The Highway Safety Information System (HSIS), established in 1987, is a foundational highway research data system. The State of Minnesota has participated in the HSIS program since the beginning, providing quality data to HSIS for use by researchers through a request system. In 2021, HSIS began a modernization effort with the goal of expanding the technological and analytic capabilities of the data system. This modernization provides an increased emphasis on spatial analysis and cloud-based data management.
 

What Has Changed
This guidebook is intended to support the use of Minnesota HSIS data for the years 2016 and beyond. Data and documentation prior to 2016 (1985-2015) are available upon request to the HSIS Virtual Laboratory. Prior to 2016, the Minnesota datasets included variables for the following files:
 

1. Roadway inventory.
2. Accident characteristics.
3. Vehicles involved in crashes.
4. Vehicle occupants involved in crashes.
5. Intersection inventory.
    

The revised Minnesota database incorporated into HSIS contains 14 different files:
 

1. Roadway inventory (including traffic information).
2. Intersection inventory.
3. Horizontal curve inventory.
4. Intersection approach inventory.
5. Traffic signal inventory.
6. Freeway interchange inventory.
7. Lighting unit inventory.
8. Lighting system inventory.
9. Roadside barrier inventory.
10.  Roadside barrier terminals.
11. Sign support inventory.
12. Crash characteristics.
13. Units involved in crashes.
14. Persons involved in crashes.