| Present: Scott Burklund, Reg Souleyrette, Tim Strauss, Jack
Latterell, Joyce Emery, Alicia Caton, Michael Pawlovich, Jaime
Reyes, John Nervig, George Oster, Stephen McGregor, Mark Alexander,
Jim Dickerson
Status Report
GIS-ALAS is currently being developed using ESRI products.
Distribution will occur by CD (using ArcView) and the Web (using
MapObjects). Both distribution options will be free to users.
ESRI may have a new product coming out this fall that would
enable us to use our CD product more directly on the Web. Alabama's
system also has a Web component.
Concerns were expressed about confidentiality and other issues
related to public access to accident data via the Web, especially
for data on a single accident or a specific node number. We
would need to password protect the Web application or some of
its components. We could also strip off the last 4 digits of
the node number or create thematic maps (e.g., to show the number
of accidents at particular location). An assessment needs to
be done of potential uses and users of the product to determine
specific functionality implementation requirements.
The file conversion is basically completed. The CD product
should be ready for testing by the middle of the September.
An initial version of GIS-ALAS, with data for the Central Iowa
transportation center, will be available for testing. The following
were identified as candidates for the initial testing process:
Harold Jensen, Jaime Reyes/John Nervig, Stephen McGregor, an
enforcement agency to be chosen in consultation with Terry Dillenger,
a representative of FHWA, and Alicia Caton.
Tim Strauss will look at statistical analysis packages that
potentially could be used to analyze accident pattern and causation
(e.g., Xgobi, pointstat, etc.). A professor at ISU has a database
of weather conditions and wants to match it with accidents.
We also plan to connect our work of this nature to what Michael
Zhang is doing.
John Nervig will get copies of sample screens of Access-ALAS
to Michael. We plan to have good coordination between the GIS-ALAS
and Access-ALAS efforts.
Avenue of the Saints Project
George Oster talked about the Avenue of the Saints and his
concern about how smaller communities will handle necessary
fire and emergency services, as well as how response patterns
will be affected. There are 871 independent fire departments
in the state. Most small and undermanned, and underfunded, and
we need to determine the effect of the Avenue of the Saints
on these departments. (A possible positive impact is quicker
ambulance service to Iowa City) We can use ALAS to get a description
of current response patterns for the four affected counties.
They have a researcher at the University of Iowa.
UNI Update
A pilot GIS-T database is being developed in ArcView. Elements
include USGS data, elevation, and ambulance service locations.
In Phase 2, demography and a whole list of other data will be
added. Three geography graduate students are doing GIS-T in
the department. There is a new GIS research lab at UNI. The
Blackhawk County Department of Justice has a grant for their
E911 upgrade, which will include AVL, routing, and dispatch.
GIS/Crash data conference and other matters
The GIS/Crash data conference will be held November 6. It will
include a presentation of DOT/CTRE activities (PC-ALAS, Access-ALAS,
GIS-ALAS), presentations from other states, a presentation from
UNI, and a discussion of AVL/dispatch/emergency medical response
applications. We would also like to get law enforcement from
Dubuque, Des Moines, and West Des Moines involved.
CTRE will prepare a one-pager for the national model exhibit
in Scottsdale that Jack Latterell is attending. In addition,
Tom Welch needs one or two overheads on GIS-ALAS.
Visit to Driver Services
Joyce Emery and the CTRE project team visited Driver Services
in Des Moines to discussed possible ways to improve the coding
of accident locations. CTRE and the DOT/Transportation Data
will follow up on this issue.
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