Lingo can be daunting for the uninitiated in any field or industry. Here, we untangled some of the acronyms, abbreviations and terms you’ll find on our web pages and in our publications.
accessible/accessibility
Easily used or accessed by people with disabilities; adapted for use by people with disabilities.
active transportation
Any self-propelled, human-powered mode of transportation, such as walking or bicycling.
address bar
The address bar is a text box, usually at the top of a web mapping application, which an address can be typed into as a search box.
alternative transportation
Commuting in any way other than driving alone, such as carpooling, public transportation, biking.
artery/arterials
Highways that are characterized by a capacity to quickly move relatively large volumes of traffic but often provide limited access to abutting properties. The arterial system typically provides for high travel speeds and the longest trip movements.
at-grade
Referenced to the intersection of two roadways, or a roadway and a railway, which cross at the same elevation. This intersection can be controlled by traffic signals or stop signs.
basemap
A collection of GIS data and/or orthorectified imagery that form the background setting for a map.
bituminous
Containing bitumen, any of various mixtures of hydrocarbons (such as tar) often together with their nonmetallic derivatives that occur naturally or are obtained as residues after heat-refining natural substances (such as petroleum).
brownfield
A property/parcel, of which expansion, redevelopment, or reuse may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant.
browser
A browser is the software you use to view web pages – in fact you’re using one right now! Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Internet Explorer are some of the more common browsers, but there are others like Safari and Opera. Since each one is different, pages can vary in appearance depending on what browser is used.
capacity
The capability of a roadway to accommodate traffic usually expressed as the number of vehicles per lane per hour for a given level of service.
CAV
Connected and Autonomous Vehicle – Connected vehicles are vehicles that use any of a number of different communication technologies to communicate with the driver, other cars on the road, roadside infrastructure, and the “Cloud”. Fully automated, autonomous, or “self-driving” vehicles are defined by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) as “those in which operation of the vehicle occurs without direct driver input to control the steering, acceleration, and braking and are designed so that the driver is not expected to constantly monitor the roadway while operating in self-driving mode.”
CCM
Connecticut Council of Municipalities
You can find more information on the CCM website.
CEDS
Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy contributes to effective economic development in communities and regions through a locally-based, regionally-driven economic development planning process.
CEO
Chief Elected Official – the mayor, first selectman or chairman of the member municipalities.
CERT
Community Emergency Response Teams are volunteers educated on disaster preparedness for the hazards that may impact their area and trains them in basic disaster response skills, such as fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization, and disaster medical operations.
CLEAR
The Center for Land Use Education and Research provides information, education, and assistance to land use makers, in support of balancing growth and natural resource protection.
You can find more information on the CLEAR website.
CNVMPO
The Central Naugatuck Valley Metropolitan Planning Organization for fifteen municipalities of the NVCOG.
COG
Council of Governments is a public organization encompassing a multi-jurisdictional regional community.
COGCNV
The former Council of Governments for the Central Naugatuck Valley before council of governments were merged in 2015.
corridor
A linear orientation of transport routes and flows connecting important locations that act as origins, destinations or points of transshipment. They can be composed of streets, highways, transit routes, or rail lines.
CTDOT
The Connecticut Department of Transportation, also known as ConnDOT, is the state agency that provides a safe and efficient intermodal transportation network that improves the quality of life and promotes economic vitality for the State and the region.
You can find more information on the CTDOT website.
DCIA
Directly Connected Impervious Area is the impervious area from which stormwater runoff discharges directly to waters of the state or directly to a storm sewer system that discharges to waters of the state.
DEEP
The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection for the State of Connecticut
You can find more information on the DEEP website.
DEMHS
State of Connecticut Division of Emergency Management and Homeland Security
You can find more information on the DEMHS website.
DESPP
State of Connecticut Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection
You can find more information on the DESPP website.
EDA
United States Economic Development Administration
You can find more information on the EDA website.
EIE
Environmental Impact Evaluation – the assessment of the environmental consequences (positive and negative) of a plan, policy, program, or actual projects prior to the decision to move forward with the proposed action.
EJ
Environmental Justice is the policy and practice which calls for an agency to identify and address disproportionately high and adverse human health or environmental effects of its programs, policies, and activities on minority populations and low-income populations. It also calls for identifying strategies and techniques for meaningful engagement of populations meeting the needs for environmental justice.
