The Research Data Exchange (RDE) is a web-based data resource provided by the USDOT Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Program. It collects, manages, and provides access to archived and real-time multi-source and multi-modal data to support the development and testing of ITS applications.

The RDE now houses four data sets from the Next Generation Simulation (NGSIM) Program. The NGSIM program was initiated by the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to develop traveler behavioral algorithms that could be used in microscopic traffic simulation models. The validated data sets and documentation describing these algorithms which replicated the interactions of multimodal travelers, vehicles and highway systems (e.g., traffic control devices, delineation, congestion, and other features of the environment). NGSIM stakeholder groups identified the collection of real-world vehicle trajectory data as important to understanding and researching driver behavior. The NGSIM effort supports the development of algorithms for driver behavior at microscopic levels. The four locations of data simulation include:

Lankershim Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA

Vehicle trajectory data was collected on Lankershim Boulevard in the Universal City neighborhood of Los Angeles, CA in June 2005. The study area consisted of a bidirectional three to four lane arterial and three signalized intersections, was approximately 500 meters (1,600 feet) in length. Five video cameras mounted on the roof of a 36-story building located adjacent to the U.S. Highway 101 and Lankershim Boulevard interchange recorded vehicles passing through the study area. Vehicle trajectory data was then transcribed from the video using NG-VIDEO, a customized software application developed for the NGSIM program.