NREL OpenPATH Data Now Available on Livewire
In this issue of Livewire News, you will learn about the mobility data collected via NREL's Open Platform for Agile Trip Heuristics (NREL OpenPATH) and made available on Livewire. Visit Livewire to browse NREL OpenPATH data.
 What is NREL OpenPATH?
NREL OpenPATH enables people to track their travel modes—car, bus, bike, walking, etc.—and measure their associated energy use and carbon footprint. The tool features continuous data collection via a smart phone app, coupled with automated data processing and analytics. Several communities in the United States and throughout the world have used it to better understand travel patterns and the impacts of new mobility programs.
NREL OpenPATH creates end-to-end multi-modal trip diaries using sensed data. Its key features include:
- Automated travel mode detection
- Trip and section segmentation
- Customizable qualitative trip information
- Public dashboard functionality to support program evaluation
- Deployer dashboard functionality to enable program administrators to conduct real-time program monitoring.
To date, the tool has been used most extensively to collect travel survey data and evaluate program impacts, primarily for e-bike pilot programs. For example, NREL’s initial use of the tool involved a partnership with the Colorado Energy Office’s Can Do Colorado E-Bike Pilot Program, which evaluated how giving frontline workers an e-bike mobility option would affect their travel behavior—possibly contributing to a longer-term shift away from car dependence. The pilot program started with 13 essential workers in the Denver area and expanded to more than 100 participants in six locations across Colorado, with longitudinal data collected for a year. The success of the program has inspired many other locations to use NREL OpenPATH to collect travel diary data from e-bike recipients.
Another example of how NREL OpenPATH has been used involves the collection of travel survey data from Corcovada—a barrio in the municipality of Añasco, Puerto Rico—as part of the planning process for a pending micro transit service.
NREL OpenPATH Data Sets Available on Livewire
There are currently three NREL OpenPATH data sets available on Livewire, and more will be added in the near future. These include:
 Data collected from NREL’s OpenPath helped demonstrate that the CanBikeCo e-Bike Pilot Program resulted in significant CO2 reductions. Over 15,000 pounds of CO2 were reduced when e-bike trips replaced trips from gas cars driven alone.
 Data collected from NREL OpenPath helped demonstrate that the CanBikeCo e-Bike Pilot Program resulted in significant CO2 reductions. Over 15,000 pounds of CO2 were reduced when e-bike trips replaced trips from gas cars driven alone. This and other NREL OpenPath studies are not limited to data collection from e-bikes, and full travel diaries are available in the datasets archived on Livewire.
Due to the sensitive nature of spatial trip data, these data are provided via NREL’s Transportation Secure Data Center (TSDC), which is a component of Livewire. Data with personally identifiable information removed are available in the TSDC’s cleansed data section. Data with more detailed spatial attributes are available to researchers via a restricted secure portal environment after they submit an application.
Next Steps for NREL OpenPATH Data Collection
While e-bike program evaluation was the initial focus of NREL OpenPATH deployments in the United States, ongoing and future data collection initiatives involve international partnerships and more complex surveys that provide a more nuanced view of travel behavior across multiple modes.
To learn more about NREL OpenPATH or to explore partnership opportunities, please contact Principal Investigator K. Shankari at K.Shankari@nrel.gov or 303-384-6450.
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