<< Return to Webinar Files
Webinar Presentation
HTML version of the presentation
Image descriptions are contained in brackets. [ ]
Crowdsourcing for Advancing Operations:
Introduction and Application Highlights
(May 16, 2023)
T3 webinars are brought to you by the Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Professional Capacity Building (PCB) Program of the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT)’s ITS Joint Program Office (JPO). References in this webinar to any specific commercial products, processes, or services, or the use of any trade, firm, or corporation name is for the information and convenience of the public, and does not constitute endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the USDOT.
Slide 1: Crowdsourcing for Operations Course
Intelligent Transportation Systems Joint Program Office (ITS JPO) Professional Capacity Building (PCB) Webinar Series
May 16, 2023
Slide 2: Disclaimer
The U.S. Government does not endorse products or manufacturers. Trademarks or manufacturers’ names appear in this presentation only because they are considered essential to the objective of the presentation. They are included for informational purposes only and are not intended to reflect a preference, approval, or endorsement of any one product or entity.
This presentation was created by the FHWA, and it is being presented by FHWA and other State and local agencies. The views and opinions expressed in this presentation are the presenters’ and do not necessarily reflect those of FHWA or the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT). The contents do not necessarily reflect the official policy of the USDOT. The contents of this presentation do not have the force and effect of law and are not meant to bind the public in any way.
Crowdsourcing for Operations Course
Presenter: Greg Jones, Federal Highway Administration
[The slides in this presentation contain the USDOT Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) logo and/or the NCTCOG logo.]
Slide 3: Today’s Host and Presenters
Greg Jones, Host
Every Day Counts 6 (EDC-6) Crowdsourcing Colead
FHWA Office of Operations and Resource Center
James Colyar, Presenter
EDC-6 Crowdsourcing Colead
FHWA Office of Operations
Natalie Bettger, Presenter
Senior Program Manager
North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG)
[This slide contains photos of Greg Jones, James Colyar, and Natalie Bettger.]
Slide 4: Webinar Agenda
- 1:10 p.m. FHWA EDC-6 Crowdsourcing Innovation and Course
- 1:15 p.m. Introduction to Crowdsourcing Lesson
- 1:35 p.m. Applications of Crowdsourced Data Lesson
- 2:00 p.m. Question and Answer
[This slide contains an image of a four-lane highway with stripes of light to represent fast moving vehicles.]
Slide 5: What Is Every Day Counts?
- State-based model
- Proven but underutilized innovations
- 2-year cycles
Slide 6: EDC-6: Deeper Crowdsourcing Roots for a Bountiful Suite of Benefits
EDC-5 Crowdsourcing Innovation (January 2019–December 2020) continued as an EDC-6 Innovation (January 2021–December 2022), with focus on:
- Adding data sources and applications
- Improving data management
- Improving archived data usage
- Sharing and integration of data
[This slide contains a drawing of a fruit tree and its root system. The tree is bearing a lot of fruit.]
Slide 7: EDC Crowdsourcing by the Numbers:January 2019 - December 2022
- 35+ States and many local agencies engaged
- 10+ workshops and peer exchanges
- 15+ conference and event presentations
- 20+ Adventures in Crowdsourcing webinars
- 20+ technical assistances or facilitations
- 12 crowdsourcing cohort sessions
- 10+ published articles and 5+ case studies
- Crowdsourcing Course-in-a-Box delivered to 3 regions
FHWA EDC-6 Crowdsourcing for Advancing Operation Resource Site
[This slide contains a screenshot of FHWA’s EDC-6 Crowdsourcing for Advancing Operation website page.]
Slide 8: Crowdsourcing Course in a Box
Course Goals:
- Broaden understanding and knowledge about how crowdsourced data can improve transportation operations
- Help participants consider whether specific applications of crowdsourcing may meet their organizations’ needs
Course Tools:
- Editable instructor templates
- Instructor materials
- Course slide decks
- Student materials
[This slide contains an overhead photo of items on a desk: coffee in a coffee mug, a notepad, pens, a camera, two rubber stamps, twine, two packages secured with twine, and a hole punch.]
Slide 9: Course Is Modular by Design
- 5 Lessons: Introduction, Data Sources, Application Areas, Data Management, and Next Steps
- 6 Application Modules: traffic incident management, traveler information, arterial management, work zone management, road weather management, and emergency management
[This slide contains a graphic of one puzzle piece (“Introduction”) that connects to four other puzzle pieces: “Data Sources,” “Application Areas,” “Data Management,” and “Next Steps.”]
Slide 10: Whom Is the Course Targeting? Transportation Groups
- Traffic management centers (TMCs)
- Traffic signal systems
- Operations
- Maintenance
- Public works departments
- Emergency planning
- Work zone
- Safety and planning
Consider nontraditional invitees such as policy makers, local elected officials, administrators, or other leaders.
