Session No. 6C

Smart Cities: Managing AI in Transportation

The entire transportation industry is dramatically changing through the influence of disruptive new technologies driven by artificial intelligence (AI). Robotics is being applied to road construction; video analytics are being used in maintenance and asset management; data systems are revolutionized by predictive analytics; commercial automated vehicle applications are improving safety and efficiency; the Internet of Things has connected and integrated modes of transportation; and there are many implications for policy decision-making.  With all power and potential of this innovative new technology, it comes with significant risk. Issues including public safety, security, privacy, and equity have been well documented even in early transportation AI applications. Today, public and private transportation professionals are expected to understand how to capitalize on the safety and efficiency potential of innovative AI technology and how to mitigate the risks. 

For these reasons, Carnegie Mellon University’s Traffic21 Institute and its Mobility21 University Transportation Center, developed a unique week-long executive education program in collaboration with the Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy, on Managing AI in Transportation.  This conference session will provide a preview of several topics included in the education program, including an overview of technology and AI impacts in transportation today, AI and predictive analytics and how to make a better decision with transportation data, and equitably applying AI for safe and efficient transportation.

Moderators:

• David DiGioia, Senior Project Manager and Pittsburgh Office Lead, McMahon Associates, Inc.
• Lisa Kay Schweyer, Program Manager, Traffic 21 Institute, and Mobility 21 National University Transportation Center

Overview of Technology and AI Impacts in Transportation Today

• Stan Caldwell, Executive Director, Traffic21 Institute, and Mobility21 National University Transportation Center

AI and Predictive Analytics: How to Make Better Decisions with Transportation Data

• Sean Qian, Henry Posner, Anne Molloy, and Robert and Christine Pietrandrea Associate Professor, Carnegie Mellon University

Equitably Applying AI for Safe and Efficient Transportation

• Allanté Whitmore, doctoral degree candidate, Engineering and Public Policy, Carnegie Mellon University           

Bios

Lisa Kay Schweyer is Program Manager for Carnegie Mellon University’s Traffic21 Institute, which houses the Mobility21 National University Transportation Center. She also currently serves as a member of the TRB Standing Committee on Transportation Demand Management. In 2003, her transportation career began, helping commuters and employers learn about transportation options as manager of the regional CommuteInfo program. In 2020, she earned the Association for Commuter Transportation’s (ACT) Transportation Demand Management — Certified Planner certification, as well as a Cribs for Kids Women of Achievement Award. In 2019, Schweyer received the ACT President’s Award for Extraordinary Service and in 2016, the Pennsylvania Public Transportation Association’s Superstars of Transit: Distinguished Service Award for Community Service. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and Masters of Public Management from CMU.

Stan Caldwell is Executive Director of both the Traffic21 Institute and the USDOT-designated Mobility21 National University Transportation Center at Carnegie Mellon University. These research centers support faculty and students, from across the university, in technology-focused transportation education and research with an emphasis on real-world deployment with public and private partners. Caldwell’s research focus is transportation technology policy and he is the curator of the industry-recognized Smart Transportation Dispatch blog and newsletter. He is an Adjunct Associate Professor of Transportation and Public Policy in CMU’s Heinz College and teaches courses in intelligent transportation systems. 

Sean Qian is Henry Posner, Anne Molloy, and Robert and Christine Pietrandrea Associate Professor jointly appointed at the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (major) and Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy (minor) at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU). He directs the Mobility Data Analytics Center (MAC) at CMU. Qian's research interest lies in large-scale dynamic network modeling and large-scale data analytics for multi-modal transportation systems, in development of intelligent transportation systems (ITS) and in understanding infrastructure system interdependency. His research has been supported by a number of public agencies and private firms, such as NSF, U.S. DOE, U.S. DOT, Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT), Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT), Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED), IBM, Honda R&D, Benedum Foundation, and Hillman Foundation. Prof. Qian serves an Associate Editor for Transportation Research Part C: Emerging Technologies, Transportation Science, Transportmatrica B, and Journal of Public Transportation, and an editorial board editor for Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, and is an active member of the Network Modeling Committee of Transportation Research Board. He is the recipient of the NSF CAREER award in 2018 and Greenshields Prize from the Transportation Research Board in 2017. Qian was a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Stanford University from 2011 to 2013, and received his doctoral degree in Civil Engineering at the University of California, Davis in 2011 and his master's degree in Statistics at Stanford University in 2012. 

Allanté Whitmore is a doctoral degree candidate in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and the Department of Engineering and Public Policy Department at Carnegie Mellon University. Her research focuses on the environmental, equity, economic, and ethical impacts of autonomous vehicles. Whitmore previously worked for several years in the non-profit sector as a supervisor, mentor, and leader for the McNair Scholars program at Wayne State University. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Biological Engineering at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, and a Master of Science in Agricultural and Biological Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.