IT WORKS! INC. — Department of Transportation SBIR Phase II: 180-NH1

Description

Research conducted in Phase I identified a range of data sources providing vehicle related information to consumers shopping around or interested in knowing more about vehicles. Majority of the commercial data sources focused on vehicle features, new/used/CPO pricing, and vehicles listings. Such data sources lacked safety as their central focus, which is a concern for U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Only disparate and specific data sources such as NHTSA Recalls data source, Insurance Institute of Highway Safety (IIHS) ratings data source, and Safercar.gov provided safety focused information. However, based on multiple third party research reports, consumers have a tendency to use popular commercial applications vs. safety focused sites, which risks consumers not getting comprehensive information about vehicle safety. Volanno, an award-winning Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) conducted in-depth research in Phase I and proposed a hybrid mobile cloud based aggregator application to aggregate relevant data from disparate data sources, and present information in an optically appealing and easy to interpret user interface. The application will leverage data visualization best practices and leading edge technologies to implement differentiating features. Phase II will focus on developing a tested Minimum Viable Product (MVP) with core functionality.