MAG has been participating in IAM’s work as a partner, and by joining IAM, the agency will work to deploy and evaluate scalable, safe and technologically developed products through pilot projects and other efforts. MAG will focus on areas that inform regional planning efforts, including evaluations of connected and automated vehicle technologies, infrastructure requirements, data collection and management, and smart infrastructure deployment.

“Formalizing this cooperation will create new synergies across multiple government sectors and with academic and private partners,” said MAG Executive Director Eric Anderson. “We can leverage the IAM research to propagate pilots more quickly and make the path from university research to practice more streamlined. As a conduit to local governments, we can bring a better process of technology development and deployment through intergovernmental cooperation. This means we can get promising ideas into the real-world pipeline throughout our region more efficiently.”

Arizona has been labeled “The place where automated vehicles go to learn” by the New York Times, with companies having operated automated vehicle (AV) testing in the state including TuSimple, Mobileye, Nuro, Imagery, Waymo, Uber, Lunewave, Udelv, Cruise and Local Motors.

“The partnership between MAG and IAM furthers Arizona’s leading presence advancing automated mobility,” said Sandra Watson, President and CEO of the Arizona Commerce Authority. “Through close collaboration, we can amplify automated vehicle research and product deployment through each of our networks to impact more Arizonans and enhance driver and road safety.”

The IAM fosters automated mobility solutions that contribute to the development of relevant policies, guidelines and recommendations. Throughout development and deployment, the projects aim to improve the infrastructure of changing transportation technologies.

Since its inception in 2018, the IAM has worked to address obstacles to AV commercialization. For example, IAM’s safety metrics project is pioneering a new framework for AV safety leveraging existing infrastructure, data capture techniques and experts in the fields of computer vision, machine learning, artificial intelligence, edge computing, and traffic engineering. IAM members include industry leaders, government, academia and transportation communities.

The Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG) provides a forum for local governments working together on issues that affect the lives of everyone in the greater Phoenix region. We are a regional agency that conducts planning and makes policy decisions in a number of core areas. These include safe and smart travel, the economy and growth, environment and sustainability, and improving quality of life, all with a focus on efficient and effective operations. Our members include 27 cities and towns, 3 Native nations, Maricopa County, portions of Pinal County, and the Arizona Department of Transportation. Our planning area encompasses about 10,600 square miles.

The Institute of Automated Mobility (IAM) is a public-private sector partnership to advance all aspects of automated vehicle safety, science and policy. Overseen by the Arizona Commerce Authority (ACA), the IAM seeks to position Arizona as a leader in the safe commercial deployment of autonomous vehicles (AVs) by fostering collaborative state of the art research, development, testing and evaluation. Building on Arizona’s legacy in automotive innovation, the IAM is nurturing the development of next generation transportation technologies and businesses.