Transportation Emergency Response Application (TERA): Migration Options Beyond 2025 (2025)
Chapter: Front Matter
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| TCRP Research Report 253 |
Transit Cooperative Research Program Sponsored by the Federal Transit Administration |
Transportation Emergency
Response Application (TERA)
MIGRATION OPTIONS BEYOND 2025
TCRP OVERSIGHT AND PROJECT SELECTION COMMISSION*
CHAIR
Jeanne Krieg
Eastern Contra Costa Transit Authority (retired)
VICE CHAIR
Jameson Auten
Lane Transit District
SECRETARY/TREASURER
Ryan I. Daniel
St. Cloud Metro Bus
IMMEDIATE PAST CHAIR
Doran J. Barnes
Foothill Transit
MEMBERS
Andrea Burnside
Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority
Julia Castillo
Heart of Iowa Transit Authority
April Chan
San Mateo County Transit District
Desmond Cole
Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority
Carolyn Flowers
InfraStrategies LLC
David Harris
New Mexico Department of Transportation
Tim Healy
Sound Transit
Brendon Hemily
Hemily and Associates
Vince Huerta
East Texas Council of Governments
Joseph Leader
HDR
Benjamin Limmer
Connecticut Department of Transportation
Bacarra Mauldin
Memphis Area Transit Authority
Jessica Mefford-Miller
Valley Metro
Raymond Melleady
USSC Group
Brad Miller
Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA)
Elizabeth Presutti
Charlotte Area Transit System
Catherine Rinaldi
MTA Metro North Railroad, NY
Jeffrey Rosenberg
Amalgamated Transit Union
Justin Stuehrenberg
Madison Metro Transit
Frank White, III
Kansas City Area Transportation Authority
Kimberly J. Williams
Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County
Nigel H.M. Wilson
MIT
EX OFFICIO MEMBERS
Victoria Sheehan
TRB
Paul P. Skoutelas
APTA
Jim Tymon
AASHTO
[Vacant]
FTA
Kristin White
FHWA
TOPS COMMISSION STAFF ADVISOR
Arthur L. Guzzetti
APTA
SECRETARY
Monique R. Evans
TRB
TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH BOARD 2025 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE*
OFFICERS
CHAIR: Leslie S. Richards, Professor of Practice, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
VICE CHAIR: Joel M. Jundt, Secretary of Transportation, South Dakota Department of Transportation, Pierre
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: Victoria Sheehan, Transportation Research Board, Washington, DC
MEMBERS
James F. Albaugh, President and CEO, The Boeing Company (retired), Scottsdale, AZ
Carlos M. Braceras, Executive Director, Utah Department of Transportation, Salt Lake City
Douglas C. Ceva, Vice President, Customer Lead Solutions, Prologis, Inc., Jupiter, FL
Nancy Daubenberger, Commissioner of Transportation, Minnesota Department of Transportation, St. Paul
Marie Therese Dominguez, Commissioner, New York State Department of Transportation, Albany
Garrett Eucalitto, Commissioner, Connecticut Department of Transportation, Newington
Andrew Fremier, Executive Director, Metropolitan Transportation Commission, San Francisco, CA
Martha Grabowski, Professor Emerita, Information Systems, Le Moyne College, Madden College of Business & Economics, Cazenovia, NY
Randell Iwasaki, President and CEO, Iwasaki Consulting Services, Walnut Creek, CA
Carol A. Lewis, Professor, Transportation Studies, Texas Southern University, Houston
Hani S. Mahmassani, W.A. Patterson Distinguished Chair in Transportation; Director, Transportation Center, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL
Scott C. Marler, Director, Iowa Department of Transportation, Ames
Ricardo Martinez, Adjunct Professor of Emergency Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Decatur, GA
Russell McMurry, Commissioner, Georgia Department of Transportation, Atlanta
Craig E. Philip, Research Professor and Director, VECTOR, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
Steward T.A. Pickett, Distinguished Senior Scientist, Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Millbrook, NY
Susan A. Shaheen, Professor and Co-Director, Transportation Sustainability Research Center, University of California, Berkeley
Marc Williams, Executive Director, Texas Department of Transportation, Austin
EX OFFICIO MEMBERS
Michael R. Berube, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Sustainable Transportation, U.S. Department of Energy, Washington, DC
Steven Cliff, Executive Officer, California Air Resources Board, Sacramento
LeRoy Gishi, Chief, Division of Transportation, Bureau of Indian Affairs, U.S. Department of the Interior, Germantown, MD
Firas Ibrahim, Director, Office of Research, Development, and Technology, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology (OST-R), Washington, DC
Jason Kelly, Deputy Commanding General for Civil Works and Emergency Operations, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Washington, DC
Sandra Knight, President, WaterWonks, LLC, Washington, DC
Zahra “Niloo” Parvinashtiani, Engineer, Mobility Consultant Solutions, Iteris Inc., Fairfax, VA, and Chair, TRB Young Members Coordinating Council
Chris Rocheleau, Acting Administrator, Federal Aviation Administration, Washington, DC
Gloria Shepherd, Acting Deputy Administrator, Federal Highway Administration, Washington, DC
Karl Simon, Director, Transportation and Climate Division, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC
Paul P. Skoutelas, President and CEO, American Public Transportation Association, Washington, DC
Jim Tymon, Executive Director, American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, Washington, DC
___________________
* Membership as of February 2025.
