GIS Applications in Traffic Accidents
Hongtao Gao
GIS Applications in Transportation
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Transportation planning
Highway design
Traffic routing (navigation)
Traffic tracking
Accident location and analysis
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Accident Application
Geo-referenced Accident database
• The traditional accident database is a summary
spreadsheet format using codes and mileposts to
denote location, type and severity of accidents.
• Geo-referenced accident database is locationreferenced. It incorporates a GIS graphical interface
with the accident information to allow for query
searches on various accident attributes.
GIS-based accident analysis
• Identify accident historical trends
• Identify accident-prone locations
• Analyze relationships in accident causation
-volumes, v/c, LOS, road conditions,
weather, and lighting, etc.
GIS-based accident report
• Table style or graphical style
-One graph can represent thousands of words; importantly, the graph
can display some features that words can not represent
• Choose any features that you interest to report
• Before or after analysis
• Can obtain accident statistics for locations during specified
time period; you can identify accidents of specific types or
involving driver with certain characteristics.
• The final reports can be printed using pre-defined formats
Example 1 of GIS Accident application projects
• GIS-ALAS (GIS-based Accident Location and Analysis System)
- A locationally-referenced highway accident database created by the
Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT), law enforcement agencies,
Iowa State University, and several other entities.
-GIS-ALAS reproduces query and reporting functions in a graphical
environment that facilitates advanced spatial query and display
capabilities.
-GIS-ALAS provides graphical data access, enabling the user to view
and select desired locations on the network, Query results can be
displayed in both map and tabular form, thereby creating more easily
interpreted query results and promoting the analysis of accident
patterns and causal relationships.
Accident pin map
GIS-ALAS
Accident Display in terms of locations
(GIS-ALAS )
Example 2 of GIS Accident application projects
• AIMS:GIS (Accident Information Management System:
Geographic Information System)
AIMS:GIS is a GIS-based program originally developed for the
City of San Francisco by JMW Engineering, Inc. The program runs on
Windows 95, and uses MapInfo 4.1 to operate the GIS portion of the
program. The program allows the user to select intersections or links
by manual input or point and click selection from the map. Once an
intersection or link is selected, a collision diagram can be generated.
Other features of AIMS:GIS are the ability to plot worst accident
locations, provide annual reports, and perform queries.
Accident display in terms of time
AIMS:GIS
Analysis report in terms of locations
AIMS:GIS
Example 3 of GIS Accident application projects
• CUAA (Champaign-Urbana Accident Analysis)
Purpose of this project
-Identify and display current accident trends
-Highlight dangerous intersections and corridors
-Provide visual reference in order to identify
areas needing improvement
Accident report
(CUAA)
Accident analysis output
(CUAA)
Accident report
(CUAA)
Conclusion
• Geo-referenced accident database is easy to access, display,
visualize, query, analyze, and combine data from other
database by using GIS.
• GIS provides powerful tool for analysis, makes visual
identification of hazardous locations simple
• GIS provides flexible and visual report functions