Background

The objective of NCHRP Project 08-94 was to develop a tool that practitioners could use to determine appropriate methods for travel demand forecasting needs at regional and state transportation agencies across the U.S. To achieve that objective, a centrally hosted and maintained application is necessary to manage the software moving forward. The tool is an online tool with technical details that change over time and require updating to remain current and relevant to the planning community. Among the outcomes from NCHRP 08-94 was the functional prototype software referred to as TFGuide beta (Travel Forecasting Guide) capable of decision-making support for  transportation planning. Tools like TFGuide rely on continual content review and improvement to become (and remain) valued assets. The objective of NCHRP 20-44(32) is to provide information that state DOTs and other transportation agencies can use to determine the most appropriate methods for their planning activities.

Tasks

1. Assemble Expert Panel and Finalize Work Plan: The first task will convert the scope for implementation activities into a finalized work plan, including detailing the appropriate MPO participants in each participant state. This task will include a kickoff call with an expert panel composed of representatives from the participant entities to discuss desired project outcomes and necessary refinements to the scope of work. 
2. Onsite Project Workshops: The consultant will work with the expert panel to develop an outline and materials for four project workshops; one in each of the participant states (with participant MPO also attending). Each workshop will cover the development of scenarios and how to interactively adjust assumptions and the interpretation of results. 
3. Usability / User Interface Improvements: TFGuide was designed to be easy to use and supports the planner by sequentially advancing through a scenario wizard. Simple navigation permits returning to previous steps, renaming completed scenarios, and even copying scenario settings when a small change is to be tested. 
4. Technical Content Support and Answer Community Questions: This project will answer questions and update the content as needed to advance the tool’s utility during the project period. These updates will reinforce the power of a data-driven web application since all users engaged with TFGuide will immediately enjoy the benefits of improved content. 
5. Peer Exchange on Lessons Learned and Future Directions: A TFGuide peer exchange workshop, with Federal, state and regional agencies invited to participate, will lead to knowledge on how best to maintain the tool long term, best leverage the original and implementation investment, and provide insight into a future research agenda.
6. Final Engagement Support, Documentation, and Handoff: This task provides for final engagement documentation, which will consist of a web-only document that TRB will make available to all users of the research interested in further implementation of the guidebook.