Slide 11: Whom Is the Course Targeting? Sample Job Titles
- Traffic engineer
- Maintenance manager
- Safety specialist
- Transportation systems and management (TSMO) manager
- Mobility engineer
- Intelligent transportation systems engineer
- TMC manager
- Performance manager
- Innovation manager
- Safety engineer
- Freeway operations manager
- Planner
- Traffic signal system manager
- Researcher
- Data steward
Lesson: Introduction
Presenter: James Colyar, FHWA Office of Operations
[The slides in this presentation contain the USDOT Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) logo and the Every Day Counts (EDC) logo.]
Slide 12: Lesson: Introduction
[This slide contains a photo taken from the ground view looking across a wide crosswalk where a dozen people are waiting for the signal to change so they can cross.]
Slide 13: Introductions
- Please enter your name, agency, and title in the chat window.
- Please state a problem your agency faces to which crowdsourced data might offer a solution.
[This slide contains a reproduction of a “Hello my name is” sticker.]
Slide 14: Lesson Objectives
- Describe crowdsourcing in general and for TSMO
- Understand the benefits from crowdsourcing for TSMO
[This slide contains four circular photos: (1) a truck plowing snow from a highway, (2) an overhead view of a highway interchange, (3) a view, from the road, of overhead traffic lights with tall, snowy mountains in the background, and (4) a view through an intersection up a busy city street.]
Slide 15: What Is Crowdsourcing?
Addressing a need or problem by enlisting the services of a large number of people via technology
[This slide contains a graphic of three circles, each containing an icon: a group of people, a laptop computer, and a question mark in a circle. The intersection of the three circles is labeled “Crowdsourcing.”]
Slide 16: Crowdsourcing Is Everywhere
[This slide contains a screenshot of the television show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? The question displayed is “How often is the ask-the-audience lifeline correct in the game show “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” The answers are “95% of the time,” “30% of the time,” “50% of the time,” and “75% of the time.” “95% of the time ” is highlighted as the correct answer.]
Slide 17: Crowdsourcing Is Everywhere
- Airbnb
- Best Buy
- Citizenscience.gov (GSA)
- Department of Defense
- Facebook
- Federal Bureau of Investigation
- General Electric
- Google
- Harley-Davidson
- Kraft Foods
- Lego
- Mattel
- McDonald’s
- Microsoft
- NASA
- Netflix
- New York City
- Proctor & Gamble
- Starbucks
- Wikipedia
[This slide contains a photo of a number of different colored Legos.]
Slide 18: Transportation Systems Management and Operations
- Optimize existing facilities
- Move people and goods
- Target causes of congestion
- Built on a foundation of monitoring current conditions
[This slide contains two photos: (1) congested traffic on a city street and (2) bumper-to-bumper traffic on a highway.]
Slide 19: Transportation Systems Management and Operations Needs
- Monitoring the roadway network
- Detecting problems more quickly
- Providing better information for road users
- Making planning, operational, and maintenance decisions with data
- Improving safety and reliability
[This slide contains a photo of a large city transit station at night with vehicular traffic moving around it.]
Slide 20: Real-Time Monitoring Limitations
- Gaps in geographic coverage
- Timeliness of information
- Jurisdictional stovepipes
- Cost to deploy and maintain equipment
Crowdsourced data overcome the limitations of traditional ITS infrastructure-based traffic monitoring.
[This slide contains a photo of the inside of a Traffic Management Center (TMC) showing multiple people, each with five monitors on their desk, and a wall displaying projected computer data, images, and closed-circuit television feeds.]
Slide 21: Types of Crowdsourced Data for Transportation Operations
- Vehicle probe
- Navigation app
- Social media
- Connected vehicle
- 311 and 511 apps
- Multimodal probe data
[This slide contains a photo of 4 clear cylinders filled with jellybeans: caramel, pear, mixed, and tangerine.]
Slide 22: Integrating Crowdsourced Data
[This slide contains a graphic. The information in the graphic is reproduced in the table below.]
- Crowdsourced Data
- Citizen Calls
- ITS Field Devices
- Third-Party Data
- Partner Data
- Service Patrol
|
→ |
Operations Group
- TMC
- Signals System
- Maintenance and Traffic
|
→ |
- Traveler Information
- Incident Management
- Freeway Traffic Management
- Arterial Management
- Road Weather Management
- Many Other Applications
|
Slide 23: Application Areas
- Traffic Incident Management
[Photo of an ambulance and a car that was in accident with congested traffic in the background]
- Traffic Studies
[Photo of two vehicles in a roundabout]
- Road Weather Management
[Photo of a truck plowing snow]
- Traveler Information
[Photo of the interior dashboard of an auto]
- Performance Management
[A chart with an arrow going up]
- Arterial Management
[Photo of overhead traffic signals with snow-covered mountains in the background]
Slide 24: Application Areas (Cont.)