EPA
United States Environmental Protection Agency
You can find more information on the EPA website.
EV
Electric Vehicle – uses one or more electric motors or traction motors for propulsion.
FEMA
Federal Emergency Management Agency
You can find more information on the FEMA website.
FHWA
Federal Highway Administration
You can find more information on the FHWA website.
fixed route
Service provided on a repetitive, fixed-schedule basis along a specific route with vehicles stopping to pick up and deliver passengers or freight to specific locations; each fixed-route trip serves the same origins and destinations, unlike demand responsive.
FTA
Federal Transit Administration
You can find more information on the FTA website.
FY
A Fiscal Year is the twelve-month period that an organization uses for budgeting, forecasting and reporting.
GBVMPO
The Greater Bridgeport and Valley Metropolitan Planning Organization is for MetroCOG and for the four municipalities of the lower Naugatuck Valley.
GIS
Geographic Information Systems/Sciences – a framework to organize, communicate, and understand the science of our world.
greenway
A corridor of open space that’s may protect or connect natural resources, preserve scenic landscapes and historical resources or offer opportunities for outdoor recreation or non-motorized transportation; located along a defining natural feature, such as a waterway, or along a man-made corridor, such as a highway or railway.
impervious surface
A surface through which nothing, particularly precipitation, can penetrate.
infiltration rate
A soil characteristic determining or describing the maximum rate at which water can enter the soil under specific conditions.
inland port
A rail or a barge terminal that is linked to a maritime terminal with regular inland transport services. An inland port has a level of integration with the maritime terminal and supports a more efficient access to the inland market both for inbound and outbound traffic. This implies an array of related logistical activities linked with the terminal, such as distribution centers, depots for containers and chassis, warehouses and logistical service providers.
inter-municipal
The cooperation or joint provision of public services between municipalities.
intermodal terminal
A terminal which can accommodate several modes of transportation. They increasingly tend to be specializing at handling specific types of passengers or freight traffic, while they may share the same infrastructures.
ITS
Intelligent Transportation Systems are the usage of sensor, computer, electronics and communication technologies and management strategies in a cohesive way.
land use
The function of land; how is the land being used.
LID
Low Impact Development means a site design strategy that maintains, mimics or replicates pre-development hydrology through the use of numerous site design principles and small-scale treatment practices distributed throughout a site to manage runoff volume and water quality at the source.
LOTCIP
The Local Transportation Capital Improvement Program was created through state legislature. It provides State funds to urbanized area municipal governments in lieu of Federal funds otherwise available through Federal transportation legislation.
LRTP
The Long Range Transportation Plan is produced by NVCOG to identify transportation deficiencies, recommend improvements, and advance priority transportation projects, in cooperation with CTDOT, municipal officials, and other organizations and interested citizens. Renamed Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP) in 2018.
mitigation
The effort to reduce loss of life and property by lessening the impact of disasters.
MPO
Metropolitan Planning Organization is an agency created to provide local elected officials input into the planning and implementation of federal transportation funds for metropolitan areas.
MS4
Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems means conveyances for stormwater (including roads with drainage systems, streets, catch basins, curbs, gutters, ditches, man-made channels or storm drains) owned or operated by any municipality or by any state or federal institution and discharging to surface waters of the state.
multi-use trail
A path physically separated from motor vehicle traffic by an open space or barrier and either within a public right of way or easement, which accommodates two-way non-motorized travelers including pedestrians, bicyclists, joggers, and skaters.
NRG
Naugatuck River Greenway, a multiuse trail planned to follow the Naugatuck River from Derby to Torrington once completed.
NRHP
National Register of Historic Places
You can find more information on the NRHP website.
NVCOG
Naugatuck Valley Council of Governments – a nineteen municipal member planning organization, concerned with transportation, economic development, land use, Brownfields redevelopment, environmental and emergency planning for the Naugatuck Valley Region
open space
Any open piece of land set aside for preserving natural communities, protecting water quality, providing outdoor recreation, and offering green spaces for all residents. Parcels can be undeveloped or have no buildings or other built structures, and/or is accessible to the public. Local governments can define open space differently depending on their zoning laws.
