With more than $20 million in annual research expenditure, MTI coordinates efforts among University of Maryland centers and faculty to address critical transportation concerns in Maryland, the Mid-Atlantic Region, and across the nation.
Student Research Opportunities
MTI experts are tackling challenges in data mining, standardization, extension across geographies and population groups, packaging, and visualization. The institute is also home to the largest transportation data analytics center in the country, which manages the automated data sharing, dissemination, and archiving system known as RITIS.
Leveraging the real-time data available through the Center for Advanced Transportation Technology Laboratory, MTI is developing and testing innovative applications to realize the life-saving benefits of connected and automated vehicle technology. Research is focused on addressing the security, safety, and operation issues related to connected systems, and projects are conducted in close collaboration with the Maryland Department of Transportation.
MTI is home to national leaders in transportation economics and finance, as well as urban planning and community development, with a strong record for helping decision makers identify and implement projects based on robust cost-benefit analyses. Experts and partners also benefit from an Experimental Economics Laboratory that enables studies into individual and group behavior and nearly 50 years of forecasting and modeling through the Interindustry Forecasting Project.
With expertise in logistics optimization and supply chain management, MTI is exploring solutions that ensure freight movement is safe, efficient, and reliable. For example, the Supply Chain Management Center, an MTI affiliate group, continues to develop tools to help organizations develop end-to-end, risk-tolerant supply chains.
MTI is testing and implementing cost-effective ways to maintain and enhance transportation infrastructure. Researchers, which include members of the Bridge Engineering Software and Technology Center, are investigating the use of off-the-shelf wireless remote monitoring systems to assess bridge performance, highway material nondestructive testing, and more.
MTI experts are collaborating with the Maryland Department of Transportation to develop and refine integrated travel demand models and traffic simulations that support state planning and transportation system management goals. The National Transportation Center, an MTI affiliate organization, has also developed a integrated, personalized, real-time traveler information and incentive program that helps commuters avoid peak-period congestion.
MTI is at the forefront of stormwater runoff management and treatment, sustainable land use policies, multimodal transportation incentives, and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from the pavement industry. Experts include field leaders from the Center for Global Sustainability and the National Center for Smart Growth Research and Education, whose work has impacted global and national policies.
MTI affiliates are national leaders in transportation system performance monitoring and management. The Center for Advanced Transportation Technology Laboratory continues to provide and improve cutting-edge tools that make it easy for states, metropolitan planning organizations, and consultants to better explore and leverage the National Performance Management Research Data Set, while researchers with the National Transportation Center are developing and data warehouse and practice-ready methods for estimating monthly multimodal travel demand statistics. The I-95 Corridor Coalition, also brings together a myriad of agencies to improve transportation system performance from Florida to Canada.
The impacts of safety research led by MTI experts are visible throughout Maryland. Through robust collaboration with state of Maryland officials, the National Transportation Center, Traffic Safety and Operations Lab, and other affiliate organizations are investigating the effects of red-light cameras on driver behavior, measuring the effectives of different pedestrian and cyclist accident countermeasures, and more.
Leveraging expertise in optimization and simulation modeling and big data analytics, as well as long-term partnerships with state of Maryland agencies, MTI is tackling some of the most complex barriers to improved traffic operations. Experts are designing and implementing real-time traffic monitoring systems and devising optimal evacuation and rescue plans.