Digitally Defining the Right of Way

January 30, 2025

Existing data standards – including the Curb Data Specification (CDS) and Mobility Data Specification (MDS) – are paving the way for smarter cities. From more effective curb management to adopting new mobility services, public agencies use these tools to create more dynamic, data-driven policies. Yet, many seek to more fully digitize the right-of-way to meet critical goals around safety, sustainability, equity, and accessibility.

What is the “digital right-of-way”?

Imagine turning a city into a digital map — not just a flat drawing, but a dynamic, three-dimensional model that includes computer-readable information, such as policies and rules about streets, sidewalks, buildings, and who manages them. It also includes how shared bikes, scooters, cars, trucks, and transit move through them in real-time or over time.

 

By digitizing public space, cities can see, analyze, and manage how space is used down to the street lane level, from curbside deliveries to bike lanes to pedestrian walkways. And, people and companies that use public streets, sidewalks, and curb space can access more accurate and up-to-date information about that public space. This allows governments to make smarter and more timely decisions about traffic flow, accessibility, safety, and sustainability — helping cities function better for everyone. Plus, it helps people and companies use public space in safer, more efficient ways.

Project Summaries

At the OMF’s MDS Working Group meeting on January 16th, participants discussed shared priorities and recommendations on expanding the digital right of way. Presenters included INRIX, Washington DC DDOT, and the City of Philadelphia.

INRIX
INRIX is working on digitizing the full right of way with the City of Philadelphia to communicate construction and road closures. They are also using MDS for GPS location of vehicles digital policy in the right of way and beyond, and CDS asset-based rules and activity tracking.

DDOT
DDOT is digitizing assets like signs, road design, and the configuration of every lane, and working to keep a workflow to feed external changes back into city systems. The city seeks to communicate real-time right-of-way accessibility updates and convert sidewalk assets from centerlines to two dimensions.

Philadelphia
The City is looking for granular right-of-way data for user experience, supply and demand, traffic safety, and policy decisions. This includes smart loading zones pilot outcomes with curb assets and activity, but also moving beyond smart loading zones to all right-of-way users with full compliance, incentives, enforcement, and automation of enforcement.

Key Takeaways

Different Types of Data are Needed
Currently, data standards like MDS and CDS typically include defining curb space, docks, and parking areas, and provide a way of understanding the commercial activity of some modes operating in the right of way. From the types of data needed to spatial granularity, data specs would for the first time be asked to define the public right-of-way in greater accuracy, in two dimensions (e.g. street shape and lane definitions vs street centerlines), and – in some cases – three dimensions. To fully digitize the right-of-way, data standards would need to evolve to both define public space and also provide an understanding of what is happening in that public space, like the movement and location of different modes of transportation.

Trust is Key
Whether from operators, vendors, or city government, there’s recognition that in order to fully expand and implement policies and technology supporting the digital right of way, the public sector needs to be brought along in the process and their data needs to be trusted and authoritative.

Emergency and Special Events are a Key Use Case
There is a strong desire from cities to publish emergency and special event communications using MDS or CDS for use cases around emergency vehicle activity, road stoppages, protests, or special events like parades, thus helping companies and services in the right-of-way improve situational awareness and make more informed operational decisions.

Learn More and Get Involved

Review slides, notes, and a recording of this initial discussion.

After the meeting, several questions remained. For example, what parts of the right of way do cities need to have digitized and for what purposes and use cases? What right-of-way activity do public agencies have authority to manage, and need information on? What transportation assets do cities manage individually but could benefit from collaboration across jurisdictions to create new ecosystems? Which travel modes are most pressing to understand?

If you have thoughts on the future of the digital right-of-way, we encourage you to comment on this GitHub issue. And sign up and join us at future MDS Working Group meetings as we continue the discussion.

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