
The travel forecasting community is supported by a small number of organizations, agencies, programs and committees. These groups contribute to the community, and often to the TFResource, in a variety of ways, including identifying research needs, conducting research, holding peer exchanges and other events to encourage the advancement of the state-of-the-practice, organizing conferences, and much more.
The list below is a starting point - please feel free to add your organizaiton or group!
# Travel Model Improvement Program (opens new window)
The Travel Model Improvement Program (TMIP) has conducted research, provided technical assistance, and delivered training to local, regional and state transportation planning professionals since 1994. Much has changed over this period, with shifts in transport policy, advances in modeling theories, and progressions in practical lessons. Throughout, TMIP has worked to advance modeling capabilities and support transportation professionals as they respond to current and future challenges. Today, TMIP continues its mission of improving analysis practices to ensure that transportation professionals are well equipped to inform and support strategic transportation decisions.
The TFResource and TMIP staff are working closely together to provide complimentary resources to the profession. As both efforts evolve, the collaborations and leveraging of efforts will also evolve.
# Association of Metropolitan Planning Organizations (AMPO) (opens new window)
AMPO is a nonprofit membership organization established in 1994 to serve the needs and interests of “metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs)” nationwide. Federal highway and transit statutes require, as a condition for spending federal highway or transit funds in urbanized areas, the designation of MPOs, which have responsibility for planning, programming and coordination of federal highway and transit investments. AMPO offers its member MPOs technical assistance and training, conferences and workshops,
AMPO has a working group on travel modeling that identifies the travel forecasting methods presently being implemented at MPOs, develops guidelines for defining acceptable standards and practice, and identifies high priority research and development needs.
# National Association of Regional Councils (NARC) (opens new window)
The National Association of Regional Councils (NARC) serves as the national voice for regionalism by advocating for regional cooperation as the most effective way to address a variety of community planning and development opportunities and issues. NARC’s member organizations are composed of multiple local governments that work together to serve American communities – large and small, urban and rural.
# Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) (opens new window)
The Institute of Transportation Engineers is an international educational and scientific association of transportation professionals who are responsible for meeting mobility and safety needs. ITE facilitates the application of technology and scientific principles to research, planning, functional design, implementation, operation, policy development and management for any mode of ground transportation.
# American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) (opens new window)
AASHTO is a nonprofit, nonpartisan association representing highway and transportation departments in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. It represents all five transportation modes: air, highways, public transportation, rail and water. Its primary goal is to foster the development, operation, and maintenance of an integrated national transportation system. The AASHTO Standing Committee on Planning (SCOP (opens new window)) is the main group working with the travel forecasting community. SCOP (opens new window) investigates, studies and reports on transportation planning activities including a variety of policy, programming and project level activities.
# TRB Committee on Traveler Behavior and Values (ADB10) (opens new window)
The committee is concerned with promoting research and disseminating research results on traveler values, attitudes and behavior. Traveler values and attitudes refer to motivational, cognitive, situation and disposition factors determining human behavior. Traveler behavior refers primarily to the modeling and analysis of travel demand, based on theories from a variety of scientific fields. These include but are not limited to time use and activity-based approaches, longitudinal methods, and spatial behavior at any level of aggregation (e.g., individual, household, community and so forth). The committee serves as a forum for the development, testing and dissemination of new interdisciplinary methods of inquiry.
# TRB Committee on Effects of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) on Travel Choices (ADB20) (opens new window)
This committee is concerned with the conceptual, methodological and empirical studies on the interrelation between Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and activity-travel choices.
# TRB Committee on Transportation Network Modeling (ADB30) (opens new window)
The committee promotes research and information exchange in transportation network modeling, which is an interdisciplinary field spanning Computer Science, Logistics, Mathematics, Operations Research, Telecommunications and Transportation Science. The committee will also focus on: the understanding and modeling of the technological and behavioral factors affecting the performance of transportation systems; modeling the interactions between the infrastructure and transportation networks; and the development and use of models to evaluate the quantity and quality of transportation facilities and services. The committee will serve as a focus for the development, adaptation and implementation of quantitative and computer-based methodologies for the above purposes. The committee will cut across traditional modal boundaries, seeking unifying conceptual and methodological frameworks, yet highlighting modal differences. As such, it will foster effective and rapid sharing of information and experiences among researchers, practitioners, regulators and decision makers.
# TRB Committee on Transportation Demand Forecasting (ADB40) (opens new window)
The focus of this committee includes the development, application, and dissemination of improved demand forecasting techniques within the integrated context of the interaction of transportation demand with the land-use form, demographic composition and technological state of the activity-travel environment. All aspects related to theory, data estimation, and application are of interest to the committee, with an emphasis on research developments that have the potential to be implemented in the near future.
# TRB Special Committee for Travel Forecasting Resources (ADB45) [Discontinued]
The standing committee was responsible for the technical content of the Travel Forecasting Resource – an online tool to facilitate technology transfer and the deployment of innovative research. The standing committee worked with the community to develop the Travel Forecasting resource and managed the review of new material to be included in the resource. The committee also identified joint activities to improve travel models and modeling practice, establish research priorities and serve as a clearinghouse for Travel Forecasting research.
# TRB Committee on Transportation Planning Applications (ADB50) (opens new window)
This committee is concerned with the application of new or improved transportation planning methods and techniques and their practical application at the regional, corridor and site level of analysis. This committee plans the Planning Applications Conference every other year. To find more information on the conference visit the conference website (opens new window).