Glossary

MAG Glossary

About the Glossary

Understanding the programs, projects and committees that are mentioned on this website can be difficult. This glossary is a database of terms and acronyms that will help you understand MAG's role in providing regional planning and policy decisions in this region.

A

ADOT The Arizona Department Of Transportation is responsible for planning, building and operating a complex highway system in addition to building and maintaining bridges and the Grand Canyon Airport.
ALCP Arterial Life Cycle Program provides management and oversight for the street projects in the Regional Transportation Plan (RTP), including location, regional funding, year and type of work, status of the project and the lead agency.
AQTAC Air Quality Technical Advisory Committee reviews and comments on technical information generated during the planning process.
ATAN Achieving Transit Accessibility Now addresses immediate and critical needs for improved accessibility to bus stops.

B

BCC Consisting of building officials from MAG member agencies, the Building Codes Committee makes recommendations on the development, interpretation and enforcement of building codes in the MAG region.
BIEN Building an International Economic Network creates a business-to-business e-platform to connect individual businesses across international boundaries. Businesses in Arizona, Mexico and Canada can directly connect with each other in order to partner and grow their businesses.
BQAZ Building a Quality Arizona provides information about several transportation framework studies.

C

CENS Community Emergency Notification System is also known as Reverse 9-1-1. The system rapidly notifies people in an area affected by an emergency by sending a recorded message through the telephone system. CENS uses the 9-1-1 database to find phone numbers for those who are in the affected area area that is determined by the circle or area drawn on the CENS map. CENS then sends a prerecorded message to the telephone numbers in the defined area.
CMAQ Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program provides federal funds to projects and programs that help nonattainment and maintenance areas comply with air quality standards.
CoC-Board Continuum of Care Board addresses regional issues relating to homelessness and approves the annual application for homeless assistance funding to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and addresses regional issues relating to homelessness.
CoC-Committee Continuum of Care Committee leverages relationships and diverse expertise to actively advance the broad community goals of preventing and ending homelessness throughout the region.
COG Council of Governments is a public organization encompassing a multi-jurisdictional regional community.
COMPASS Corridor Optimization and Access Management Plan and System Study along the US-60/Grand Avenue.

D

DVPEP The Domestic Violence Protocol Evaluation Project was designed to coordinate a multi-disciplinary effort for assessing protocols and practices used by law enforcement and prosecutors when responding to domestic violence offenders. The project evaluates protocols, builds a framework of best practices, and develops public awareness tools.

E

EaPWD Elderly and Persons with Disabilities Transportation Committee develops the prioritization of applicants to receive FTA Section 5310 grant funds for capital and operating expenses in the Phoenix-Mesa Urbanized Area.
EC Regional Council Executive Committee consists of seven Regional Council members who are elected at the annual meeting to serve for one year.
EDC Economic Development Committee develops opportunity-specific and action-oriented initiatives that fosters and advances infrastructure in the MAG region
EJ Environmental Justice - MAG maintains nondiscrimination policies which support MAG in engaging vulnerable populations.
EVP Emergency Vehicle Preemption adjusts traffic signal phasing to facilitate safe passage for the emergency vehicle through the intersection.

F

FHWA The Federal Highway Administration provides stewardship over the construction, maintenance and preservation of the Nation’s highways, bridges and tunnels.
FSP Freeway Service Patrol assists motorists who are stranded on freeways due to minor accidents or disabled vehicles and provides prompt clearance of these incidents.
FY A fiscal year is the twelve-month period that an organization uses for budgeting, forecasting and reporting.

H

HSCIC Human Services and Community Initiatives Committee is focused on incubating solutions that strengthen the region.
HSIP Highway Safety Improvement Program is focused on improving road safety. Policy is assessed to determine what changes are recommended to improve the state of human services in the region.
HSTC Human Services Technical Committee provides technical assistance to the Human Services and Community Initiatives Committee, develop allocation recommendations for the Social Services Block Grant and produce regional human services plans.

I

ICM Integrated Corridor Management's goal is to reduce congestion on I-10 between Loop 101 in the West Valley and Loop 202 Red Mountain Freeway in the East Valley.
IMPO Intermountain Metropolitan Planning Organizations fosters communication and coordinate planning efforts among MPOs serving as Transportation Management Areas (TMAs) within the Intermountain region of the United States.
Intersection Crashes Crashes that occur on any approach, within 150 feet from center of the intersection. Data for such crashes can be found here.
IS Information Services supports regional decision-making through leading-edge technology, information gathering and analysis.
ITS Intelligent Transportation Systems are the usage of sensor, computer, electronics and communication technologies and management strategies in a cohesive way.

