1

1

Transportation Knowledge Networks

AASHTO IS 2009May 5, 2009

Seattle, Washington

Leni OmanDirector

Office of Research & Library ServicesChair

AASHTO RAC TKN Task Force

I am here as a representative of the AASHTO Research Advisory Committee Transportation Knowledge Networks Task Force to request your assistance.

I’d like to make sure we’re on the same page and so will begin with a brief summary of knowledge management and some work we’ve done to identify and develop the concept for Transportation Knowledge Networks.

2

2

Challenges

• Increasing retirements

• Changing demographics

• Unique knowledge

• Doing more with less

Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2008-09 Edition

Expenditure Trends

Pgm. T--Transp. Planning, Data, & Research

(in millions of dollars)

$0

$15

$30

$45

$60

$75

1997-99 1999-01 2001-03 2003-05 2005-07 2007-09 2009-11 2011-13 2013-15 2015-17 2017-19

Current Dollars

1997 Dollars

Several changes are affecting the retention of knowledge in our workplaces

•The retirement of baby boomers

•Different expectations for information delivery by GenXers and the Millennial Generation

•Specialization has created silos of knowledge

•Expectations to do less with more has changed the way we share information

3

3

What is Knowledge Management?

• The systematic processes by which knowledge needed for an organization to succeed is created, captured, shared, and leveraged.

The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Knowledge Management

• Getting people the information they need, in the form they need it, when they need it.

DataPhotos/Images

DocumentsWebPages

RecordsPeople

Information Resources

FindabilityEasy

AccessControlled

UseStructured

Storage

KeywordsMetadataIndexes

Controlled Vocabularies

User InterfacesPortals

DownloadableInteractive

Non-spamming

SecurityStewards

Public DisclosureDestructionArchiving

Version controlSpace Management

ClearinghousesFeasible Updating

Knowledge Management can be defined in many ways. I like this broad definition.

The goal is to get people the information they need in the form they need it when they need it.

It includes many facets:

1) information creation – typically from a variety of sources

2) tools to find information

3) the ability to access the information found

4) the ability to direct the information to intended, authorized users

5) structure to information organization to promote findability, access and controlled use

4

4

Types of Knowledge

HUMAN

CULTURALSTRUCTURAL

SOCIAL

Explicit

Can write down

Tacit

Don’t know

you know

Relationships between

individuals/within groups

Collective understanding

of how things are done

Embedded in systems,

processes, tools & routines

What individuals know

Know how to do

There are several types of knowledge. It’s helpful to understand what they are and to use this characterization to help us identify the tools needed to best capture and/or share that type of information.

Human – what individuals know or know how to do. Can be explicit, tacit, sentient, or cognitive.

Social – relationships between individuals or within groups. Largely tacit & developed by working together.

Cultural – the collective understanding of how things are done in an organization.

Structural –embedded in an organization’s systems, processes, tools, and routines. Is explicit and rule-based.

Human knowledge

Skill – ability to act

Expertise – deep understanding

May be:

Explicit – things you can write down, share with others

Tacit – things you don’t know you know or use

Sentient – located in the body

Cognitive – largely conceptual and abstract

5

5

A Knowledge Retention Culture

Knowledge TransferDocumentation

Interviews/DebriefingTraining

Social Networks

Knowledge RecoveryUsing retirees effectively

Outsourcing Regenerating knowledge

Information InfrastructureTechnologies that intensify

collaborationE-learning applications

Support for problem solvingFindability

Human ResourcesRisk identification

Succession planning/career development processes

Building a retention culturePolicies to retain workers

There are many facets to a knowledge retention culture. There isn’t a one size fits all model but there are some common elements.

Human Resources

•rewards

•competencies management (systematic evaluation and planning of competences of individual organization members)

Knowledge Transfer

•storytelling (as a means of transferring tacit knowledge)

•cross-project learning

•after action reviews

•communities of practice

•best practice transfer/lessons learned

•proximity & architecture (the physical situation of employees can be either conducive or obstructive to knowledge sharing)

•master-apprentice relationship

•collaborative technologies (groupware, etc)

•knowledge brokers (some organizational members take on responsibility for a specific "field" and act as first reference on whom to talk about a specific subject)

Information Infrastructure

•knowledge repositories (databases, etc)

•measuring and reporting intellectual capital (a way of making explicit knowledge for companies)

•social software (wikis, social bookmarking, blogs, etc)

•knowledge mapping

Like Total Quality Management or Performance Management, Knowledge Management requires a shift in culture.

