UWTDC is a data repository for shared mobility data operated by the University of Washington. The concept is that data can be managed, protected, analyzed, and, where appropriate, shared, more efficiently and effectively by a single collaborative organization with a common set of policies and procedures.

The goal of the collaborative is to provide a common protected and linked repository for both public and private sector data. The concept is that data can be managed, protected, analyzed, and, where appropriate, shared, more efficiently and effectively by a single collaborative organization with a common set of policies and procedures.

TDC identifies the barriers to data sharing that 3rd Party management can help overcome as:

  • “The need for policies to govern data sharing, ownership, access, security, and privacy;
  • A shortfall of capacity (both human and computational) in the public sector for data analytics, visualization, privacy, and cybersecurity;
  • Interoperability challenges between information systems, including schema, format, and structure;
  • The potential for non-uniform coverage and biases in individual datasets that can lead to misinterpretation or misuse of shared results; and
  • Laws and regulations which place transportation data at risk of disclosure to any interested party.”

The TDC currently provides services to the city of Seattle. Seattle planners want access to Census Block level data on shared mobility in order to better understand impacts, such as curb usage, but recognize the need to protect privacy and that Washington state’s open records laws currently don’t fully protect location-specific trip data that might have to be disclosed should it be stored by city agencies. The TDC is looking to expand its services to other major metropolitan areas. 

In addition to the TDC, operated by a university, there are other non-profit organizations, such as SharedStreets and for-profit organizations that provide third party shared mobility data management and analysis services

As an additional resource, Cities & Data Sharing – Part 2: Seattle 1 , is an article discussing how the City of Seattle is using the UW Transportation Data Collaborative to manage data and analysis for their bike sharing program, including a discussion of their data governance model.

Type
External Resource
Category
Data Platforms & Repositories