Synthesis of Information Related to Highway Practices. Topic 57-09. Practices for Using Crowdsourced Data for Inventory and Transportation Asset Condition

State departments of transportation (DOTs) are increasingly incorporating crowdsourced data into their data collection, management, and analysis activities. Once considered experimental, crowdsourced information has become a mainstream resource, drawing from navigation application user reports, social media, in-house applications, third-party probe services, and active transportation platforms. Federal initiatives have encouraged this shift by providing frameworks for institutionalizing the practice and demonstrating cost savings. Beyond traffic operations, state DOTs are applying crowdsourced data to maintenance and asset management activities, including identification of potholes, roadway debris, and damaged infrastructure. Crowdsourced data offers the potential to complement traditional sources, expand coverage, improve safety and reliability, and reduce costs. The objective of this synthesis is to document state DOT practices for using crowdsourced data to support asset inventory and condition assessments and to support maintenance and asset management system operations and planning. Information to be gathered includes (but is not limited to): Types of crowdsourced data used for maintenance and asset condition, and the applications or platforms through which they are collected; Practices for validating accuracy, ensuring quality, and addressing timeliness of crowdsourced data; Approaches for integrating crowdsourced data into maintenance and asset management systems, including workflows, work-order systems, Maintenance Management System (MMS), and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP); Use of data fusion, dashboards, and visualization to support decision-making; Organizational policies, governance, and roles for managing crowdsourced data, including standards and retention; and Implementation strategies and challenges, including incentives and disincentives for adoption. Information will be gathered through a literature review, a survey of state DOTs, and follow-up interviews with selected DOTs for the development of case examples. Information gaps and suggestions for research to address those gaps will be identified.

• Record URL:
  • http://apps.trb.org/cmsfeed/TRBNetProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=5986
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Contract to a Performing Organization has not yet been awarded.

Language

• English

Project

• Funding: $65,000.00
• Contract Numbers:

  Project 20-05, Topic 57-09

• Sponsor Organizations:

  National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Synthesis

  Transportation Research Board
  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC    20001

  American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO)

  444 North Capitol Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001

  Federal Highway Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Project Managers:

  Nasri, Arefeh

• Start Date: 20241001
• Expected Completion Date: 0
• Actual Completion Date: 0

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Asset management; Crowdsourcing; Highway maintenance; Inventory control; State departments of transportation
• Subject Areas: Data and Information Technology; Highways; Maintenance and Preservation;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01972924
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Transportation Research Board
• Contract Numbers: Project 20-05, Topic 57-09
• Files: TRB, RIP
• Created Date: Nov 26 2025 3:58PM