Development, Evaluation and Testing of Intelligent Transportation Databases for Motor Carrier Safety

Principal Investigator:

Vonu Thakuriah

312-355-0447

vonu-pt@uic.edu

Sponsors:

U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics

Participants:

Vonu Thakuriah, Jung-Taek Lee, George Yanos, Sanya Niumpradit

Status:

Completed

Objective:

To create an integrated information base on motor carrier safety via the following four objectives:

1. Develop linkages between available state and federal data on safety issues pertaining to motor carriers and vehicles;
2. Fill in the "gaps" that exist in the integrated data using statistical data imputation methods to develop a complete data warehouse;
3. Develop a methodological process, called Performance Measure Process, to use the data warehouse for safety performance monitoring and evaluation and
4. Develop a prototype system for the Midwestern states.

Strategy:

As a part of the project, we have gathered together data from state police departments, commerce commissions, departments of transportation, the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. These databases are being linked at the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) level or at the firm or carrier levels by appropriate ID's. A current capability of the linked databases, for example, allow analysts to track if trucks that incurred inspection violations on the roadside were involved in crashes anywhere within the United States one year after being inspected

Program Plan:

Program tasks include:

* Develop detailed prototype system design
* Acquire base maps from Metra
* Acquire existing data and ../../images from Metra
* Link existing data and ../../images with base maps
* Horizontal photography in field
* Stitch horizontal photos into panoramic ../../images
* Link panoramic ../../images to base maps
* Assemble, explore and test prototype system for one station
* Update prototype
* Apply prototype to additional station
* Develop estimate of resources required to complete all stations
* Demonstrate and report on ?navigable visualization? to managers of Metra and other transportation agencies

Expected Results and Products:

The data warehousing and the processes using that data together constitute an intelligent database on motor carrier safety. The intelligent database will provide the platform to "gather pieces of information" on an entity from different databases and to profile the safety performance of classes of entities in the form of easily understood and consistent risk levels.

Products:

An integrated, intelligent database of commercial motor vehicle and firm risk levels designed according to the picture below.