CSAI_Request for Information.pdf

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION 693JJ3-25-RFI-0002

COMPLETE STREETS ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) INITIATIVE PHASE 2

AGENCY

Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology (OST-R), Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Joint Program Office (JPO), Department of Transportation (DOT)

ACTION

Request for information (RFI)

SUMMARY

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology (OST-R), Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Joint Program Office (JPO) is seeking input via this Request for Information (RFI) to shape potential Federal investment in the development, testing, pilot deployments, and evaluation of applications leveraging Artificial Intelligence (AI) to address transportation needs. These include improving the transportation system and users’ safety, mobility, accessibility, productivity, efficiency, and environmental impacts of the transportation system and users. Feedback and comments on any aspect of the RFI are welcomed from all interested public, private, non-profit and academic entities. While all feedback is welcomed, DOT is particularly interested in feedback on the questions provided in the last section of this RFI.

DATES

Responses to the RFI must be received by 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on 01/31/2025.

ADDRESSES

Responses and Questions must be submitted electronically to the Contracting Officer, James Mikell in Microsoft Word or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) at james.mikell@dot.gov and cc: HCFA-23SRI@dot.gov. A response to this RFI will not be viewed as a binding commitment to develop or pursue the projects or ideas discussed.

Respondents are requested to provide the following information at the beginning of their response to this RFI:

Entity / institution name Entity / institution contact Contact’s address, phone number, and email address Unique Entity Information

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION, HTTPS://ITS.DOT.GOV/CSAI/INDEX.HTML

Purpose of the RFI

The purpose of this RFI Notice is to solicit interest from entities interested in participating in the Complete Street Artificial Intelligence (AI) Initiative (the Initiative). Participating in the Initiative will support the development of Complete Street Artificial Intelligence applications and entails sharing available data on their geographic region to Complete Street AI awardees at no cost to the awardees. The desired characteristic of a geographic region is that it is comprised of a population of 250,000 or more.

Complete Street AI Initiative awardees are small business who submitted successful proposals in response to the U.S Department of Transportation (DOT) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) solicitation1 ‘Complete Streets Artificial Intelligence (AI) Initiative’. The awardees are currently working on the Phase I portion of the effort. The Phase II effort will require awardees to scale their efforts to regions with a population of 250,000 or more. Therefore, DOT seeks to provide awardees with a list of regions interested in supporting the Initiative. Awardees may consider this list when preparing their Phase II proposal and contact the entity to discuss details pertaining to their approach. DOT will not facilitate any interaction between the awardees and entities. Entities are expected to provide awardees with available data sets for their geographic region. If multiple awardees request support from an entity, the entity is expected to provide equal treatment to all awardees.

While comments are welcome on any area of the RFI, the DOT is particularly interested in responses to the questions listed at the end of this RFI.

Background

In 2021, an estimated 42,915 people across the Nation—117 people per day—lost their lives in motor vehicle crashes. This represents the highest number of fatalities since 2005 and is a result of increases on rural Interstates and urban roads, among younger and older drivers, pedestrians and bicyclists, and in other crash types.2 In January, DOT unveiled the National Roadway Safety Strategy (NRSS). The NRSS commits DOT and FHWA to respond to the current crisis in traffic fatalities by “taking substantial, comprehensive action to significantly reduce serious and fatal injuries on the Nation's roadways,” in pursuit of the goal of achieving zero highway deaths. To achieve this goal, DOT has adopted the “Safe System Approach,” which acknowledges both human mistakes and human vulnerability, and designs a redundant system to protect everyone by preventing crashes and ensuring that if they do occur, they do not result in serious injury or death. DOT will use a five-pronged model to address safety: safer people, safer roads, safer vehicles, safer speeds and post-crash care. Under the NRSS, FHWA committed to launching a

1 https://www.volpe.dot.gov/work-us/small-business-innovation-research/us-dot-sbir-fiscal-year-20242-fy242-solicitation-now 2https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2023/02/03/2023-02285/improving-road-safety-for-all-users-on-federal-aid-projects

Complete Streets initiative, to implement policies that prioritize the safety of all users in transportation network planning, design, construction, and operations3.

