49 U.S.C. § 6311 — Research and development grants

investigation of the subjects described in section 6302(b)(3)(B)(vi);

research and development of new methods of data collection, standardization, management, integration, dissemination, interpretation, and analysis;

demonstration programs by States, local governments, and metropolitan planning organizations to coordinate data collection, reporting, management, storage, and archiving to simplify data comparisons across jurisdictions;

development of electronic clearinghouses of transportation data and related information, as part of the Library^*; and

development and improvement of methods for sharing geographic data, in support of the database under section 6310 1 and the National Spatial Data Infrastructure developed under Executive Order 12906 (59 Fed. Reg. 17671) (or a successor Executive Order).