Transportation Research and Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University

What Transportation Research and Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University does

TREC is a multidisciplinary transportation research and education center housed within Portland State University's College of Urban and Public Affairs and the Maseeh College of Engineering and Computer Science. Founded in 2006, it serves as an applied research hub for transportation decision-makers, producing tools, publications, and workforce development programs in active transportation, equity, and emerging mobility.

The center's core technology products are two transportation data platforms: PORTAL, a regional transportation data portal for the Portland-Vancouver metropolitan area providing real-time and archived traffic metrics, and BikePed Portal, a national centralized non-motorized count database with automated quality assurance covering 600+ pedestrian and bicycle count locations. BikePed Portal applies AASHTO and FHWA-PL-16-008 methods for Average Annual Non-Motorized Traffic (AADNMT) computation and offers cross-agency data sharing capabilities. TREC also operates several program brands: the Initiative for Bicycle and Pedestrian Innovation (IBPI), the National Institute for Transportation and Communities (NITC, one of seven U.S. DOT national university transportation centers), PacTrans (a Pacific Northwest consortium membership), Better Block PSU (tactical urbanism), the Community Transportation Academy, STEP (student professional group), and a Graduate Research Assistants program hiring 15-30 students annually. Education revenue includes the IBPI Study Abroad program ($6,240 program fee for the Denmark 2026 course).

TREC's revenue model is grant- and partnership-funded rather than commercial. Primary funding flows from U.S. DOT national UTC designation and pooled-fund grants, with additional revenue from data services (BikePed Portal) and professional education (study abroad, workshops). Customers are primarily public-sector transportation agencies, university researchers, and graduate students, with distribution routed through academic and consortium channels. The center is led by Director Jennifer Dill and Sustainable Transportation Program Manager John MacArthur, and operates as a state-university nonprofit entity with no external equity ownership.

Name

Transportation Research and Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University

Legal name

Transportation Research and Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University

Website

https://trec.pdx.edu

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

TREC is a Portland State University research center operating transportation data platforms (PORTAL, BikePed Portal covering 600+ locations) and education programs for public agencies, university researchers, and graduate students, funded primarily by U.S. DOT and FHWA grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Portland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Federal Research Grants: Primary funding through U.S. Department of Transportation national university transportation center designation and pooled fund grants from federal agencies.
2. Data Services: BikePed Portal provides data management services for public agencies, researchers, educators, and organizations for bicycle and pedestrian counts.
3. Education Programs: Study abroad programs, summer camps, and professional education generating revenue through program fees for transportation education.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

TREC is a multidisciplinary university transportation research and education center that conducts federally-funded research, maintains two proprietary transportation data platforms (the regional PORTAL database and the national BikePed Portal non-motorized count database spanning 600+ locations), and delivers workforce development programs including study abroad courses, professional training, scholarships, and community academies. Customers are public agencies, researchers, students, and transportation professionals who access data, research outputs, and educational programming through TREC's programs and its NITC consortium of six universities.

Product overview

TREC (Transportation Research and Education Center) at Portland State University operates as a multidisciplinary research and education hub offering a portfolio of data platforms, educational programs, and research initiatives focused on transportation. The core data products include PORTAL (a regional transportation data portal for Portland-Vancouver) and BikePed Portal (a national non-motorized count database covering 600+ locations). TREC's programmatic offerings are organized under specialized sub-brands including the Initiative for Bicycle and Pedestrian Innovation (IBPI), National Institute for Transportation and Communities (NITC), PacTrans, Better Block PSU, Community Transportation Academy, and the TREC Resource Hub. Educational initiatives encompass the IBPI Study Abroad program, Graduate Research Assistants program, and a Transportation Scholars scholarship program. The organization also supports STEP (Students in Transportation Engineering and Planning), a student professional group. Together, these products and programs serve transportation researchers, planners, decision-makers, and students through data access, workforce development, and community engagement.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Initiative for Bicycle and Pedestrian Innovation (IBPI): Program focused on advancing active transportation through research, education, and training in bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure.
• BikePed Portal
• National Institute for Transportation and Communities (NITC)

Products and services

• PORTAL (Portland-Vancouver Regional Data Portal) A comprehensive transportation data platform providing real-time and archived data for the Portland-Vancouver metropolitan area, enabling researchers, practitioners, and public agencies to access transportation metrics and analytics for regional transportation analysis and planning.
• BikePed Portal A centralized standard non-motorized count database and comprehensive data management system for manual and automated bicycle and pedestrian counts, featuring automated QA/QC, Average Annual Non-Motorized Traffic (AADNMT) computation using AASHTO and FHWA-PL-16-008 methods, and cross-agency data sharing for over 600 locations nationwide. Used by public agencies, researchers, educators, and other curious members of the public to explore annual, monthly, daily, and hourly pedestrian and bicycle volumes.
• IBPI Study Abroad Sustainable Transportation Program A five-credit study abroad course (CE 495/595) examining sustainable transportation and land use through a two-week immersive experience in Denmark, focusing on cycling, transit, and innovative mobility with comparison to U.S. approaches. Program fee is $6,240 plus additional estimated costs of $2,492 ($8,732 total), including course credits, site visits, excursions, housing, meals, and insurance.
• IBPI Bikeway Design Workshops and Training Workshops and trainings under the Initiative for Bicycle and Pedestrian Innovation program focused on bikeway and pedestrian infrastructure design for transportation professionals.
• National Institute for Transportation and Communities (NITC) Research Program One of seven U.S. Department of Transportation national university transportation centers, pursuing research on improving mobility of people and goods through a partnership of six universities led by Portland State University. Generates federal-funded research, final reports, and publications for transportation decision-makers.
• Community Transportation Academy An educational program designed to expand the diversity and capacity of the transportation workforce through community-focused training and education, addressing workforce gaps in active transportation and sustainable mobility.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 600 locations tracked in national non-motorized count database
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability1 record

