DIFFUSION OF TRANSPORTATION PLANNING APPLICATIONS IN METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATIONS: RESULTS OF NATIONAL SURVEY

The University of North Carolina at Charlotte conducted a survey of metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) throughout the United States to determine the extent and causes of diffusion of transportation applications in present practice. The survey quantifies the current use and plans for the expanded use of these applications, documents the diffusion process, and shows how innovation is related to funding, creativity of managers and employees, agency independence, and other factors. The analysis also discusses the implications of these trends for shifts in the power structure of transportation planning. The results show that MPOs are very computer-literate, having purchased an average of eight access points for $44,000 over the past 5 years and planning even more purchases in the near future. Common hardware is IBM and IBM-compatible; commonly used software includes spreadsheets, word processors, and data base management. Specialized packages for transportation modeling are also commonly used. MPOs cite a lack of funding and computer knowledge as the key obstacles and improved agency efficiency and user demands as the key motivators to computer innovation. MPOs use primary contacts with peers and staff as the key data-gathering mode for system information. Large agencies have adopted systems 2 years earlier--on average--than other agencies, but this appears to be related to funding and knowledge constraints. No evidence was found that the characteristics of agency managers influenced the adoption of computer systems. It is concluded that rapid diffusion of computer technology through MPOs will fundamentally change the balance of power in and between planning agencies, opening up the process and encouraging cooperative technical analysis at many levels.