A

 The U

d

.S. Depar

va

tment of 

ncing

Transportation’s Volpe Center 

Data-Driven 

Decision Making 

in Transportation

Kendall Square / Cambridge, MA

www.volpe.dot.gov
Novel data analysis techniques are transforming 

mobility in the U.S. and around the world. This is how 

the U.S. DOT Volpe Center is applying its unique 

capabilities across the data spectrum—modeling and 

visualization, machine learning, modernization, and 

analysis and collection—to inform decision making 

and improve the safety and efficiency of multimodal 

transportation systems. 

Innovative Approaches to Modeling and 

Data Visualization

Integrating Safety Data 

with the Waze Pilot Project

More than 37,000 people were killed in motor 

vehicle crashes in 2017. In addition, over 3 million 

were injured in motor vehicle crashes in 2016. 

To understand crash risk, the U.S. Department of 

Transportation (DOT) Safety Data Initiative is using 

advanced data analytics to identify factors that 

contribute to serious crashes.

In support of the Office of the Under Secretary 

for Policy and the Bureau of Transportation 

Statistics, Volpe Center data experts are leading the 

Waze Pilot Project, which is advancing U.S. DOT’s 

vision of integrating government data with big data 

from private companies to estimate crash risk and 

indicate reportable traffic crashes in a reliable 

and timely way.

In phase one of the Waze project, a Volpe 

Center team integrated traffic event data with 

police-reported traffic crash data and other 

variables, such as weather and roadway conditions. 

The team applied machine learning methods 

to estimate the number of police-reportable 

traffic crashes that occurred every hour in 

one-mile area grid cells across Maryland from 

April to September 2017. 

In phase two, the U.S. DOT Volpe Center is 

partnering with state and local transportation 

agencies to develop specific applications of the 

Waze crash estimation models, and assess how 

they can inform traffic safety. ■

Cover: ©123rf.com/Galina Peshkova
Exploring Transportation Flow Scenarios with the Freight and Fuel 

Transportation Optimization Tool (FTOT)

The U.S. DOT Volpe Center created FTOT in support of FAA, DOE, and the Department of Defense 

(DoD) to analyze freight and fuel transport options. In this simple example, FTOT can show how a new 

biofuel refinery and new roadway might impact traffic flow.

Safely Introducing Drones into 

the Nation’s Airspace 

Federal regulation requires that pilots be aware of 

surrounding aircraft—either visually or with onboard instrumentation. Remote Unmanned Aircraft 

System (UAS) operators cannot safely comply with 

this regulation. Remote UAS operators must resort 

to limiting and sometimes impractical ways to see 

and avoid other aircraft, such as ground-based 

observers or chase aircraft following the drone.

Experts in air traffic management and operations 

at the Volpe Center have worked with the 

U.S. Air Force to develop and deploy an 

automated solution to this challenge. 

Ground-based detect and avoid (GBDAA) 

integrates real-time track and position data from 

ground-based radar into a single display, allowing 

remote UAS operators to detect and avoid 

other aircraft. 

Volpe experts also engineered an innovative 

solution—a mobile command center outfitted 

with a full suite of GBDAA equipment—that 

allows remote pilots to control UAS operations 

from multiple locations. The deployment is an 

important benchmark, demonstrating that GBDAA 

can be effective across geographic locations with 

unique operational characteristics. ■

Using the Freight and Fuel 

Transportation Optimization Tool 

to Evaluate Transport Scenarios 

The U.S. economy depends on the efficient 

movement of goods, including critical energy 

commodities. Government agencies are working 

to understand changing transportation needs 

and potential impacts. 

To analyze freight and fuel transport options, 

Volpe created the Freight and Fuel Transportation 

Optimization Tool (FTOT) on behalf of the 

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the 

Department of Energy (DOE), and the U.S. Navy’s 

Office of Naval Research. 
FTOT draws on a range of data to help 

government agencies analyze freight and fuel 

transport options and hone in on optimal 

multimodal transportation flow patterns and 

emissions associated with potential freight 

and energy scenarios. 

Users can explore how potential changes in 

production and demand will affect those optimal 

patterns. FTOT users can also evaluate how future 

infrastructure scenarios will affect a given route, 

and apply what they learn to freight planning. 

The Volpe team continues to enhance FTOT’s 

capabilities and is working toward a publicly 

releasable version of the tool, expected in 2019. ■ 

Improving Data Visualization and 

Access Across Aviation 

FAA is a data-rich organization, but historically 

has not had a standard mechanism for sharing 

data between programs and with aviation stakeholders. By standardizing delivery methods and 

building data delivery into the FAA infrastructure, 

data-sharing costs are greatly reduced and secure 

data-sharing options are maximized.

Data sharing improves transportation 

efficiency and reduces delays by providing 

common situational awareness and improved 

planning capabilities.

