Specialized Data Resources
This page provides resources and information often needed to prepare a benefit-cost analysis and examine recommended monetized values, and other resources specific to intelligent transportation systems.
Benefit-Cost Analysis Guidance for Discretionary Grant Programs
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Benefit-Cost Analysis Guidance for Discretionary Grant Programs includes recommended monetized values for various types of benefits and costs that the Department recommends applicants use in their benefit-cost analyses, including both monetization values and other key inputs. These standardized values are intended to ensure greater consistency in how various types of projects from across the country are evaluated. They also provide default values that applicants can use in the absence of having more detailed information readily available for their analysis.
User Information: More information on benefit-cost analysis can be found by visiting What Is a Benefit-Cost Analysis (BCA)?
Identifies: The Benefit-Cost Analysis Guidance covers recommended monetized values for reduced fatalities and injuries; value of time travel savings; vehicle operating costs; average vehicle occupancy rates; vehicle operating costs; valuation of pedestrian, cycling, and transit facility, vehicle, and modal improvements; emission reduction; and other specific items referenced within in the Guidance for completing a BCA.
Limitations and Notes: The BCA Guidance is not an exhaustive list of all types of benefits that may be acceptable for BCAs submitted to USDOT. However, if using monetization values not included in the BCA Guidance, applicants should provide documentation of sources and detailed calculations for the monetized values of any additional categories of benefits being claimed.
Access USDOT's Benefit-Cost Analysis Guidance for Discretionary Grant Programs.
What Is a Benefit-Cost Analysis?
A benefit-cost analysis (BCA) is a systematic process for identifying, quantifying, and comparing the expected benefits and costs of an investment, action, or policy. Many USDOT discretionary grant programs that fund project construction require a benefit-cost analysis to identify, quantify, and compare expected benefits and costs of the proposed project.
Visit the DOT Navigator page What Is a Benefit-Cost Analysis (BCA)? to see a list of programs that require a BCA and to learn more about what is included in a BCA.
Access the What Is a Benefit-Cost Analysis (BCA)? page on the DOT Navigator.
Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Deployment Evaluation Datasets and Website
The ITS Joint Program Office’s Deployment Evaluation Program website features over 20 years of data highlighting the benefits, costs, and lessons learned from intelligent transportation system deployments to assist the ITS deployer community with making evidence-based ITS investment decisions. Additionally, the website includes ITS deployment tracking statistics collected from nationwide surveys of public-sector transportation agencies over the past 20 years.
Featured products in addition to the benefits/costs database and ITS Deployment Tracking Survey statistics include a variety of infographics and data visualizations, case studies, and executive briefings. New content data and other content types are added frequently.
User Information: Browse specific ITS benefits, costs, lessons learned, and deployment tracking data and decision support artifacts using the website’s navigation and icons for Benefits, Costs, Deployment Statistics, Briefings, Lessons Learned, and Decision Support Resources, or perform more targeted text-based searches using the search bar on the home page.
Identifies: The website presents quantitative benefits and costs of, and lessons learned from, deployed ITS through data, visualization, and mapping. The website also contains reports with data and findings from the ITS Deployment Tracking Survey that describe trends in ITS adoption, usage, and market growth/change.
Limitations and Notes: The studies included in the Benefits, Costs, and Lessons Learned databases are limited to evaluation studies with publicly available evaluation reports. Evaluation data and survey data are limited to public-sector deployments only.
Access the ITS Joint Program Office’s Deployment Evaluation Program website.
Disclaimer: This curated list of federal data and mapping tools is maintained on the DOT Navigator website as a secondary source and does not supersede primary materials issued by each USDOT Operating Administration. USDOT does not promote one resource over another. Accordingly, please work directly with the USDOT Operating Administration managing the BIL discretionary grant program for specific guidance.