Exploration of the Application of Collective Information to Transportation Data for Safety White Paper

mire_mis_whitepaper22013.pdf (1.57 MB)

FOREWORD

The Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) is a data driven program that relies on crash, roadway, and traffic data for States to conduct effective analyses for problem identification and evaluation. The FHWA developed the Model Inventory of Roadway Elements (MIRE) to provide a recommended listing and data dictionary of roadway and traffic data elements critical to supporting highway safety management programs. MIRE is intended to help support the States’ HSIPs and other safety programs.

The MIRE Management Information System (MIRE MIS) was a project to explore better means of collection MIRE data elements, using and integrating MIRE data, and identifying optimal data file structures. The resulting products include a report documenting the MIRE MIS Lead Agency Program, a MIRE Guidebook on the collection of MIRE, a suggested MIRE data file structure report, and a report on Performance Measures to Assess Quality that will assist the States in conducting a more effective safety program. The intent of the MIRE MIS project is the integration of MIRE into States’ safety management processes.

The Exploration of the Application of Collective Information to Transportation Data for Safety White Paper is one of the products of the MIRE MIS effort. This White Paper explores the relatively new technique of collective information as a means of gathering data needed for transportation safety. Collective information is a process of assembling or gathering information on a subject through the use of a large, disperse, and potentially uncontrolled group of people. This White Paper also examines current uses of collective information and potential next steps for this process to support the collection of transportation data.


Michael S. Griffith Director, Office of Safety Technologies	Monique R. Evans Director, Office of Safety Research and Development

NOTICE

This document is disseminated under the sponsorship of the U.S. Department of Transportation in the interest of information exchange. The U.S. Government assumes no liability for the use of the information contained in this document. The U.S. Government does not endorse products or manufacturers. Trademarks or manufacturers' names appear in this report only because they are considered essential to the objective of the document.

QUALITY ASSURANCE STATEMENT

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) provides high-quality information to serve Government, industry, and the public in a manner that promotes public understanding. Standards and policies are used to ensure and maximize the quality, objectivity, utility, and integrity of its information. FHWA periodically reviews quality issues and adjusts its programs and processes to ensure continuous quality improvement.

TECHNICAL DOCUMENTATION PAGE

1. Report No. FHWA-SA-13-006	2. Government Accession No.	3. Recipient's Catalog No.
4. Title and Subtitle Exploration of the Application of Collective Information to Transportation Data for Safety White Paper		5. Report Date January 2013
		6. Performing Organization Code
7.Author(s) Kim Eccles, Greg Bosworth, and Nancy Lefler		8. Performing Organization Report No.
9. Performing Organization Name and Address Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc. (VHB) 8300 Boone Blvd., Suite 700 Vienna, VA 22182-2626		10. Work Unit No.
		11. Contract or Grant No. DTFH61-05- D-00024 (VHB)
12. Sponsoring Agency Name and Address Federal Highway Administration Office of Safety 1200 New Jersey Ave., SE Washington, DC 20590		13. Type of Report and Period Final Report, June 2012 - January 2013
		14. Sponsoring Agency Code FHWA
15. Supplementary Notes The contract managers for this report were Robert Pollack (HSA) and Dr. Carol Tan (HRDS-20).
16. Abstract The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) developed MIRE, the Model Inventory of Roadway Elements, as a recommended listing of roadway inventory and traffic elements critical to safety management. A critical step toward the acceptance and implementation of MIRE is the conversion of MIRE (which is now a listing of variables) into a management information system (MIS). FHWA undertook the MIRE MIS project to assist States in developing and integrating MIRE into an MIS structure that will provide greater utility in collecting, maintaining, and using MIRE data. This paper was developed as part of the MIRE MIS project to explore the potential mechanisms for MIRE data collection. The objective of this White Paper is to explore the application of collective information in transportation data, particularly in the collection and management of MIRE data. Collective information is the process of assembling data or collecting information on a subject using a large, disperse, and potentially uncontrolled group of people. The intent of the paper is to introduce this concept to the transportation community and provide a starting point for discussions on the application and feasibility of using collective information for transportation safety data, particularly for the MIRE elements. This paper also discusses the potential next steps and future applications of this concept.
17. Key Words: Safety data, MIRE, collective data, roadway data collection		18. Distribution Statement No restrictions.
19. Security Classif. (of this report) Unclassified	20. Security Classif. (of this page) Unclassified	21. No. of Pages 20	22. Price

Form DOT F 1700.7 (8-72) Reproduction of completed pages authorized

SI (Modern Metric) Conversion Factors

For More Information

Visit https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/safety/data-analysis-tools/rsdp

FHWA, Office of Safety

Robert Pollack
robert.pollack@dot.gov
202-366-5019

Carol Tan, PhD
carol.tan@dot.gov
202-493-3315

FHWA-SA-13-006

USA Banner