6

6

TRB Special Report 284

Recommendations

� Proposed a network of Transportation Knowledge Networks with a National Coordinating Structure

� Need for a strong governing body to provide policy, oversight, and advocacy

� Seek broad-based funding support tosustain operations.

� Provide federal grants for start up

� Grow federal funds

� Develop local matchhttp://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/sr/sr284ReportSummary.pdf

Transportation Research Board of the National Academies 2006

The AASHTO Standing Committee on Research requested a Transportation Research Board policy study on the future of transportation information. The study resulted in TRB Special Report 284

7

7

An employee, working at their desk needs information they don’t have…

� Because of good marketing in the agency, they know where to turn to get the information.

� They open their Internet browser to the Information portal and find a user-friendly menu of options.

� They choose the service they are looking for such as a literature review; facts on file; agency templates; access to a database; etc…

The Vision for Information

The vision the Policy Study had for information access is captured in the next few slides.

8

8

The Employee finds a User-Friendly Portal

� If they are searching for documents or data, the front end application asks them how they want to search for information –

� geographically, topically, by title/author, or other formats.� This interface is visually engaging and easy to use.� With a click, they are taken to that search tool/aid (or they are all on the first

page). � They type in their search phrase or point and click to icons and retrieve

information. The databases/systems which are being searched is not belabored but are noted while the search is underway (Now searching BIOSIS...)

WSDOT Traveler Information SystemCooperating Libraries of Olympia, listing

9

9

The Portal Tools Help Refine the Search

� Can select output: narrative, tabular, geospatial data, or all. To help refine the search questions our librarians typically ask are programmed into the system.

� The results are provided in good English without cryptic abbreviations.

� When the site includes data references, the data platform, relevant uses, authorized users are identified.

� Once they find the data they want, they can save information under a custom account.

10

10

Information is Accessible

� Documents/data can be retrieved by point and click on the retrieved search list and the application highlights the specific text relevant to their search.

� Because the documents and data are tagged, they are able to find specifically what they're looking for.

� The behind the scenes effort to obtain, catalog, index/tag, store information is not obvious.

� The employee is able to pull quotes for the documents with prompts to help them understand copyright laws and appropriate uses/references.

11

11

Most of the Time…

� If a document is not available electronically, the user is offered a menu for delivery

� Interlibrary loan

� Electronic document deliver

� Purchase of paper copies

This document is available to the public through the National Technical Information Service, Springfield, VA 22616.

12

12

Special Report 284

Next Steps

� Develop a business plan

� Determine which office should manage the coordinating structure.

� Provide a strong governance body for the coordinating structure.

The policy study made recommendations to create this vision:

Establish transportation knowledge networks – the plural recognizes that there are networks within networks rather than a central network.

Develop a NCHRP project to develop a business plan

USDOT & RITA should determine which office should manage the coordinating structure. It should be established expeditiously and provided an adequate budget.

A recommendation was also made to amend the language of the Advisory Council on Transportation Statistics to broaden the membership, focus, and reporting functions to provide a strong governance body for the coordinating structure. The USDOT’s Research and Innovative Technology Administration requested that further development of this recommendation focus on development of a separate governance body.

13

13

Implementing Transportation Knowledge Networks

(NCHRP 20-75)

• Follow up project funded in 2007

• Creates a business plan that:– Frames the problem

– Describes potential solutions

– Helps communicate the value of a Transportation Knowledge Network

• Principal Investigator: – Frances Harrison, Spy Pond Partners– http://www.cts.umn.edu/Research/Featured/NCHRP20-75/

A NCHRP project was created in 2007 to follow up on the recommendations of the policy study and create a business plan for implementing transportation knowledge networks.

14

14

AASHTO Standing Committee on Highways

A survey of SCOH members was conducted in May of 2008. 85% of the respondents thought a TKN would add value for transportation agencies.

The researchers have created a draft portal to illustrate what it could be (upper left image).

