WASHINGTON, DC, June 11, 2008 - The Mid-Atlantic Workshop on Systems Engineering for Intelligent Transportation System Projects sponsored by ITS Maryland, ITS America, and the U.S. Department of Transportation was held June 5-6 in Frederick, Maryland. The successful workshop engaged an active group of 30 participants made up of both private and public sector professionals. This workshop used the new "Federal Highway Administration Systems Engineering for ITS: An Introduction for Transportation Professionals" guide as a primary reference to introduce systems engineering to management, ITS project managers and technical and project staff.

The day and a half workshop provided a high-level view of systems engineering as well as a discussion of the importance and benefits and basic systems engineering concepts in the context of ITS projects. The workshop included information on the federal requirements for systems engineering as documented in Rule 940.11, the benefits of applying systems engineering and the organizational implications of its application in traditional project development and implementation processes.

Group discussions provided an opportunity for participants to share successes and challenges of implementing the systems engineering process within their agency. Mr. Richard Dye, the CHART Systems Administrator for the Maryland State Highway Administration provided the welcoming presentation. The system engineering processes of Virginia and Maryland CHART were also discussed as examples of process development and implementation.

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