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This site is the online homebase for the Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA) Highway Community Exchange "Community of Practice". This CoP's site is dedicated to the open exchange of information and knowledge about a variety of issues that are important to all members of the Highway Community. Participation is open to everyone. This site will be updated continuously, so it is important to visit often. This site is accessible to FHWA staff and members of the general public. Anyone interested in these related topics are able to interact and contribute their thoughts and ideas in an open forum. Content found in this community may not necessarily reflect the opinion or policy of the FHWA.

At the Highway Community Exchange, you can review and comment on draft research papers, working statements, and plans, as well as hold discussions about the variety of topics presented on the site. Most of the references and works in progress are posted in Adobe PDF file format. You must have free Adobe Acrobat Reader software installed on your computer to view these files (see www.adobe.com for more information).

Collaboration: Works in Progress (WIP), Discussions, and Member Directories. The Works in Progress section is where the site administrator places draft papers, statements, and plans for review. You can comment and/or suggest revisions to each document. At the Discussion section, you can submit general comments or start a new discussion. If you wish to attach a document with your comments and suggestions, please contact the site administrator. At the Directory, you will find contact information for all identified users. The Reference section contains background papers, reports, and other documents. You can choose to view this information with your browser or download information to your computer for later use.

Information Subscriptions: Bringing the Information to You. Fill out an interest profile that tells the Highway Community Exchange what topics are of interest to you. The site will automatically notify you once daily via e-mail when new items are added. The e-mail contains not only the title of the item but also an abstract of the item and a URL that links directly to the item at the site.

Accessing the Highway Community Exchange. The Highway Community Exchange is located at http://knowledge.fhwa.dot.gov/cops/hcx.nsf/home?openform. You navigate through the site by clicking on buttons and links to reach different sections. From the home page, you can choose to enter a sub page, execute a search, go to other sections of the site such as the My Interests form, or click on related hyperlinks to other resources such as the FHWA home page or U.S. DOT web site. You can provide feedback about the value of the site by clicking on the Feedback link or send an e-mail message to the site administrator if you have any general comments or questions.

Accessing Information. A general description of the sub page appears on the top, as well as tabs that give you access to the four different sections: Discussion, Reference, Works in Progress, and Directory.

Viewing and Downloading Works in Progress. Works in Progress are documents in draft form placed on the site to solicit your comments and suggested additions or revisions. To start, click on the Works in Progress tab. To open an individual WIP item, click on its underlined title. A cover sheet will appear in the browser. Left click on the attachment icon to view the document. This function will only work if your browser is configured to do so. If you encounter problems, see your computer support personnel for further assistance in setting up your browser. To download an attachment onto your computer for use offline right click on the attachment icon or the download link. From the menu, Internet Explorer users then select ?Save Target As?? and select a destination for the file, and Netscape users select ?Save Link As?? and select a destination for the file. To submit your comments electronically, hit the "Respond" button on the cover sheet. Fill in the required subject and body fields and include contact information if you would like to do so. Hit the "Submit" button to save the response to the site.

Reading and Participating in Discussions. Click on the Discussion tab found below the general description. The discussions are arranged in threads. The response to each discussion item is indented and grouped below the original question or comment, so that you can follow individual discussions as they progress. Use the Collapse feature to see the entire list of discussion topics. Use the Expand feature to view the discussion topics and attached responses. If you want to view a discussion item or a response, click on its underlined title to open it. You can read the comment, question or response, and view any responses to a discussion item by clicking through the thread links found at the bottom. To add your response, click on the "Respond" button beneath the body of the discussion item, accept the default subject or type a new subject, and write your response. To create a new discussion item, click on the Create Discussion Topic graphic beneath the tabs, type in a subject heading and then type in your comment or question. You may include contact information when you crete a discussion topic or response to help facilitate communication.

Viewing and Downloading References. Go to the desired group page and click on the blue Reference tab. To open an individual reference, click on its underlined title. A cover sheet will appear in the browser. Click on the attachment icon to view the document. Viewing the document is dependent on your browser configuration. To download the document, follow the same procedure as described above in downloading Works In Progress.

