TRB is cosponsoring the 7th Symposium on Pavement Surface Characteristics: SURF 2012 on September 19-22, 2012, in Norfolk, Virginia. The primary focus of the symposium is to explore the state-of-the-art of the scientific knowledge in the area of surface characteristics and pavement and tire interaction on roads and airfields. In addition, SURF is designed to be a forum to share and disseminate information on the latest technological developments for the collection of data, quality control, and statistical validation, and on the use of the data in infrastructure management systems.