AASHTOWare Project™ Data Analytics SaaS Release and Update

November 30, 2023

New Agency Engagement

With Data Analytics SaaS available to all agencies as of July 1, an update on how things are progressing is in order. For the past several months, new agency product adoption and involvement has been the big focus. Since July, 15 new agencies beyond the original 13 participating agencies have been on-boarded with Data Analytics. This includes helping set up the scribe to securely transfer data, establishing the agency tenant(s), and an introductory overview of the system to get them started. Of those new agencies, 5 have submitted feedback and 2 have joined the Data Analytics TRT. These are all positive signs of increased interest and usage.

The development focus during that time has been addressing minor errors and small usability issues that especially benefit new agencies using the system for the first time. A perfect example is the feature added to optionally combine lettings by day. This feature enabled California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) and Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT) to use letting-related analyses in a manner more aligned with their current business practices. While we look towards new agency engagement, we also acknowledge that a big part of the successful rollout can be attributed to agencies that were involved from the beginning, like the Ohio Department of Transportation (Ohio DOT).

Champion Agency Highlight

Ohio DOT was a participating agency in the original development project and has been a champion agency from the start. They have taken full advantage of the pre-award features within the system. Additionally, they use the Notebook features, such as tagging and rich text formatting, for the formal documentation needed as part of the recommendations to the awards committee. Now the whole process takes place within Data Analytics SaaS, which saves time and gives more insight for the committee stakeholders. For more detailed information, see the AASHTOWare Project Data Analytics Case Study featuring Ohio DOT – https://www.aashtowareproject.org/case-studies.

Recently, Ohio DOT used the features in Historical Summary to examine their SBE Program since its inception in January 2017. By analyzing all the set-aside projects for the duration of the program, and utilizing visuals such as district level project density and worktype distribution, stakeholders can analyze the entire history of the program and see answers to their questions. Most importantly, through this process they have validated that the program is working as desired.

Looking Ahead

It is great to hear an example of how Data Analytics SaaS is being used now, but what is in store for the future? As more agencies rollout Data Analytics SaaS, there is a larger focus on security with cloud-based services. To that end, the PTF has approved the pursuit of a StateRAMP certification (https://stateramp.org/) for Data Analytics SaaS. This is an important step in the evolution of the product offering to validate its position as a secure, robust service.

Of interest to current end users, there is funding in place to focus on additional product enhancements, with priority being driven by the recent PUG ballot results. This development will start to take place early 2024. We are looking forward to the continued growth of Data Analytics SaaS and to the possibilities of expanded analyses into modules that were less of an initial focus. The Data Analytics TRT will be looking to grow in new directions as well in order to support these new areas. We look forward to an exciting future for Data Analytics SaaS!