What are the benefits of providing access to ITS data from federal research and demonstration projects?

Consistent and timely access to data increases the return on federal investment in ITS research and demonstration projects while helping to inform future investment decisions, which speeds deployment of innovative ITS technologies and produces widespread benefits. By providing access to these data, the U.S. DOT aims to enable third-party research into the effectiveness of emerging ITS technologies, preliminary development of third-party applications, and harmonization of data across similar collections. Data accessible through ITS DataHub is quality-checked, well-documented, and freely available to the public.

Are there any restrictions of using the data that is made available on ITS DataHub?

Data on ITS DataHub is free and open to the public. Data can be used for other projects as long as it is properly referenced.

How is the U.S. DOT helping to enable researchers discover open-source code? And what are the benefits of promoting code-reuse?

ITS CodeHub promotes a reuse-first mentality and aims to support the discovery of open source-code by putting it directly into the hands of developers to customize, transform, expand, and improve, as trends evolve and needs change. This approach has the benefits of lowering costs, increasing interoperability and transparency, and accelerating the path to high-quality software deployment—collectively advancing our nation’s transportation system.

How can access to data enable safe, efficient, and accessible integration of automated vehicles into the transportation system?

Access to harmonized data is essential to the integration of automated vehicles and other emerging ITS areas that are highly data dependent. As vehicles and travelers cross jurisdictional boundaries, data exchanges are a key component and are crucial for the next generation of interoperable transportation. Lack of access to data could impede connected and automated vehicle integration and delay their safe introduction. The Work Zone Data Exchange is an example of a voluntary data exchange that aims to get data on work zones into vehicles to help automated driving systems and human drivers navigate more safely.