Iowa DOT For years, the Iowa DOT has collected traffic data using sensors embedded in the pavement or mounted at the side of the road or on other structures such as bridges. The data is very useful to both travelers wanting real-time traffic speeds and transportation planners looking at ways to improve the system. Until recently, these sensors were the most complete and timely way to gather traffic information. Unfortunately this method of collecting information left a gap in our data. How do we get traffic data in rural areas where we don’t have sensors? The Challenge On the never-ending quest to find new and better ways to collect and analyze data, Iowa DOT data managers began to explore options available from global positioning system (GPS) enabled devices. Using GPS data, third-party t

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