Strategic Data initiative moving forward
An important key to hitting our 10-year target of “Safest – smartest – made to last” and our 5-year priority to grow innovation is being able to collect and utilize reliable and consistent data. We continue to refine the data we collect, how it is stored and how it interacts to make help drive decisions that improve the safety and mobility of travelers in our state.
Peggi Knight, director of the Research and Analytics Bureau, co-leads the Data Management Committee which is made up of transportation professionals from many different disciplines. She said, “We treat data as an asset that must be managed to be as effective as possible. The goal is to understand the data we have, its format, storage, and interaction.”
To get to that goal, a number of “data trustees” have been identified. Knight said, “With data coming from nearly every corner of the Iowa DOT, we’ll be relying on our data trustees to gather accurate information that can be used to implement an agency-wide data governance strategy. If you work with data, you can expect that one of these data trustees will be reaching out to you in the coming weeks and months to get an understanding of the data you generate, how you use it, how it is stored, and whether or not your data is integrated with other information.”
Because our transportation system continues to evolve and we are adding new data streams all the time, Kyle Perkins, the director of the Information Technology Division’s Highway Support Bureau and co-chair of the Data Management Committee, said, “The inventory we’re compiling will continue to change and grow over time. Considering our data as an asset to be managed is now an essential business function that will continue. This isn’t just a singular project that has a deliverable, it’s an ongoing process.”
To find out more about the Data Management Committee and its work, you can refer to the Feb. 11, 2021, blog post.
For additional information, these are links to the current documentation for the committee. Note: You must be on the Iowa DOT network to view these.
Data Management Committee Charter
https://iadot.sharepoint.com/:b:/s/ext_SDBP/EQ5v8O_4aC9Jh1kB__HicUABnfYX6qFKueuov6-8jSsCcA
Executive Summary
https://iadot.sharepoint.com/:b:/s/ext_SDBP/EQjEwfiHrIhIoU9Ec4hnLggB-9oO7db-Qj5-tRVYmx7-eA
Data Management Business Plan
https://iadot.sharepoint.com/:b:/s/ext_SDBP/EeHCktsgx-1Irs685wSnWeUBzOjfV4bOy8BiRy27Qafm1w
Data Management Strategic Plan
https://iadot.sharepoint.com/:b:/s/ext_SDBP/EUO0gepaxbtJs1L9eIO5vSIB_RnWit_LwSgyRlGhnLrFbQ
Data Management Action Plan
https://iadot.sharepoint.com/:b:/s/ext_SDBP/EQ2p6_z8rihKiTw77LEu6ngBki_gFmLymHsPn9fgiamCFA
After reviewing the documents, if you have questions or comments, please contact Peggi Knight at [email protected].