J

JPAC The Joint Planning Advisory Committee was established to identify mutually agreed upon goals and interests, provide guidance on possible technical assistance and joint planning activities, and enhance the communication and cooperation among the policymakers in these regions.

L

LASS Local Agency Safety Studies will support the performance of a minimum of two safety studies at specific intersections or arterial road segments where safety concerns have been identified.

M

MAG Maricopa Association of Governments is a Council of Governments (COG) that serves as the regional planning agency for the metropolitan Phoenix area.
MAGIC Maricopa Association of Governments Information Center makes specialized information and services more available to member agencies, private sector businesses, individuals and other public sector agencies for requests outside the scope of the MAG annual budget and work program.
MAG Planning Area The counties and municipalities that MAG works with to make improvements in transportation, air quality, and human services. This includes all of Maricopa County, parts of Pinal County, as well as the towns of Florence and the City of Maricopa. Click here to view a map of this area.
MC Management Committee receives input from technical committees, analyzes the technical and policy implications, and provides recommendations to the MAG Regional Council.
MMLOS Multimodal Level of Service Study provides a better understanding of the variables that improve the multimodal experiences of all users.
MPO Metropolitan Planning Organization is an agency created that provides local elected officials input into the planning and implementation of federal transportation funds to metropolitan areas.
MSA Metropolitan Statistical Area is a region with a high population density and economic ties throughout the area.

N

 
NOFA Notice of Funding Availability for the Continuum of Care Program Competition FR-6100-N-25.

P

PEPE Planners and Economic Development Partnership Exchange serves as a forum to discuss data, tools, and analysis of interest to economic development staff and planners.
PIP Public Initiation Protocol provides federal funding to MAG member agencies to pay ADOT fees to initiate the review of federally funded projects.
PIT Point in Time Homeless Count is an annual street and shelter count to determine the number of people experiencing homelessness in Maricopa County during a given point-in-time (PIT)
PM2.5 Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is an air pollutant that is a concern for people's health when levels in air are high that is less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter. Outside, fine particles primarily come from car, truck, bus and off-road vehicle (e.g., construction equipment, snowmobile, locomotive) exhausts, other operations that involve the burning of fuels such as wood, heating oil or coal and natural sources such as forest and grass fires. Fine particles also form from the reaction of gases or droplets in the atmosphere from sources such as power plants.
PM10 PM10 describes inhalable particles, with diameters that are generally 10 micrometers and smaller. Sources of PM10 include vehicles, wood burning stoves and fireplaces, dust, wildfires, and industrial sources. PM10 is a mixture of materials that can include smoke, soot, dust, salt, acids, and metals. Particulate matter also forms when gases emitted from motor vehicles and industry undergo chemical reactions in the atmosphere.
POP Program of Projects is the list of transit projects in MAG’s Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) proposed to be funded from the area’s Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Section 5307 and Section 5339 programs.
POPTAC Population Technical Advisory Committee comprises technical-oriented staff from either the planning department or managers office of MAG member agencies.
PSAP This committee consists of Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) Managers from the MAG member agencies. This Group oversees the technical needs and provides overall coordination of the Maricopa County 9-1-1 System.
PUBLIC NOTICE Typically a legally required announcement or notification of a proposed action or decision, or of a public hearing.

