Global engineering and professional services consultancy WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff (WSP-PB) has been awarded two major contracts by the American Center for Mobility (ACM) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).
The ACM has awarded WSP-PB a contract to develop a concept of operations and system requirements, and a procurement strategy for the technology elements of a major new connected and automated vehicle (CAV) test site facility planned at a state-owned site in southeast Michigan.
The Center for Mobility will be built at the Willow Run site (above) and will become a national-scale advanced automotive testing and product development center that can accommodate the broad needs of industry and government, test various weather conditions, including ice and snow, and provide room to grow and adapt as technology dictates. The testing, education and product development center will be a place where precautionary testing is done before vehicles are deployed on the road, a proving ground for collaborative safety technology demonstrations, and a convening center to accelerate the development of voluntary standards.
The concept of operations will define requirements for the test facility, including connected vehicle infrastructure, traditional intelligent transportation systems (ITS) technologies, data collection, monitoring, and test simulation needs associated with the site. The final document will include a user-oriented system description, definition of operational needs, and system overview. It will also establish a proposed operational and support environment for the facility, as well as potential operational scenarios. The report will establish high-level system requirements and lay out a phased procurement strategy.
As the prime consultant, WSP-PB will coordinate with staff and contractors to develop a complete baseline understanding of the project, identify all user needs, establish a proposed phasing for the site development, and coordinate all third party agreements that could impact the design concept. The firm will conduct stakeholder outreach meetings in Michigan with key stakeholders and customers in order to identify system needs. Completion of the concept of operations is expected in early 2017.
The FHWA has selected WSP-PB to conduct a comprehensive study of the use of digital data and field survey technology in daily construction inspection activities. The study aims to provide recommendations and guidance to aid state departments of transportation (DOTs) with their implementation plans and, ultimately, to create best practices for optimizing the shared use of digital data during construction inspection. The consultancy’s advisory services’ research and innovation solutions team will investigate and document notable approaches to managing, disseminating, and integrating digital data collected by inspectors in their normal activities.
A key aspect of this research is to document effective practices to execute construction inspection using digital data in daily construction activities, which includes: applying technology to capture photos and videos, securely access electronic documents and design data, record daily construction activities, verify construction outcomes, and calculate quantities based on current regulations for construction management and quality assurance. The research outcomes will document effective use of digital data in the construction inspection process, informing workflows for digital data mobility from design to construction and beyond.
