Mission
DriveOhio's mission is to serve as Ohio's central hub for "smart mobility", which it defines as the use of technology to move people and goods from one place to another as effectively as possible. In principle this includes all modes of transportation, including autonomous vehicles, drones, and ride sharing services. However, the initial focus of DriveOhio is to enable cars to connect with and communicate with highway infrastructure, through a fiber optic road network. Specific mission items for the center are established in Ohio Executive Order 2018-01K, which refers to DriveOhio as "the statewide center for smart mobility":
- Establish communication between the agencies building Ohio's infrastructure and the organizations which are developing mobility technology.
- Serve as the point of contact for mobility technology organizations that want to innovate in Ohio.
- Help Ohio's government to plan for the future of transportation technology. This includes the development of policies, goals, recommendations, and operating standards.
- Help to locate financing for new technology.
- Work with other state agencies to help Ohio workers transition toward future transportation jobs.
History
DriveOhio was formed through an executive order by Ohio Governor John Kasich on January 18, 2018. The desire to attract investments and jobs in Ohio was a motivator for creating the program. Jim Barna, formerly the Chief Engineer for ODOT, was made executive director of the new organization.
Besides establishing DriveOhio, the executive order also mandates that all state vehicles be equipped with on-board communication devices by 2023.
Less than a month after formation, on February 8, 2018, DriveOhio held its first Smart Mobility Summit as a public/private exchange of ideas.
On May 9, 2018, Executive Order 2018-04K was signed, which authorizes autonomous vehicles to begin testing in Ohio. Participating companies and municipalities are required to coordinate through DriveOhio.
On July 9, 2018, the Transportation Research Center, an automotive proving ground near East Liberty, broke ground on a new facility for testing autonomous and connected vehicles called the SMARTCenter. This center will offer a variety of test scenarios for evaluating autonomous vehicles, and will be equipped with the wireless sensors used by connected vehicles.
Structure
The executive director is appointed by and reports to the current Director of ODOT, and may staff the organization as necessary. There are also two all-volunteer boards, the DriveOhio Government Advisory Board and the DriveOhio Expert Advisory Board. The Government Board represents local government, and the Expert Board represents particular industries. The chairs of both boards are selected by the ODOT Director, and all other members are chosen by the Governor, with no set limit on the size of each board.
DriveOhio also absorbed ODOT's UAS Center division, formerly the Ohio/Indiana UAS Center. The DriveOhio UAS Center is headed by Director Fred Judson, and is headquartered at the Springfield–Beckley Municipal Airport in Springfield, Ohio. Its mission is to safely study and apply unmanned aerial systems (UAS) technology in the State of Ohio.
