NREL OpenPATH

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory's Open Platform for Agile Trip Heuristics (NREL OpenPATH, available at https://nrel.gov/openpath) offers a powerful tool for tracking your travel modes—whether by car, bus, bike, or on foot—and measuring the associated energy consumption and carbon emissions. This innovative app provides individuals and communities with the insights needed to make more sustainable travel choices.

NREL OpenPATH empowers users to explore their travel patterns, experiment with eco-friendly options, and assess the environmental impact of their choices. By understanding these patterns, communities can develop effective transportation policies and planning strategies, fostering the creation of more sustainable and accessible urban environments.

The app not only informs individual users about their personal impact but also aggregates data at the community level. This includes mode shares, trip frequencies, and carbon footprints, which are accessible through a public dashboard. This transparency aids in broader research and policy-making efforts.

NREL OpenPATH leverages continuous data collection and analysis through a smartphone app, supported by a server and automated data processing systems. Its open-source framework ensures transparent data handling and allows customization for specific programs or studies.

Upon first installation, the app does not collect or transmit any data. To participate, users must click a link or scan a QR code to join a study or program, at which point they will be prompted to consent to data collection and storage. For those not affiliated with a partner community but interested in tracking their personal carbon footprint, NREL offers an open-access study where individual data may contribute to broader research as a control group.

At its core, the app functions as an automatically sensed travel diary, built from location and accelerometer data collected in the background. Users can add semantic labels to their entries as requested by program administrators or researchers.

It's important to note that continuous GPS use in the background can significantly reduce battery life. To mitigate this, NREL OpenPATH automatically deactivates GPS when the user is stationary, resulting in minimal battery drain of approximately 5% for up to 3 hours of travel per day.

What's New in the Latest Version 1.9.1

Last updated on Oct 15, 2024

• Push notifications are now optional, catering to programs that do not require them.

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