Location, Location, Location Reg Souleyrette Gerald and Audrey Olson Professor of Civil Engineering CTRE/Iowa State University Safety Data and Analysis Tools Workshop Sponsored by Transportation Safety Planning Working Group (TSPWG) TRB March 27-28, 2006

4 Topics 1.Iowa crash data GIS location and analysis systems 2.How we work with local agencies 3.Some issues in crash location 4.SAFETEA-LU and location

Crash Location TraCS Incident Location Tool (ILT) –Custom GIS Application for Location Capture –Tie Roadway Attributes to Crash Locations –Useful for Geo-Locating other types of Incidents –Integrated with TraCS –Stand-Alone for Location Capture of Paper Reports –ALL Iowa crashes located using ILT

Zooming In for Location CaptureMeasuring from an Intersection Approving Location Results

Crash Analysis GIS-ALAS – SAVER –Accident Location and Analysis System/Safety, Analysis, Visualization, and Exploration Resource –Analyst oriented, 10 years of data –Arc View/Avenue CMAT – Crash Mapping and Analysis Tool –Traffic Engineering/Design oriented –Annual Crash/Roads Snapshot, 5 years of data (00-04) –VB/Map Objects IMAT - Incident mapping and analysis tool –Law Enforcement oriented (includes citations) –Works with Local TraCS data (up to today, if desired) –VB/Map Objects

Collection (ILT)Analysis (CMAT/IMAT) Leveraging User Familiarity and Existing Source Code

Architectural Context CMAT Data Format Config Safety Engineers/Planners Validation Logic Local Agency Database Data Collection Software (TraCS) WAN Enterprise Safety Information System GIS Data IMAT Data Format Config Law Enforcement Agencies Location Capture Software Data Flow

Iowa DOT help to the locals TraCS sharing crash data crash analysis tools TEAP studies traffic safety fund grants (1/2% of construction funds on top of HSIP) free safety engineering training support ITSDS …

Quick-response service Aides other agencies in obtaining, mapping, and evaluating crash information. Facilitates decision-making, effective presentation of information, and education. Activities –Policy and Practice Assessment –High Crash Location Identification –Project and Site Review –Targeted Enforcement

Data Manager

Mobility Issues

–Strategic Highway Safety Plan –Traffic Records Strategic Plan –MPO Plans

Iowa DOT District 1 Rural Two-Lane Primary Road Fatalities and Major Injuries ( ) Disclaimer: The Center for Transportation Research and Education presents these data as preliminary. 20 unlocated injury severities not represented. (0 Fatal, 20 Major Injuries)

Statewide Rural Four-Lane Primary Road* Fatal and Major Injury Crash Severities ( ) * Non-Interstate Unlocated crash severities not represented.

BEFORE AFTER Change in bearing between road segments Horizontal Curves High Crash Curves

Befor e After

Safety Audit

City of Des Moines 1995 to 1999 Ages 5 to 19 August 15 to June 15 Monday to Friday 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. School-Age Pedestrian Crashes Middle Schools

Rural Alcohol- Related Fatal and Major Injury Crashes Rural Alcohol- Related Crashes: Corridors Ranked by Frequency

Some not-so “simple” questions

Location methods address offset from known point (intersection, bridge, crossing, milepost) Literal description Smart map Lat/long or other coordinates (GPS) Aerial photo Multiple methods required Spatial analysis methods Spot/Intersection Analysis Strip Analysis Cluster Analysis Sliding-Scale Analysis Corridor Analysis Spatial statistics is an emerging area Not a simple question

Where are the crashes? Crashes are not necessarily point events Some crashes may be located using different methods and degree of accuracy –Temporal (e.g. link node to lat long) –Spatial (e.g., state police v. local) –Techno (GPS v. smart map) ?

Feature not represented Feature under construction Alignment OK Alignment Off Where are the roads? (Incorrect or incomplete cartography)

Where are the roads? (Improving cartography) Alignment moves Alignment stays put

What “was” the traffic volume on the road? (and other road attributes at the time of the crash) – this is a biggy! Need traffic level for the year the crash happened Requires multiple files – in Iowa, working on going back past 1998 – difficult to do Was the road even there then? Is the road still there?

How to segment the road system? Requirements –Logical breaks (engineering and public) –Relationship to inventory data –Long enough for manageability and presentation –Short enough to reflect important changes –Clear and understandable to use Facility location and type –What is rural/urban? Character is important … Designated “rural”

Can use attributes and/or proximity… Red: probable, Yellow: 75’, Blue: possible + spatial What is an intersection crash?

SAFETEA-LU Sec. 1401: Must Identify “Top 5%” … not easy to do in many states

Collect data on all crashes? Yes Some, quality issue, or working on it No No Response R Souleyrette, 1/2006

State system crashes mapable (x-y or milepoint)? Yes Some, quality issue, or working on it No No Response R Souleyrette, 1/2006

Inventory data on all roads? The “quadrennial needs” legacy Yes Some, quality issue, or working on it No No Response State system as a percent of all public roads

Can 1401 be met without GIS? Kansas, for example … Has crashes on system only Has ≈ 70% of crashes located to road by route milepost Does sliding spot (nongraphical) & “named intersection” (program) Assuming the 30% missing does not affect the outcome No brainer to do top 5%

Yes, but spatial systems can: Address integration issues –National level – conflation of state cartography to federal base map –State level – coordination of hundreds of local agencies on map development and update Enable proactive approaches Not only meet 1401 location challenges, also can…

Mason City Waterloo Cedar Rapids Quad Cities Des Moines Council Bluffs Iowa City Ames Sioux City Dubuque Fort Dodge Ottumwa Marshalltown Spencer Clinton 1 yr of data Crash Density – 1 Year Average Annual Fatal and Major Injury Crashes Per Mile Sample - DRAFT

Mason City Waterloo Cedar Rapids Quad Cities Des Moines Council Bluffs Iowa City Ames Sioux City Dubuque Fort Dodge Ottumwa Marshalltown Spencer Clinton 3 yrs of data Crash Density – 3 Year Average Annual Fatal and Major Injury Crashes Per Mile Sample - DRAFT

Mason City Waterloo Cedar Rapids Quad Cities Des Moines Council Bluffs Iowa City Ames Sioux City Dubuque Fort Dodge Ottumwa Marshalltown Spencer Clinton 5 yrs of data Crash Density – 5 Year Average Annual Fatal and Major Injury Crashes Per Mile Sample - DRAFT

Mason City Waterloo Cedar Rapids Quad Cities Des Moines Council Bluffs Iowa City Ames Sioux City Dubuque Fort Dodge Ottumwa Marshalltown Spencer Clinton 10 yrs of data Crash Density – 10 Year Average Annual Fatal and Major Injury Crashes Per Mile Sample - DRAFT

For more information … Reg Souleyrette Iowa State University