Agencies and industries across sectors have seen the benefits of collaborative data sharing. Transportation practitioners exchanging and implementing best practices can make great strides in efficiency and equity, on both a micro and macro level. Integrated ticketing and payment systems allow more people to more easily plan trips, while data monitoring can provide real-time steps to avoid delays, highlight areas in need of investment, and better target revenue-raising advertising partnerships. The sharing of data, its standardization, and the hiring of staff capable of monitoring and managing data all have the potential to make transit operations stronger and simpler.

This information is laid out in a recently updated post by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, which includes a number of reports. The update has added a 2022 data sharing guidebook to assist transportation practitioners on collecting detailed data in many areas, making sense of it, and giving access to fellow practitioners.

Agencies and practitioners who wish to expand or reconsider their approach to data sharing should keep privacy concerns at the forefront of their implementation. The man article touches on privacy as an issue and provides reports further detailing privacy practices and how they relate to collaboration between both public and private agencies. A 2014 report on the sharing of operational data is another resource which may be of use.

The NASEM post also touches on non-public transit modes, including air travel and freight. For those interested in learning more information about any of the included topics, follow this link.