The National Renewable Energy Laboratory's Open Platform for Agile Trip Heuristics (NREL OpenPATH, https://nrel.gov/openpath) is a powerful tool designed to help individuals and communities track their travel modes—such as car, bus, bike, and walking—and measure the associated energy consumption and carbon emissions. This innovative app provides users with valuable insights into their travel choices and their environmental impact, fostering a deeper understanding of sustainable transportation options.
NREL OpenPATH empowers communities to explore different travel modes, experiment with more sustainable options, and assess the outcomes. These insights can significantly influence transportation policy and planning, paving the way for more sustainable and accessible urban environments. The app not only informs individual users about the impact of their travel decisions but also aggregates community-level data on mode shares, trip frequencies, and carbon footprints, which is made available through a public dashboard.
The app's functionality is supported by continuous data collection and analysis through a smartphone app, backed by a server and automated data processing. Its open-source nature ensures transparency in data collection and analysis, while also allowing customization for specific programs or studies. Upon first installation, the app does not collect or transmit any data. Users must click a link or scan a QR code to join a study or program, and consent to data collection and storage before the app becomes operational. For those not part of a partner community but interested in tracking their personal carbon footprint, joining the NREL-run open-access study is an option. Your data, in aggregate, may serve as a control for experiments conducted by our partners.
At its core, NREL OpenPATH functions as an automatically sensed travel diary, utilizing background sensed location and accelerometer data. Users have the ability to add semantic labels to their travel diary as requested by program administrators or researchers. It's important to note that continuous use of GPS in the background can significantly reduce battery life. To mitigate this, the app automatically deactivates GPS when the user is stationary, resulting in a minimal battery drain of approximately 5% for up to 3 hours of daily travel.
What's New in the Latest Version 1.9.1
Last updated on Oct 15, 2024
- Make push notifications optional since there are some programs that don't need them
