Transportation Glossary

The following is a listing of transportation-related terminology and phraseology developed by CCMPO.
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Term	Acronym	Definition
Gateway		Refering to a transportation or shipping corridor of national or international importance.
Geographic Information Systems	GIS	A software system which assists in the development, storage, analysis, and display of locational or spatial information.
Geographic Information Systems for Transportation	GIS-T	Refers to the principles and applications of applying geographic information technologies to transportation problems (Miller and Shaw, 2001).
Geotextiles		Synthetic polyethylene, polypropylene, polyester, or polyamide manufactured into fabrics in a woven or non-woven pattern to form a blanket-like product, which is used to stabilize soft sections on a gravel road.
Girder		A main horizontal support beam for a bridge structure that usually handles loads from smaller floor beams and stringers.
Global Climate Change	GCC	Global Climate Change
Global Positioning System	GPS	A navigation system utilising satellites to provide a GPS-receiver on Earth with accurate coordinates.
Grade Crossing		Where a roadway intersects a rail line.
Grade Separation		The raising or lowering of a roadway to bridge over another roadway, thereby eliminating traffic conflict.
Grant Anticipation Revenue Vehicles (Bonds)	GARVEE	GARVEE Bonds are funding mechanisms that enable governmental entities to finance infrastructure or transit projects based on anticipated future revenues, which are then used to repay outstanding debt. A state may use future federal-aid funding obligations to reimburse the retirement of principal loans, interest charges, issuance, insurance, and other associated costs related to the sale of eligible debt-financing instruments.
Gravity Model		An underlying premise of Travel Demand Forecasting/Modelling, based on Sir Issac Netwon's "Law of Universal Gravitation". Newton's gravity model was converted into a geographical context by W.J. Reilly in 1933. This theory is still known today as "Reilly's Law". This law has two concepts: 1. That a city attracts most of its commuters from the closest towns. 2. That a larger city attracts larger numbers of commuters than a smaller city. "A city will attract retail trade from a town in its surrounding territory, in direct proportion to the population size of the city and inverse proportion to the square of the distance from the city." (Reilly, 1929).
Green Book		Published by AASHTO, the "Green Book" is formally known as "A Policy on Geometric Design of Highways and Streets". It covers the latest geometric design practices in standard use for highways, intersections, and interchanges.
Greenhouse Gases	GHG	Identified by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), anthropogenic greenhouse gases are recognized by the international scientific community as having the potential to bring about climate change. Such gases include; Carbon Dioxide (CO2), Methane (CH4), Nitrous Oxide (NOX), Carbon Tetrafluoride, Hexafluoromethanem, Sulfur Hexafluoride, and others.
Gross Domestic Product	GDP	GDP is a statistic estimating total market value of goods and services produced by labor and property in a given geographical area, within a given year. GDP replaces the Gross National Product (GNP) indicator as the primary measure of U.S. production in 1991.
Gross Vehicle Weight	GVW	Gross Vehicle Weight
Growth Center		Land Use term defined by Vermont staute as an area of land that incorporates a mix of uses that typically or potentially include uses such as; retail, office, commercial, civic, recreational, industrial, and residential within a densely developed, compact area that promotes social interaction. Growth centers are located in or adjacent to a designated downtowns, village centers, or new town centers with clearly defined boundaries that have been approved by one or more municipalities in their municipal plans to accommodate a majority of growth anticipated over a 20-year period.

OTHER TRANSPORT TERMINOLOGY REFERENCES: