IRRIS captures highest achievement for engineering excellence.The Military Traffic Management Command's Transportation Engineering Agency recently received the Grand Conceptor Award for the Intelligent Road and Rail Information Server, also known as IRRIS IRRIS Intelligent Road/Rail Information System . IRRIS gathers and integrates all types of information from the far reaches of the transportation world--about highways, railroads, marine ports, weather and defense movements--and combines this information into a visual, easy-to-understand form. The American Council American Council may refer to: In linguistics:
Recognizing the significant implications IRRIS could have for homeland security Noun 1. Homeland Security - the federal department that administers all matters relating to homeland security Department of Homeland Security executive department - a federal department in the executive branch of the government of the United States , as well as private industry, judges rated IRRIS as the top project of the entire competition. "This was a record year for the competition, with 43 entries," said Paul Allred, one of TEA's program managers. An independent panel of experts selected IRRIS to be an outstanding contribution by MTMCTEA MTMCTEA Military Traffic Management Command Transportation Engineering Agency and GeoDecisions. "This award is the highest-level achievement possible for any firm to attain from ACEC/PA," Allred said. "IRRIS is now being considered for a national award with the American Council of Engineering Companies." Allred and program manager Marc Barthello received the award on behalf of MTMCTEA. Robert Scarer, President, GeoDecisions, received the award for GeoDecisions. IRRIS has been one of the Newport News Newport News, independent city (1990 pop. 170,045), SE Va., on the Virginia peninsula, at the mouth of the James River, off Hampton Roads, near Norfolk; inc. 1896. , Va., agency's high-visibility projects since 2002. Agency engineers and GeoDecisions jointly developed the $1.7 million project over 18 months. The server uses Geographic Information System geographic information system (GIS) Computerized system that relates and displays data collected from a geographic entity in the form of a map. The ability of GIS to overlay existing data with new information and display it in colour on a computer screen is used primarily to technologies to make it successful. All data elements in the server have an assigned latitude and longitude latitude and longitude Coordinate system by which the position or location of any place on the Earth's surface can be determined and described. Latitude is a measurement of location north or south of the Equator. coordinate. This allows the server to accurately place transportation information in its proper place on "smart maps," where everything is located according to assigned coordinates. IRRIS also provides integrated, up-to-date information on deployment route readiness in the continental United States United States territory, including the adjacent territorial waters, located within North America between Canada and Mexico. Also called CONUS. , and displays real-time route camera images, where available. IRRIS was developed to provide instant information for military deployments. As engineers developed the server, its functionality has expanded to allow real-time monitoring of selected defense shipments. "IRRIS can track nearly a limitless number of shipments," said Bill Cooper, Director, Transportation Engineering Agency. Currently, the MTMC MTMC Military Traffic Management Command (US DoD) MTMC Mount Marty College MTMC Micros-to-Mainframes, Inc. (stock symbol) MTMC Middle Tennessee Medical Center (Murfreesboro, TN) Operations Center is tracking as many as 500 ammunition shipments daily on a real-time basis. The stream of instant, accurate data will give MTMC operators a new level of carrier performance. "We are able to evaluate carrier stops, speed and route selection," said Cooper. "We can produce automatic reports in a few seconds, avoiding numerous phone calls." A host of databases, said Cooper, will provide a stream of information to deploying units in such categories as road names, bridges, railroads, military installations, seaports and satellite imagery. IRRIS also includes video routes in the server from military installations to strategic seaports. These video logs, provided by the Federal Highway Administration The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is a division of the United States Department of Transportation that specializes in highway transportation. The agency's major activities are grouped into two "programs," The Federal-aid Highway Program and the Federal Lands Highway , are marked in video images every 52.8 feet. The logs capture highway surroundings and points of interest, providing excellent training for drivers. "This is a very popular feature among drivers," said Cooper. "They may literally drive the route of a deployment ahead of time." Corenthia Libby Public Affairs Specialist MTMC Headquarters |
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