All staff are encouraged to submit articles (roughly 1,200 words). Describe a technical challenge that you encountered on a project, and explain the innovative techniques and unique solutions that you devised to solve the problem. You can write about the t opics listed below, or anything else of professional interest to other PB staff around the world.

Issue 50. 2nd quarter '01. Geographic Information Systems (GIS)/Web-Based Project Management

The field has exploded since PB Network last featured GIS as a separate issue in 1993. Topics will include geospatial technologies and solutions, digital orthophotography, remote sensing, GPS, field databases, and CADD/GIS integration. A portion of the issue will describe how PB is using Web sites to help manage major projects, including the use of ProjectSolve software.

To be co-sponsored by the PAN for GIS. Contact Jules Loweff (New York, 1-212-465-5413, loweff@pbworld.com) or Doug Eberhard (Denver, 1-303-832-9097, eberhard@pbworld.com).

Issue 51. 3rd quarter '01. Risk Management at PB

PB confronts risk on many levels, for instance, construction management at risk; risk management as part of project management; safety, reliability, and risk management; and risk management for underground engineering. To be sponsored by the PANs for safety, reliability, and risk management; construction management and inspection; and others.

Contact Tanya Matthews (Herndon, 1-703-742-5721, matthewst@pbworld.com), or Janet Skinner (Manchester, 44-161-228-6282, skinnerja@pbworld.com).

Issue 52. 4th quarter '01. Intermodal Facilities

On the freight side, this issue will discuss links between ports, container-ports, airports, rail, highways, and the trucking industry. On the passenger side, it will include intermodal links between rail, roadways, transit, and airports. To be sponsored by the PANs for marine facilities; railroad; surface transport planning; fleet facilities; TSM; supply chain management; and others.

Deadline: May 2001. Contact Bruce Pohlot (Newark, 1-973-565-4890, pohlot@pbworld.com), Vahan Tanal (New York, 1-212-465-5208, tanal@pbworld.com) or Joan Yim (Washington, DC, 202-783-0241, yim@pbworld.com).

Issue 53. 1st quarter '02. UK Railtrack Improvement Program

PB is helping Railtrack, PLC (the owner and operator of the U.K.'s 32,000-kilometer rail infrastructure network) keep its massive rail network modernization program on track. PB is playing a major role, in program management of rehabilitation of the West Coast Main Line, and management of an upgrade of the signal system, and other projects. (See PB Bulletin, March 2000.) Many disciplines are involved in this work, and PB Network will feature the gamut.

Deadline: August 2001. Contact Nermeen Latif (London Railtrack, 44-20-7904-7626, latifn.railtrack@ems.rail.co.uk) or Bob VanderClute (London Railtrack, vanderclute@pbworld.com).

Issue 54. Aviation and Airports

PB's aviation and airports capabilities and experience have taken off dramatically in the past few years. PB is involved in a whole range of aspects of aviation projects around the world, including master planning, financial and economic planning, environmental and noise control studies, transportation analyses, public coordination programming, civil and facility design, construction management, program management, concession planning, tenant lease negotiations, privatization, and many other services. For a recent feature article see PB Notes, September 2000. To be co-sponsored by the PAN for Aviation Services, the PB Aviation company, and others.

Deadline: November 2001. Contact Geoff Baskir, PAN Coordinator, (Washington National Airport, 1-703-417-0016, baskir@mwaa.com) or Rich Czarnomski (New York, 1-212-465-5383, czarnomski@pbworld.com).

Other future topics. Please contact John Chow or any editor to discuss new topics. Other proposed themes are: education facilities; segmental bridges; CADD; geotechnical instrumentation; aviation; the new Cincinnati Reds baseball stadium, program management; scheduling; bridge management, bridge inspection and rehabilitation, and automated inspection services. What are your ideas?