nationwide transportation system. The ITS Program supports major investments in technology initiatives, exploratory research, and deployment support activities designed to help state and local jurisdictions optimize technology deployments. Connected vehicle research is the ITS Joint Program Office's leading initiative. Connected Vehicle Technology is fundamentally about wireless communications between vehicles and other vehicles as well as between vehicles and the surrounding infrastructure such as traffic signals, work zones and grade crossings. In each case the communication involves devices that are either embedded in, or brought into, the vehicle or infrastructure. The wireless communication uses Dedicated Short Range Communications (DSRC), a technology similar to WiFi, which supports applications designed to prevent crashes, increase mobility and improve the environment. Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) The Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) program is responsible for coordinating and developing PNT technology, PNT policy, and spectrum management. These responsibilities previously were performed by Office of the Secretary and were delegated to RITA by the Secretary of Transportation in August 2007. All modes of transportation rely on the Global Positioning System (GPS) and other PNT capabilities to provide safe and reliable operation of transportation systems. PNT is crucial for planning and tracking shipments, mapping routes, and other transportation functions, and is increasingly used for safety functions. The Office of Positioning, Navigation, and Timing represents all Federal civil departments and agencies in the development, acquisition, management, and operations of GPS, as well as providing civil PNT system analysis including requirements and architecture development and performance monitoring. RITA serves as the coordinator for the inland component of the Nationwide Differential GPS System (NDGPS), an augmentation to GPS which provides increased accuracy and integrity signals to surface transportation applications of GPS. The NDGPS signal is also used by many other civil economic sectors. John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center The John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts, partners with organizations across government and the private sector to research and develop solutions to emerging transportation issues. The Volpe Center is funded through a fee-for-service structure, which means all costs are covered by sponsored project work. The Volpe Center was established in 1970 to provide analytical, scientific, and engineering support to the newly established U.S. Department of Transportation. From the beginning, the Center was envisioned as a place where a broad range of skills could be focused on major issues that cut across the traditional modal structure of