The National Renewable Energy Laboratory's Open Platform for Agile Trip Heuristics (NREL OpenPATH, available at https://nrel.gov/openpath) offers a revolutionary way to monitor your travel behaviors. Whether you're driving, taking the bus, cycling, or walking, this app meticulously tracks your travel modes and quantifies the energy consumption and carbon emissions associated with each journey.

NREL OpenPATH serves as a powerful tool for communities, providing insights into travel choices and patterns. It encourages users to explore more sustainable transportation options and assess their effectiveness. The data gathered can significantly influence transportation policies and urban planning, paving the way for greener, more accessible cities.

On an individual level, the app educates users about the environmental impact of their travel decisions. Additionally, it aggregates data to present community-wide statistics on travel modes, trip frequency, and carbon footprints through an accessible public dashboard.

The functionality of NREL OpenPATH is supported by continuous data collection and analysis through a smartphone app, which is connected to a server for automated data processing. Its open-source framework ensures transparency in data handling and allows customization for specific research or programs.

When you first install the app, no data is collected or transmitted. To participate in a study or program, you'll need to click a provided link or scan a QR code, followed by consenting to data collection and storage. If you're not part of a specific community or program but want to track your personal carbon footprint, you can join NREL's open-access study, where your data contributes to broader research efforts.

At its heart, NREL OpenPATH functions as an automatic travel diary, utilizing background-sensed location and accelerometer data. You can enhance this diary with semantic labels as specified by program administrators or researchers.

Be aware that continuous GPS usage in the background can significantly reduce your device's battery life. To mitigate this, the app smartly deactivates GPS when you're stationary, reducing 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