Broward County Commission Regular Meeting
Director's Name: Leonard Vialpando
Department: Public Works and Environmental Services
Division: Traffic Engineering
Information
Requested Action
title
MOTION TO APPROVE collaboration between the University of Florida (“UF”) and Broward County (“County”) in connection with the U.S. National Science Foundation (“NSF”) grant proposal (“Proposal”) to NSF’s Computer and Information Science and Engineering: Future Computing Research (Future CoRe) Program, to be coordinated by UF; authorizing the County, through the Traffic Engineering Division, to perform specific activities associated with the Proposal, subject to award; authorizing the County Administrator to execute a grant agreement and any subsequent amendments or ancillary documents that do not impose any additional material risk or financial obligation on the County, subject to review and approval for legal sufficiency by the County Attorney’s Office; and authorizing the County Administrator to take all necessary administrative and budgetary actions to implement the grant.
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Why Action is Necessary
Pursuant to Section 20.31(b)(3), Broward County Administrative Code, if a grant application would create a binding contract or obligation upon award, Board approval is required before submission.
What Action Accomplishes
Approves the County’s collaboration with UF in connection with the Proposal and authorizes the County Administrator to execute the necessary grant agreements and related documents, subject to Proposal award.
Goal Related Icon(s)
☒County Commission
☐Go Green
☐MAP Broward
Previous Action Taken
None taken.
Summary Explanation/Background
THE PUBLIC WORKS AND ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES DEPARTMENT AND THE TRAFFIC ENGINEERING DIVISION RECOMMEND APPROVAL OF THE ABOVE MOTION.
This item supports the Board of County Commissioners’ (“Board”) goal of “cooperatively delivering an efficient and accessible regional intermodal transportation network.”
The University of Florida (“UF”) approached the County about collaborating on its proposed project, InterActor: A Structured Simulator-Surrogate for Field-Calibrated Intersection Safety, as part of the NSF’s Computer and Information Science and Engineering: Future Computing Research (Future CoRe) Program (“Program”). The Program aims to develop new knowledge in all aspects of computing, communications, and information science and engineering.
UF’s proposed project seeks to develop an Artificial Intelligence (AI)/machine learning (ML)-driven simulator that can simulate a variety of traffic scenarios, enabling evaluation on the efficiency of safety countermeasures through quantifiable Measures of Effectiveness (MOEs) at a signalized intersection. The County’s role in this collaboration will be to provide a testbed for data collection. To expand the project’s reach, the Florida Department of Transportation District Four has been consulted and has agreed to provide access to state-owned traffic control infrastructure for temporary data collection.
UF is currently in the proposal phase and requires an affirmative statement of the County’s commitment as part of its submission to the NSF. To support UF’s application, the County has prepared a Letter of Collaboration to the NSF stating its support of UF’s project and its agreement to serve as a collaborative partner. The County has also prepared a separate Letter of Commitment to UF expressing its intent to collaborate on the project. Both letters are attached as Exhibits 1 and 2 to this agenda item.
There is no financial obligation to the County. However, if the grant is awarded to UF, the County will receive grant funding from UF, and while the exact amount will depend on the final grant award received by UF, $150,001 is currently budgeted in the grant proposal. These funds are intended to cover certain costs, such as equipment (e.g., LiDARS and video cameras), logistics, and staff time.
If the grant is awarded, the County will enter into a subaward agreement with UF to formalize the funding arrangement and project responsibilities.
Approval of this item would authorize the County Administrator to enter into any necessary grant agreement and amendments and execute grant-related documents, subject to review and approval by the County Attorney’s Office.
Source of Additional Information
Rasem Awwad, P.E., PTOE, Director, Traffic Engineering Division, (954) 847-2600
Fiscal Impact
Fiscal Impact/Cost Summary
There is no fiscal impact for this item although if the project is selected for funding, Broward County may receive a portion of the grant award as a sub-recipient towards the project. This collaboration does not require any cash or in-kind match from Broward County.