Complete Streets are “streets and networks that prioritize safety, comfort, and connectivity to destinations for all people who use the street network.” This includes people who walk, bike, use micromobility, or use mobility assistance devices (collectively, “active transportation”); people who use public transportation and on-demand paratransit services; children, older individuals, and individuals with disabilities; people who operate freight and delivery vehicles; and people who drive and ride in personal vehicles.

Expected Outcomes

The Initiative is expected to leverage novel approaches in data science, machine learning, and artificial intelligence to accelerate implementation of Complete Streets and the complete networks they support. Awardees will use improved data collection, data fusion, and analysis methods to build tools that help identify network gaps, test and/or propose solutions, and display the impact of network and operational changes on mobility, access and accessibility, equity, safety, and other characteristics.

Overview of Data Needs

The Initiative groups data into three categories and the solicitation recommends awardees include of as many data elements as practicable is desired, given the parameters of the performance period and funding for each phase. See Table 1 for a list of suggested data elements.

• Infrastructure: Complete Streets treatments are reflected in Infrastructure, the primary category that tells us how complete a street or network is. Complete Streets treatments provide localized benefits such as safe pedestrian crossings, reliable transit service, convenient bicycle facilities, and efficient freight routes. The benefits of Complete Streets treatments accrue at scale as complete networks that provide continuous and connected routes, especially for people using active and public transportation. Complete networks increase opportunities for people to travel by active and public transportation.

• Traveler Behavior/Safety: Traveler Behavior/Safety data help us know what kind of Complete Streets treatments to implement. Not every road can serve each transportation mode equally. Prioritizing different modes on different parts of the network requires an understanding of travelers’ current and future needs and behaviors, including their travel modes, trip purposes, and the behavior and safety of other travelers.

• Context: Context data inform both where and what kind of Complete Streets treatments to implement. Understanding context allows practitioners to allocate limited rights-of-way to prioritize the modes that best serve the needs of those traveling to and within that context. This requires an understanding of land use, key destinations, urban design, local and regional population trends, and other contextual characteristics that are the settings for travel.

3 https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2023/02/03/2023-02285/improving-road-safety-for-all-users-on-federal-aid-projects

Table 1: Complete Streets AI - Suggested Data Elements

Infrastructure - Data Data elements to generate or enhance:

Roadway features Centerline roadway network Travel direction, number of lanes, lane markings and widths, shoulder width, edge condition barriers, guardrails Mid-block, intersection-approach, and through-intersection conditions (turn radii, turn lanes, intersection markings, intersection format e.g., T, X, multi-leg, roundabout)

Signals, markings, signs (including posted speed limits) Signal timing and phasing Sidewalks, crosswalks, driveways, curb ramps, medians, refuges, curb extensions Transit stop accessibility (ADA) features (ramp deployment clear space, tactile warning strips) Bicycle facilities and facility type (unmarked, unseparated, and separated facilities; intersection-approach and through-intersection treatments) Speed management countermeasures (speed humps, speed tables, raised intersections) Sidewalk surface condition (roughness, cracking, heaving) Fixed obstructions within pedestrian and bicycle facilities (utility poles, signposts) On-street curb management (parking, loading, and delivery, including freight) Multi-use paths and traversable public open spaces Transit stops and routes Rail routes and crossings

Traveler Behavior/Safety Data elements to generate or enhance:

Vehicle volumes and types (cars, trucks, freight, other) Vehicle operating speeds and speed distributions Injuries, injury severity, and near misses Bicycle and pedestrian user and/or trip counts Transit ridership

Generally available data:

Crash data (fatalities, location, crash rate, roadway classification and contexts, and crash severity)

Context

Data elements generate or enhance:

Land use (residential, commercial, industrial, civic, academic, mixed-use) Tree cover / landscaping (including shade) Urban design / frontage (including adjacent site design and building setback)

Generally available data:

Key destinations (healthcare, academic, civic, employment, retail-commercial, recreation) Housing and employment density Environment (surface heat index, green space, open space) Social determinants of health Socio-economic and demographic data Environmental Justice and transportation disadvantaged communities Topography Designated goods movement (freight) routes

DISCLAIMER AND IMPORTANT NOTES

This is solely an RFI issued for informational, market research, and planning purposes only and does not commit the Government to any further contract actions, i.e., solicitation and/or contract.

