TxDOT Glossary: V

validation: Validation is the process of using a previously calibrated model to predict traffic volumes and comparing predicted volumes with observed volumes for a year other than the calibration year.; Traffic Data and Analysis Manual

Value engineering: VE; Value Engineering is the systematic application of recognized techniques which identify the function of a product or service, establish a value for that function, and provide the necessary function reliability at the least overall cost.; Project Development Process Manual

vanpool: A vanpool is an organized ridesharing arrangement in which a number of people travel together on a regular basis in a van which may be company owned, individually owned, leased, or owned by a third party. Expenses are shared, and there is usually a regular volunteer driver.; Public Transportation Collection

vane shear: A vane shear is a test used to determine the in-place shearing strength of fine grained soils which do not lend themselves to undisturbed sampling and triaxial testing.; Geotechnical Manual

vector: Vector is the system for digitally defining an image by mathematically calculating area boundaries and assigning a density value to the entire area. Illustrator and Freehand are vector-based drawing programs.; Communications Manual

vegetation management: Vegetation management is the maintenance of highway right-of-way vegetation in an environmentally sensitive and uniform manner consistent with the special conditions presented by local climate, topography vegetation, and level of urbanization.; Maintenance Manual

vegetative protection: Vegetative protection is stabilization of erosive or sediment producing areas by covering the soil with a non-structural cover such as vegetation.

vehicle: Vehicle is a device in or by which a person or property is or may be transported or drawn on a public highway, other than a device used exclusively on stationary rails or tracks.; Transportation Code §502.001

vehicle availability: Vehicle availability is the number of vehicles available to members of a household for travel purposes.; Traffic Data and Analysis Manual

vehicle mile of travel: VMT; Traffic Data and Analysis Manual

vehicle occupancy: Vehicle occupancy is the number of occupants in a vehicle during a vehicle trip including the driver.; Traffic Data and Analysis Manual

vehicle onboard radar: VORAD; Vehicle onboard radar is radar for collision avoidance.; Traffic Operations

Vehicle Titles and Registration Division: VTR; The Vehicle Titles and Registration Division administers a statewide system of collecting fees for motor vehicle registration and certificates of title. In March of 1998, the Automobile Theft Prevention Authority Office (ATPA) became a section of VTR.; Inside TxDOT

vehicles and motorized equipment: Vehicles and motorized equipment include over-the-road vehicles (trucks, sedans, vans) and road-building equipment (tractors, rollers, graders, drag lines, etc).; Occupational Safety Manual

vehicles per day: VPD; This is a measure of traffic volume and is used as the unit for Average Annual Daily Traffic.

vehicle trips: Vehicle trips are those trips made by individuals in a household driving a vehicle. These are generally reported as vehicle trips per household and/or vehicle trips per person. Vehicle trips per person are computed by summing all of the vehicle trips and dividing by the number of persons within a household. Vehicle trips per household is also referred to as the vehicle trip rate.; Traffic Data and Analysis Manual

velocity head: symbol Hv; Velocity head defines water moving at a given velocity, the equivalent head through which it would have to fall by gravity to acquire the same velocity.; Hydraulics Manual

vendor: Purchasing Manual; Quality Assurance Program Manual

vendor identification number: VID; Replaced by Texas Identification Number; Finance Division

vendor name: Vendor name is the name of entity or person issued a vendor identification number or Texas Identification Number by the state comptroller.; Finance Division

Vendor Payment System: VPS; Vendor Payment System is an information system managed by the Finance Division.; Finance Division

verification: Manual of Testing Procedures

verification sampling and testing: Verification sampling and testing is defined as sampling and testing performed to validate the quality of the product.; Quality Assurance Program Manual

vertical alignment: Vertical alignment is a series of straight lines called grade lines connected by parabolic curves. This is the positioning of the roadway in the profile view.

vertical curve: Vertical curve is a parabolic curve drawn tangent to two intersecting grade lines to provide a smooth transition from one grade to another.

vicinity map: Vicinity map is a key inset of an overall view of a generalized area on the ROW map.; ROW Utility Manual

violation: A violation is any event that results in theft, loss, unauthorized use, unauthorized disclosure, unauthorized modification, unauthorized destruction, or degraded or denied services of information resources. A violation constitutes a breach of security and confidentiality.; Information Security Manual

virgin material: Virgin material is material not previously used in construction. NOTE: This definition has been approved by the Specification Committee.; Manual of Testing Procedures

virtual private network: VPN; A virtual private network (VPN) typically uses the Internet as the transport backbone to establish secure encrypted links with business partners and extend communications to regional and isolated offices. It significantly decreases the cost of communications for an increasingly mobile workforce because Internet access is generally local and much less expensive than dedicated remote access server connections. A VPN is a trusted network constructed so that remote users can communicate freely and safely between the remote networks through the untrusted, public network (Internet) by various means of encryption.; Information Security Manual

virus: A virus is a program that attaches itself to an executable file or vulnerable application and delivers a payload that ranges from annoying to extremely destructive. A file virus executes when an infected file is accessed. A macro virus infects the executable code embedded in Microsoft Office programs that allow users to generate macros.; Information Security Manual

viscosity: Manual of Testing Procedures

visible: Visible means capable of being seen, whether legible or not, without visual aid by a person with normal visual acuity.; Right of Way Manual

vital records: Vital records are records that are necessary for TxDOT to do any of the following after a disaster: resume or continue operations; reaffirm authority and activity, including legal and financial positions; or protect the rights and interests of the department and its customers. Sometimes called; essential records.; Source: Information Security Manual; Vital records are records that are necessary for TxDOT resume or continue operations, reaffirm authority and activity, including legal and financial positions, and/or protect the rights and interests of the department and its customers following a disaster.; Source: 13 TAC §6.1(20); Records Management Manual

voids, air pockets, in the mineral aggregate: VMA; Manual of Testing Procedures; National Center for Asphalt Technology

volt: V or E; Volt is the unit of electromotive force, electrical pressure, or difference of potential. Analogous to water pressure. One volt will cause one ampere of current to flow through a resistance of one ohm.; Highway Illumination Manual

voltage drop: A result of current flowing through a resistance.; A current of 30 amperes flowing through 300 feet of No.8 conductor whose resistance loop is 0.3924 ohms will result in a voltage drop of 11.77 volts.

volume to capacity ratio: V/C; The ratio of flow rate to capacity. The V/C may be the actual or projected rate of flow on a designated lane group during a peak 15-minute interval divided by the capacity of the lane group. The V/C ratio is a measure of capacity sufficiency, that is, whether or not the physical geometry provides sufficient capacity for the subject movement.

volumeter: A volumeter is test equipment used for determining in-place density of soils and base materials using Test Method TEX-114-E, Part I.

voucher: A voucher is the accounting document used to make payment to an individual or entity.; Finance Division

voucher requirements: Voucher requirements are the documents or documentation required to obtain reimbursement for travel expenses.; Travel Manual

vulnerability: In IT, a vulnerability causes systems prone to attach, more likely to have an impact on that system.; Information Security Manual

vulnerability report: A vulnerability report is a computer related report containing information described in §2054.077(b), Government Code, as that section may be amended from time to time.; Information Security Manual