A brief presentation about the study was made by Neil Pedersen, Administrator for the Maryland State Hwy Administration, to the Standing Committee on Highways in May 2008. This was followed with a short four question survey. 85% of the Chief Engineers felt a transportation knowledge network/information portal would add value for transportation agencies. The remaining 15% were not naysayers – they just weren’t sure. The survey also provided information on the type of information they felt would be most useful.

15

15

Key Findings –Desired TKN products & services

• One stop shopping for transportation information

• Improved search tools

• Value-added services to filter & annotate information (address information overload)

• Peer-to-peer sharing of best practices

• Capture of “missing” information resources

• Greater access to digital documents

• Cataloging to enable sharing of documents across organizations

• Preservation of information resources to ensure continuing availability

Some key findings from the NCHRP project about desired products and services of a Transportation Knowledge Network are listed here.

16

16

Key FindingsRecommended Approach to Implementing TKNs

• Employ a mix of strategies – no single element alone will be effective

• Emphasize role of the National coordination function, clarify role of the regional TKNs

• Use “hot topics” and innovation to demonstrate value

• Emphasize efficiency benefits

• Incorporate both centralized and decentralized elements

• Establish clear accountability

The project also provided information on how we should approach the task of creating a Transportation Knowledge Network.

•It should incorporate a mix of technology, coordination/collaboration, and programmatic elements – no single element alone will be effective

•Emphasize role of the National coordination function, clarify role of the regional TKNs

•Focus on “hot topics” and innovation to demonstrate value

•Emphasize efficiency benefits – TKNs result in more value from dollars invested to create information by increasing use of this information

•Incorporate both centralized and decentralized elements – one stop shopping & central coordination, but components that can be developed locally and shared, components that can be made available to members

•Establish clear accountability for functions within the network

A little more detail about needed elements:

•Technology (portal, shared catalogs)

•Coordination/Collaboration (NTL-TKN connections, TKNs building networks of contacts with information providers and consuming organizations, and with existing “natural” communities of practice)

•Programmatic (Planned programs of activities at the national and regional TKN levels – e.g. research services, targeted collections, topical portal pages, interlibrary loan, etc.)

•Decentralized elements: content developed by TKN members made available on national portal and via RSS feeds available to other web pages for event calendars, latest research by topic, etc.

17

17

NCHRP 20-75 Business Plan

• Context Section

• Background

• Mission, Goals and Objectives

• Market

• Products and Services

• Stewardship Model

• Costs – $13.5 million per year

– $7.9 mill for content

– $3.1 mill technical/administrative infrastructure

– $1.5 mill outreach/education

– $1 mill research/literature review services

• Funding Sourcehttp://www.cts.umn.edu/Research/Featured/NCHRP20-75/businessplan.html

The Business Plan includes:

Context Section - makes the case for action

Background - describes the TKN concept developed in SR 284

Mission, Goals and Objectives – accountability framework for TKNs

Market – defines broad market but recommends initial focus on FHWA, state DOTs, University Transportation Centers (UTC’s), Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs), LTAP/TTAP Centers; and professional associations that serve these organizations

Products and Services – Transportation Information Infrastructure and “The TKN Ten”

Stewardship Model – National Coordination Function (NTL), Advisory Board, Regional TKNs

Costs - $13.5 million per year, includes: $7.9 mill for content; $3.1 mill technical/admin infrastructure, $1.5 mill outreach/education, $1 mill research/literature review services

Funding - recommends single option – inclusion in federal transportation reauthorization bill

18

18

Overview of TKN Products & ServicesTransportation 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

NewsCommunities

of Practice

Transportation

Topics

Information Resources & Tools (Responsibility for coordination, contributions and maintenance shared across TKNs /Information Providers)

Standards & Crosswalks(metadata, thesaurus, taxonomy)

Knowledge Services & Protocols(Resource archiving, digitization, cataloging, bulk purchasing, interlibrary loan)

US DOTRITA, Modal Admins

State DOTs

TRB(TRIS, RiP , Needs)

Universities MPOs

GIS DataTabular

Datasets

Standards &

GuidelinesManuals Directories

Images &

Video

Tutorials LegislationLessons

LearnedEvents

Performance

Data

Commercial

Databases

Library

ResourcesOCLC, TLCat, First

Search

Other Federal

Agencies

Local

JurisdictionsAASHTO

Industry,

Non-Profits

This table illustrates the information that is expected through the Transportation Knowledge Network portal and the partners, information resources, services, and standards needed to supportthe delivery of this information.

