U.S. DOT FY 2026 Phase I Pre-Solicitation Q&A
- To create a new account or to sign in with an existing account please click on “sign in” located at the top right of the page
- A new pop-up window will open to make a selection, you can use an existing Google or Facebook account to access the site or you might select to create a new account.
- If you choose to access UserVoice with an existing Google or Microsoft account, you will be required to enter your login credentials for Google or Microsoft and agree to terms of service
- If you need to create a new account, click "Create an Account" underneath the password box
- In the next screen, type in the e-mail and click "Verify E-mail".
- Navigate to your inbox and click the link within the e-mail to verify. The link will be generated by noreply@trymagic.com
- That link will be live for 20 minutes. Once that time elapses, you will have to request another one
- Navigate back to UserVoice, and you will need to provide your name, a password, and agree to terms of service and storage permissions. Click "Create Account".
- Select the research topic your question is related to from the drop-down menu that appears when you begin typing.
- You may add more detail in the Description box (optional). Do NOT attach any files. The U.S. DOT shall not consider any submitted materials other than questions.
- Enter your e-mail address and password.
- When finished, select “Post idea.” If you registered, you will be able to track responses to your post. Please include only one question or comment per post to help us keep the forum organized.
18 results found
-
Cybersecurity standards
What cybersecurity standards must the proposed system meet for Phase I (e.g., NIST SP 800-53, FIPS 140-3, FedRAMP, IEEE 1609)? Is *********** testing expected within the Phase I budget?
1 vote0 comments · 26-FH1: Edge AI-V2X Integrated Practical Solutions for Congestion Prevention and Mitigation · Admin → -
Privacy compliance standards
What privacy and data protection standards are expected for the proposed system (e.g., NIST 800-53, CCPA, anonymization protocols, retention limits)? Are there specific federal or state privacy regulations the proposed system must address in Phase I?
1 vote0 comments · 26-FH1: Edge AI-V2X Integrated Practical Solutions for Congestion Prevention and Mitigation · Admin → -
Vulnerable road user scope
The topic primarily discusses vehicle congestion. Are advisories targeting vulnerable road users (pedestrians, cyclists) within scope for this topic? If so, must they be addressed in Phase I, or is that a Phase II consideration?
1 vote0 comments · 26-FH1: Edge AI-V2X Integrated Practical Solutions for Congestion Prevention and Mitigation · Admin → -
Cost-benefit analysis baseline
Phase II requires a cost-benefit analysis. What is the expected comparison baseline: (a) no advisory system at all, (b) existing legacy traffic management without AI/V2X integration, or (c) competing edge-AI systems already in market? What units does DOT prefer for the analysis (delay reduction, fuel savings, emissions, monetized benefits)?
1 vote0 comments · 26-FH1: Edge AI-V2X Integrated Practical Solutions for Congestion Prevention and Mitigation · Admin → -
Specific congestion types in Phase I scope
The topic lists multiple congestion sources: weather, traffic incidents, work zones, planned special events. Is the Phase I proof-of-concept expected to address one congestion type, several, or all of them? Is there a preferred congestion type for the Phase I demonstration?
1 vote0 comments · 26-FH1: Edge AI-V2X Integrated Practical Solutions for Congestion Prevention and Mitigation · Admin → -
Connected-vehicle *********** assumptions
Topic uncertainty #4 mentions "low levels of connected-vehicle ********." Is there a specific ******** threshold (e.g., 5%, 10%, 25%) at which the system must perform, or is the system expected to deliver value across a range from 0% (no CV-equipped vehicles) to 100%? Should the Phase I demonstration include scenarios at low CV ***********?
1 vote0 comments · 26-FH1: Edge AI-V2X Integrated Practical Solutions for Congestion Prevention and Mitigation · Admin → -
Geographic scope and impact zone definition
The topic discusses "a defined geographic area (such as a one-mile by one-mile zone; or adaptively scoped by impact zone)." For Phase I, is a fixed geographic scope expected, or can the system itself dynamically define impact zones based on detected events? What is the minimum spatial coverage expected for the Phase I proof-of-concept?
1 vote0 comments · 26-FH1: Edge AI-V2X Integrated Practical Solutions for Congestion Prevention and Mitigation · Admin → -
Live traffic data access mechanism
For Phase II, "at least one state or local agency committed to provide access to their live traffic data" is required. Does DOT facilitate or broker this access, or is the proposer responsible for arranging it directly? Are there national programs (e.g., USDOT ITS Data Hub, RITIS) that could substitute for direct agency partnerships?
