Box B
Data Needs Findings From the Transportation Research Board’s Peer Exchange With State Transportation Officials

In April 2007,  the Transportation Research Board held a peer exchange discussion with representatives from 10 state transportation departments, 2 metropolitan planning organizations, and several federal agencies on actions to ensure the availability of data for transportation decision-making.  Discussion included opportunities for national efforts to advance transportation data systems through:

"Conducting synthesis studies to document innovative data practices, including data business plan development;  protocols and management systems for sharing data within and between agencies; data reporting strategies and technologies; and studies of the uses and importance of national data bases…".

"Development of new data tools, such as analysis and forecasting methods to support transportation decisions;  practical methods to calculate return on investments (ROI) for all transportation investments;  techniques to identify and quantify the risks and benefits of alternative investment scenarios; and advanced tools for integrating real-time traffic data with transportation management and planning functions."

"Identification of effective designs for cooperative and collaborative interagency decisions on selection, sharing, and application of multiple data sources for decision making."