Iowa DOT Research’s innovative use of crowdsourced data to detect and respond to highway incidents was recognized in the May/June 2023 issue of Innovator, the Federal Highway Administration’s bimonthly newsletter.
Through partnerships with high-tech companies like Waze, Iowa DOT is able to access to travel-related data that can indicate real-time changes in estimated travel times. While members of the public often use the free navigational app to avoid slow-downs, Iowa DOT can use the data to identify where crashes, heavy traffic and adverse weather are occurring and respond quickly. Thanks to this partnership, emergency response times have increased to save lives and make travel safer for everyone.