- Freeway Management
[Photo of a dynamic message sign above a busy roadway]
- Work Zone Management
[Photo of multiple road warning signs, including “Road Closed” and “Wrong Way”]
- Road and ITS Maintenance
[Photo of a car’s rear passenger tire in a pothole]
- Project Prioritization
[Photo of a dozen talking people with laptops sitting around a conference room table.]
- Emergency Management
[Photo of a circular “Hurricane evacuation route” road sign]
- Other Applications?
[Photo of a 25 MPH Speed Limit sign]
Slide 25: Why Crowdsourcing for Operations?
- ✓ Improve Operations
[Photo of a highway with snow-covered mountains in the background]
- ✓ Increase Safety and Reliability
[Photo of two police cars in traffic with their flashing lights on]
- ✓ Save Cost
[Photo of a man in a boom lift (cherry picker) installing a camera above a traffic light]
Slide 26: Knowledge Check No. 1
What are the benefits from crowdsourcing for transportation operations?
- Increase travel reliability
- Improve traffic safety
- Save cost
- ✓ All of the above
[This slide contains a photo of a small pile of books on a desk with the top book opened.]
Slide 27: Knowledge Check No. 2
Which of the following are benefits of using crowdsourcing data for transportation operations?
- Fewer gaps in geographic coverage
- Better timeliness of information
- Less cost to install and maintain equipment
- Fewer jurisdictional stovepipes
- ✓ All of the above
[This slide contains a photo of a small pile of books on a desk with the top book opened.]
Lesson 3: Application Areas
Presenter: Natalie Bettger, North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG)
Slide 28: Lesson 3: Application Areas
[This slide contains a photo of a roadway with center yellow lines heading off in to the distance toward snowy mountains. This image is presented to evoke a feeling of “the sky is the limit.”]
Slide 29: Lesson Objectives
- Become familiar with State and local uses of crowdsourced data
- Understand that the same data can support multiple uses
[This slide contains four circular photos: (1) a snowblower plowing a road, (2) an overhead view of a highway interchange, (3) a tall mountain viewed from a road, and (4) a view up a busy city street.]
Slide 30: Many Applications for Operations
- Agencies typically begin with one source of crowdsourced data for a key need.
- They quickly find the “one source” has many reuses!
- And they find even greater value in integrating different data for real-time and archived uses.
[This slide contains a grid of nine images: (1) a photo of multiple roadway signs, (2) a photo of two cars in a roundabout, (3) a photo of a truck plowing snow off a highway, (4) a photo of a view of traffic lights from the road and beyond that, snow-covered mountains, (5) a chart with an arrow pointing upward showing positive performance, (6) a photo of a 25 mph speed limit sign, (7) a photo of people with laptops chatting while sitting around a conference room table, (8) a photo of an inside view of a car’s dashboard, and (9) a photo of a car’s rear passenger tire in a pothole.]
Slide 31: Crowdsourcing in Dallas, Texas
North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG)
Natalie Bettger
Senior Program Manager
Congestion Management and System Operation
North Central Texas Council of Governments
nbettger@nctcog.org
Slide 32: NCTCOG 911 Department
Goal: NCTCOG 911 needed to identify crashes early for emergency response.
Action: Waze integration into forty-two 911 centers.
Outcome: Quicker notification of crashes, quicker response to crashes to save lives:
- 80% of the time, crashes reported to Public Safety Answering Point (PSAPs) 10 minutes earlier than WAZE, on average.
- Remaining 20% of crashes were reported to WAZE first, 9 minutes before PSAPs, on average.
Slide 33: City of Frisco, Situational Awareness for Emergency Response (SAFER) Platform
- Goal: Help public safety dispatchers provide accurate information to the responder community and road users.
- Action: SAFER interfaces with Waze to share information multiple incident response communities.
- Outcome: Quicker incident detection and response, and more timely and precise traveler information.
[This slide contains two screenshots from the Situational Awareness for Emergency Response (SAFER) GIS Application: (1) a map showing the location of a closed road and (2) a close-up map of the closed road displaying additional information: the name of the road, which user reported it, and when it was reported.]
Slide 34: NCTCOG Traffic Signal Performance
Goal: Evaluate performance of and better manage all 7,000 traffic signals within the NCTCOG region.
Action: Purchase platform and data to analyze performance.
Outcomes: Identify non-performing signals, and whether additional (Intended) capacity is needed. Quickly identify malfunctioning traffic signal equipment. Assess whether signal timing or coordination is needed.
