SharedStreets is a non-profit organization working on open-source software, digital infrastructure, and governance for urban transportation data.

Shared Streets has a number of different projects and programs, including the SharedStreets Referencing System for allowing data to be transferred between different base maps, CurbLR, an open data standard for geo-referenced curb data, Mobility Metrics, and open source software supporting these initiatives. In addition, they function as an independent third party for managing and analyzing data.

Shared Streets’ Referencing System provides an open, common referencing system that can be used to convert data from one base map to another, so that data from different geographic reference systems can be effectively combined and analyzed. 

CurbLR is one of several initiative for standardizing digital, geo-referenced curb locations, rules, regulations, and usage. 

In addition to proposed standards and open-source software, SharedStreets functions as an independent third party for managing and analyzing mobility data. One example of this was the Washington, DC Data Sharing Partnership. Washington DC’s Department of Transportation and Department of For-Hire Vehicles teamed with SharedStreets and Uber to launch a data sharing and data analysis partnership, under which Uber agreed to share data that may be privacy-sensitive and/or proprietary with SharedStreets, who agreed to use the data only for specific, agreed-to purposes, and not redistribute it. SharedStreets then used the data to provide both aggregate data and analysis results to the city government 1 . 

This model, using a trusted third party, holds promise for helping to allow localities to receive the data analysis that they require while protecting the data from, for example, state Freedom of Information (FOIA) requests or other concerns with government possession of the data (e.g., its use for law enforcement). 

While SharedStreets is a non-profit organization, there are also for-profit companies and university programs, such as the University of Washington’s Transportation Data Collaborative, working to establish themselves as trusted third-party data managers and analysts.

Announcing SharedStreets’ Trusted Data Exchange 2 , an additional resource, is an online article by McArdle.

Type
External Resource
Category
Organizations & Associations