Download or read book Research Needs Related to the Nation s Infrastructure written by and published by . This book was released on 1984 with total page 56 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Proceedings of a workshop on infrastructure research needs, held in Airlie, Virginia, April 24-26, 1984. Sponsored by the National Science Foundation; ASCE. The engineering community, which designs and constructs infrastructure facilities, must look for innovative ways to do a more efficient job. Although some research has focused on problems related to the design and construction of new facilities, the need to repair, retrofit, and rehabilitate existing facilities must also be given new attention. This workshop itemizes the research needs related to revitalizing and maintaining the physical facilities basic to the efficient and effective support of our civilized society (infrastructure). Results are divided into three discipline-oriented categories: transportation; water supply and wastewater disposal; and highways, streets and bridges. Results are reported for policy and issue-related areas as well: incentives and institutional mechanisms for effective research; and methods of implementing the research results; and approaches to stimulating the research effort.
Download or read book Perspectives on Urban Infrastructure written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 1984-02-01 with total page 223 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this provocative volume, distinguished authorities on urban policy expose the myths surrounding today's "infrastructure crisis" in urban public works. Five in-depth papers examine the evolution of the public works system, the limitations of urban needs studies, the financing of public works projects, the impact of politics, and how technology is affecting the types of infrastructures needed for tomorrow's cities.
Download or read book Toward Infrastructure Improvement written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 1994-02-01 with total page 144 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book advises the federal government on a national infrastructure research agenda. It takes the position that the traditional disciplinary and institutional divisions among infrastructure modes and professions are largely historical artifacts that impose barriers to the development of new technology and encourages the government to embrace a more interdisciplinary approach. In order to be practical, the study focuses on infrastructure technologies that can be incorporated into or overlay current systems, allow for alternative future alternative future urban development, and are likely to have value cutting across the distinct functional modes of infrastructure. Finally, the report is organized according to seven broad cross-cutting areas that should promote interdisciplinary approaches to infrastructure problems: systems life-cycle management, analysis and decision tools, information management, condition assessment and monitoring technology, the science of materials performance and deterioration, construction equipment and procedures, and technology management.
Download or read book Hard Choices written by United States. National Infrastructure Advisory Committee and published by . This book was released on 1984 with total page 19 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Physical Infrastructure Challenges and Investment Options for the Nation s Infrastructure written by Patricia A. Dalton and published by DIANE Publishing. This book was released on 2008-10 with total page 34 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: America¿s physical infrastructure -- incl. aviation, highway, transit, rail, water, and dam infrastructure -- is critical to the nation¿s economy and affects the daily life of virtually all Americans, but is under strain. Estimates to repair, replace, or upgrade aging infrastructure as well as expand capacity to meet increased demand top hundreds of billions of dollars, at a time when the fed. government¿s fiscal outlook is worse than many may understand. This testimony discusses: (1) challenges associated with the nation¿s surface transportation, aviation, water, and dam infrastructure, and the principles to help guide efforts to address these challenges; and (2) existing and proposed options to fund investments in the nation¿s infrastructure. Illustrations.
Download or read book Hard Choices written by Marshall Kaplan and published by . This book was released on 1984 with total page 244 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Sustainable Critical Infrastructure Systems written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2009-07-01 with total page 83 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For the people of the United States, the 20th century was one of unprecedented population growth, economic development, and improved quality of life. The critical infrastructure systems-water, wastewater, power, transportation, and telecommunications-built in the 20th century have become so much a part of modern life that they are taken for granted. By 2030, 60 million more Americans will expect these systems to deliver essential services. Large segments and components of the nation's critical infrastructure systems are now 50 to 100 years old, and their performance and condition are deteriorating. Improvements are clearly necessary. However, approaching infrastructure renewal by continuing to use the same processes, practices, technologies, and materials that were developed in the 20th century will likely yield the same results: increasing instances of service disruptions, higher operating and repair costs, and the possibility of catastrophic, cascading failures. If the nation is to meet some of the important challenges of the 21st century, a new paradigm for the renewal of critical infrastructure systems is needed. This book discusses the essential components of this new paradigm, and outlines a framework to ensure that ongoing activities, knowledge, and technologies can be aligned and leveraged to help meet multiple national objectives.
Download or read book Funding a Revolution written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 1999-02-11 with total page 300 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The past 50 years have witnessed a revolution in computing and related communications technologies. The contributions of industry and university researchers to this revolution are manifest; less widely recognized is the major role the federal government played in launching the computing revolution and sustaining its momentum. Funding a Revolution examines the history of computing since World War II to elucidate the federal government's role in funding computing research, supporting the education of computer scientists and engineers, and equipping university research labs. It reviews the economic rationale for government support of research, characterizes federal support for computing research, and summarizes key historical advances in which government-sponsored research played an important role. Funding a Revolution contains a series of case studies in relational databases, the Internet, theoretical computer science, artificial intelligence, and virtual reality that demonstrate the complex interactions among government, universities, and industry that have driven the field. It offers a series of lessons that identify factors contributing to the success of the nation's computing enterprise and the government's role within it.