* Membership as of February 2025.
TRANSIT COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAM
TCRP RESEARCH REPORT 253
Transportation Emergency
Response Application (TERA)
MIGRATION OPTIONS BEYOND 2025
Deborah Matherly
MIRTA LLC
Lexington, SC
Patricia Bye
MIRTA LLC
Holicong, PA
Karl Kim
NATIONAL DISASTER PREPAREDNESS TRAINING CENTER,
UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII
Honolulu, HI
Subject Areas
Security and Emergencies • Transportation, General
Research sponsored by the Federal Transit Administration in cooperation with the American Public Transportation Association
TRANSIT COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAM
The nation’s growth and the need to meet mobility, environmental, and energy objectives place demands on public transit systems. Current systems, some of which are old and in need of upgrading, must expand service area, increase service frequency, and improve efficiency to serve these demands. Research is necessary to solve operating problems, adapt appropriate new technologies from other industries, and introduce innovations into the transit industry. The Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) serves as one of the principal means by which the transit industry can develop innovative near-term solutions to meet demands placed on it.
The need for TCRP was originally identified in TRB Special Report 213—Research for Public Transit: New Directions, published in 1987 and based on a study sponsored by the Urban Mass Transportation Administration—now the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). A report by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), Transportation 2000, also recognized the need for local, problem-solving research. TCRP, modeled after the successful National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP), undertakes research and other technical activities in response to the needs of transit service providers. The scope of TCRP includes various transit research fields including planning, service configuration, equipment, facilities, operations, human resources, maintenance, policy, and administrative practices.
TCRP was established under FTA sponsorship in July 1992. Proposed by the U.S. Department of Transportation, TCRP was authorized as part of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA). On May 13, 1992, a memorandum agreement outlining TCRP operating procedures was executed by the three cooperating organizations: FTA; the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, acting through the Transportation Research Board (TRB); and APTA. APTA is responsible for forming the independent governing board, designated as the TCRP Oversight and Project Selection (TOPS) Commission.
Research problem statements for TCRP are solicited periodically but may be submitted to TRB by anyone at any time. It is the responsibility of the TOPS Commission to formulate the research program by identifying the highest priority projects. As part of the evaluation, the TOPS Commission defines funding levels and expected products.
Once selected, each project is assigned to an expert panel appointed by TRB. The panels prepare project statements (requests for proposals), select contractors, and provide technical guidance and counsel throughout the life of the project. The process for developing research problem statements and selecting research agencies has been used by TRB in managing cooperative research programs since 1962. As in other TRB activities, TCRP project panels serve voluntarily without compensation.
Because research cannot have the desired effect if products fail to reach the intended audience, special emphasis is placed on disseminating TCRP results to the intended users of the research: transit agencies, service providers, and suppliers. TRB provides a series of research reports, syntheses of transit practice, and other supporting material developed by TCRP research. APTA will arrange for workshops, training aids, field visits, and other activities to ensure that results are implemented by urban and rural transit industry practitioners.
TCRP provides a forum where transit agencies can cooperatively address common operational problems. TCRP results support and complement other ongoing transit research and training programs.
TCRP RESEARCH REPORT 253
Project A-36A
ISSN 2572-3782
ISBN 978-0-309-73555-1
© 2025 by the National Academy of Sciences. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and the graphical logo are trademarks of the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
COPYRIGHT INFORMATION
Authors herein are responsible for the authenticity of their materials and for obtaining written permissions from publishers or persons who own the copyright to any previously published or copyrighted material used herein.
Cooperative Research Programs (CRP) grants permission to reproduce material in this publication for classroom and not-for-profit purposes. Permission is given with the understanding that none of the material will be used to imply TRB, AASHTO, APTA, FAA, FHWA, FTA, GHSA, or NHTSA endorsement of a particular product, method, or practice. It is expected that those reproducing the material in this document for educational and not-for-profit uses will give appropriate acknowledgment of the source of any reprinted or reproduced material. For other uses of the material, request permission from CRP.
