Data Science Course - Part 2: Intermediate Scientific Computing for Planners, Engineers, and Scientists with Tammy Lee and Joe Broach

For the third year, we're hosting our two-part data science course in Portland, OR. You can register for one part or the other– or attend both at a discount: Data Science Course, Part 1: Introduction to Scientific Computing for Planners, Engineers, and Scientists

Did you ever feel you are “drinking from a hose” with the amount of data you are attempting to analyze? Have you been frustrated with the tedious steps in your data processing and analysis process and thinking, “There’s gotta be a better way to do things”? Are you curious what the buzz of data science is about? If any of your answers are yes, then this course is for you.

Classes will all be hands-on sessions with lecture, discussions and labs. Participants can choose to sign up for one or both courses. For more information, download the syllabus (PDF). This course was developed as part of a NITC education project: Introduction to Scientific Computing for Planners, Engineers, and Scientists.

Agenda: Part Two - Intermediate Course

  1. Transforming, visualizing, and modeling data
  2. ...
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The video begins at 3:38.

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Summary: Shaun will present on the recently completed pilot demonstration of multimodal arterial performance measures for the Portland metro region, as part of the larger regional concept of operations. Treatments include a permanent bike count station on the Springwater Trail, permanent truck classification stations, Bluetooth travel time stations, as well as leveraging existing transit and signal controller data to paint a picture of the collective modal transportation system.

Bio: Shaun Quayle is a transportation engineer with Kittelson and Associates, Inc. (www.kittelson.com). His focus areas of practice are in the operations, planning and design of arterial traffic signal systems, performance management systems, and complex traffic analysis and simulation. 

The video begins at 1:48.

A System-Wide Adaptive Ramp Metering (SWARM) system is being implemented in the Portland metropolitan area and should be operational on all corridors by April 2006. This study entails a before and after evaluation of the operational benefits of the new SWARM system using the existing data, surveillance and communications infrastructure. In particular, the study will quantify system-wide benefits in terms of savings in delay, emissions and fuel consumption and safety improvements on and off the freeway due to the implementation of the ramp metering system. This will aid in the optimal deployment of current SWARM system and will be transferable to other regions as their systems come on line in the future.

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SFpark was a federally-funded pilot program of a new approach to managing parking in San Francisco. It utilized real time data to identify parking availability, and demand-responsive parking pricing to help make parking easier to find. Parking management is an invaluable transportation demand management tool and the SFpark pilot demonstrated how data can help cities make smarter decisions. Come hear about the pilot evaluation results from a former SFpark staffer and PSU alum.

Kathryn Doherty-Chapman is a transportation planner focused on helping people access safe and healthy transportation options.... Read more
Webinar: Modeling Freeway Traffic in a Mixed Environment: Connected and Human-Driven Vehicles - Terry Yang

 

PRESENTATION ARCHIVE

Miss the webinar or want a look back?

OVERVIEW

Although connected vehicles (CVs) will soon go beyond testbeds, CVs and human-driven vehicles (HVs) will co-exist over a long period. Hence, it is critical to consider the interactions between these two types of vehicles in traffic flow modeling. In this study, we aim to develop a macroscopic model to understand how CVs would impact HVs in the traffic stream. Grounded on the second-order traffic flow model, we study the relationships among flow, density, and speed by two sets of formulations for the groups of CVs and HVs, respectively. A set of friction factors, which indicate CVs' impact to HVs, are introduced to the speed equation for accounting CV speed impacts. Then extended Kalman Filter is employed to update both model parameters and friction factors in real-time. By using CVs trajectory data as measurements, the difference between CV average speed and overall traffic mean speed will be fully accounted. The proposed model will serve as a basis for designing CV-based traffic control function,...

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Topic: Understanding Where We Live and How We Travel: The Development of an Online Visual Survey Tool and Pilot Studies Evaluating Preferences in Residential Neighborhood Choice and Commute

Summary: Understanding changing residential preferences—especially as they are represented within land use and travel demand models—is fundamental to understanding the drivers of future housing, land use and transportation policies. As communities struggle to address a rising number of social challenges with increasing economic uncertainty, transportation and land use planning have become increasingly centered on assumptions concerning the market for residential environments and travel choices. In response, an added importance has been placed on the development of toolkits capable of providing a robust and flexible understanding of how differing assumptions contribute to a set of planning scenarios and impact future residential location decisions.

In this presentation, we discuss one such improvement that can be added to the transportation planning toolkit: an innovative visual online survey tool. This tool was developed to provide a means for researchers to communicate the residential environment to the public. Within this study, we test the ability for the...

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Join us for a three day introductory in-person workshop on databases and SQL

June 17, 18, and 20, 1:00 pm - 4:30 pm

Each day will be a combination of a lecture and practical. We will cover:

  • Introduction to relational databases.
  • Structured query language (SQL).
  • How to setup a PostgreSQL database on your local machine and use it to analyze data.

Software Requirements

You will be expected to bring your own laptop and have all required software installed prior to the workshop. If you are using a work-issued laptop, you will most likely need administrator privileges to install the following required software:

REGISTRATION

General: $325
Non-profit and community-based organizations: $125
PSU Students: $10 

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

This three-day workshop is eligible for 9 hours of professional...

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The video begins at 2:34.

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Other presentation materials: Handout (PDF)

Summary: The recent City Club report on bicycling provided an opportunity to collect and analyze a number of data sets including the new Hawthorne Bridge data. One question is where Portland bicycling on the logistic curve -- a common tool for judging the maturity of a developing product or activity. Logistic curves are used for marketing, for epidemiology, and even for visits to Indian owned casinos. The preliminary evidence is that we are reaching the horizontal area of the curve. Additional evidence Our further research into future policies indicates a shift to bicycle boulevards in order to attract more risk averse riders.

Bio: Robert McCullough is an energy economist (and an adjunct at PSU) who has written, talked, and testified on energy issues across the U.S. and Canada. He was instrumental in the identification and prosecution of Enron's energy traders. He also works with aboriginal groups in Quebec and Oregon, activists in California and Ohio, as well as many others. His most recent project is the economic review of the WNP-2 nuclear station for Physicians for Social...

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