Appendix G InfoMaterials Dataset Management 21065

TECHBRIEF

FHWA InfoMaterials™
Dataset Management
FHWA Publication No.: FHWA-HRT-21-065

FHWA Contact: Y. Jane Jiang, FHWA Long-Term
Infrastructure Team (LTIP), (202) 493-3149,
[email protected].

INTRODUCTION

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) developed a
Web-based portal, InfoMaterials, to provide easy access to the agency’s infrastructure research and materials testing datasets (Federal Highway Administration 2021a). FHWA collects a tremendous amount of valuable data through cutting-edge testing technology, sponsored research, and other collaborative efforts. Data are essential for research and innovation, so it is crucial that the FHWA preserve, document, and provide accessibility to stakeholders and researchers to reduce data collection duplication and maximize the benefits of the collected data. FHWA’s InfoMaterials was first released in January 2020. It hosts datasets containing characterization data of asphalt and concrete materials, pavement performance testing and analysis results, and many other types of structured and unstructured highway infrastructure research data. The datasets are supplemented by extensive metadata, descriptions, and references to assist users in their understanding of the datasets.
This document was originally developed to provide general guidance for the FHWA Office of Infrastructure Research and Development (R&D) at the Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center (TFHRC) for the InfoMaterials Web portal. However, these guidelines can potentially be used for data and metadata management of all research data collected or generated by FHWA programs/studies.
In the many research programs and studies that FHWA conducts, measurements are recorded and data are collected and analyzed by a research team. A well-structured data management approach increases the visibility and utilization of the data. It not only preserves the integrity of the data, but also helps save time by simplifying data access and retrieval processes. This approach facilitates further utilization and new discoveries of data more efficiently.

Research, Development, and
Technology
Turner-Fairbank Highway
Research Center
6300 Georgetown Pike
McLean, VA 22101-2296
https://highways.dot.gov/research

For research or materials testing projects, the following are key elements to successfully execute a data-management plan: •

Identify data needs and outcomes of the project.

•

Map the data collection and testing process.

•

Assign responsibilities for each stage of data collection, data