1. Home
  2. RIP
  3. View Record
https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/27432/critical-issues-in-transportation-for-2024-and-beyond

State of the Practice of a Data Management Office Within DOTs

The Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) is interested in exploring the need, fit, development, and potential funding sources for the creation of a Data Management Office (DMO) within ADOT. The primary objective of the DMO will be to ensure that all of ADOT’s data are available, accurate, usable, and secure (i.e., data governance). A data governance policy typically defines how the organization will use and manage their data and includes the roles, responsibilities, and the processes needed to implement the data governance. The creation of two additional positions is also being considered: a Chief Data Officer (CDO) and a Geographic Information Officer (GIO). The purpose of this restructure would be to facilitate the improved creation, maintenance, sharing, and coordination of data throughout the Department. To accomplish this, ADOT will need to access key data from the relevant data owners; determine the structure of this new office; develop job roles and responsibilities; develop a business plan; and, potentially, determine how to implement this office if that is the chosen path. This research will help the Multimodal Planning Division (MPD) identify key stakeholders and evaluate the feasibility of creating a Data Management Office, data governance policies, and the two new positions to ultimately better serve agency-wide ADOT customers. The primary objective of this study is to understand how the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT), state Departments of Transportation (DOTs), and county DOTs have developed, organized, staffed, and implemented a data governance policy and a Data Management Office within their organizations and to explore the overall viability of one for ADOT. The research will identify relevant literature and document the state of the practice concerning the development and organization of a DMO. The state of the practice shall include the following information, if available: Document the state of practice among DOTs regarding their DMOs, to include a review of the literature and the practices of other DOTs Identify the structure of the DMO, including key personnel roles and responsibilities Identify any lessons learned from the development of the office Identify the costs and benefits, including the funding sources of the DMO Document the return on investment for the DMO and data governance policies Document the best practices and use cases for the creation of a data policy council, data governance policies, and data management tools and procedures Synthesize findings to assist MPD in their assessment The proposed research will help MPD develop a business plan and make informed recommendations regarding the DMO and data governance policies and practices within ADOT.