The Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), one of the federal government’s principal statistical agencies, has opened a new fellows program for people looking to bring transformative change to data and geospatial information.

These post-graduate research and developmental opportunities are currently available in the areas of Geospatial, Information Science/Library Science, and Data Visualization programs. The appointed fellows will work at Department of Transportation (DOT) headquarters in Washington, D.C.

The selected candidate will receive a stipend as support for living and other expenses during this appointment. Stipend rates are determined by DOT officials and are based on the candidate’s academic and professional background. The candidate may also be eligible to receive a health insurance allowance and reimbursement for travel expenses. This appointment is full-time for one year and may be extended in increments of up to one year, contingent upon project needs and funding availability.

The following is a brief description of each of the fellows:

Geospatial Data Analysis – In BTS’ Office of Spatial Analysis and Visualization (OSAV), the fellow will explore opportunities to advance geospatial data resources that are appropriate for statistical analysis and will build new data sets for BTS to use in analysis and publish to the world. The fellow will design and build innovative, new data sets that capture emerging areas of transportation. There will be the opportunity to develop close working relationships with other DOT offices and other Federal agencies that maintain geospatial data and analytical capabilities, which can aid in the understanding of the transportation industry.

Data Visualization – In BTS’ Offices of Spatial Analysis and Visualization (OSAV) and Transportation Analysis (OTA), the fellow will participate in a project is to further develop DOT’s data visualization across the modes of transportation (highway, rail, air, water, and pipeline). The participant will collaborate with individuals from DOT’s operating administrations and offices under the Secretary of Transportation, to connect, understand, analyze, and visualize DOT databases, data sources outside of the department, and geospatial data. The work will foster increased use of DOT data to inform programmatic and policy decisions, and further demonstrate the value of a cross-modal approach through the power of data analytics and visualization.

Geospatial Transit and Transportation Accessibility Analysis – In BTS’ Office of Spatial Analysis and Visualization (OSAV), the fellow will be part of a project to further develop DOT’s National Transit Map and BTS’ Geospatial Workbench for Analyzing Transportation Deserts, Connections and Accessibility. The participant will collaborate with individuals from DOT’s operating administrations and offices under the Secretary of Transportation, to connect, understand, analyze, and visualize National Transit Map data with other DOT databases and data sources outside of the department.

Geospatial Web Application and Automation Development – In BTS’ Office of Spatial Analysis and Visualization (OSAV), the fellow will create applications to enable the public to visualize, view, interact with and analyze geospatial data, models and statistics related to transportation. Working closely with graphic designers to craft compelling user experiences, the fellow, as the developer/programmer will design and build innovative, dynamic, and complex web and mobile geospatial applications that consume, process and report about geospatial information.

Information Science/Library Science – National Transportation Library – Working in BTS’ National Transportation Library (NTL), the fellow will support reference and research activities, engaging with intramural and extramural researchers and stakeholders to inform other projects. After rotation through NTL’s major programs, the fellow will have the opportunity to collaborate with librarians, the data curator, and library staff on existing or new projects and initiatives supporting NTL’s legislative mandate.

For more details and information on how to apply, see BTS Job Vacancies and Internships.