ITS4US Deployment Program Webinar - Paving the way: Innovative Data Collection Methods for Sidewalk (or Pedestrian) Infrastructure

Presented by Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) – Safe Trips in a Connected Transportation Network (ST-CTN) and University of Washington – Transportation Data Equity Initiative (UW-TDEI)

Join us for an insightful webinar hosted by the Intelligent Transportation Systems Joint Program Office (ITS JPO) featuring the University of Washington’s Taskar Center for Accessible Technology (UW-TDEI) and the Georgia Department of Transportation’s Safe Trips in a Connected Transportation Network (GDOT ST-CTN) ITS4US projects.This session will explore innovative methods for collecting and digitizing sidewalk data, aimed at enhancing pedestrian safety, mobility and access. Following overviews of the deployments focusing on their innovative data collections, there will be an interactive discussion where attendees can engage with the project teams about their work. Future deployers will gain valuable insights from the experiences and lessons learned by the ITS4US deployment teams.

Key Topics:

● Introduction toUW-TDEI OpenSidewalks and GDOT’s Sidewalk Data Collection: Learn about the importance of detailed, accurate data on pedestrian spaces and how it supports equitable transportation planning

● Innovative Techniques: Discover how the projects utilize scalable methods for acquiring sidewalk accessibility information using:

o Crowdsourcing: Engaging the community to gather data through mobile apps and online platforms.

o Video-based Data Collection and Inspections: Leveraging readily available video detection tools to collect and inspect sidewalk conditions.

o Computer Vision: Using machine learning algorithms to analyze images and videos of sidewalks.

o Online Map Imagery: Leveraging existing map data to extract and verify sidewalk information.

o Field Surveys: Conducting on-site assessments to collect detailed measurements and observations.

● Applications and Impact: Explore how collected data is used in real-world applications, such as accessible travel planners and navigation tools for people with dissabilities, as well as decision-support tools for transportation and urban planners

Date: Thursday, October 24, 2024

Time: 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm ET

Presenters:

Elina Zlotchenko, ITS4US Program Manager, ITS JPO
Dr. Randy Guensler, Georgia Tech, ITS4US ST-CTN Pedestrian Impedance Lead
Dr. Anat Caspi, Taskar Center for Accessible Technology, ITS4US UW-TDEI

Program Background

The ITS4US Deployment Program, led by the Intelligent Transportation Systems Joint Program Office (ITS JPO) at the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT), expands access to transportation for all travelers with a specific focus on underserved communities, including people with disabilities, older adults, veterans, individuals of low income, people in rural communities and those with limited English proficiency. This program embodies the Administration’s priorities of transportation equity, economic growth, sustainability, and most importantly, compassion and inclusivity. The program funds multiple large-scale replicable deployments in three phases:

Phase 1: concept development
Phase 2: design and testing
Phase 3: operations and evaluation

In June 2022, the deployment sites completed the concept development phase of each of their projects. The USDOT awarded four teams with Phase 2 funding to support the design and testing of their projects based on their Phase 1 concepts. The four deployment sites are:

Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT)
Heart of Iowa Regional Transit Agency (HIRTA)
Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority (NFTA)/Buffalo
University of Washington (UW)

For more details on the ITS4US Deployment program, see the program’s website at: https://its.dot.gov/its4us/.

Accommodations

Live closed captioning will be provided during this webinar. Please note that the deadline to request additional accessibility accommodations for this webinar is October 17, 2024.

ITS4US Webinar: Georgia DOT and University of Washington