Example: Agency X is a member of one of the regional TKNs. Their agency provides a link to the national portal on the intranet site. A policy office employee goes to “transportation topics” to find information about the new stimulus package. They find links to FHWA and FTA web pages with official information, as well as several PowerPoint's and fact sheets prepared by peer agencies – also TKN members. In 5 minutes, they have the information they need.

19

19

1. National Digital Repository

2. National Print Repository

3. National Transportation Portal with Federated Search

4. Information Modules

5. Research/Literature Review Services

6. Standards Coordination & Thesaurus

7. Targeted Collection & Digitization Efforts

8. Information Provider Outreach, Coordination and Communication

9. Library Connectivity Support and Advocacy

10. User Outreach & Education

The TKN Ten Products and Services

1&2 – repositories (for information not preserved and available elsewhere

3 – tools to find and access information (from multiple sources)

4 – specific information modules (e.g. topical web pages, directories, calendars, access to for-fee resources)

5 – services provided by information professionals to help users find what they need

6 – ongoing work to develop and get agreement on terminology/semantics in order to improve findability of resources

7 - targeted initiatives to add materials to the Digital and Print repositories –e.g. all strategic highway safety plans, collected papers of “elder statesman”, data sets, etc.

8 & 9 – outreach to build and strengthen the network of information providers

10 – outreach and education to ensure that end users know about the services and how to use them

20

20

Recommended Next Steps

1. Continue broad outreach

2. Continue to expand the communications toolkit

3. Use NCHRP (20-75A) Directory of Transportation

Libraries and Information Centers - to extend the TKN and awareness of the TKN initiative.

4. Encourage state champions to meet with senior management to brief them on the TKN initiative and its potential benefits

1&2 - Continue broader outreach:

- Discussions with executives & practitioners has helped to build awareness and appreciation for this initiative.

- Needs to be conducted at a larger scale to have impact

3 - Directory of Libraries and Info Centers – step 1 of building the network; opportunity for outreach as well

4 - Marketing from within organizations would be helpful

21

21

More from NCHRP 20-75

One-page summary of project

Listen to testimonials

View & Listen to an overview presentation as a PDF

And much more:

http://www.cts.umn.edu/Research/Featured/NCHRP20-75/

22

22

Transportation Knowledge Networks

Western

TKN9 States16 Orgs

Midwest

TKN9 States15 Orgs

Eastern

TKN6 States13 Orgs

http://ntl.bts.gov/networking/national.html

Transportation Knowledge Networks exist today. The hotlinks provided will link you to the websites for the national and three regional knowledge networks. We welcome new members – and look forward to working with the data and IT communities.

23

23

AASHTO Research Advisory Committee on Transportation Knowledge Networks Task Force

Goal

Serves as a forum to develop the concept, understanding, and application of transportation

knowledge networks for the transportation sector. The AASHTO RAC TKN TF advocates

and supports the rapid and efficient exchange of information resources through development of

strategies and the innovative use of technology.

In 2008, the AASHTO Research Advisory Committee established the Transportation Knowledge Networks Task Force. RAC and it’s task forces support the work of the Standing Committee on Research.

Standing Committee on Research VISION STATEMENT:

Act as AASHTO's driving force for high-quality transportation research and innovation to improve the nation’s mobility of people and goods.

MISSION STATEMENT:

Support AASHTO and the transportation community by delivering strategic, high-quality research results while addressing development, technology transfer, and implementation. SCOR will facilitate access to accurate information and new products and procedures for developing and operating transportation systems. SCOR will ensure that transportation research addresses critical short-term and long-term national needs; complement and supplement federal, state, local, and other programs; and have high value.

AASHTO IS VISION STATEMENT:

Act as AASHTO's driving force for high-quality transportation research and innovation to improve the nation’s mobility of people and goods.

