Vehicle-Based Telemetric Data for State and Local Transportation Agencies

Telematics sensors are currently being installed in many vehicles, enabling, through their real-time and wide coverage, data-assisted traffic management, transportation planning and decision-making, and safety assessments. They include important vehicle-centric data collected from extra sensor modules (e.g., On-Board Diagnostics (OBD-II)), able to obtain engine speed, Time-to-Collision (TTC), hard braking and acceleration events, in addition to GPS data. Collecting and aggregating data directly from vehicles have introduced a new set of tools for state and local transportation agencies to fill gaps in their understanding of roadway system performance. State and local departments of transportation (DOTs) are heterogeneous, and their needs and uses for telemetric data are nuanced. Telemetric data are defined here as data generated or collected by vehicles and in-vehicle devices. Private sector entities that provide telemetric data and related analytics are still relatively new and may be reluctant to share their data. Advancing technologies are changing the landscape relative to an agency’s ability to improve safety, operations, and other DOT business practices. However, new technological capabilities uncover challenges related to telemetric data availability, accessibility, integration, privacy, and use. In this context, there is an urgent need to assist state and local transportation agencies in justifying their access to telemetric data and using them in their business practices.

This study aims to conduct a comprehensive and in-depth study on Vehicle-based Telemetric Data for state and local transportation agencies, which will reveal the state of practice related to vehicle-based telemetric data sources, availability, accessibility, integration, privacy, uses and related analysis tools. The study primarily identifies the challenges and opportunities when transportation agencies apply telemetric data to improve safety, operations, asset management, environmental monitoring, public transportation, and other practices.

For more information on this research project please contact Dr Xiao Li.