Over the last decade, data collection technologies and analysis methods have advanced rapidly. Government agencies and industry stakeholders now employ a variety of in-road and on-board sensors with potential to capture information on goods movements and on freight vehicle activity. At the same time, states and MPOs are working to rapidly respond to new federal requirements for freight planning and freight performance measurement. These activities have traditionally relied on major federal data products such as the Commodity Flow Survey and the Freight Analysis Framework. While these data sources provide an important baseline for interregional analysis, new approaches are needed to address critical and persistent data gaps such as local vehicle and commodity flows, intermodal movements, and underrepresented commodities – e.g. e-commerce - that are not covered by the CFS. Given the complexity and the pace of change in the organization of modern supply chains, planners also need data sources that recognize the time-variability of freight flows and that provide timely information. With support from the Federal Highway Administration, the 2017 TRB Innovations in Freight Data Workshop brought together 143 attendees on May 17th and 18th in Irvine, California. Attendees included representatives from local, regional, state, federal, and international agencies; consultants; academic researchers; and data professionals. The workshop included a variety of content, including: four expert panel sessions; an interactive demonstrations session; a GPS data-focused round of speed presentations; a live presentation of an instrumented truck; and an awards ceremony recognizing two “Best Applications” for “Use of a New Data Source” and “Data Fusion.” Major themes addressed included data collection technologies; case study applications; and methods for and challenges of collecting and sharing new data sources. Feedback from 2017 Workshop attendees was overwhelmingly positive. Attendees identified networking opportunities, learning about new data sources, and learning about case studies/applications as the most important aspect of the workshop. In a post conference survey, 94% of respondents indicated interest in repeating the workshop in two years. See the 2017 workshop report at http://onlinepubs.trb.org/onlinepubs/circulars/ec223.pdf.

Building on lessons learned from the 2017 workshop, the objective of the 2019 Innovations in Freight Data workshop will be: • To once again bring together freight data users and decision makers to learn and share the latest applications of emerging “big” data sources to improve freight planning, freight operations and mobility, and freight visualization; • To showcase data applications, with particular emphasis on identifying adaptable/open source user-friendly tools; • To invite participation from across the modal spectrum of goods movement, including highway, rail, marine, and air; and • To invite participation from data scientists and technology developers to move the conversation beyond making incremental improvements to traditional freight planning and analysis methods.

The 2019 Innovations in Freight Data Workshop is expected to follow the format of the successful two-day 2017 workshop. The planning committee will seek applications from interested participants and will invite expert panelists to participate in a variety of session types, including panel presentations, speed presentations, live demonstrations of applications and/or technologies, and breakout discussions.

Funding: Requested Commitment from Partners - $14,000 This commitment will support two technical representatives attending the workshop. The workshop planning committee will also have selected pooled fund members. The planning committee will seek input from technical representatives on priority topics. In addition analysis of data needs from state freight plans is anticipated. ** Added 3/27/2018** The 2019 workshop is expected to take place in Irvine, California. While specific dates have not been determined, it is intended to take place in late spring or early summer, similar to the timeframe of the 2017 workshop.