Implementing Transportation Knowledge Networks (2009) / Chapter Skim
Currently Skimming:
Appendix A - Transportation Knowledge Networks: A Business Plan
Appendix A - Transportation Knowledge Networks: A Business Plan
Pages 29-48
The Chapter Skim interface presents what we've algorithmically identified as the most significant single chunk of text within every page in the chapter.
Select key terms on the right to highlight them within pages of the chapter.
From page 29... ...
29 A P P E N D I X A Transportation Knowledge Networks: A Business Plan
|
From page 30... ...
31 C O N T E N T S 32 Executive Summary 32 The Vision 32 The Opportunity 33 The Strategy 33 The Target Market and Projected Benefits 34 The Costs and Funding Model 34 The Value Proposition 35 The Context 35 Unprecedented Challenges in Transportation 35 Need for Innovation 35 Suboptimal State of Information Access 37 Transportation Knowledge Networks Concept 37 Background 37 Approach 39 Purpose 40 Mission, Goals, and Objectives 41 Market 42 Products and Services 46 Stewardship Model 49 Costs and Funding
|
From page 31... ...
It shows how following established models from the medical and agricultural fields can provide a method for information sharing among transportation professionals that combines the best features of centralized and decentralized approaches. It also dispels the myth that good information access will happen on its own, without any deliberate and coordinated action on the part of the transportation community.
|
From page 32... ...
that work together to share their information resources and collaborate on information access improvements. • Establish a TKN National Coordinating Body (NCB)
|
From page 33... ...
Roughly 50 percent of the available funds would be made available to support activities of the TKNs and/or their members for outreach and delivery of specific products and services that have a national benefit. The Value Proposition This business plan responds to the need for an improved, coordinated approach to information sharing among transportation professionals using 21st century technologies and organizational models for collaboration and partnerships.
|
From page 34... ...
Suboptimal State of Information Access Problems with information access are by no means unique to transportation, though as mentioned above, other fields are much further ahead in addressing these problems. We are faced with an explosion of information from multiple, disjointed sources, and we lack the time and tools to comb through all of the sources, identify what is relevant to our current task, and track down what we need.
|
From page 35... ...
However, this important resource is drying up with retirements of our most senior people and an increasingly fluid workforce. The impact of this suboptimal state of affairs is that we proceed without the information that could help us do a better job, we do not take the straightest line between two points, we are inefficient, and we repeat work that has already been done because earlier work hasn't been preserved or is too difficult to find.
|
From page 36... ...
To date, TKNs have primarily involved transportation libraries at state DOTs, MPOs, and transit agencies, but they are open to participation from other information providers -- including data offices, GIS clearinghouses, research units, and engineering/ consulting organizations. Current TKNs rely on voluntary contributions of time and resources by member organizations.
|
From page 37... ...
The use of the term "knowledge networks" rather than "library networks" emphasizes the notion that libraries are evolving from our image of places providing access to physical collections to become broader access points for a wide range of information resources -- both physical and digital. Current information technologies for metadata harvesting and federated searching enable integration of information from the user perspective without the need for a centralized approach to information storage.
|
From page 38... ...
Similar effort is needed in the transportation field. A strong information infrastructure supports: • Peer-to-peer sharing of information, which is becoming increasingly important as organizations struggle to cope with loss of institutional knowledge due to retirements and increasing staff turnover rates; • Discovery of benchmarking information, that enables agencies to compare their performance to peers and learn about successful practices; • Faster access to information resources, including geospatial data sets, photographs, CAD drawings, plans, and environmental impact statements; • Faster progress in meeting challenges by enabling practitioners to discover and use relevant information when they are in a position to take action; and • More efficient and effective conduct of research -- by ensuring that new studies build upon rather than duplicate prior work, providing easy access to relevant information, and helping transportation professionals target their work to areas of greatest need and opportunity for impact.
|
From page 39... ...
Goal 2 -- Increased Collaboration among Transportation Information Producers and Providers Achieve greater collaboration across transportation information producers and providers that results in the following: • Use of consistent standards and technologies that facilitate information sharing and make possible a more seamless information discovery and access experience for users; and • Improved awareness among providers of the information resources available within each organization so that opportunities for resource sharing can be identified and so that organizations are able to build their collections in a complementary manner. Goal 3 -- Preservation of Valuable Transportation Information Resources Provide and facilitate use of national print and digital repositories for preservation of valuable information resources that are at risk due to retirements, employee turnover, agency 40
|
From page 40... ...
Information Provider Involvement and Benefits • Percentage of transportation information providers that are members of a TKN; • Percentage of TKN members reporting that belonging to a TKN significantly improved their customer services and ability to share resources; • Increased professional development of staff involved in TKNs; and • Increase in the relative value institutions assign to TKN membership in comparison with costs of membership. Shared Information Resources • Percentage of unique holdings of transportation libraries that can be found in standard search engines and nationally available transportation specific search tools; • Percentage of current research projects in progress that can be found in standard search engines and nationally available transportation-specific search tools; • Percentage of completed research efforts that can be found in standard search engines and nationally available transportation-specific search tools (abstracts and full text)
|
From page 41... ...
42 Transportation Information Portal (provided by national TKN coordination function – components available for incorporation into other web pages) Find Information Ask a Question Event Calendar Find a Person Submit a Resource Research in Progress News Communities of Practice Transportation Topics Information Resources & Tools (Responsibility for coordination, contributions and maintenance shared across TKNs/Information Providers)
|
From page 42... ...
Pieces of this infrastructure exist, built and maintained by the National Transportation Library, the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, TRB, and transportation libraries in universities and state DOTs. Information resources that are of general interest to the transportation community are also scattered across hundreds of Web sites maintained by multiple administrations and offices within U.S.DOT, AASHTO, and other associations, state DOTs, MPOs, and universities.
|
From page 43... ...
, data standards, GIS data sets, benchmarks, and performance data. This item would also include access to fee-based information resources, including professional journals, scientific literature, and standards documents.
|
From page 44... ...
10. User Outreach and Education Provide outreach and education geared both to managers and executives of transportation organizations and to end users of transportation information resources.
|
From page 45... ...
Development of a central national portal that provides access to transportation information resources is an essential activity that will provide a valuable resource for practitioners. It will provide a concrete and highly visible means of showing progress and benefits as TKN activities expand.
|
From page 46... ...
; • One MPO executive director; • One member of the National LTAP Association (NLTAPA) executive committee; • One member of the Special Libraries Association Transportation Division executive board; • One engineering/consulting firm representative; • One University Transportation Center director; • One university transportation library director; • One state DOT library director; • One Transportation Research Board representative; and • One representative from the National Agriculture Library or other non-transportation organization (able to provide an external perspective and lessons learned from a similar undertaking)
|
From page 47... ...
The TKN's primary function is to share information and identify opportunities for individual member organizations to share resources or collaborate on specific projects. There is no membership fee, but each member is asked to commit to some level of information sharing, including providing a listing of their information resources in a National TKN directory.
|
From page 48... ...
National Transportation Portal with Federated Search $1,000,000 4. Information Modules*
|
Key Terms
This material may be derived from roughly machine-read images, and so is provided only to facilitate research.
More
information on Chapter Skim is available.