OPM
State of Connecticut Office of Policy and Management
You can find more information on the OPM website.
parapet
A low protective wall along the edge of a bridge.
Short for “Portable Document Format,” they were first developed by Adobe. The idea behind the PDF was to create a file format that was not dependent on application software, hardware, and operating systems for proper viewing.
peak period/hour
Represents a time period of high usage of a transport system. For transit, it refers to morning and afternoon time periods when ridership is at its highest.
planning
Refers to a process that allows people’s needs, preferences and values to be reflected in decisions. Planning occurs at many different levels, from day-to-day decisions made by individuals and families, to major decisions made by governments and businesses that have comprehensive, long-term impacts on society. Management can be considered a short-term form of planning, while planning can be considered a longer-term form of management.
POCD
Plan of Conservation and Development (Regional) – is a guidance document that sets policy priorities for the future of the region and its communities and is required by the State of Connecticut to be updated every ten years.
Plan of Conservation and Development (Municipal) – is a blueprint for how the Town wants to develop over the next 10 – 20 years and is a guide to local decision making in areas such as natural resources preservation, economic development, housing, land use, and public services.
Priority Area
Any area that is in a census-designated urbanized area, drains to an impaired waterway or has greater than 11% impervious cover.
RCEO
Regional Council of Elected Officials has a policy-making board consisting of the chief elected officials of the planning region. The regional council can assume the planning responsibilities of an RPA, unlike a COG which may have a separate regional planning commission. COGCNV is actually an RCEO, not a COG. COGCNV was originally established prior to COG legislation. Under COGCNV bylaws, a standing committee referred to as the Regional Planning Commission serves a similar role to that of an RPC in a COG.
RFP
A Request for Proposal, or RFP, is a document that a business, non-profit, or government agency creates to outline the requirements for a specific project. They use the RFP process to solicit bids from qualified vendors and identify which vendor might be the best-qualified to complete the project.
RFQ
Request for Qualifications -typically used as a screening step to establish a pool of vendors that are then qualified, and thus eligible to submit responses to a request for proposals.
right of way
Real property, obtained by local or state government either in fee or through line establishment and containing the travelway, roadside, drainage systems and other appurtenances necessary for public travel.
rolling stock
The vehicles used in a transit system, including buses and rail cars.
RPA
Regional Planning Agency is the oldest form of regional planning organization (RPO). An RPA consists of a policy board with two representatives: the chief elected official or a designee of the CEO and an appointment from the municipal planning commission. Municipalities with populations of 25,000 or more are entitled to additional representatives.
RPC
Regional Planning Commission – representatives from each member municipality advise the chief elected officials on matters related to urban planning, zoning, sustainability, and land use.
RPO
Regional Planning Organization is a government body that guides the development of public and private resources in a manner that ensures public safety, well-being and livability.
shapefile
A data storage format for geospatial vector data to use in GIS software.
TIP
The Transportation Improvement Program serves as a five-year guide for the preservation, management and expansion of public transportation services across the Naugatuck Valley Planning Region. Public transportation services include highways, arterial streets, transit, demand management, and alternative mode improvements.
Title VI
Title VI requires that no person in the United States of America shall, on the grounds of race, color, or national origin, be excluded from the participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be otherwise subjected to discrimination under any program or activity for which MAG receives federal financial assistance.
TOD
Transit Oriented Development – the creation of compact, walkable, pedestrian-oriented, mixed-use communities centered around high quality train systems.
transit
A term that encompasses public transportation systems including bus, rail, carpooling, and facilities for those systems.
TTAC
Transportation Technical Advisory Committee – representatives from each member municipality advise the chief elected officials on projects related to highways, non-motorized transportation, transit, and local roads.
UPWP
Unified Planning Work Plan is an annual or biennial statement of work identifying the planning priorities and activities to be carried out within a metropolitan planning area.
urban area
A United States Census Bureau-defined geographic area of contiguous census block groups with a population density of at least 1,000 people per square mile.
VCOG
The former Valley Council of Governments before council of governments were merged in 2015.
web map
A map that is not simply on the web, but rather one that is powered by the online GIS technologies.
widget
Widgets are various components and tools within web mapping applications.
zoning
The way governments control the physical development of land and the kinds of uses to which each individual property/parcel may be put.