What is the SDC?
The Secure Data Commons (SDC) is a cloud-based analytics platform that enables traffic engineers, researchers, and data scientists to access, analyze, and connect transportation-related datasets. The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) created the SDC to provide a secure platform for sharing and collaborating on research, tools, algorithms, and analysis involving moderate sensitivity level (PII & CBI) datasets using commercially available tools, without needing to install tools or software locally.
The SDC offers a common platform for innovative data analysis and sharing of results that allows research to cut across the data silos.How It works
With a robust security architecture that secures datasets and user workstations, the SDC:
Leverages cloud capabilities to share complex (high volume, velocity, or variety) transportation datasets with the transportation research community
Provides authorized access to users through a data use agreement with revocable access terms to protect the sensitivity of the data
Enables scalable data storage and analysis and user access protocol via cloud-based platforms
Ensures that sensitive data are protected through adherence to USDOT's security standards for information technology
Provides users with predefined tools for data analysis and encourages the creation of custom toolsets, open sharing of code, and addition of datasets among the user community
Provides users with capability to curate datasets from multiple data sources
SDC Capabilities
What differentiates the SDC from other platforms?
SDC Platform vs Other Cloud Platforms
The Secure Data Commons differs from other cloud platforms that are readily available to you.
SDC Cloud Computing Model
These cloud infrastructure components enable your research needs.
SDC Research and Analytics User Support
Provide a workstation for users to query multiple datasets from the SDC web portal
- Bring your own data, and combine with existing datasets from Waze and other 3rd party datasets
- Approve access to specific datasets
- Preload analytical tools to encourage open sharing of code and datasets
SDC Platform Engineering Services
Provide a cloud platform for research and analysis involving moderate sensitivity level datasets
- Maintain ATO with security policies and regulations
- Monitor to rapidly detect data anomalies
- Use cutting-edge AWS managed services to support innovative analytical data solutions
DOT Enterprise Cloud: Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Provide SDC team access to cloud computing resources to enhance and maintain the platform
- Enable networking and active directory within DOT environment
- Allow SDC Team to provision and control of their own infrastructure and managed services
For more information on Secure Data Commons, please see SDC Capabilities (pdf).