MISSION STATEMENT:

Support AASHTO and the transportation community by delivering strategic, high-quality research results while addressing development, technology transfer, and implementation. SCOR will facilitate access to accurate information and new products and procedures for developing and operating transportation systems. SCOR will ensure that transportation research addresses critical short-term and long-term national needs; complement and supplement federal, state, local, and other programs; and have high value.

It shall report to the Standing Committee on Finance and Administration. This reporting shall include identifying and reporting on any federal regulatory mandates of national concern. Each member Department shall be entitled to membership thereon. To ensure consistency and the best thinking of the Association, the subcommittee shall work cooperatively, as appropriate, with other subcommittees, agencies, and external organizations.

24

24

Task Group Membership

1. AASHTO RAC Region 1 – 2 members (Massachusetts & Vacant)

2. AASHTO RAC Region 2 – 2 members (Virginia & Louisiana)

3. AASHTO RAC Region 3 – 2 members (Kansas & Wisconsin)

4. AASHTO RAC Region 4 – 2 members (Washington & Oklahoma)

5. Research and Innovative Technology Administration, National Transportation Library

6. Federal Highway Administration

7. Transportation Research Board

8. Council University Transportation Center

9. Special Library Association Transportation Division

10. Eastern TKN

11. Midwestern TKN

12. Western TKN

13. TRB Committee on Library and Information Science for Transportation

Current membership is biased to representatives from transportation research and library programs. We recognize that this is not fully representative of the interests that create, capture, or delivery information within the transportation community

25

25

TKN TF Goals

1. Support the formation of the transportation knowledge network to address business needs.

2. Advocate for an effective TKN and supporting information infrastructure.

3. Enhance knowledge exchange within the transportation community.

4. Develop strategies to actively monitor, support, and encourage methods for effective creation, capture, synthesis, transfer, application, and preservation of transportation knowledge.

We have four goals

26

26

TKN TF 2009 Activities

1) Articulate the concept and value of knowledge

networks and quality library and information services.

• Before and after descriptions

2) Explore and Advocate for sustained funding.

• AASHTO Reauthorization request

3) Describe a successful TKN model for transportation, including definitions of best practices.

4) Develop strategies to capture knowledge and retain institutional memory from retiring and other departing employees.

We’ve identified some priority activities for 2009

27

27

How Can AASHTO IS Help?

• Participation in building the vision

– Best technology and data strategies

– Metadata

• Advocacy

• Joint leadership?

• Success stories – ROI

• Work the vision

• Other ideas?

We would like to work with AASHTO Information Services to build the vision and implementation of Transportation Knowledge Networks. We’d like to know what your interests are. Some suggested areas for partnership that we have are listed here.

28

28

A Special Note on Findability

• Not easy to find the information.

• Internet searches only access ~16% of available information resources

• Full text searching doesn’t find most related terms

• Version control management challenges

• “Hidden” communities

Not easy for either transportation professionals or the public to find the information they need or want.

Internet searches only access ~16% of available information resources

Internet searches surf the surface web but not the invisible web.

Search company indexing can cause delay.

The invisible web is estimated to be 550 times larger than the surface web (numbers vary by study but all a significant amount)

Full text searching doesn’t find most related terms (hot mix asphalt, HMA, Superpave, …)

Version control management

“Hidden” communities

Lack of connection between information resources

Duplication of content/wasted server space

The AASHTO IS community can help us address this challenge.

29

29

2.97 12.9 25

320

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

1

Library

$ (

mil

lio

ns

)

How Do We Compare?

• National Library of Medicine– MeSH 23,000 terms, – >150K supplementary records, thousands

of cross references– 11 staff managing the thesaurus– Index over 4800 professional journals– PubMed and MedLinePlus

• National Agricultural Library– NALT >68,500 terms– 7 staff managing the thesaurus– Have indexed over 4 million records– Custom user interfaces

• National Transportation Library– TRT <10,000 terms– Indexing is a part time duty between 4 FTE

– 600,000 records in TRIS

– Very limited customer user interfaces

NLM

NTLNAL

Request~ Have

Annual Library Budget

Transportation’s investment in information is very small. The TRB policy studylooked at the National Library of Medicine and the National Agricultural Library for more robust models to manage information. Just looking at the thesauruses to manage their resources, one can readily see the difference. And the budgets show it even more dramatically.

