Presentation(s)

1. Crash Locating in the State of Alabama: Improving Safety Across the State [download]

   The State of Alabama has averaged approximately 40,000 severe crashes that resulted in a fatality or injury over the last five years. Since 2006, Alabama has averaged approximately 35% above the national fatality rate based on miles travel. Reducing the number of severe crashes is a goal for several state agencies including the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT), The Alabama Department of Public Safety (ADPS), and the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA). A critical component in addressing this goal is the accurate location and analysis of crashes. The Center for Advanced Public Safety (CAPS) at The University of Alabama is partnered with these agencies to improve crash location and analysis. The state of Alabama has been recording crash location data since the mid 90’s. A route-milepost linear referencing method is employed to locate crashes on state roads and Interstates, while a node-link-offset methodology is employed for local roads. By statute, the route-milepost system is required for mileposted roads except in cities and non-mileposted local roads where a node-link-offset method is required. Crash coordinates are not a required data field. ALDOT, ADPS, and ADECA in conjunction with CAPS are actively engaged in the synthesis of these three methods to locate crashes in the state. Accurate location of crashes allows the state to deploy limit resources and countermeasures.

   CAPS and ALDOT have used the Critical Analysis Reporting Environment (CARE) software for more than six years to thematically map and analyze “hotspots” for route-mileposted crashes. Current efforts are focused on mapping local road crashes, which when complete will enable statewide crash mapping and analysis. Node-link maps are maintained centrally by ALDOT and provided in PDF format to officers. The node-link-offset methodology relies on officers using the PDF node-link maps to identify and hand enter the node-link information on electronic crash forms. The node-link maps do not provide a complete statewide linear referencing system nor are the nodes and links spatially aligned to a geographical coordinate system.

   The first step in geo-locating the Node-Link-Offset designated crashes was to geo-locate each node in the state. Initial work began in late 2009 geo-locating all nodes based on the node-link maps. A local road basemap was processed creating a node at every intersection and end point of every link. CAPS manually added node identification information to each point based on the node-link PDF maps. To date, 100% of the State Routes are geocoded while approximately 95% of local road nodes have been geocoded. A QA/QC procedure was employed to find potential errors. Results of the QA/QC process indicated that nodes identifiers are approximately 90% accurate. A set of procedures have been developed to correct the errors.

   As node geocoding completes, a crash record data mining procedure is being employed using over 15 years of historical CARE data to add link information. Link crash data is recorded with node identifiers, a link identifier, and an offset. Knowing the node locations, a link can be produced and automatically populated with the link ID mined from the crash records. The ultimate goal of this step is to provide law enforcement officers entering crash data the ability to provide one piece of data: route-milepost, node-link-offset, or GPS coordinate. The system will then populate the other two pieces of data allowing the officer to verify their accuracy. A crash record can then be populated with all three pieces of location data. Through this partnership, Alabama will become one of the few states to have a complete statewide crash map containing both local road and state route crashes for both historic and current crashes.
    

   Presenters

   Randy K. Smith

   Andrew Graettinger

   Dana A. Steil

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2. GLIDER: Application for Earth Science Data Mining and Visualization [download]

   Visualization and analysis tools for NASA remote sensing data are available, but advanced data mining capabilities are typically limited to expensive commercial software. UAHuntsville has developed free software that simplifies data mining of satellite imagery. The Globally Leveraged Integrated Data Explorer for Research (GLIDER) combines three mature NASA funded software packages into one integrated product. The reuse of code earned GLIDER the 2010 Peer-Recognition Software Reuse Award from the NASA Earth Science Data Systems Software Reuse Working Group, which estimated that the high degree of code reuse in GLIDER reduced development effort by at least four full time programmers over two years.

   GLIDER provides an integrated plug-in based software workbench with visualization and analysis tools that facilitate sophisticated analysis of satellite imagery. Imagery can be displayed in a 2-D native swath view or overlaid on a 3-D globe display. Visualization modes such as three band color composite and look-up table color display allow easy interactive image exploration and aid in identification of image features. Image pixels can be analyzed using scatter plots, histograms, spectral profiles and spatial transect profiles. Additionally, pixel level data can be interactively sampled and extracted from the imagery and used to create machine learning classifiers for cloud detection, land-use studies, and other analyses. An entire suite of data mining algorithms is integrated within GLIDER and a workflow composition tool is provided. The presentation will showcase some of GLIDER’s powerful features and provide some case studies showing practical data mining examples for researchers and students. Glider is available for free download at http://miningsolutions.itsc.uah.edu/glider.

   Presenters

   Todd Berendes

   Rahul Ramachandran

   Manil Maskey

   Sara Graves

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3. Making the Case - Justifying an eGIS to Management [download]

   The need for an eGIS structured system was without a doubt a great need within U.S Army Engineering and Support Center, Huntsville. With multi-million dollar programs to plan, implement and track, it is becoming increasing difficult to gain a spatial picture of national and global applications. Plus the Huntsville Center is very unique compared to other districts whereas we have no secondary geographic boundaries, but rather a “worldwide” boundary, to support all other divisions and districts within the Corps, and all military installation and garrisons within the world. The goal of this presentation is to explain the process we have and are currently developing to get eGIS established and integrated within the Center. HNC started their GIS capabilities in 2003, so it has been a work/learn process. Just getting management to “think spatially” or "enterprise" is a challenge in its self. By being assertive and taking small steps, the implementation plan has begun with much support of the division managers. We hope this presentation will provide to the audience the importance of being prescient in ideas, to overcome resistance and never get discouraged.
    

   Presenters

   Beverly K. Richey

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4. Eagle Vision/ROVER Responsive Exploitation of Space Products for Tactical Use (EVR2EST) [download]

   EVR2EST was designed to rapidly ingest commercial space based imagery products and provide those products to the whole of government in minutes vs. the current methods taking days or weeks. 27 April 2011 brought tragedy to Alabama with an outbreak of deadly tornadoes. Even though EVR2EST at this time was a prototype with no associated Concept of Operations, the TEAM came together and provided space based geospatial products to the Alabama State and Federal Emergency services teams which resulted in accurate tracking of tornado damage, which in turn, resulted in a more rapid emergency response by first responders. This capability was not available before and for the first time, as a prototype, with an ad-hoc TEAM provided organizations like the National Guard and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) space based imagery, within hours, to assist in mission execution. This capability was quickly recognized by the United States Air Force (USAF) as a product that had extreme value to the conduct of Defense Support to Civil Authorities (DSCA) missions and was within four weeks of the initial prototype use, funded for rapid fielding within the USAF for whole of government use. Since 27 April, the capability has provided over 350 space based imagery products to support federal, state, local and tribal organizations during the floods in the Dakotas and Mississippi, the tornado in Massachusetts, wildfires in New Mexico and Florida, and severe weather in New York.

   Presenters

   Justin Novak

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