About CATT

The Center for Advanced Transportation Technology (CATT) is the focal point for transportation research at the University of Southern California.The Center was established in 1991 as a University organized Research Unit and is directed by Petros Ioannou, Professor of the Department of Electrical Engineering, Systems and Director of the Center.

CATT's mission is to perform high-impact research on urgent transportation issues in cooperation with industry and government. Its main focus is on the use of advanced technologies for making current and future defence and commercial transportation infrastructure more efficient. It merges policy and technical analyses and targets the problems associated with surface, air and marine transportation. CATT is a core member of the Center for Commercial Deployment of Transportation Technologies (CCDoTT) located at California State University, Long Beach.

In 1998 the Department of Transportation (DOT) decided to fund the National Center for Metropolitan Research (METRANS) proposed by CATT researchers as part of the DOT's University Transportation Center Program. METRANS will focus on the transportation needs of large metropolitan areas by concentrating on fours issues: (i) congestion on highway, rail, shipping and air transport systems; (ii) mobility and accessibility of immigrant, disadvantaged and minority populations; (iii) economic development of the infrastructure and processes to support international trade and transportation industries, and (iv) reducing adverse impacts of transportation including pollution, noise, pedestrian/motorist accidents and crime.