Deliverable 4.5: GIS and IMS Research Tools Developed to Conduct the
TARUT Study
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Executive Summary
The Michigan Tech Research Institute (MTRI), under contract to the Michigan
Department of Transportation (MDOT), is currently engaged in a project called the
“Transportation Applications of Restricted Use Technology (TARUT) Study.” This
Study is a 21-month effort that seeks to apply remote sensing and other geospatial
technologies to the mandates of MDOT, and it currently includes four pilot projects
that were selected by a focus group process involving transportation stakeholders
and by MDOT executive management in consultation with both MTRI and MDOT
leaders of the Study. These pilots are:
1. Characterization of Roadways and Transportation Corridors Using Remote
Sensing
2. Analysis of Environmental Context in Transportation Corridors and Sensitive
Watersheds
3. Analysis of Traffic Queues and Delay
4. Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT) Estimation Using Remote Sensing
To complete the TARUT Study, including the four pilots, the MTRI team has
developed, and continues to develop, numerous tools based in geographic
information system (GIS) and Internet map server (IMS) technology. These tools
are the focus of this report, which describes the GIS and IMS tools developed to
conduct the TARUT Study. While this report is not meant to document findings from
the TARUT Study (these will be described in Phase III reports of the Study, especially
in Deliverable 5.3, “Reports on Each Pilot Study”), we sometimes demonstrate use of
the tools through examples derived from pilot study results.
The GIS and IMS tools described in this report are rooted in work completed earlier
in the TARUT Study. This includes identification of the GIS data layers, models, and
tools needed for each pilot project that was described in Deliverable 4.3 of the
TARUT Study. It also includes the IMS interfaces that are being developed to
support web-based interaction and manipulation of data layers and model output for
each pilot project; these interfaces were documented in Deliverable 4.4.
The tools described in this report are:
 Extraction tool for rapid inventory of road attribute features
 Multi-resolution, multi-temporal land cover classification
 Traffic density determination with imagery
 Hydrologic flow modeling with high-resolution elevation data
 Integrated GIS noise modeling
 Emergency management for hazardous chemical scenario modeling
 Web-based geospatial visualization and decision support
 Travel time calculationg via imagery
Many of these tools can be and are being applied to multiple pilot demonstration
projects; thus, this report is organized by tool rather than by pilot, and we indicate
which pilot or pilots for which each tool is most applicable. Some tools, such as the
web-based visualization tool, are designed to be used for all pilots.
The tools presented in this report are for research and conduct of the TARUT Study.
They are not intended as stand-along deliverables, though MTRI will provide MDOT
with training on use of the tools. Currently, MTRI is using and continuing the
development of all tools listed above. In addition, we are developing several other
tools (e.g., pavement characterization, Ground Penetrating RADAR (GPR) image
processing, and spectral angle mapping) that currently are not sufficiently developed
to discuss in this report. These will be reported on as the pilot studies progress.
Based on the progress of the pilots and results so far, the tools described in this
report have been useful and productive for completion of the TARUT Study. To date,
using these tools, we have:
 Rapidly extracted and attributed more than 6,000 roadway features using
available imagery that is similar to restricted use data in resolution.
 Generated a soil moisture index as a key variable to screening for potential
wetlands mitigation sites, using object-based imagery classification methods.
 Combined high-resolution elevation data with standard GIS software to model
hydrologic flow.
 Developed a noise model that integrates with ESRI ArcGIS and that uses
readily available inputs.
 Characterized several chemical spill scenarios using documented models and
state data from the Michigan Center for Geographic Information.
 Loaded results from pilot studies into web-based visualization systems that
use ESRI ArcIMS and Google Earth environments.
 Measured traffic density from a variety of image sources to support AADT
estimation.
 Tracked movement of vehicles in time and space using airborne imagery.
These data sets, both the new and existing, have been critical for inventorying road
features, estimating AADT, mapping potential and existing wetlands, and other pilot
applications. These imagery sources have also been critical to analyzing traffic
queues and delays via remote sensing.
To make the tools being developed more accessible to MDOT, MTRI will provide
training to MDOT on seven specific topics. These training topics, listed below, are
very closely related to the tools documented in this report, but in some cases are
more specific than the more general tools outlined in this report. This narrowing
facilitates training by providing a clearer focus and emphasizes the most important
elements of the tools. This training will focus on making MDOT staff aware of these
tools and what they can accomplish. It will include brief step-by-step instructions for
the use of each tool, as well as indicate any hardware, software, and other
resources, that are needed to use the tools. The seven topics recommended for
training are:
1. Extraction tool for rapid inventory of road attribute features
2. Object-based land cover classification tool
3. Vehicle density measurement tool
4. Hydrologic flow modeling with high-resolution digital elevation models (DEMs)
5. Noise modeling
6. Emergency management and HAZMAT modeling
7. Web-based geospatial visualization and decision support tool
As the pilot studies move toward completion, they are demonstrating the value of
applying enhanced remote sensing and advanced geospatial analysis to
transportation systems analysis needed by MDOT and other agencies. This report
details the progress in applying eight different tools to TARUT Study pilots. These
tools will be further refined as the Study progresses, and additional results from
applying these tools will be documented in the Phase III deliverables.