Technological change has left many agencies managing numerous legacy systems and disparate architectures that, despite their limitations, remain valuable. To support cross-functional decision-making, some agencies are enhancing these systems by adopting data lake or data warehouse approaches. Advanced data representation and knowledge management techniques, such as developing a data ontology, could improve these strategies. A data ontology is a framework for characterizing and defining classes, attributes, and their relationships in a domain, providing a shared meaning across multiple users.
NCHRP Research Report 1169: Data Ontologies for Data-Driven Decision-Making: Development and Use, produced by TRB’s National Cooperative Highway Research Program, explores the implementation of a conceptual framework designed to help guide transportation agencies in the development and implementation of data ontologies. The report addresses the value of data ontologies from both business and technical perspectives and emphasizes the organizational, functional, and technical needs for successful integration of data ontologies.
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2026. Data Ontologies for Data-Driven Decision-Making: Development and Use. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
Sign in to access your saved publications, downloads, and email
preferences.
Former MyNAP users: You'll need to reset your password on your first
login to MyAcademies. Click "Forgot password" below to receive a reset
link via email. Having trouble?
Visit our FAQ page
to contact support.
Members of the National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of
Engineering, or National Academy of Medicine should log in through their
respective Academy portals.
Register
Register
Thank You
Thank You
Thank you for creating a MyAcademies account!
Enjoy free access to thousands of National Academies' publications, a
10% discount off every purchase, and build your personal library.
Forgot Password
Forgot Password
Enter the email address for your MyAcademies (formerly MyNAP) account to
receive password reset instructions.
Reset Requested
Reset Requested
We sent password reset instructions to
your email
. Follow the link in that email to create a new password. Didn't receive
it? Check your spam folder or
contact us
for assistance.
We sent a verification link to your email. Please check your inbox (and
spam folder) and follow the link to verify your email address. If you
did not receive the email, you can request a new verification link below