1 vote0 comments · 26-FH1: Edge AI-V2X Integrated Practical Solutions for Congestion Prevention and Mitigation · Admin → -
Specific Transportation Management Center integration
The topic mentions "operational strategies to a Transportation Management Center (TMC), and function as a complementary component to enhance existing traffic congestion management." Does DOT have specific TMC platforms or open standards in mind for integration (e.g., NTCIP, TMDD, ATMS systems)? Is integration with at least one specific commercial TMS / ATMS platform required for Phase I?
1 vote0 comments · 26-FH1: Edge AI-V2X Integrated Practical Solutions for Congestion Prevention and Mitigation · Admin → -
Output advisory formats and rendering
Phase I requires "delivering human-centric advisories." Are advisories expected in a single format (e.g., text-only OBU display) or across multiple modalities (text, voice, visual cues, vehicle dashboard integration, mobile app push)? Is integration with consumer mobile applications (e.g., Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, Waze) considered in scope?
1 vote0 comments · 26-FH1: Edge AI-V2X Integrated Practical Solutions for Congestion Prevention and Mitigation · Admin → -
Outbound-only broadcast vs bidirectional V2X
Are proposals using a one-way broadcast architecture (infrastructure-to-vehicle, no inbound from vehicles) considered responsive, given that it eliminates handshake latency and reduces cybersecurity exposure? Or does the topic require bidirectional V2X consistent with SAE J2735 / 3GPP Release 16 standards?
1 vote0 comments · 26-FH1: Edge AI-V2X Integrated Practical Solutions for Congestion Prevention and Mitigation · Admin → -
Communication technology stack flexibility
The topic mentions "ready-to-implement secure V2X communication (such as C-V2X (5G/4G/LTE), Satellite, etc.) or other communication technologies." Is there a preference among these, or is the choice left to the proposer? Are proposals using novel or proprietary communication mechanisms (provided they meet documented latency and security requirements) considered responsive?
1 vote0 comments · 26-FH1: Edge AI-V2X Integrated Practical Solutions for Congestion Prevention and Mitigation · Admin → -
Hardware-in-the-loop testbed expectations
Phase I requires hardware-in-the-loop simulation testing. Are commercial HIL platforms (e.g., dSPACE, NI VeriStand, CARLA + ROS2) acceptable, or does DOT have a preferred testbed? Is virtual-only simulation acceptable in cases where the architecture is purely software / firmware, or is physical hardware integration required for Phase I?
1 vote0 comments · 26-FH1: Edge AI-V2X Integrated Practical Solutions for Congestion Prevention and Mitigation · Admin → -
Phase I human factors testing depth
Phase I deliverables include "human-centric design" and human factors testing of advisory messaging. Is the expected depth a small-N usability study within the proof-of-concept (e.g., 5 to 10 participants for comprehension testing), or a statistically powered human factors experiment? Approximately what budget allocation does DOT expect for the human factors component within the Phase I budget cap?
1 vote0 comments · 26-FH1: Edge AI-V2X Integrated Practical Solutions for Congestion Prevention and Mitigation · Admin → -
Phase II agency commitment level and timing
Phase II requires "at least one state or local agency committed to provide access to live traffic data." At what stage is that commitment expected, and at what level? Is a Letter of Intent or MOU at Phase I proposal time sufficient, or must a binding partnership agreement be in place at Phase II proposal time?
1 vote0 comments · 26-FH1: Edge AI-V2X Integrated Practical Solutions for Congestion Prevention and Mitigation · Admin → -
New infrastructure deployment
The topic encourages leveraging existing infrastructure (legacy fixed-point detectors, RSUs, third-party feeds). Are proposals deploying new sensing infrastructure (e.g., next-generation roadside units with multi-modal sensing) considered responsive, provided they are designed to interoperate with existing legacy data and fit within the Phase I budget envelope?
1 vote0 comments · 26-FH1: Edge AI-V2X Integrated Practical Solutions for Congestion Prevention and Mitigation · Admin → -
Multi-agent coordination scope
Topic uncertainty #5 names "how to seamlessly coordinate between multiple local-AI agents to achieve network-wide benefits" as an open question. Does this include sender-side coordination methods (i.e., proactive state propagation between agents before an event), or is the expected scope limited to receiver-side reactive coordination?
1 vote0 comments · 26-FH1: Edge AI-V2X Integrated Practical Solutions for Congestion Prevention and Mitigation · Admin → -
Architecture: edge-distributed mesh vs cloud-edge
The topic description states "the technical approach envisioned for this SBIR topic aligns with this latter category, which is cloud-edge computing." Would proposals using a fully edge-distributed mesh of perception nodes (with cloud aggregation reserved for non-real-time analytics, model training, and longer-horizon prediction) be considered responsive to this topic, or is a centralized cloud-edge split required?
1 vote0 comments · 26-FH1: Edge AI-V2X Integrated Practical Solutions for Congestion Prevention and Mitigation · Admin →
- Don't see your idea?