DOT, FED HWY ADMN, Office of Safety and Traffic Operations R&D, TFHRC, 6300 Georgetown Pike, Room T-210, McLean, Virginia, 22101-2296

A -- COMPUTER-AIDED DESIGN SUPPORT SYSTEM (CADSS) FOR TRAFFIC MA NAGEMENT CENTER DESIGNERS DUE 122295 POC See Item #17. Traffic Management Centers (TMCs) will play an increasingly important role in the delivery of information to travelers. As the amount of data and the specificity of that information increases, the TMC will be a critical node in the system that gathers and integrates data from external sources and disseminates data and information to travelers. To ensure that TMC design incorporates human factors principles from the onset of the design process, thereby obviating major redesign efforts, the TMC designers should be provided with Computer-Aided Design Support System (CADSS) tools that will increase the efficiency of the design process. The CADSS tools should help the designers to be cognizant of the nature of the operator's tasks, take into account the capabilities and limitations of the TMC operator, and should promote a comprehensive and integrated TMC design. The CADSS package should combine a variety of drawing, analysis, text retrieval, and other tools. The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) is seeking comments and information from all sources (public, private, government, academia, professional groups, public interest groups, etc.) on topics related to development of a set of top-down, CADSS human factors tools for TMC designers. This request for information (RFI) solicits comments from interested parties on one or more of the following: 1. The nature of human factors tools and other tools that TMC designers could effectively employ (e.g., operator/designer requirements analysis, a task analysis tool, a cognitive analysis tool, a human-computer function allocation tool, ergonomics and environmental tool, user-interface rapid prototyping tool, workload assessment tool, documentation tool, etc.), 2. Existing documentation of the TMC design process and design, in general, 3. Documentation on state-of-the-art CAD packages including hardware and software considerations, 4. Documentation of features in related decision support systems for designers including interactive characteristics, 5. Lessons learned concerning the effective use of CAD tools, especially by designers, and 6. Suggestions for evaluating and implmenting decision support systems, especially for designers. This is not a request for proposals or an invitation for bids. It is solely a request for information (RFI). Comment Submission: The submission date for comments is December 22, 1995. Comments received after this date will be considered to the extent possible. Your input on these important issues is greatly appreciated, but responses will not be acknowledged. Responses should be mailed to Nazy Sobhi, FHWA, Office of Safety and Traffic Operations Research and Development, Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center, 6300 Georgetown Pike, Room T-210, McLean, Virginia 22101-2296 or E-mailed (preferred) to nsobhi@intergate.dot.gov. (0333)

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