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NREL OpenPATH

Category : Health & FitnessVersion: 1.9.1

Size：32.8 MBOS : Android 7.0+

Developer：National Renewable Energy Laboratory Update：Jan 14,2025

3.7

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Application Description

NREL OpenPATH: Track Your Travel, Measure Your Impact

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory's Open Platform for Agile Trip Heuristics (NREL OpenPATH, https://nrel.gov/openpath) is a mobile application that lets you monitor your transportation methods (car, bus, bike, walking, etc.) and calculate their energy consumption and carbon footprint.

This app empowers communities to analyze their travel habits, explore sustainable alternatives, and assess the outcomes. These findings can inform better transportation policies and urban planning, leading to more sustainable and accessible cities.

OpenPATH provides personalized feedback on the environmental impact of your travel choices, while also offering aggregated, anonymized community data on travel patterns and carbon footprints through a public dashboard.

OpenPATH uses continuous data collection and analysis via a smartphone app, server, and automated data processing. Its open-source design ensures transparent data handling and allows customization for specific projects or research studies.

Data collection only begins after you consent, following a study or program invitation (via link or QR code). If you're interested in tracking your personal carbon footprint without joining a specific program, you can participate in NREL's open-access study. Your anonymized data may be used as a control group in partner studies.

At its core, the app functions as an automated travel diary, using background location and accelerometer data. You may add details as needed by program administrators or researchers.

To conserve battery life, GPS tracking automatically shuts off when you're stationary. This results in approximately 5% battery drain with up to 3 hours of daily travel.