Visualization of accident data

Abstract

CARE, City Accident Rapid Evaluation, is a highway accident processing system that runs on a PC or PC compatible. CARE receives its data from the Depart­ ment of Public Safety. CARE produces a text report for the user, but the user can not get a valid picture of the acci­ dents. Collision diagram, CD, gives the user the pictures of the accidents as well as the text report. CDs contain four sections: the back­ drop, the first screen, the second screen, and textual summary report. Each of these sections are needed for a complete collision diagram system. The backdrop contains the following information: node type, distance from node, intersection type, direction of "T", number of lanes, type of facility, traffic control, surface type, func­ tional class, node number, and node description. There is very little de­ tail shown on the screen. The basics of the node are shown. The first screen shows the actual accidents in a very non-detail format. It contains the following information in addition to the backdrop information: vehicle placement, distance accident is from node, pedestrian actions, collision with a fixed object, vehicle maneuver, type of collision, point of impact, accident severity, vehicle type, major factors. The vehicles are represented by arrows. The direction of the arrows indications the direction of the vehicle. Colors of the arrows indicate other information.________________________ PemiisMon lo copy without fee all or part of this material is granted provided (hat (lie copies arc not made or distributed for direct com­ mercial advantage, (lie ACM copyright notice and (lie title of (lie publication and its date appear, and notice Is given that copying Is by permission of the Association for Computing Machinery. To copy otlterwisc, or to republish, requires a fee and/or specific per­ mission. ©1990 ACM 0 89791 -.156 6/90/0400/0214 $1.50 The second screen shows a great deal of detail as compared to the first screen. Additional information Included on screen two are vehicle damage, weather, roadway defects, and ejection from vehicles. To get to the second screen, the user must select at least one accident from the first screen. Icons are used to represent the acci­ dents instead of arrows as on the first screen. Some of the classes of Icons used are cars, trucks, tractors, motorcycles, pedestrians, signs -stop, yield, rail­ road signal, railroad signal with gates, railroad, stoplight, and fixed objects bank, fence, sign, guard rail, utility pole. This list is just a few of the icons used on the second screen. The textual report is the fourtli section of the CD system. The purpose of the CD report is to provide traffic engineers and accident location inves­ tigating teams with information best presented in a nongraphic format. The report provides investigators with the detailed information that cannot be represented on the graphical outputs. Details of the graphical output as well as the information not represented by the graphics is placed on the report. While running the CD system, paper copies of the screens can be done by a print screen TSR. If the user has an IIP LaserJet printer or any dotmatrix printer, special TSRs have been designed to do a bitmap print of the screen. The CD system is a subsystem of the CARE system and can be selected with a menu option. The CD system will allow traffic officials the ability to visual­ ly see accidents for a specific location as well as a printed report to use at any accident location.