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Transportation Asset ManagementIn Australia, Canada, England, and New ZealandPrepared by the International Scanning Study Team:David R. Geiger Paul T. Wells Patricia Bugas-Schramm Lacy D. Love Dr. Sue McNeil Dennis L. Merida Dr. Michael Meyer Robert Ritter Kirk T. Steudle Donald R. Tuggle Larry Velasquez and American Trade Initiatives, Inc. for Federal Highway Administration American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials National Cooperative Highway Research Program (Panel 20-36) of the Transportation Research Board November 2005 FHWA International Technology Exchange ProgramThe Federal Highway Administration's FHWA Technology Exchange Program accesses and evaluates innovative foreign technologies and practices that could significantly benefit U.S. highway transportation systems. This approach allows for advanced technology to be adapted and put into practice much more efficiently without spending scarce research funds to recreate advances already developed by other countries. The main channel for accessing foreign innovations is the International Technology Scanning Program. The program is undertaken jointly with the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials ( AASHTO ) and its Special Committee on International Activity Coordination in cooperation with the Transportation Research Board's National Cooperative Highway Research Program Project 20-36 "Highway Research and Technology—International Information Sharing," the private sector, and academia. FHWA and AASHTO jointly determine priority topics for teams of U.S. experts to study. Teams in the specific areas being investigated are formed and sent to countries where significant advances and innovations have been made in technology, management practices, organizational structure, program delivery, and financing. Scanning teams usually include representatives from FHWA, State departments of transportation, local governments, transportation trade and research groups, the private sector, and academia. After a scan is completed, team members evaluate findings and develop comprehensive reports, including recommendations for further research and pilot projects to verify the value of adapting innovations for U.S. use. Scan reports, as well as the results of pilot programs and research, are circulated throughout the country to State and local transportation officials and the private sector. Since 1990, FHWA has organized more than 60 international scans and disseminated findings nationwide on topics such as pavements, bridge construction and maintenance, contracting, intermodal transport, organizational management, winter road maintenance, safety, intelligent transportation systems, planning, and policy. The International Technology Scanning Program has resulted in significant improvements and savings in road program technologies and practices throughout the United States. In some cases, scan studies have facilitated joint research and technology-sharing projects with international counterparts, further conserving resources and advancing the state of the art. Scan studies have also exposed transportation professionals to remarkable advancements and inspired implementation of hundreds of innovations. The result: large savings of research dollars and time, as well as significant improvements in the Nation's transportation system. For a complete list of International Technology Scanning Program topics and to order free copies of the reports, please see the list contained in this publication and at U.S. Department of Transportation-Federal Highway Administration, or e-mail international@fhwa.dot.gov. FHWA International Technology Exchange ReportsInternational Technology Scanning Program:Bringing Global Innovations to U.S. HighwaysSafetyRoadway Human Factors and Behavioral Safety in Europe (2005) Planning and EnvironmentTransportation Asset Management in Australia, Canada, England, and New Zealand (2005) Policy and InformationEuropean Practices in Transportation Workforce Development (2003) OperationsSuperior Materials, Advanced Test Methods, and Specifications in Europe (2004) Infrastructure—GeneralConstruction Management Practices in Canada and Europe (2005) Infrastructure—PavementsPavement Preservation Technology in France, South Africa, and Australia ( 2003) Infrastructure—BridgesPrefabricated Bridge Elements and Systems in Japan and Europe (2005) All publications are available on the Internet atU.S. Department of Transportation-Federal Highway Administration |