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Dr. Mark Abkowitz: Transportation Risk Assessment, Safety and Security
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Dr. Mark Abkowitz: Transportation Risk Assessment, Safety and Security

Introduction to Transportation Risk Assessment

Overview of the Speaker and Their Work

  • Mark Abitz introduces himself as a professor at Vanderbilt University, specializing in civil and environmental engineering.
  • He emphasizes his interdisciplinary approach, collaborating with various departments including business and law schools to tackle modern problems.

Focus on Transportation Systems

  • Abitz discusses his long-standing involvement in transportation risk assessment, particularly concerning safety and security within freight transportation systems.
  • The use of spatial analysis is highlighted as a key technique for visualizing operational data to aid decision-making.

Spatial Analysis in Freight Transportation

Identifying High-Risk Areas

  • The application of geographic information systems (GIS) technology is used to identify high accident locations on the rail network, marked in red for visibility.
  • Hotspots indicate areas needing attention for accident mitigation strategies or potential rerouting of sensitive materials like chlorine or ammonia.

Advanced Mapping Techniques

  • An automatic information system records vessel movements along a river, providing insights into travel speeds and patterns that affect efficiency and safety.
  • This dynamic video representation aids planners and operators in strategizing improvements for future performance.

Climate Change Research Impacting Transportation

Simulating Hurricane Events

  • Abitz's research includes simulating hurricane impacts on infrastructure adaptation within transportation systems.
  • The simulation illustrates varying impacts across different land masses during a hurricane event, emphasizing the need for resilient infrastructure.

Utilizing Satellite Imagery

  • Research extends beyond GIS tools to include satellite imagery analysis over time, comparing flooding and land use changes from 1990 to 2009.
  • Temporal analysis reveals significant alterations in river contours and flood-prone areas, informing future planning regarding risk management.
Video description

Dr. Mark Abkowitz specializes in enterprise risk management, hazardous materials transportation safety and security, assessing the impacts of energy choices and climate change, and the strategic and operational deployment of intelligent transportation systems. A Professor of Civil & Environmental Engineering at Vanderbilt University, he also serves as the Director of the Vanderbilt Center for Environmental Management Studies www.vanderbilt.edu/vcems. VCEMS provides the guidance and support for the interdisciplinary graduate study of environmental issues. The Center brings faculty members and students together from various disciplines for collaborative study and research on topics such as environmental risk assessment, management and communication, policy analysis, civil and criminal liability, environmentally conscious manufacturing and technology management, and global environmental issues and business development. Dr. Abkowitz has authored over one hundred publications on these topics, and has appeared on National Public Radio, Fox National News and CNBC to discuss issues of national importance. Dr. Abkowitz is currently a member of the Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board, having been appointed to this position by President George W. Bush in June 2002. He is the recipient of the 1996 Distinguished Service Award from the National Academy of Sciences for his leadership role with the Transportation Research Board. Dr. Abkowitz has served as a researcher and consultant to a wide variety of businesses and government agencies. An accomplished public speaker, Dr. Abkowitz has addressed audiences at several national and international forums. He is the author of Operational Risk Management -- A Case Study Approach to Effective Planning and Response, recently published by John Wiley & Sons. He is also a weekly contributor to the Monday Risk Report, a blog devoted to discussing world events that have important risk management implications. www.mondayriskreport.com