As state departments of transportation (DOTs) generate and manage increasing amounts of data and undergo digital transformation, the importance of cohesively managing these data as an asset has grown. For example, most state DOTs have their data, email, web content, engineering content, and records managed within separate units or locations. Information management becomes even more fragmented within individual business units, where specialized applications support specific processes and units may pursue integration and accessibility in isolation. This limited coordination creates multiple repositories with different search interfaces, access requirements, and use restrictions, which lead to further data duplication and quality issues. These issues, in turn, make it difficult for employees to find what they need, affecting their proficiency, decision-making, and the timely performance of their jobs. Stakeholder outreach activities conducted as part of NCHRP Project 23-14, “Research Roadmap for Knowledge Management” and described in NCHRP Research Report 1134: Knowledge Management at State Departments of Transportation highlighted state DOTs’ concerns about fragmentation of information, data, and knowledge at their agencies. Research is needed to provide guidelines on holistic approaches to managing these resources.
