A freight data repository as foundational pillar for urban freight research

This research shows the key components and lessons learned from a freight data repository in Canada. The Freight Data Warehouse (FDW), hosted at the University of Toronto, was developed as part of the Smart Freight Centre, a collaboration between researchers from five Canadian universities and key stakeholders in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA). The data repository exemplifies a successful collaboration between private, public, and academic sectors. This research presents the critical aspects of a data governance framework, a data policy, data classification, and data handling that was developed for the data repository. It shows a case study that computes the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions on Highway 401 in the GTHA by using a data fusion approach. It discusses the potential policy impacts of the FDW for transportation professionals and policymakers. It also showcases a dashboard prototype to visualize GHG emissions and air contaminants on freeways in the GTHA. Lastly, it discusses vital insights the FDW team has learned over its six years of operations. Ultimately, this research intends to show practitioners and the scientific community the potential for freight data repositories to become foundational pillars for transportation research.