Issue link: http://uwashington.uberflip.com/i/600834
PACTRANS HOSTS INTERNATIONAL EXCHANGE, CONNECTS JAPANESE AND US TRANSPORTATION PROFESSIONALS Outreach On May 26, PacTrans welcomed transportation professionals from Japan as part of an international exchange to share best practices in data, organizational collaboration, and road management. Kenji Saita, Assistant Manager, West Nippon Express Company (NEXCO), and Seishu Kitamura, Senior Researcher and Kzuhiko Makimura, Deputy Director, both of the Institute of Behavioral Sciences, visited the PacTrans STAR Lab to learn about the center's work in intelligent transportation systems (ITS). The group discussed the different types of traffic detectors employed by Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) and those under development at the University of Washington, and ways to navigate the privacy concerns of data collection in Japan. PacTrans, Washington State Transportation Center (TRAC), and WSDOT have a history of close collaboration. Doug Brodin, WSDOT Research Manager for ITS, Traffic and Congestion, and Freight, emphasized the importance of the long-term relationships with PacTrans and TRAC and considered it the key in the successful collaborative efforts between WSDOT and universities, which is visible in the many PacTrans intern students working in WSDOT. Dr. Yinhai Wang, PacTrans director, highlighted the center's interest in international collaborations and potential future partnership with NEXCO and IBS and the Japanese delegation responded very positively. PACTRANS AND SUNGKYUNKWAN UNIVERSITY STUDENTS EXCHANGE RESEARCH ON TRANSPORTATION DATA SCIENCE Dr. Sam Oh, professor of data science at Sungkyunkwan University in Seoul, brought undergraduate students participating in a data science camp to visit the PacTrans STAR Lab this February. In their visit, students saw data science in action, gaining exposure to complex data analysis and visualization in transportation research. The lab, which excels in traffic sensing and traffic data management, is known for the Digital Roadway Interactive Visualization and Evaluation Network (DRIVENet), an online transportation data platform. 25 2014-2015 Annual Report