National Library of Medicine: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/

Notice PubMed for medical professionals (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?db=pubmed)

MedlinePlus for lay persons (http://medlineplus.gov/)

NLM Gateway (http://gateway.nlm.nih.gov/gw/Cmd) to search 20 data sources

National Agricultural Library (http://nal.usda.gov/) which is very focused on the user interfaces

30

30

Metadata & the TRTWhile we’re waiting for the semantic web…

– Common metadata to help us find relevant, related information regardless of source

– Uses & limits of “machine language”

– Common language

“I am hoping that someday a portal

would be developed that would

prompt the user for keywords AND

decisions which would help to refine

the quest into a more defined and

narrow search.”

It’s interesting to see what’s possible by using 2.0 and the semantic web approaches. But I think that we’re leaving the user behind in this discussion.

Where are we today and what can we do?

What do we want to be able to do and how can we get there efficiently?

Even listening to the presentations today leaves me believing we still need structured data to manage our evolving language. How do we bring computer science, library science and user needs into a common vision so that we can make forward leaps to address this issue?

We do have a controlled vocabulary in transportation called the Transportation Research Thesaurus (http://trt.trb.org/). A TRB Library and Information Science for Transportation subcommittee advises on the addition of new terms. One area that WSDOT has been interested in is the addition of terms that help catalog data resources.

31

31

Why Add Library Science?

� Standards for vocabulary and data definitions (ISO -11179 Metadata

Repositories, ANSI/NISO Z39.19-2005)

� Experience describing information and documenting it

� Familiarity with user queries

� Familiarity with search techniques and experiences

� Centuries of knowledge development

Some lessons from the development of WSDOT’s Data Catalog:

When the information professional (with a Master of Library and Information Science) was hired there were no procedures and standards adopted for definition and term development, it was up to the information professional to develop those procedures or adopt from other sources. He started the process of documenting data with Collision Data and Analysis branch to describe their data and business rules. The initial project took 9 months.

A library science background helps us adopt standards for vocabulary and data definitions.

32

32

Reauthorization

AASHTO Standing Committee on Research and CEO Board of Directors approved a recommendation for reauthorization to establish a Transportation Knowledge Network– Facilitate the development and implementation of

Transportation Knowledge Networks

– Broaden the mission of the National Transportation Library

– Establish an advisory committee on transportation information

– Proposed Funding Level: $13.5 million per year

AASHTO Reauthorization request

As mentioned earlier, the AASHTO CEOs approved a recommendation from the Standing Committee on Research to request establishment of Transportation Knowledge Networks.

33

33

The Time is Right

With revenues tightening efficient access to information is even more important.– Saves time– Saves money– Improves decision support– Helps us communicate with

constituents

Wisdom: The capacity to choose worthwhile objectives

Knowledge: The ability to use information to achieve objectivesInformation: Structured data

Data: Pure and simple facts

http://www.systems-thinking.org/dikw/dikw.htm

Funding is very tight these days and some might say we can’t afford a new program. On the other hand, as people leave, knowledge leaves and we can’t really afford this either. The business plan developed through NCHRP 20-75 helps us strategically build a Transportation Knowledge Network to meet critical information needs.

We have begun but we need to continue to build on and shape this vision. We hope you will join us.

34

34

Resources

• Federal Knowledge Management Working Group http://wiki.nasa.gov/cm/wiki/?id=1926

• AASHTO RAC TKN Task Force http://cms.transportation.org/?siteid=55&pageid=2449

• Lost Knowledge: Confronting the Threat of an Aging WorkforceDavid W. DeLong

• Ambient Findability: What We Find Changes Who We BecomePeter Morville

• Complete Idiot's Guide to Knowledge ManagementMelissie Clemmons Rumizen

• Driving Results Through Social Networks: How Top Organizations Leverage Networks for Performance and GrowthRob Cross and Robert J. Thomas

Some resources I have found useful

35

35

Leni Oman

Director, Office of Research and Library Services

Washington State Department of Transportation

OmanL@wsdot.wa.gov

360-705-7974

Contact Information

If I can be of assistance or if you have feedback on this presentation or vision, let me know.