Slide 35: Example: District Department of Transportation Crowdsources Pothole Detection
The District Department of Transportation (Washington, DC) launched a Potholepalooza campaign using social media.
- 11,000 potholes identified via crowdsourcing (e.g., 311 calls) and conventional, city employees’ reports in 3 months
- 10,000 potholes reported by its 650,000 Waze™ users in a month
[This slide contains a screenshot of a DDOT DC Twitter post from March 30, 2015: “Another #potholepalooza factoid, the total Waze pothole-related reports are 10,202. You are rocking this. Keep them coming.”]
Slide 36: Kansas City Scout Crowdsourced Pothole Report Tool
- Automated pull of potholes from Waze shared with maintenance
- Field-evaluated reports
- Expanding its use beyond Kansas City’s boundaries
- Improvements in operations and safety
[This slide contains a reproduction of the cover of “Crowdsourced Pothole Reports,” which includes the words “98% Accurate in the Kansas City, Bi-State Metro Area” and a photo of a car parked next to two potholes with water in them.]
Slide 37: Example: Ohio DOT Uses Vehicle Probe Data for Nine Different Applications!
Collects 27,000 center-lane miles of interstate, U.S., and State route probe data. The agency applies the data for real-time and archived uses.
- Traffic Incident Management
- Traveler Information
- Freeway Management
- Traffic Studies
- Project Prioritization
- Performance Management
- Work Zone Management
- Road Weather Management
- Arterial Management
[This slide contains a graphic of the System Data Processing Pipeline: (SQL) Data to Analyze to Visualize. (SQL is Structured Query Language.) Data includes warehouse and Excel/other local data. Analyze includes Python, SASS (SQL Server Analysis Services) “Cube,” and AWS (Amazon Web Services). Visualize includes Power Bi, Excel, ArcGIS, and Jupyter.]
Slide 38: Knowledge Check
Ohio DOT uses vehicle probe data for how many applications?
- One use
- Five uses
- ✓ Nine, that we know of
- The agency does not use vehicle probe data.
[This slide contains a photo of a small pile of books on a desk with the top book opened.]
Crowdsourcing for Operations Course
Presenter: Greg Jones, Federal Highway Administration
[The slides in this presentation contain the USDOT Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) logo, the Every Day Counts (EDC) logo, and/or the ITS PCB logo.]
Slide 39: Question, Answer, and Discussion
[This slide contains a photo of a person presenting to five other people with empty, multicolored, translucent thought bubbles overlaid over the photo. The thought bubbles represent multiple viewpoints being shared.]
Slide 40: Application Example Resources
[This slide contains a screenshot of FHWA’s EDC-6 Crowdsourcing for Advancing Operation website page.]
Slide 41: Crowdsourcing Beyond EDC-6
- New web presence
- Continue course delivery
- Continue technical support
- Continue free access to the EDC-6 Adventures in Crowdsourcing webinar series hosted by the National Operations Center of Excellence
[This slide contains a screenshot of FHWA’s Crowdsourcing for Advancing Operations website.]
Slide 42: Thank you.
Be sure to join the next course webinar on Tuesday, June 20, 2023, at 1 p.m. ET to learn about crowdsourcing data sources and management.
James Colyar, james.colyar@dot.gov, 360‒753‒9408
Greg Jones, gregm.jones@dot.gov, 404‒895‒6220
Ralph Volpe, ralph.volpe@dot.gov, 404‒985‒1268
Slide 43: Upcoming T3 Webinars
| Webinar |
Date |
Time |
| Crowdsourcing for Advancing Operations: Data Sources and Management |
Tuesday, June 20, 2023 |
1:00 P.M. - 2:30 P.M. ET |
| Crowdsourcing for Advancing Operations: Traveler Information and Traffic Incident Management |
Tuesday, July 18, 2023 |
1:00 P.M. - 2:30 P.M. ET |
| Crowdsourcing for Advancing Operations: Road Weather and Arterial Management |
Tuesday, August 15, 2023 |
1:00 P.M. - 2:30 P.M. ET |
| Crowdsourcing for Advancing Operations: Emergency and Work Zone Management and Next Steps |
Tuesday, September 19, 2023 |
1:00 P.M. - 2:30 P.M. ET |
Register: /t3_webinars.aspx
To access the recording and past T3 webinars, visit: /t3_archives.aspx
Slide 44: Feedback
- A link to a feedback questionnaire is provided in the chat pod. Please take a few minutes to fill it out – we value your input.
- To receive notifications of upcoming events, send an email to T3@dot.gov with “Add to mailing list” in the subject line.
↑ Return to top
United States Department of Transportation
