College of Engineering | Seminar On: Traffic Safety Study and Transportation System Assessment

Title	Traffic Safety Study and Transportation System Assessment
Speaker	Dr. Sharaf Al Kheder, PhD in Civil Engineering at Purdue University
Organizer	Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering
Seminar Abstract	Traffic Safety Study and Transportation System Assessment The main lecture topic will cover a recent research project on spatial mapping and analysis of traffic accidents risk and severity. GPS was used in recording the accidents' spatial coordinates. The GPS coordinates were registered in GIS to the road network map showing the spatial distribution and frequency of such accidents. Based on such analysis, high accidents locations (HALs) or black spots were identified on the designated maps. The study analyzed as well a number of parameters that may contribute to the existing traffic safety problem at HALs. Geometric and traffic conditions at each HAL, topography (DEM), climate are among the analyzed variables. The work involved as well transportation system assessment in terms of identifying problems related to traffic flow management (e.g., traffic congestion) and the proposed traffic engineering solutions to enhance traffic safety levels. All of the above analysis was performed on spatially rectified 2D and 3D GIS layers.
Date	Wednesday 26^th May, 2010
Time	12:30 - 1:30 PM
Location	Corridor 6, Room F120, College of Engineering, Male Campus
Speaker's Biography	Sharaf Al-kheder is an Assistant Professor of Civil Engineering at the Hashemite University, Jordan where he has been a faculty member since 2006. Al-kheder completed his Ph.D. in Civil Engineering at Purdue University (West Lafayette Campus) in 2006 and his Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees in Civil Engineering at Jordan University of Science and Technology in 2002 and 2000, respectively. His main research interests lie in the areas of traffic safety studies, traffic and transportation systems assessment, Geomatics tools (GIS, GPS, Remote Sensing) application in traffic and transportation engineering, and pavement management systems (PMS). In recent years he has focused on using modern IT techniques for developing scenarios for a better traffic flow management and to reduce traffic accidents risk and severity. Al-kheder has published over than twelve peer-reviewed journal papers and more than ten conference papers. He is a member of a number of scientific and professional international societies. He is the recipient of the ESRI Award for Best Scientific Paper in GIS, 1st place award, USA, 2009.