The National Renewable Energy Laboratory's Open Platform for Agile Trip Heuristics (NREL OpenPATH, https://nrel.gov/openpath) is a powerful tool designed to revolutionize how individuals and communities track their travel modes and measure their energy consumption and carbon emissions. Whether you're driving a car, taking a bus, riding a bike, or walking, NREL OpenPATH provides detailed insights into your travel habits and their environmental impact.

This app is more than just a personal tracker; it empowers entire communities to delve into their travel mode choices and patterns. By experimenting with different options, users can make their travel more sustainable and assess the outcomes. This valuable data can shape effective transportation policies and contribute to the planning of more sustainable and accessible urban environments.

NREL OpenPATH offers users personalized feedback on the environmental impact of their travel choices. Additionally, it aggregates community-level data, making information on mode shares, trip frequencies, and carbon footprints publicly available through an accessible dashboard. This transparency fosters a deeper understanding of collective travel behaviors and their environmental consequences.

The functionality of NREL OpenPATH relies on continuous data collection and analysis through a smartphone app, supported by a robust server and automated data processing system. Its open-source framework ensures transparent data handling and allows for customization to suit specific programs or studies.

Upon initial installation, the app does not automatically 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 are prompted to consent to data collection and storage. For those not affiliated with a partner community or program, joining NREL's open-access study offers an opportunity to quantify personal carbon footprints. Your data may then contribute to control groups for experiments conducted by our partners.

At its core, NREL OpenPATH functions as an automatically generated travel diary, using background-sensed location and accelerometer data. Users have the option to add semantic labels to their travel diaries, as requested by program administrators or researchers.

It's important to note that continuous use of GPS in the background can significantly reduce battery life. To mitigate this, the app smartly turns off GPS when you're stationary, minimizing battery drain to approximately 5% for up to 3 hours of daily travel.

What's New in the Latest Version 1.9.1

Last updated on Oct 15, 2024

- Make push notifications optional since there are some programs that don't need them