Innovation of the Month:
Using
Data to Improve Traffic Incident Management
The use
of data from computer-aided
dispatch (CAD) systems is an advanced approach to implementing the Every Day
Counts round four (EDC-4) initiative on using data to improve traffic incident
management (TIM).
Data from State police CAD systems provide a more
complete picture of what’s happening statewide than data from localized advanced
traffic management systems (ATMS) alone. Integrated CAD can also help automate
data collection. The result is an improvement in the quantity and quality of
data available for TIM performance analysis.
Examples of approaches include the following:
- The
Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) is working to procure the same
CAD software as the Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP) so that when THP enters
data, TDOT can pull the information directly into its new centralized ATMS.
-
The
California Department of Transportation is exploring use of California Highway
Patrol CAD data in the California Performance Measurement System (PeMS). An analysis of more
than 1.5 million records identified that PeMS contains robust incident
information that could be leveraged for statewide TIM performance analysis.
- Through integrated CAD, the Minnesota Department of Transportation
uses Minnesota State Patrol data to streamline data collection at the traffic
management center in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area.
For information and technical assistance on
using data to improve TIM, contact Paul
Jodoin of the Federal Highway
Administration Office of Operations.
Florida Develops Tool to Evaluate Pedestrian Facilities
To support its effort to reduce pedestrian fatalities,
the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) needed a cost-effective tool to
evaluate the safety and accessibility of pedestrian facilities and prioritize
improvements. With the help of State Transportation Innovation Council
Incentive funds, FDOT developed the Safe and Accessible Pedestrian Facilities Inventory Model
(SAPFIM), a software application to collect and manage information on
facilities such as sidewalks, curb ramps, and crosswalks. SAPFIM enables State
and local agencies to efficiently inventory sidewalk infrastructure and safety
features using tablets and simple measuring tools. SAPFIM includes data
management features that can incorporate high-priority needs into work
programs. For information, contact Gabrielle Matthews of FDOT.
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