Vision:
Application of emerging technologies and technical knowledge for the betterment of our communities

Objectives:

• Promote knowledge sharing and the diversification of skill sets.

• Encourage innovative/ out-of-the-box approaches to solving problems facing our communities. 

• Encourage involvement, engagement, and collaboration from public and private sectors.

Problem Statement:

• “Innovative Solutions to Mitigate Non-Recurrent Congestion on Arterials, Freeways, and in Urban Grids”

• Examples of non-recurrent congestion catalysts include, but are not limited to:

• Vehicular, bicycle, or pedestrian crashes

• Sporting events or concerts

• Road closures due to road work, building construction, or VIP visits

• Inclement weather (i.e. hurricane evacuation)

• Signal malfunctions (i.e. flashes)

• Common steps that many agencies currently take to mitigate congestion include, but are not limited to:

• Identifying sources of congestion using word of mouth, eyes in the field, CCTV’s, and established online tools such as RITIS and Google Maps.

• Alerting travelers (via DMS, social media, 511, etc.)

• Active traffic management, including detours and signal timing changes using MaxView, MaxTime, and other signal softwares

• Monitoring congestion until it dissipates, and verifying return to normal operations

• Your team is tasked with coming up with a proposal for an end -to-end innovative solution for the problem statement that could involve new ideas and technologies that go beyond these current standards

• Your team is encouraged to provide examples, case studies, and specific locations where your solution can be implemented

Schedule:
Registration and submissions
- open: December 9, 2024
- close: February 3, 2025

Registration/Submission Guidelines:
Team Structure
- Teams should be a group of 3-5 people
- Representation from public sector, private sector, and vendors in encouraged and will be factored into scoring.

Deliverables:
1. Abstract (500 words max)

2. Slide Deck: (Please note that these slides are not final. They can be expanded upon for your final presentation at the Winter Workshop)
    - Background
    - Problem solved
    - The solution
    - Business case
    - Benefits to the community
    - Innovative technologies/concepts used
    - Conclusions

Optional: Teams may submit a 3-5 minute video of their presentations, if desired. 
 
Judging Criteria:

Note: Presentations will be judged by 3-4 judges. Judges will first choose the top three teams to present at Winter Workshop. If we have more than three submissions, your team is not guaranteed to have a presentation slot at Winter Workshop. From these top three teams, an overall winner will be chosen at Winter Workshop based on your in-person presentations. Teams are allowed to fine-tune and tweak their presentations between the initial submission and Winter Workshop.

Business Case for the solution (25 points):
- Value for DOTs and stakeholders and potential for their investment in your solution
- Feasibility of implementation for the solution
- Budget and timeline: Cost and the time taken to develop and implement the solution
- Scalability of the solution – Can the solution be applied to similar scenarios across the state, country and world?
- Example(s) of specific location(s) where solution can be implemented

Impact of the solution on our communities (25 points):
- The value added by the solution to the community in terms of safety, awareness, cost savings etc.

Innovation (21 points):
- Originality of concept/solution
- Introduction of new or improved service, products, materials, methods, etc.

Technical Merit – Identification and understanding of the problem to be solved. (20 points)

Team Diversity – public, private, vendor involvement/collaboration (9 points)
- 3 points will be rewarded for each sector that is participating on your team (public, private, vendor)