NOTICE
The research report was reviewed by the technical panel and accepted for publication according to procedures established and overseen by the Transportation Research Board and approved by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
The opinions and conclusions expressed or implied in this report are those of the researchers who performed the research and are not necessarily those of the Transportation Research Board; the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; or the program sponsors.
The Transportation Research Board does not develop, issue, or publish standards or specifications. The Transportation Research Board manages applied research projects which provide the scientific foundation that may be used by Transportation Research Board sponsors, industry associations, or other organizations as the basis for revised practices, procedures, or specifications.
The Transportation Research Board; the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; and the sponsors of the Transit Cooperative Research Program do not endorse products or manufacturers. Trade or manufacturers’ names or logos appear herein solely because they are considered essential to the object of the report.
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TRANSIT COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAM
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Learn more about the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine at www.nationalacademies.org.
The Transportation Research Board is one of seven major program divisions of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. The mission of the Transportation Research Board is to mobilize expertise, experience, and knowledge to anticipate and solve complex transportation-related challenges. The Board’s varied activities annually engage about 8,500 engineers, scientists, and other transportation researchers and practitioners from the public and private sectors and academia, all of whom contribute their expertise in the public interest. The program is supported by state departments of transportation, federal agencies including the component administrations of the U.S. Department of Transportation, and other organizations and individuals interested in the development of transportation.
Learn more about the Transportation Research Board at www.TRB.org.
COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAMS
CRP STAFF FOR TCRP RESEARCH REPORT 253
Monique R. Evans, Director, Cooperative Research Programs
Waseem Dekelbab, Deputy Director, Cooperative Research Programs
Gwen Chisholm Smith, Manager, Transit Cooperative Research Program
Mariela Garcia-Colberg, Senior Program Officer
Stephanie L. Campbell-Chamberlain, Senior Program Assistant
Natalie Barnes, Director of Publications
Heather DiAngelis, Associate Director of Publications
Doug English, Senior Editor
TCRP PROJECT A-36A PANEL
Field of Operations
Harry Saporta, WSP, West Linn, OR (Chair)
Richa Ahuja, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur, India
Lorena de Rodriguez, Ssi. Inc., Phoenix, AZ
Christopher R. Engelbrecht, Missouri Department of Transportation, Jefferson City, MO
Keaven M. Freeman, Long Beach, CA
Michael P. Hainsey, Northstar Aerospace Solutions LLC, Columbus, MS
Joaquin Mixco, Utah Department of Transportation, Salt Lake City, UT
Yuko Julie Nakanishi, Nakanishi Research and Consulting, LLC, Forest Hills, NY
Walt Stringer, Mineta Transportation Institute, Carlsbad, CA
Ronald W. Tarr, RAPTARR LLC, Orlando, FL
Lisa Joiner, FTA Liaison
FOREWORD
By Mariela Garcia-Colberg
Staff Officer
Transportation Research Board
TCRP Research Report 253: Transportation Emergency Response Application (TERA): Migration Options Beyond 2025 describes options for migrating TERA’s features, capabilities, and training scenarios into other software applications. The report prioritizes the training scenarios that have the most value as resources for tabletop exercises and that can be used by transportation management professionals in their existing staff emergency training. The report explores potential software enhancements, adaptations, and migration criteria to further extend TERA’s usefulness.
TERA is a software program used by public transportation agencies, state DOTs, and airport emergency operations centers (EOCs) to assist staff in planning and coordinating EOC training exercises. Originally developed for the National Guard for EOC training, TERA was later adopted by the transit and highway communities, which tailored it using relevant scenarios developed through NCHRP and TCRP. However, TERA was built using Adobe Flash, a technology that is no longer supported by most operating systems and web browsers.
Under TCRP Project A-36A, MIRTA LLC was tasked to (1) identify the options for transferring TERA to a platform supported by modern web browsers and (2) determine prioritization of the scenario learning objectives, scripts, injects, and artifacts created under NCHRP, TCRP, and ACRP that have the most value as resources for tabletop exercises.
TCRP Research Report 253 presents the research activities and findings. The initial sections of the report discuss the background and objectives. The research approach section explains the four phases used to conduct the research: planning, information gathering, analysis, and recommendation. The last section discusses the findings, conclusions, and suggested future research. The report includes four appendices; Appendix A: Survey Questions; Appendix B: TERA Promotional Approach; Appendix C: Budget and Scope for TERA Adaptation Guide; and Appendix D: Budget and Scope for TERA Migration.
In addition to the report, a technical memorandum and a slide presentation can be found on the National Academies Press website (nap.nationalacademies.org) by searching for TCRP Research Report 253: Transportation Emergency Response Application (TERA): Migration Options Beyond 2025.
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