Summer Reading: Papers and Resources and Books (Oh My!)

When I was a kid, every summer my mom would give us a summer reading challenge. If we read a certain number of books (any book, it didn’t matter how short or long) before the end of summer, we would get a small, but meaningful prize. Summer reading is now programmed into me, although the list of what I read has expanded beyond just books for fun, to include books, papers, and resources guides that also apply to my work. As we near the end of the summer, I thought I would share a couple transportation related highlights from what I read (or in one case re-read) in this last month of the summer.

ITS America – AI Policy Principles

Published in late June 2024, ITS America distributed its AI Policy Principles paper. As I have written before, AI isn’t coming, it’s here. And it’s important that we have informed discussions about the regulations, development, and deployment of AI in transportation. This discussion will ensure AI provides a net benefit to those in transportation and in the communities we serve, while also building trust in these technologies. I have written before about the value of human-centered AI, and was excited to see Human-Centric AI as a cornerstone of the ITS America policy principle. Additionally, Trust and Transparency are paramount to the successful use of AI, including clear data privacy and security principles, which ITS America also advocates for. It’s important we have informed discussions about how AI should be deployed in transportation and this is a great resource to start with.

ITS Technology Use Case Library

Case studies were always my favorite assignments in college. I simply learn better when I can read about something applied in the real world versus just learning the theory. That’s why I was excited to see ITS America release Volume 2 of their ITS Use Case Library. With a new collection of use cases in AI and Digital Infrastructure, there is a wealth of information about how technology is being deployed on our nation’s roads and the impact they are having today. As a resident of Viriginia, living only a mile from part of the I-95 corridor, I was excited to see the Virginia Department of Transportation’s case study on variable speed limits and the impact it had on reducing crashes, helping to alleviate congestion and improve safety for all in my community.

Inclusive Transportation by Veronica O. Davis

I admit, this one was a re-read. But when you read something that makes you think and inspires you to think differently, you want to re-read it. Inclusive Transportation: A Manifesto for Repairing Divided Communities was a short but powerful read. I continue to love the relatability and simplicity of Veronica's ER analogy. An ER takes patients based on order of arrival, except when a more serious condition warrants pulling providers (i.e. resources) from other patients to stabilize the new patient and then once stable those other providers return to other patients. Equity or equality in transportation means we must look at correcting past discrimination in how public transportation benefits and burdens are allocated, maintained, and developed. Some of our community’s transportation needs require immediate attention and resources to stabilize and then we can go back to supporting other needs.

Conclusion

There are so many fantastic resources available to inform, teach, and make us think about our transportation world. I thoroughly enjoyed including each of these readings in my summer 2024 reading list. I hope you find value in them too. Happy reading!