Seattle, like many cities, is preparing for a future that includes more autonomous vehicles and connected fleets. But today, there’s a gap: real-time emergency information is not shared in formats that can be easily used by mapping companies, mobility services, and autonomous vehicles.
Currently, when a fire truck or ambulance is dispatched to an emergency, that information is not shared with the wider transportation ecosystem. The Digital Conflict Area Awareness Management Program (dCAAMP) changes that by using the Open Mobility Foundation’s Mobility Data Specification to make emergency conflict zones visible to connected vehicles in near real-time.
Project Background
Seattle has been a leader in preparing for autonomous vehicles—from launching the state’s first Autonomous Vehicle Testing Permit Program, to collaborating with the City of Bellevue to publish the AV Strategic Vision, and incorporating AVs into the Seattle Transportation Plan, to leading one of the first Autonomous Vehicle Inclusive Planning cohorts.
As we prepare for state or federal legislation that may allow commercial autonomous vehicle service, Seattle is taking steps to ensure these services do not impact first responders and are aware of incidents in advance to inform vehicle routing. We’re acting in advance as we learn from other cities that already have autonomous vehicles on their streets.
This work is made possible by funding from the Washington State Legislature in the 2023-2025 Washington State Supplemental Transportation Budget.
How it Works
The program integrates directly with Seattle’s 911 Computer-Aided Dispatch system. When first responders are sent to an incident, the system flags that location based on the location, emergency type, and number and types of emergency vehicles dispatched.
This information is then transmitted in a machine-readable format using the Mobility Data Specification. That means autonomous vehicles, mapping providers, and other mobility operators will have access to the data in a format that they can integrate into their systems to avoid the area—improving safety for emergency responders and streamlining operations by avoiding downstream incidents.
Project Partners and Schedule
This work is led by the Seattle Department of Transportation in partnership with:
- Open Mobility Foundation
- Blue Systems
- University of Washington Sustainable Transportation Lab
To guide this effort, SDOT is working with the Open Mobility Foundation to launch a Digital Mobility Policy Advisory Council. It’s a collaborative group of public agencies, tech providers, researchers, and mobility operators. The council will help shape the future of digital mobility policy and ensure the technology aligns with public safety, equity, and innovation goals.
The pilot is anticipated to go live within 2025.
Mobility Data Specification (MDS) Overview
The Mobility Data Specification is designed to enable cities to manage any shared mobility option in the public right of way, including autonomous vehicles. These specifications are already used by cities across the world, including Seattle, to manage scooter and bike share. They are a set of Application Programming Interfaces, which are protocols that allow data to flow securely between cities and transportation providers.
Cities
Manages the street and right of way. Responsible for policy, equity, resident feedback and issues, and MDS Agency.
MDS
The digital infrastructure that lets cities and companies share information and manage devices together.
Companies
Manages devices. Responsible for maintenance and repairs, billing, remote monitoring, and MDS Provider.