John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center
Encyclopedia
The John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center or simply Volpe Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts
, is a center of transportation and logistics expertise, operating under the United States Department of Transportation
.
The Volpe Center is named after Massachusetts Governor
and U.S. Secretary of Transportation John Volpe, and its work includes a broad mix of projects that cut across traditional transportation modes and technical disciplines including the Federal Aviation Administration
's Enhanced Traffic Management System
(ETMS) and Safety Performance Analysis System (SPAS), and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
's SafeStat Online.
The Center assists federal, state, and local governments, industry, and academia in a number of areas of consultation including human factors
research, system design, implementation and assessment, global tracking, strategic investment and resource allocation, environmental preservation, and organizational effectiveness.
The Volpe Center is part of the Department of Transportation's Research and Innovative Technology Administration
. However, it differs from most federal organizations in that it receives no direct appropriation from Congress. Instead, it is funded 100% through a fee-for-service structure in which all costs are covered by sponsored project work (approx. $200 million annually).
The Volpe Center is located on the campus of NASA
's former Electronics Research Center
in Cambridge, Massachusetts, across the Charles River
from Boston
, across the street from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
(MIT), and next to the Kendall/MIT MBTA Red Line stop which is two subway stops from Harvard University
.
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
, is a center of transportation and logistics expertise, operating under the United States Department of Transportation
United States Department of Transportation
The United States Department of Transportation is a federal Cabinet department of the United States government concerned with transportation. It was established by an act of Congress on October 15, 1966, and began operation on April 1, 1967...
.
The Volpe Center is named after Massachusetts Governor
Governor of Massachusetts
The Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is the executive magistrate of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States. The current governor is Democrat Deval Patrick.-Constitutional role:...
and U.S. Secretary of Transportation John Volpe, and its work includes a broad mix of projects that cut across traditional transportation modes and technical disciplines including the Federal Aviation Administration
Federal Aviation Administration
The Federal Aviation Administration is the national aviation authority of the United States. An agency of the United States Department of Transportation, it has authority to regulate and oversee all aspects of civil aviation in the U.S...
's Enhanced Traffic Management System
Enhanced Traffic Management System
The Enhanced Traffic Management System is a product for the Federal Aviation Administration developed to monitor and react to air traffic congestion in both real time and in the future. The system is capable of issuing Ground Delay Programs and Ground Stop Programs...
(ETMS) and Safety Performance Analysis System (SPAS), and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration , established January 1, 2000, regulates the trucking industry in the United States. FMCSA is headquartered in Washington, DC and employs more than 1,000 people in all 50 States and the District of Columbia...
's SafeStat Online.
The Center assists federal, state, and local governments, industry, and academia in a number of areas of consultation including human factors
Human factors
Human factors science or human factors technologies is a multidisciplinary field incorporating contributions from psychology, engineering, industrial design, statistics, operations research and anthropometry...
research, system design, implementation and assessment, global tracking, strategic investment and resource allocation, environmental preservation, and organizational effectiveness.
The Volpe Center is part of the Department of Transportation's Research and Innovative Technology Administration
Research and Innovative Technology Administration
The Research and Innovative Technology Administration is a unit of the United States Department of Transportation . It was created in 2005 to advance transportation science, technology, and analysis, and to improve the coordination of transportation research within the Department and throughout...
. However, it differs from most federal organizations in that it receives no direct appropriation from Congress. Instead, it is funded 100% through a fee-for-service structure in which all costs are covered by sponsored project work (approx. $200 million annually).
The Volpe Center is located on the campus of NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
's former Electronics Research Center
Electronics Research Center
The Electronics Research Center , was a NASA research facility located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, across the street from MIT at Kendall Square. The ERC opened in September 1964, taking over the administration of contracts, grants, and other NASA business in New England from the antecedent North...
in Cambridge, Massachusetts, across the Charles River
Charles River
The Charles River is an long river that flows in an overall northeasterly direction in eastern Massachusetts, USA. From its source in Hopkinton, the river travels through 22 cities and towns until reaching the Atlantic Ocean at Boston...
from Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, across the street from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
(MIT), and next to the Kendall/MIT MBTA Red Line stop which is two subway stops from Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
.