Digitally Transforming the Way We Move

What is digital infrastructure?

Digital infrastructure is the data, communications systems, servers, routers, hardware, sensors, software applications, and computing that share information through data exchanges and platforms.

It uses public and private technology, data, and information to automate and optimize transportation goals. Digital infrastructure includes the transfer, storage, and processes of digital information shared through other communications networks like the internet, wireless and fiber optic to share information across users, companies, devices, and public agencies.

Why This Moment

After the passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law – which has over 40 programs to invest in technology – ITS America began working with USDOT, its members, and the industry to help public agencies modernize transportation using technology. ITS America launched a campaign to help people understand how digital infrastructure, like data and information systems, is just as important as physical infrastructure, like roads and bridges. 

Since June 2022, ITS America, our members, and our colleagues have been helping spread the message about the importance of digital infrastructure. Working with the USDOT to help support their work and strategies, ITS America created a working group that includes private companies, government, nonprofits, and researchers to help provide information to our federal government on how to modernize the transportation system with digital infrastructure.

The Future We’re Working to Create

  • There are millions of phones, devices, sensors, and vehicles to communicate with. We have a lot of data from these devices and don’t know how to use it.

  • Public agencies rely on older systems and outdated digital processes. It’s hard for them to share data. Communities need information that’s reliable and easy to access, and they need it quickly.

  • The private sector is investing billions in these products without clear governmental goals or coordination. Public agencies don’t know how to upgrade systems or what national standards are.

  • We’re currently working in silos. It’s difficult to partner across public-private sectors and across different national organizations.

Digital Infrastructure In Action

Featured
Digitizing the Work Zone is the Key to Greater Safety 
Digitizing the Work Zone is the Key to Greater Safety 

Charles Scanlon has saved thousands of lives.

In 1940 when he was painting streets in Los Angeles, he designed a conical marker to keep people from driving over his fresh paint. Three years later, he patented the rubber traffic cone that has become so ubiquitous on American roads. But in 2023, Mr. Scanlon and his invention can’t be solely responsible for safety around work zones. The traffic world has changed dramatically in 80 years. The American population has soared, and deaths on American roads have nearly doubled.

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LA DOT and the Transportation Infrastructure of the Future
LA DOT and the Transportation Infrastructure of the Future

At a time when dockless scooters and delivery robots are available with the click of a button, driverless vehicles are being tested on our streets, and advanced aerial mobility seems just around the corner, it is clear that our transportation system is in a state of rapid evolution. As transportation professionals, one of the biggest challenges we face is managing legacy infrastructure while responding to these new demands in real-time. The investments we make must both repair and maintain the roads signs, and signals we rely on while also building the infrastructure that will allow new modes to come into our cities.

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The New Infrastructure: A Once-in-a-Generation Opportunity to Improve Citizen Outcomes
The New Infrastructure: A Once-in-a-Generation Opportunity to Improve Citizen Outcomes

‘‘The 2020’s will be one of the most transformative periods in transportation.” USDOT Secretary Pete Buttigieg, March 23, 2022.

Secretary Buttigieg’s quote from SXSW succinctly captures the sea change that we expect to experience in the coming decade. What makes this change transformative is the close connection between transportation, public safety, economic strength, equity, and sustainability. With a once-in-a-generation investment in U.S. infrastructure underway, this vision now has the financial backing to become reality.

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Paving the Way for Smart Roads
Paving the Way for Smart Roads

Smart roads incorporate technology to improve safety, reduce congestion, and enhance the overall driving experience.

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