Download or read book Infrastructure for the 21st Century written by and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 1987-01-01 with total page 114 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Impact of School Infrastructure on Learning written by Peter Barrett and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2019-02-04 with total page 71 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 'The Impact of School Infrastructure on Learning: A Synthesis of the Evidence provides an excellent literature review of the resources that explore the areas of focus for improved student learning, particularly the aspiration for “accessible, well-built, child-centered, synergetic and fully realized learning environments.†? Written in a style which is both clear and accessible, it is a practical reference for senior government officials and professionals involved in the planning and design of educational facilities, as well as for educators and school leaders. --Yuri Belfali, Head of Division, Early Childhood and Schools, OECD Directorate for Education and Skills This is an important and welcome addition to the surprisingly small, evidence base on the impacts of school infrastructure given the capital investment involved. It will provide policy makers, practitioners, and those who are about to commission a new build with an important and comprehensive point of reference. The emphasis on safe and healthy spaces for teaching and learning is particularly welcome. --Harry Daniels, Professor of Education, Department of Education, Oxford University, UK This report offers a useful library of recent research to support the, connection between facility quality and student outcomes. At the same time, it also points to the unmet need for research to provide verifiable and reliable information on this connection. With such evidence, decisionmakers will be better positioned to accurately balance the allocation of limited resources among the multiple competing dimensions of school policy, including the construction and maintenance of the school facility. --David Lever, K-12 Facility Planner, Former Executive Director of the Interagency Committee on School Construction, Maryland Many planners and designers are seeking a succinct body of research defining both the issues surrounding the global planning of facilities as well as the educational outcomes based on the quality of the space provided. The authors have finally brought that body of evidence together in this well-structured report. The case for better educational facilities is clearly defined and resources are succinctly identified to stimulate the dialogue to come. We should all join this conversation to further the process of globally enhancing learning-environment quality! --David Schrader, AIA, Educational Facility Planner and Designer, Former Chairman of the Board of Directors, Association for Learning Environments (A4LE)
Download or read book Building Global Infrastructure written by Dale S. Rothman and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2015-12-03 with total page 507 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Building Global Infrastructure is the fourth in a series of volumes-Patterns of Potential Human Progress-that uses the International Futures (IFs) simulation model to explore prospects for human development: how development appears to be unfolding globally and locally, how we would like it to evolve, and how better to assure that we move it in desired directions. Earlier volumes addressed the reduction of global poverty, the advance of global education, and the improvement of global health. Volume 4 sets out to tell the story of the future of global infrastructure. The approach used in this book focuses on the question of whether individual societies will be able to meet future infrastructure demands. Related questions include the following: * What is the range of realistically conceivable futures for infrastructure, considering both demand and supply? * How are the demands for infrastructure balanced with the ability to meet these demands, thereby linking the physical and financial treatment of infrastructure? * What are the effects of providing for infrastructure on issues such as economic productivity and health?
Download or read book The Role of Research in Improving Infrastructure written by Kyle Andrew Frazier and published by . This book was released on 2010 with total page 102 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Infrastructure systems are central to quality of life and economic competitiveness in nations worldwide, but daunting challenges stand in the way of providing systems capable of delivering needed infrastructure services. In the United States, the transportation system, which is widely considered to be the nation's largest infrastructure system, provides a case study of the complex investment, design, and operations-related problems of infrastructure service provision. An effective and efficient research and development (R&D) system is needed to support the search for solutions to these problems; the nation is served by a large and well-developed transportation R&D system, but given the magnitude of outstanding needs for new technologies, systems, and policies and the persistence of resource shortfalls, it is appropriate to re-examine all aspects of the transportation R&D enterprise in search of strategies for improving its performance. This thesis identifies and analyzes factors that influence the performance of the transportation R&D system and how it can respond to emerging infrastructure challenges. It first discusses categories and characteristics of infrastructure and seeks to place analysis of infrastructure systems, like the transportation system, in a broader socio-economic and environmental context. The thesis then outlines the basic composition of the transportation research and development system and explores the policy environment and critical issues that influence both transportation R&D challenges and the behavior of the system in response to those challenges. Data on transportation R&D expenditures, including longitudinal data for the sector as well as limited cross-sectoral comparisons to place it in context, is presented. Finally, examination of issues (like coordination and integration) related to the structure of the R&D system, is included to frame the prior analysis of expenditures within a broader range of potential strategies for improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the transportation R&D system.
Download or read book Meeting Asia s Infrastructure Needs written by Asian Development Bank and published by Asian Development Bank. This book was released on 2017-02-01 with total page 235 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Infrastructure is essential for development. This report presents a snapshot of the current condition of developing Asia's infrastructure---defined here as transport, power, telecommunications, and water supply and sanitation. It examines how much the region has been investing in infrastructure and what will likely be needed through 2030. Finally, it analyzes the financial and institutional challenges that will shape future infrastructure investment and development.
