The 1991 passage of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA) formally introduced Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) to the world of transportation. This new approach to transportation required professionals to develop knowledge and skills inclusive of such subjects as computing and network systems, telecommunications, real-time operations, systems engineering, and data integration. Recognizing that the traditional civil engineering background of most transportation professionals lacked the multi-disciplinary focus of ITS, the United States Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) established the Professional Capacity Building (PCB) Program in 1996. Building professional capacity is the process of developing knowledge and skills that directly increase effectiveness in job performance. The primary intent of the PCB Program continues to be to provide a comprehensive curriculum of ITS learning that is readily accessible to the transportation community. This goal - comprehensive and readily accessible ITS learning - is a challenging one. "Comprehensive" suggests a depth and breadth of learning that ranges across the different transportation modes, different types of transportation agencies, and across a fairly diverse team of players within each agency. "Readily accessible" requires that the most effective form of learning materials be available when the need arises for a professional to learn. Two separate needs assessments conducted by the PCB Program (one in 1998 and one in 2001) confirmed that transportation professionals working in ITS need this type of learning. The PCB Program has been structured to meet and grow in response to this demand.
Samenvatting