Partners & Member Organizations

AAMVA is a nonprofit organization developing model programs in motor vehicle administration, law enforcement, and highway safety. The association also serves as an information clearinghouse in these areas and acts as the international spokesperson for these interests.

AAMVA has an automated vehicle subcommittee that Iowa DOT staff are members of or have engaged with. For more on this subcommittee, visit their website.

American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) is a standards setting body which publishes specifications, test protocols, and guidelines that are used in highway design and construction throughout the United States. Despite its name, the association represents not only highways but air, rail, water, and public transportation as well. Given the broad impacts of CAV to departments of transportation, AASHTO is very much engaged on the topic. The Iowa DOT is involved in many committees and groups with our partners at AASHTO. For more information on these activities, visit the AASHTO website.

The Center for Transportation Research and Education is housed at, and administered by, Iowa State University’s Institute for Transportation. The center performs transportation-related research, outreach, and educational activities in four major areas: safety, asset management, operations, and planning.  The center researchers create new knowledge and practical tools for transportation professionals. For more information, please go to https://ctre.iastate.edu.

The Cooperative Automated Transportation Coalition (CAT) serves as a collaborative focal point for federal, state and local government officials, academia, industry and their related associations to address critical program and technical issues associated with the nationwide deployment of connected and automated vehicles on streets and highways. Coalition membership includes representation from infrastructure owners and operators (IOOs), original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), technology and service providers, and internet of things (IOT) suppliers. This group is supported by AASHTO, ITS America, and ITE. The Iowa DOT is engaged with this collaborative group and participates in many of the associated working groups. For more information, go to the CAT Coalition website.

ITE is an international educational and scientific association of transportation professionals who are responsible for meeting mobility and safety needs. ITE facilitates the application of technology and scientific principles to research, planning, functional design, implementation, operation, policy development, and management for any mode of ground transportation.

Iowa DOT staff are members of ITE and participate with the ITE CAV Steering Committee. For more information, please visit their website.

ITS America is a Washington, D.C. based membership and advocacy group for the development and deployment of Intelligent Transportation Systems in the United States. ITS America was established in 1991 as a not-for-profit organization to foster the use of advanced technologies in surface transportation systems. ITS America membership is composed of state and city public agencies, private companies, research institutions, academia and includes automakers, telecommunications, traditional IT, emerging technology, consumer apps, industrial electronics, road, transit as well as other transportation infrastructure operators and the research community.

The Iowa DOT is a member of ITS America and is engaged in a variety of committees and working groups tied to emerging technology, mobility, and sustainability. For more information, go to the website here: https://itsa.org/.

MAASTO is the ten-state regional organization of AASHTO and includes: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, and Wisconsin.

In 2020, MAASTO created a CAV Committee to coordinate and align on the topic of CAVs while working to support the 2030 regional strategy and pursue regional projects. For more info on the CAV committee, see the MAASTO website.

Driving Safety Research Institute, home of the National Advanced Driving Simulator, ​​​​​is a self-sustained transportation safety research center in the University of Iowa’s College of Engineering. Funded by government and industry, the center utilizes its suite of world-class driving simulators and instrumented on-road vehicles to conduct research studies for the private and public sectors.

For more information, please go to dsri.uiowa.edu

PAVE is a coalition of industry, nonprofits, and academics with one goal: To bring the conversation about automated vehicles (AVs) to the public so everyone can play a role in shaping our future. PAVE’s goal is purely educational—we don’t advocate for a particular technology or specific public policies. Our members believe that we can only achieve the potential benefits of driverless technology if the public and policymakers know the honest facts. PAVE wants to raise public awareness of both what is on the roads today and what is possible for the future.

PAVE has created an academic and public sector advisory councils. The Iowa DOT is a member of the public sector advisory council. For more info on PAVE, visit the PAVE website.

The U.S. DOT is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government. The department includes roughly a dozen agencies like the Federal Highway Administration, Federal Motor Carrier Administration, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and several others. The Iowa DOT works closely with the key U.S. DOT agencies supporting CAV activities at the federal government. For more information, visit their website.