Volpe Center experts have been vital in 

developing the System Wide Information 

Management (SWIM) Program, which improves 

data sharing across the aviation community 

using defined, standardized, secure, flexible, and 

scalable connections. With SWIM, airlines no 

longer need to scour numerous sources to 

access weather and surface operations 

information. Private industry can also capitalize 

on SWIM-distributed air traffic control data to 

develop new software products that serve the 

aviation community. ■

Sharing Data to Advance Safety and 

Security on the Global Seas 

Volpe used its data and system engineering 

expertise to develop a maritime domain 

awareness data-sharing network known as the 

Maritime Safety and Security Information System 

(MSSIS) for the U.S. Navy 6th Fleet. 

MSSIS is a low-cost, unclassified, near real-time 

network that is used to track vessels as they 

traverse the world’s waterways. 

The system tracks tens of thousands of vessels 

and is an invaluable tool for security forces 

globally, providing support for international 

military operations and exercises, as well as 

search-and-rescue missions. ■

(Photo: U.S. Air Force) 
Helping to Automate Approval 

of Drone Operations

FAA projects an increase from 1.1 million smallmodel hobbyist Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS) 

in 2017 to 2.4 million in 2022, and from 110,604 

commercial, small non-model drones in 2017 to 

451,800 in 2021. FAA asked the Volpe Center to 

develop a quantitative model to evaluate the 

automated approval of sUAS operations using the 

new Low Altitude Authorization and Notification 

Capability (LAANC) system.

Volpe Center experts analyzed manned aircraft 

track data from over 40 airports to determine 

altitudes and sufficient vertical separation between 

drones and other aircraft. 

Volpe used the model it developed to analyze 

airspaces using a data-backed, quantifiable, and 

repeatable approach. Quantitatively assessing 

airspaces can improve the safety of sUAS 

operations and increase the reliability of automated 

approval systems. With detailed data on manned 

aircraft traffic, FAA can approve requests to fly 

sUAS faster and more efficiently. ■

Machine Learning

Addressing Driver Behavior to 

Improve Safety 

Driving behavior is a critical factor in nearly all 

traffic crashes. The Second Strategic Highway 

Research Program’s (SHRP2’s) Naturalistic Driving 

Study (NDS) provides information on driving 

behavior and individual trip characteristics—

including events like crashes and near crashes. 

Naturalistic driving research requires extensive 

access to supporting video data, recorded 

continuously while drivers operate vehicles. 

Traditional manual data reduction techniques are 

cumbersome, expensive, and sometimes impossible. 

Volpe Center machine learning experts developed 

the methodology, example technology, and subject 

matter expertise needed to create a video 

processing tool. 

Volpe staff then developed that solution using 

agile workflow methods, and continue to add 

new features to the application.

This project is now focused on detecting and 

mapping features related to work zones, traffic 

signals and signal state, and road weather 

conditions. Volpe produced a tool that can 

detect and map work zone features with over 

90 percent accuracy across the video data set. 

Using machine learning techniques, analysts can 

process a one-hour video in 30 seconds using 

commercial-grade computer processors, 

compared to three to four hours for manual 

coding. Reducing the time needed to perform 

NDS research also makes the SHRP2 data set 

more useful for research on validating work 

zone models. ■

(Photo: ©123rf.com/Natalia Ramirez Roman) 
Modernization

Improving Motor Carrier Safety 

through State-of-the-Art Technology

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration 

(FMCSA) aims to make highways safer for all 

drivers. One danger is fatigued driving, which leads 

to hundreds of crashes and deaths each year. 

Federal law requires that trucks have electronic 

logging devices (ELDs), which track on- and 

off-duty time for drivers. 

ELDs create a safer work environment for drivers 

of commercial motor vehicles, and make it easier 

and faster to accurately track, manage, and share 

data on driving and off-duty time. FMCSA 

estimates that nationwide ELDs can help avoid 

1,844 crashes, with 562 fewer injuries and 

26 lives saved per year.

The Volpe Center designed and developed the 

technology for transmitting ELD data to safety 

officials, and a software application—Electronic 

Records of Duty Status, or eRODs—for viewing 

and analyzing that data. Volpe experts also designed

and delivered communication and outreach 

materials, including a website that is the program’s 

information centerpiece: https://eld.fmcsa.dot.gov.

Finally, the Volpe team provides critical technical 

support and offers guidance to ELD providers. ■

Improving On-Time Performance 

with Better Flight Delay Reporting 

Airlines want to get passengers to and from 

their destinations on time. But unforeseen 

problems can arise, such as bad weather, air 

traffic delays, and mechanical issues. That’s why 

FAA prioritized upgrading its official system for 

reporting flight delay data. A new system in 

development will expand and improve data 

collection and recording.

Volpe Center aviation systems engineering 

experts partnered with FAA to conduct a 

proof-of-concept for the new system. 

Volpe Center experts validated the technical 

feasibility of requirements, mitigated technical 

risks, identified different approaches in delay 

metrics and reporting structures, validated data 

integrity, and identified benefits.

