PCB for Communications Final Report

University Transportation Centers Program2011PDFResearch PaperKoon, LeannJameson, BillGalarus, DouglasMontana State University. Western Transportation InstituteCalifornia. Department of Transportation. Division of Research and InnovationUnited States. Department of Transportation. Research and Innovative Technology AdministrationUnited States. Department of Transportation. University Transportation Centers (UTC) ProgramMontana State University. Western Transportation InstituteCaliforniaWireless communication systemsTraveler information and communication systemsIntelligent transportation systemsRural transportationEducation and trainingCurriculaTraining programsTrainingUnder contract with the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), the Western Transportation Institute at Montana State University researched and initiated development of a comprehensive training curriculum for transportation communication systems that will build the professional capacity of rural intelligent transportation system (ITS) engineers and technicians. The principal deliverables of this project were a Literature Review Summary (1), a Needs Assessment Summary and Gap Analysis (2), a Curriculum Scope and Sequence (3), and a Pilot Course Summary and Evaluation Report (4). In this first phase, a pilot course was delivered to Caltrans ITS engineers to gauge viability and assess methodology of the overall curriculum. While that course was generally well received by participants, a number of necessary improvements were identified that must be addressed in subsequent project phases and course delivery. Development of the Literature Review Summary, Needs Assessment Summary and the Gap Analysis were critical information-gathering steps in the process, and along with the original scope of work, they generally defined the curriculum. In the Literature Review Summary, a number of training providers and courses were identified and documented. It was observed, however, that no single provider offers an entire curriculum that meets the needs of rural ITS engineers. A survey was administered to Caltrans ITS engineers to assess related needs. Subsequently, a gap analysis matched needs to course offerings, and priorities were set based on interest, applicability and experience of the ITS engineers. Five major subjects were identified within the curriculum: Plant Wireless, Telco Wireless, Plant Wired, Telco Wired and Internet Protocol (IP) Fundamentals. These subjects were further refined to include four to eight topics each. Each topic would generally correspond to at least one course with a duration of one to four days. Thus, the overall curriculum corresponds to approximately 50 to 75 days of in-depth instruction. Based on identified needs, staff experience, and overall prerequisites, Plant Wireless Core and RF System Design, the first topics within the Plant Wireless subject, were chosen for the first course. A vendor was identified to deliver this course to Caltrans ITS engineers. The duration of the course was four days and the class was based almost entirely on existing offerings from that vendor. Using an established course was beneficial in that the course did not have to be developed from scratch. However, despite requiring that the course include significant hands-on components and that it be tailored to rural ITS communications, the result was found to be lacking significantly in both of these essential aspects. Participants did generally rate the pilot course high in an evaluation survey, indicating they did benefit from the course. The project curriculum review committee determined that there was significant room for improvement in future courses, and that the hands-on and rural aspects couldn\u2019t be emphasized enough. A second phase of the project is anticipated to start in 2011 with plant wired as the target subject area. One or several of the topics within that subject area will be delivered in a second pilot course. It may be necessary to develop a lab portion for the course to accompany a more traditional fundamentals or core curriculum that may be available from existing vendors. This lab portion would include the necessary hands-on and rural components.133