Collaboration Offers Seed Contracts to Entrepreneurs to Build AI Tools that Turn DOT PDFs into Actionable XBRL Data

NOVATO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--XBRL advocates Alfred Berkeley and K. Dixon Wright of SRC Digital Insurance Services announced a research initiative that pairs entrepreneurs with university mentors to develop AI tools that convert Department of Transportation “Application for Payment” PDF reports into XBRL data. The program will test how different AI approaches interpret the same DOT source documents and measure the impact of inconsistencies and hallucinations on data integrity.

The initiative will fund $5,000 seed contracts to teams that develop AI models for extracting and tagging payment application data into an XBRL taxonomy. Each project will produce:

• A converted XBRL dataset from publicly available DOT payment application PDFs;
• An analysis comparing results across AI tools to identify divergences and hallucination risks;
• A catalog of data elements used by DOTs and capital markets; and
• A stakeholder review and comment process to inform recommended XBRL taxonomy elements across public and private sectors.

Purpose and Significance

The research aims to demonstrate whether varying AI interpretations of identical DOT documents produce materially different outputs, and to quantify how those differences affect the usefulness of the resulting data for underwriting, project monitoring, and capital markets access. Findings will guide taxonomy design, improve data interoperability, and support more reliable, actionable datasets for public agencies and marketplace participants.

Quotes

“Digitizing isn’t just moving spreadsheets to the cloud,” said K. Dixon Wright. “A cloud full of PDFs and spreadsheets does not produce actionable data; AI interpretations can introduce hallucinations that undermine data value.”

“XBRL provides high-integrity data in an internationally recognized standard,” said Alfred Berkeley. “This work supports interoperability requirements and helps make data genuinely actionable for decision makers.”

“Transportation and AI are major focuses at Texas A&M,” said Jorge Vanegas. “These seed contracts help students and entrepreneurs deliver solutions that combine mandated reporting requirements with operational gains for stakeholders.”

“As a student in Jorge’s entrepreneurship class, I knew I wanted to build a business,” said Carson Whittiker. “At IntraData Exchange we will convert DOT PDFs into XBRL that capital markets and stakeholders can access to improve digital underwriting and project monitoring, expanding financing access for small and local businesses.”

Program Partners and First Award

• First seed contract awarded to Carson Whittiker with mentorship from Professor Jorge Vanegas, Texas A&M College of Architecture.
• Additional seed contracts will be offered through partners including the Johns Hopkins Technology Venture Fund, where Alfred Berkeley is active.

The research and stakeholder review period will engage trade associations, public agencies, and industry groups to help define which data elements should be included in a sectoral XBRL taxonomy.