Application Description

NREL OpenPATH: Track Your Travel, Measure Your Impact

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory's Open Platform for Agile Trip Heuristics (NREL OpenPATH, https://nrel.gov/openpath) lets you monitor your transportation methods (car, bus, bike, walking, etc.) and calculate their energy consumption and carbon footprint.

This app helps communities understand their travel habits, explore sustainable alternatives, and assess the outcomes. These findings can inform effective transportation policies, planning, and the creation of more sustainable and accessible urban environments.

OpenPATH provides individual users with personalized feedback on their travel choices, and also offers aggregated community data (mode shares, trip frequency, carbon footprint) through a public dashboard.

OpenPATH uses continuous data collection and analysis via a smartphone app, server, and automated data processing. Its open-source design ensures transparent data handling and allows customization for specific projects or research.

The app initially collects no data. Joining a study or program requires consent to data collection and storage. If you're not part of a partner program but want to track your personal carbon footprint, you can join the NREL's open-access study. Your anonymized data may contribute to control groups in partner experiments.

At its core, the app functions as an automated travel diary, using background location and accelerometer data. You can add details as needed by program administrators or researchers.

Continuous GPS use in the background significantly impacts battery life. OpenPATH automatically disables GPS when you're stationary, minimizing battery drain. Expect approximately 5% battery drain for up to 3 hours of daily travel.

What's New in Version 1.9.1

Last updated October 15, 2024

• Push notifications are now optional, as some programs don't require them.

Health & fitness