Implementation of HERS-ST in Iowa and Development /Refinement of a National Training Program
Researcher(s)
Principal investigator: Tom Maze (project list)
Co-principal investigators:
- Omar Smadi, 515-294-7110, smadi@iastate.edu (project list)
Other authors: Neil A. Burke
Student researcher: Neil Burke
Project status
Completed
Start date: 07/01/04
End date: 08/31/08
Publications
Report: August 2008, http://www.intrans.iastate.edu/mtc/reports/hers-st.pdf 1.7 mb (*pdf)
Related publications: Implementing HERS-ST in Iowa 109 kb *pdf (Tech transfer summary) August 2008
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Sponsor(s)/partner(s)
Sponsor(s):Iowa Department of Transportation
Midwest Transportation Consortium
About the research
Abstract: The Highway Economic Requirements System (HERS) is an economic model that uses highway performance monitoring system (HPMS) data to project future highway conditions and requirements. HERS is a highly complex model that, at the national level, uses samples of the highway network taken from the HPMS data. As a result, at the national level it is only used for aggregate network-level analysis (planning-level analysis). When the Federal Highway Administrations Office of Asset Management was established in 1999, the office began developing the state version of HERS, or HERS-ST. HERS-ST has since evolved into a model that is specifically crafted for states.
A DOS version of HERS-ST was demonstrated at a workshop attended by representatives of several state transportation agencies in 2001. Since then, several improvements have been made to the software, including updates for a Windows environment and the addition of GIS capabilities. The current project yielded a HERS-ST specifically for Iowa, but one that can be used as a model for other states.
The initial goals of this project included customizing the HERS-ST software for the Iowa primary network, training Iowa Department of Transportation (Iowa DOT) employees to use the HERS-ST software, and holding a regional HERS-ST training seminar. The final task involved integrating the Iowa DOT training experience into Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) training materials and working with the FHWA Office of Asset Management to deliver HERS-ST training seminars to other states.
The final report describes the steps used to customize the HERS-ST software, explains the run analyses performed using HERS-ST that would benefit the Iowa DOT, and summarizes the concepts that were included in the HERS-ST training seminar for the Iowa DOT.