Viewing the Directory. The Directory contains a list of the names names of all who have voluntarily submitted their contact information and agreed to display it on the site. When you create your My Interests form, you will specify whether or not your information should be listed online. Go to the sub page and click on the blue Directory tab. If you have chosen to include it in the site directory, your name is listed along with your organization name and/or e-mail address.

Creating and Editing the My Interests Form. As discussed above, you can sign up for the membership to the site, choose what information (if any) about you will appear in the member directory, and set your preferences for e-mail notification at the My Interest form.

To create a new My Interests form, go to the bottom of the site home page and click on the My Interests link. Then click on the I want to create a new My Interests form graphic to open a new form. If you would like to be listed as a user, provide your information and specify whether or not you want it to be listed in the directory. Be sure to create a password for yourself-this will let you edit your existing information in the future.

The next part of the form lets you set your e-mail notification preferences. To be notified when anything new is added, check the yes radio button. To be notified when one or more specific keywords are added to the site in Works-In-Progress, Discussion, or Reference documents, enter your keywords in the box at the bottom of the form. Then click the "Submit" button to complete your form.

To edit your existing information, go to the My Interests form and click on the I want to edit my existing My Interests form graphic. You will be prompted for your name and your password as it was originally entered. If you forget your password or have any other difficulties, please contact the site administrator. Make any desired changes and click the "Submit" button to complete your form.

By using the Highway Community Exchange, you agree to the following:

1. You understand that this site may experience failures or other service outages without notice.

2. You will not hold the Federal Highway Administration or the creators, operators, or related entities to the site responsible or liable ("indemnify and hold harmless") for the inability to connect to or use the site, or for any loss or corrupted data, or for any defamatory or offensive material(s) which you may encounter on or originating from this site, or for the conduct, opinions, or publications of any user, or for any other problem whatsoever related to the use or existence of the site.

3. You understand that the Federal Highway Administration has no obligation to acknowledge, mediate, or otherwise settle any disputes or differences in opinion that may arise between users.

Additional terms and conditions are listed below.

The Highway Community Exchange includes a discussion area that allows feedback and interaction between users. The Federal Highway Administration encourages the free expression of your ideas and opinions as long as they are responsible, free of insult, respectful of others, and conform to agency purpose. However, we do not control or censor messages, information, or files delivered to discussion groups. It is a condition of your use of the discussion area that you do not:

1. Falsely present yourself as a representative, employee, or official of the Federal Highway Administration, the U.S. Department of Transportation, or the United States Government by accidental or deliberate means including misleading or confusing statements in your postings.

2. Stray from the discussion topic or make personal attacks on other Highway Community Exchange users and/or participants (personal attacks are defined as comments that reflect upon the person instead of their opinion).

3. Post or transmit any slanderous, defamatory, obscene, indecent, pornographic, profane, violent, abusive, insulting, threatening, offensive or harassing comments and/or information of any kind. We will not tolerate such postings, including without limitation any transmissions constituting or encouraging conduct that would constitute a criminal offense.

4. Post or re-post a message excessively, especially unsolicited advertisements, even if they are directly or indirectly related to the purpose of the site. Advertising of any kind, including non-profit organizations, is not permitted.

5. Add or post any copyrighted material to the Highway Community Exchange.

The Federal Highway Administration and the creators, owners, operators, or related entities to the site have no obligation to monitor the discussion groups. However, they reserve the right at all times to disclose any information as necessary to satisfy any law and regulation and to edit, refuse to post, or to remove any information or links, in whole or in part, that are in violation of these terms and conditions or of applicable law.

For more information and/or assistance using the Highway Community Exchange, please contact Gwendolyn Sutton at Gwendolyn.Sutton@fhwa.dot.gov

 

Contact the Site Administrator: KMAdmin@fhwa.dot.gov

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This page last updated on 11/22/2009 09:13:28 PM

United States Department of Transportation -- Federal Highway Administration Information accessibility is important to us. If you have any problems accessing information on this site, please contact kmadmin@fhwa.dot.gov for assistance. To view PDF files, you need the Acrobat® Reader®