R

RARF In 2004 Maricopa County voters approved the extension of the levy of the Maricopa County Transportation Excise Tax for another 20 years, ending Dec. 31, 2025. Often called the "half-cent sales tax," the tax is levied upon business activities in Maricopa County, including retail sales, contracting, utilities, rental of real and personal property, restaurant and bar receipts, and other activities.
RC The Regional Council is the governing and policy-making body for the organization and is made up of elected officials appointed by each MAG member agency. For most members, the city or town mayor serves as the Regional Council representative.
RCN The Regional Community Network (RCN) is a private Internet connecting MAG member agencies. This connection uses existing agency-owned fiber in combination with wireless links to share traffic and public safety information.
RCNWG The RCN Working Group develops recommendations for the management of the RCN and its future expansion.
RDVC The Regional Domestic Violence Council serves as the primary coordinating body for issues related to domestic violence and provides a forum for communication and coordinated action to effectively address, prevent, and eradicate domestic violence in the MAG region.
RFP Request for Proposal - a document that solicits proposal by an agency or company interested in procurement of a commodity, service, or valuable asset, to potential vendors to submit business proposals
RFQ Request for Qualifications - invites vendors into a bidding process to bid on specific products or services.
RSA Road Safety Assessments (RSAs) are an active approach to improving road safety. They involve examining an intersection, an arterial, or freeway corridor from a road safety viewpoint.
RTFS The Regional Transit Framework Study update will identify, validate and prioritize future high-capacity transit investments through a data-driven, system-wide planning approach through the planning horizon of 2040.
RTP The performance-based Regional Transportation Plan provides a broad vision for the regional transportation system for the next two decades, addressing freeways and other highways, streets, transit, airports, bicycle and pedestrian facilities, freight, demand management, system management including intelligent transportation systems (ITS), and safety.
RTSMS The Regional Transportation Safety Information Management System (RTSIMS) software is MAG’s tool for performing crash data analyses. This helps regional transportation safety planning.

S

SC The Street Committee includes local agency transportation planners and engineers. The committee makes recommendations on street projects to be funded with federal monies from the MAP-21, and provides input for the five year Transportation Improvement Program (TIP).
SCMIS MAG developed the Southeast Corridor Major Investment Study (SE Corridor MIS) to explore transportation strategies due to travel demand on the between the East Valley and Central Phoenix.
SD Specifications and Details - The main goal of this program is to annually update the MAG Uniform Standard Specifications and Details for Public Works Construction document and ensure that copies of the publications are available. Specifications are a description of definitions, techniques, and materials; and the Details, a series of technical drawings showing graphical representations of some of the specifications.
Segment Crashes Crashes that occur outside of the 150 foot range from all intersections. Data for such crashes can be viewed here.
SHRP2 The Strategic Highway Research Program Expediting Project Delivery Grant (C19) enables MAG to work with other agencies in the Intermountain West region. Their goal is expediting key global transportation projects in the Intermountain West region.
SPINE 1-10/1-17 Spine Study - MAG along with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT), launched a study to develop a Corridor Master Plan for the I-10 and I-17 corridor. This corridor is referred to as the “Spine” because it serves as the backbone for transportation in the metropolitan Phoenix area.
SRTS The primary goal of the MAG Safe Routes to School Program is to help make walking and bicycling to school safer. All SRTS projects funded by MAG are coordinated through MAG member agencies.
STSP The Strategic Transportation Safety Plan identifies regional priorities, strategies, resource needs and performance indicators. It also establishes an approach for identifying and enacting solutions for road safety issues that affect all agencies in the MAG region.
SWAC The Solid Waste Advisory Committee consists of representatives of various local government agencies, economic interests, environmental interests, and private citizens selected by MAG to provide technical expertise in the areas of concern.

T

TAG Maricopa Association of Governments Technology Advisory Group encourages the development of telecommunication infrastructure and applications software.
TAP The MAG Transportation Ambassador Program project is designed to connect people to human services transportation opportunities in the region. The program is open to everyone and will include accommodations for older adults, people with disabilities, and individuals with low incomes.
TC The Transit Committee programs federal transit funds through the five-year Transportation Improvement Program (TIP). The committee also reviews and provides recommendations on various regional transit studies that are conducted by MAG, RPTA, and METRO.
TIP The Transportation Improvement Program serves as a five-year guide for the preservation, management and expansion of public transportation services across Maricopa County and portions of Pinal County. 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.
TPC The Transportation Policy Committee oversees the development of the 20-year Regional Transportation Plan and guides transportation planning in the region. The TPC is made up of 22 members representing cities and towns across the region, the business community, the Arizona Department of Transportation, Maricopa County, and the Native American Indian Communities.
TRC The Transportation Review Committee provides input on transportation issues including the development of the Transportation Improvement Program and Regional Transportation Plan updates.
TSC Transportation Safety Committee - The primary goal of the MAG Transportation Safety Planning Program is to identify both current and potential future transportation safety issues, concerns and needs in the region, and determine ways to address them through the regional transportation planning process.
TSOP The Traffic Signal Optimization Program helps to improve traffic signal coordination and enables optimization and review of operations through simulation modeling.

W

WQAC The Water Quality Advisory Committee serves in an advisory capacity to the MAG Management Committee and Regional Council on water quality matters affecting the MAG area.