Volpe experts also developed software and 

procured hardware, reviewed documentation 

for FAA streaming data services, and developed 

algorithms to match the same flight within and 

across different data services. By demonstrating 

the use of cost-effective, cutting-edge technologies, 

Volpe is laying the groundwork for the future 

of quality flight delay data. ■

(Photo: ©123rf.com/vitpho) 
0.63% of all VEHICLE-MILES TRAVELED

3.2% of all REGISTERED MOTOR VEHICLES

14% of annual FATAL CRASHES

U.S. MOTORCYCLES

ACCOUNT FOR To Reduce Fatal Motorcycle Crashes, 

Understand How They Are Different

Volpe experts identified 

11 motorcycle crash scenarios 

that account for 70 percent of 

motorcycle crashes and 81 percent 

of fatal motorcycle crashes.

Analysis and Collection

Developing New Test Procedures 

for Vehicle Safety Applications 

Vehicle safety applications are becoming standard 

issue on more and more vehicles in the U.S. 

Two emerging safety applications are intersection 

movement assist (IMA) and left-turn assist (LTA), 

both of which identify and warn drivers of 

potential crossing-path collisions at intersections. 

More than 10,000 traffic fatalities happened at 

intersections in the U.S. in 2016, about 27 percent 

of all U.S. road deaths.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration 

(NHTSA) turned to the Volpe Center to improve 

its understanding of vehicle performance and 

driver behavior at intersections for the development 

and testing of effective IMA and LTA applications, 

by identifying metrics and providing real-world 

data on how drivers navigate signalized and 

unsignalized intersections. ■

Developing Characteristics of 

Motorcycle Crashes to Inform 

Crash Avoidance Research 

Motorcycles make up just 0.63 percent of all vehiclemiles traveled (VMT) in the U.S. and only 3.2 

percent of all registered motor vehicles—but they 

account for more than 14 percent of annual traffic 

fatalities. Significantly reducing motorcycle crashes 

would greatly improve overall roadway safety.

Understanding the motorcycle crash problem 

is a critical first step in identifying potential 

strategies and mitigation techniques that can 

increase the safety of motorcycle operators 

and other road users. 

NHTSA requested that the Volpe Center define 

the characteristics of motorcycle crashes in order 

to inform and guide motorcycle crash avoidance 

research and technology development. 

Volpe’s team evaluated five years of crash data 

and identified over 507,000 motorcycle crashes, 

including 23,245 fatal crashes during the fiveyear period. These crashes were classified against 

a complex set of criteria, including 36 possible 

pre-crash scenarios, and crash contributing factors 

such as obstructions, road conditions, and driver 

impairment. Volpe experts identified 11 common 

motorcycle pre-crash scenarios that account for 70 

percent of motorcycle crashes and 81 percent of 

fatal motorcycle crashes. 

By identifying the predominant pre-crash 

scenarios—and developing reliable metrics to 

predict vehicle paths and assess crash potential—

researchers, technology developers, and vehicle 

manufacturers can focus on crash mitigation 

efforts and innovative technology applications. ■
Making Flying More Efficient—

Without Compromising Safety—

through Smart Aircraft 

Wake Separations 

An aircraft in flight leaves a swirling wake of air 

behind it, which may be hazardous to following 

aircraft if not accounted for operationally. But the 

national airspace system can be even more 

efficient if aircraft can safely fly closer together. 

The Volpe Center supports FAA in collecting and 

analyzing data to identify opportunities to safely 

revise wake separations of aircraft currently in 

service, and to set wake separation minima for 

new aircraft prior to entry-into-service. 

Volpe experts collect and maintain wake 

turbulence data, meteorological and surveillance 

data, and data on aircraft performance and 

physical characteristics. 

Volpe analyzes this data to determine safe 

wake separations between aircraft. In the past 

year, the Volpe Center enlarged and improved 

this critical database. Volpe also supported FAA 

in developing a methodology that standardizes 

and streamlines the analysis needed to set wake 

separations for new aircraft. ■

Modernizing the Nation’s Primary 

Vehicle Defects Database 

To ensure safety on the nation’s roads and to 

improve accountability to drivers, consumers, 

and manufacturers, data experts from NHTSA 

and the Volpe Center are modernizing the 

Artemis vehicle defects suite of applications to 

make it easier for investigators to flag potential 

risks to the driving public.

Artemis is the primary data system that the 

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation 

uses to identify and address potential safety 

defects in motor vehicles. 

Volpe has implemented several technical proofsof-concepts to validate the architecture and design 

of the modernized system in the Amazon cloud. 

The modernized Artemis will consolidate several 

disparate data sources, which will let NHTSA 

investigators immediately see important safetyrelated information. The Amazon cloud 

implementation will significantly reduce the 

cost and effort associated with maintaining the 

legacy system. ■

Optimizing Transit Performance 

Management for the National 

Park Service 

National Park Service (NPS) transit systems are as 

varied as the parks themselves and include ferries, 

shuttles, airplanes, and trolleys. System data allows 

NPS to communicate the impact and importance 

of transit within national parks.

The first NPS Transit Inventory and Performance 

Report was completed six years ago, and is 

updated annually. The Volpe Center helps initiate 

the transit inventory and continuously improves 

the data collection effort. Volpe staff collect parklevel data on NPS annual operating statistics and 

vehicle information, complete quality control and 

assurance on the data, and translate the data into 

final reports. This data helps NPS holistically 

understand its transit systems. ■

(Photo: U.S. NPS) 2/19