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Mineta Institute delegate impressed with ITD programs

A representative of the prestigious Mineta Transportation Institute visited ITD last week to learn how the department operates its emergency program and to explore program innovations that distinguish it from other transportation departments.
Emergency program manager Bryan Smith organized the full, one-day agenda for Frannie Edwards of the National Transportation Security Center.

Edwards is deputy director of the center, which is part of the Mineta Transportation Institute, based in San Jose, Calif.
While at ITD, Edwards:

Learned about ITD’s Road, Weather Information System (RWIS)
The model 511 Traveler Services program
The fire response plan
Transportation Incident Management
The backcountry airstrip application for iPads
The Award-winning Project Outreach Planner, and
The Emergency Management Office structure

She also toured the State Communications Center in Meridian, which provides emergency dispatch services, highway alerts and data input for the 511 system.

“Thanks for a very educational day at Idaho Transportation Department,” Edwards wrote after the visit. “We enjoyed seeing … and learning how you have developed your emergency management program. We were glad to know that our earlier research had been helpful.

Thanks, also, for introducing us to your colleagues.
“Michelle's tour of (State Comm) was fascinating. The backcountry airport program with the iPad tie-in is quite innovative. The POP concept has many potential applications beyond analyzing public outreach. Your rural fire MOU is a good model, as well.”

Smith said ITD’s leadership role and innovation in transportation were evident during the tour.

“I want to thank each of you for the great presentations that you made to the Mineta representatives. They left very impressed with what Idaho is doing in emergency management and how this program is being championed throughout many parts of the department.

“I learned a few things as well! You are the reason we look so good.”

The Mineta Transportation Institute conducts research, education, and information and technology transfer, focusing on multimodal surface transportation policy and management issues. It was established by Congress in 1991 as part of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA) and was reauthorized under TEA-21 and again under SAFETEA-LU.

The Institute is funded by Congress through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Research and Innovative Technology Administration, by the California Legislature through the Department of Transportation (Caltrans) and by other public and private grants and donations, including grants from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.