This RFI is not a solicitation. DOT may issue a future solicitation based on or related to the content and responses to this RFI; however, DOT may also elect not to issue a solicitation. There is no guarantee that a solicitation will be issued as a result of this RFI. Responding to this RFI does not provide any advantage or disadvantage to potential applicants if DOT chooses to issue a solicitation regarding the subject matter. Final details, including the anticipated award size, quantity, and timing of DOT funded awards, will be at the discretion of the DOT.

Any information obtained as a result of this RFI is intended to be used by the government on a non‐attribution basis for planning and strategy development; this RFI does not constitute a formal solicitation for proposals or abstracts. Responses to this notice will be treated as information only. DOT will review and consider all responses in its formulation of program strategies for the identified materials of interest that are the subject of this request. DOT will not provide reimbursement for costs incurred in responding to this RFI. Respondents are advised that DOT is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted under this RFI. Responses to this RFI do not bind DOT to any further actions related to this topic. DOT may use or disclose responses for any lawful purpose.

PROPRIETARY INFORMATION

Because information received in response to this RFI may be used to structure future programs and/or otherwise be made available to the public, respondents are strongly advised to NOT include any information in their responses that might be considered business sensitive, proprietary, or otherwise confidential. However, respondents may choose to include such information in their submissions if they believe it will significantly assist DOT in shaping the program.

Responses containing confidential, proprietary, or privileged information must be conspicuously marked as described below. Failure to comply with these marking requirements may result in the disclosure of the unmarked information under the Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. § 552.

If a response contains trade secrets or confidential commercial or financial information, the respondent must include a cover sheet identifying the specific pages containing that information.

The cover sheet must also provide evidence that the respondent actually or customarily treats the information as private.

In addition, the respondent must (1) mark the header and footer of every page that contains trade secrets or confidential commercial or financial information with “Contains Confidential Information Exempt from Public Disclosure” and (2) identify every line and paragraph containing such information with double brackets or highlighting.

EVALUATION AND ADMINISTRATION BY FEDERAL AND NON-FEDERAL

PERSONNEL

Federal employees are subject to criminal prosecution for the unauthorized disclosure of appropriately and properly marked confidential information under 18 U.S.C. § 1905. The government may seek the advice of qualified non‐federal personnel and use non‐federal personnel to conduct routine, nondiscretionary administrative activities. Submissions may be reviewed by support contractors and private consultants. By submitting your response, the respondent consent to DOT providing it to non‐federal parties. Non‐federal parties will be obliged to maintain the confidentiality of any submissions prior to being given access to those submissions.

SUMMARY OF QUESTIONS

Respondents are reminded that feedback or comments on any aspect of this RFI are welcome from all interested public, private, non-profit, and academic entities. While all feedback is welcome, the DOT is particularly interested in feedback on the following questions. Respondents may respond to some, all, or none of these specific questions.

1. What is the name of the geographic region that your entity represents or works with?

2. What is the population coverage of this region?

3. Does this region encompass a contiguous geographic area representing both urban and suburban development patterns and different roadway contexts (residential, commercial, industrial, civic, recreational/natural, etc.) and comprising at least 250,000 people?

4. What data elements from Table 1, or other data elements relevant to this effort for your entity’s geographic region, are you able to provide at no cost by the start of Phase II (late 2025) to the Initiative’s SBIR Phase II awardees?

a. In what format will that data be?

b. Is the format already publicly available? If the data is available, please provide links. If the data is not already publicly available, could it be made so? If not, what are the conditions and/or licensing for its use?

c. Is the data available by API?

d. What is the most recent dataset available?

e. How often is the data refreshed?

5. Is there any other information or data that you think will help performers with building Complete Street data layers and analysis capabilities?

6. For entities that have adopted Complete Streets standards or policies (or similar policies):

a. What is the current process for identifying target sites for Complete Streets improvements?

b. What challenges, including but not limited to gaps in data, has your entity experienced when identifying target sites?

c. What is the current process your entity follows, from site identification through prioritization, programming, design, and construction/implementation of Complete Streets?

d. What challenges has your entity experienced in implementing your Complete Streets policy?

e. Does your entity conduct evaluations or measure the performance of Complete Streets?