Download or read book Federal Public Works Infrastructure R D written by Civil Engineering Research Foundation and published by . This book was released on 1993 with total page 84 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Prepared by the Civil Engineering Research Foundation. This report provides an analysis of the federal role in public works infrastructure research and development; it is one of a series of special studies commissioned by the U.S. Corps of Engineers under a Congressional directive. To perform this analysis, CERF contacted more than a dozen federal agencies and coordinated with the Federal Laboratory Consortium to obtain data from 257 federal laboratories. The objective of the analysis was to establish baseline information regarding the federal government's role in public works infrastructure (PWI) research and development (R&D). What, where, and how PWI R&D is accomplished by the federal government is the focus of this analysis. After providing background information and defining public works infrastructure, the report provides an overview of responses collected from a variety of government agencies concerning their perceived role in PWI R&D. As part of the effort to determine whether federal PWI R&D meets national public works infrastructure needs, a typical federal R&D program life-cycle is synopsized to include an explanation of the role of contributing organizations. Next, the report quantifies the federal role in public works infrastructure R&D. The components of this quantification include estimates of federal funding PWI R&D, where such R&D is accomplished, the types of R&D performed, and technical transfer mechanisms. Funding trends for the various infrastructure components are also addressed. Findings are documented in both tabular and graphic form. Finally, to place federal PWI R&D into a worldwide perspective, the report compares the United State's PWI R&D investment with other industrially advanced nations.
Download or read book In Our Own Backyard written by Committee on Infrastructure and published by . This book was released on 1993 with total page 136 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume takes a fresh lookâ€"primarily from a technological perspectiveâ€"at the nation's "infrastructure": a collection of diverse modes that function as a system supporting a wide range of economic and social activities. Within an infrastructure system, operating and maintenance procedures, management practices, and development policies (i.e., the software) must work together with the facilities' hardware. This study has a strongly local perspective, drawing valuable information from workshops held in Phoenix, Cincinnati, and Boston. These workshops illustrated common elements of local experience that offer infrastructure practitioners, policymakers, and the public at large both understanding and guidance in the form of specific strategies that can lead toward "win-win" situations, where parties with potentially opposing interests seek a way to resolve infrastructure issues so that all parties gain. Local issues, combined across many regions, give infrastructure its strategic national significance. The book recommends specific principles that should be applied in national policy to support effective local infrastructure development and management.
Download or read book U S INFRASTRUCTURE Agencies Approaches to Developing Investment Estimates Vary written by and published by . This book was released on 2001 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The federal government has spent an average of $149 billion (in constant 1998 dollars) annually since the late 1980s on the nation s infrastructure. A sound public infrastructure plays a vital role in encouraging a more productive and competitive national economy and meeting public demands for safety, health, and improved quality of life. For example, transportation systems directly support the nation's economy by facilitating the movement and manufacture of goods. Public office buildings, courthouses, and other facilities support noneconomic goals and allow federal agencies to carry out their missions. At least a portion of federal financed infrastructure has benefits that accrue primarily to the states and local communities rather than the nation as a whole. In addition, state and local governments and the private sector play important roles in developing, operating, and financing significant portions of infrastructure. The federal government plays a prominent role in identifying the nation s infrastructure investment needs. Little, however, is known about the comparability and reasonableness of individual agencies estimates for infrastructure needs. In fact, even the concept of infrastructure need is difficult to define and to distinguish from wish lists of capital projects. This report responds to your request for information on infrastructure investment or needs estimates compiled by six federal agencies the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), Federal Transit Administration (FTA), and General Services.
Download or read book The Dragon and the Elephant written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2010-03-25 with total page 79 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The return of the once-dormant economies of China and India to dynamism and growth is one of the most remarkable stories in recent history. The two countries are home to nearly 40 percent of the world's population, but until recently neither had played an influential role in the contemporary global economy. In the past two decades, China and India have liberalized internal economic policy, treatment of foreign investment, and trade, and have experienced economic growth at sustained high rates. From the point of view of the United States, however, the most important development in the Chinese and Indian economies in the long term may be the strides they are making in developing their own domestic innovation capacities. After a long period of underinvestment, both countries have committed to growing their science and education systems to bolster research and further economic expansion. Some observers of the recent growth have said that both countries are surging in their efforts to spur innovation; others have emphasized the potential of one country over the other; and still others have suggested that both China and India have a long way to go before achieving innovation-driven growth. With such a range of views, The National Academies set out to describe developments in both countries, in relation to each other and the rest of the world, by organizing a conference in Washington, D.C. The conference, summarized in this volume, discussed recent changes at both the macroeconomic level and also in selected industries, and explored the causes and implications of those changes.