Feature2 records

Partnerships

19 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• University of OregoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNITC consortium partner university collaborating on transportation research under the theme of improving mobility of people and goods to build strong communities.
• Oregon Institute of TechnologycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNITC consortium partner university collaborating on transportation research initiatives.
• University of UtahcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNITC consortium partner university collaborating on transportation research initiatives.
• University of ArizonacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNITC consortium partner university collaborating on transportation research initiatives.
• University of Texas at ArlingtoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNITC consortium partner university collaborating on transportation research initiatives.
• Federal Highway AdministrationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal agency partner in BikePed Portal establishment through pooled fund grant, providing oversight and funding for non-motorized transportation data collection.
• Oregon Department of TransportationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState transportation agency partner providing funding and data for BikePed Portal and other transportation research initiatives.
• Metro (Oregon)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional government partner for transportation planning and data coordination through BikePed Portal.
• Lane Council of GovernmentsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional planning partner contributing to BikePed Portal non-motorized count data.
• Central Lane MPOminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMetropolitan planning organization partner contributing to BikePed Portal.
• Bend MPOminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMetropolitan planning organization partner contributing to BikePed Portal.
• Mid Willamette Valley Council of GovernmentsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional council of governments partner for BikePed Portal.
• Rogue Valley Council of GovernmentsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional council of governments partner for BikePed Portal.
• City of BoulderminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMunicipal partner contributing to BikePed Portal non-motorized count data.
• City of AustinminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMunicipal partner contributing to BikePed Portal non-motorized count data.
• Cycle OregonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNonprofit cycling event organization partner in BikePed Portal initiative.
• Oregon Community FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFoundation partner supporting BikePed Portal establishment and non-motorized transportation research.
• PacTranscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPacific Northwest Transportation Consortium - PSU membership in regional consortium for transportation research and education.
• Better Block PSUcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProgram under TREC focused on tactical urbanism and community-based transportation improvements.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• INRIX: INRIX is a leading commercial provider of transportation data, traffic analytics, and mobility intelligence for public agencies and private companies. Overlaps with TREC's data platform offerings for agencies, though INRIX operates at commercial scale and broader multimodal scope.
• Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI): TTI is one of the largest and most established university transportation research agencies in the U.S., with deep state DOT relationships and broad multimodal research. Operates at significantly larger scale but covers overlapping research, data, and workforce development activities.

Others

• National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO): NACTO is an association of 86 major North American cities that develops street design guidelines and urban transportation policy. While not a research center, NACTO is a key channel through which TREC's research, design guidance, and workforce training reach municipal transportation practitioners.

Emerging players

• StreetLight Data: StreetLight Data is a venture-backed mobility analytics company using anonymized location data to deliver multimodal transportation insights. Competes with TREC's PORTAL and BikePed Portal in the transportation analytics market for agency customers, but as a commercial SaaS platform rather than an open-data academic resource.

Direct peers

• Center for Transportation Research (UT Austin): CTR at UT Austin is another USDOT UTC with comparable research, education, and data programs. Direct peer on transportation research scope, federal funding model, and graduate student workforce development.
• Mineta Transportation Institute at San Jose State University: Mineta Transportation Institute is a USDOT UTC focused on transportation policy, mobility, and workforce development. Direct peer as a university-affiliated UTC with research, education, and policy-focused mission.
• SafeTREC at UC Berkeley: Safe Transportation Research and Education Center at UC Berkeley is a fellow USDOT-funded UTC focused on transportation safety research and data. Both centers operate as university-affiliated UTCs conducting multimodal transportation research with federal grant funding, making them the most directly comparable peer.
• Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI): VTTI operates large-scale naturalistic driving studies, transportation data collection, and USDOT-funded research. Comparable as a university transportation research institute with substantial federal grants and proprietary data infrastructure.
• Institute of Transportation Studies at UC Berkeley: ITS Berkeley is one of the largest and oldest university transportation research centers in the U.S., with broad multimodal research and graduate education. Direct peer on UTC designation, research output, and data platform offerings.
• University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI): UMTRI is a major university transportation research institute with deep federal funding, multimodal data collection, and graduate research programs. Comparable in scale of research portfolio, federal funding base, and mission to translate research into policy.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/trecpdx

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Transportation Research and Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University