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Explore the comprehensive study for building a transportation clearinghouse website. Analyzing needs, regional coordination, and functional requirements. Consider user criteria like low income, aging, and people with disabilities.
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Review of Project Approach • Who We Are • What We’re Doing • How We’re Doing it
Who We Are: Team Hodgson • Mark Risch, hodgsonConsulting Project Manager • Russ Holt, Access Information, Inc. • Greg Snider, CTC • Carol Walsh, hodgsonConsulting • Heather Wolsey, CTC
What We’re Doing: Project Mission Provide a comprehensive study encompassing needs analysis, use case scenarios, the potential for organizational coordination/alliances, and technical requirements gathering that will result in a document that can be used as the basis for a solicitation to build a transportation clearinghouse website.
How We’re Doing It • Needs Assessment • Regional Analysis • Functional Requirements
Needs Analysis • Study existing clearinghouse models. • Gather and analyze input from MWCOG transportation and technology staff and working group members. • Identify user characteristics. • Determine administrative requirements of the site. • Determine essential vs. nice to have content and features for the site.
Regional Coordination • Determine potential roles for other organizations in the region in promoting the clearinghouse’s viability. • Identify benefits and challenges of joining existing data from current organizations. • Assess the possibility of partnering with current organizations including building on existing websites. • Recommend a partnership strategy.
Functional Requirements • Create a site information architecture. • Create use case scenarios. • Identify system requirements including technical platform, database, maintenance administration, and integration. • Recommend a strategy for data maintenance. • Provide an estimated budget for annual data maintenance and site operation.
Essential Items Discussion • User Criteria: End Users • Low Income • People with Disabilities • Aging Population • Administrative Criteria • Service Providers
User Characteristics • General characteristics • Transportation needs and challenges • Access to technology • Specific site design and content criteria • Search options most useful to this population
Low Income: Characteristics • Literacy at 6th grade reading level. • Population often in areas not served well by fixed route systems. • High incidence of non-native English speakers.
Low Income: Transportation Challenges • Often work non-traditional work schedules. • Homes and work often located significant distances apart. • Need for trip chaining.
Low Income: Access to Technology • Fairly good access and familiarity with technology through libraries, service providers, etc. • Internet access and computer quality on the lower end of the spectrum.
Low Income: Most Useful Search Criteria • Hours of Service • Trip Chaining • Cost
Aging: Characteristics • Largest growing segment of the US population. • Trend toward aging in place means more seniors located in suburban areas. • Outlive their ability to drive by an average of 10 years. Sixty percent rely on family or friends for transportation.
Aging: Transportation Challenges • Often live in areas not served well by fixed route service. • Often require assistance while traveling. • More than 50% of non-drivers age 65 and older stay home on any given day because they lack transportation.
Aging: Access to Technology • Fastest growing group of internet users. Becoming adept at researching on web. • Little formal training on computers, not familiar with standard internet protocol. • Wide range of internet access and computer quality across population segment.
Aging: Most Useful Search Criteria • Hours of Service • Accommodations/Accessibility • Reliability
People with Disabilities: Characteristics • Diverse population with wide range of characteristics and needs. • Organizations that serve people with disabilities including voc-rehab centers and independent living are often outside public transportation options.
People with Disabilities: Trans. Challenges • Nearly one-third report having inadequate access to transportation, yet accessible transportation predictor of employment, and quality of life. • Often require specific accessibility and accommodation options not universally available.
People with Disabilities: Tech. Access • Wide range of internet access and computer quality across population segment. • Wide variety of specific needs relating to usability criteria.
People with Disabilities: Search Criteria • Hours of service • Accessibility/available accommodations • Cost