GIS-ALAS: Locating and Analyzing Crash Locations within a GIS Environment National Highway Traffic Safety Administration 1999 Region Seven Data Conference June 8-10, 1999

Why Crash Analysis Systems? >100 persons killed/day (>37,000 in 1996) 8.8 million crashes per year in USA 2.3 million injuries vast amount of uncoordinated data powerful/low cost computing potentially huge B/C source: NHTSA 1997

Past/present ALAS (PC-ALAS) PC-based system User-friendly interface, easy to learn About 700,000 crashes over 10 years Provides easy access to data Several Uses: obtain accident statistics by time and location query database by accident/driver characteristics generate reports on-screen, to a file, to the printer

Past/present ALAS

CAD Node Maps

Current Difficulties Node numbers must be identified from tables or paper maps Difficult to analyze patterns Does not readily support integration of additional data Hard to identify crash “hot spots” and to analyze causes and countermeasures

GIS-ALAS Project Goals Develop geographic/map-based ALAS Use power of GIS Portable, accessible, windows based Free users from node maps Statewide coverage Supports highway safety analysis Facilitate integration with other data

Crash Locations CAD node file Text - node ID, x, y Paper crash records MGE (unit conversion) DB2 - ID - from node - to node - distance - crash information Text - node ID, lat, long y’ MapInfo Node Locations x’ MIF text MapBasic interpolation program MapInfo Crash Locations ArcView Crash Locations

Roadway and Crash Coverages

MapBasic defines 3 tables A, B and C Crash Information MapBasic defines 3 tables A, B and C MIF MapInfo Paper crash records ArcView Crash Information (for ArcView-ALAS) text DB2 - ID - location information - A (crash) records - B (driver 1) record - B (driver 2) record - … - C (1st 3 injuries) record - C (2nd 3 injuries) record - ... text fortran ABBBC ArcView Crash Information (for Explorer-ALAS)

Background Data IDMS Base Records (DOT) - ADT - pavement type - lane width - ... CAD Roads (DOT) - State - County - Local CAD Hydrology (DOT) Rail (BTS) DXF Text file - vertices - information BTS preprocessor MapInfo/MapBasic aggregate to county level MIF ArcView

Block Groups, Crashes, and Business Coverages

Alcohol-Related Crashes and Tavern Locations

Benefits of Customization technology transfer - similar interface to PC-ALAS users don't need to know (much) GIS users don't need to be database experts variable names and labels (e.g., 3 = icy surface conditions) increased flexibility in interface (e.g., choosing crashes by selection box, link/node (as in PC-ALAS), or city/county/region) enhanced display, e.g., standardized colors, defined zooms, "stacking" of crash points standardized reports, e.g., for enforcement, engineering easier to do queries across counties, regions, years, tables works with relational data structure of crash files

Relational Data Structure of Crash Files

Avenue Scripts

Additionally... Point location specifications Utilize GIS environment by node by crash location by link Utilize GIS environment logical queries spatial queries thematic maps buffering additional data sources more...

Logical Query

Spatial Query

Thematic Map - Crashes by Time of Day

Thematic Map - Crashes by Age

Thematic Map - Crashes by Surface Conditions

Applications: Collision Diagram Software

Emergency Response Applications Emergency response areas Nearest facility/shortest path to crash Impact of “Avenue of the Saints” on emergency response CODES - linking crash and hospital records

Emergency Response Times

Aerial photo integration

CTRE Crash Location Tool Kansas City June 1999

Outline The National Model Current Iowa Location Procedure Advantage Safety Development and Demo

The National Model Project Goal: Shorten collection time Minimize traffic disruption Increase officer efficiency and safety Improve data quality

The National Model Projects: Data Collection Expert System GPS Location Crash Data Collection Process Smart Police Vehicle Systems Integration Technology Sharing and Assistance

Current Location Process

Current Data-Flow Chart PC-ALAS Paper Officer Report Bottleneck Access ALAS Central Office Location Processing of Literal Description ALAS Paper Driver Report Link / Node to XY GIS-ALAS

Advantage Safety

Proposed Flow-Chart Advantage Safety w/LocTool (Office) Local Data Analysis Paper Officer Report XY to Link / Node Translator PC-ALAS Paper Driver Report Access ALAS Central Office Location Advantage Safety w/LocTool (Enterprise) ALAS Advantage Safety w/LocTool (Mobile) GIS-ALAS

Crash Location Improvement Crash location performed on-site or at local office Geographic coordinates of crash Roadway information confirms location Key fields identified for base record ID and future cartographic upgrade

Software Selected ESRI MapObjects Microsoft Visual Basic Arcview Shape Cartography Data from DOT Spatial Data Warehouse (Oracle) Distributed as a DLL

Coordinate Information Location Tool GUI User Interface Menu Main Map Window Coordinate Information

User Interface Menu Pan Map Previous View View Entire Map Zoom In/Out Crash Locate Tool Pan Map Zoom In/Out Previous View View Entire Map

Location Finders Coordinate Milepost County City Intersection

Demonstration Corporate Limits Milepost Marker Crash Location

Snap Location

www.ctre.iastate.edu GIS Projects

GIS-ALAS