ARES: an Accident Report Entry System for Local Agencies

by James L. Lubkin, Michigan State Univ, United States,
Thomas L. Maleck, Michigan State Univ, United States,



Document Type: Proceeding Paper

Part of: Microcomputer Applications in Transportation III

Abstract:

The ARES microcomputer workstation system permits local police and engineering agencies to enter their own Michigan traffic accident reports from the statewide standard Form UD-10. The current mainframe system software records raw data from the UD-10 in heavily-encoded, space-saving format, and 'locates' the accident on the Michigan public roadway system (road number and milepoint). It involves an assembly-line operation requiring much paper-handling and sometimes two or more passes through the mainframe. The software is the inflexible type of the 1970s, which effectively permits data access only by the largest State and private institutions. Local agencies have very limited access. The ARES workstation system of this paper permits local agencies to enter their own UD-10 data to the same standards as the central State Police, and performs 'location' on microcomputers. The data is available for analysis immediately, whereas mainframe data has recently been delayed up to a year. ARES is being tested locally in the City of Battle Creek, and output/analysis software to supplement the input system is also under test there. Based upon the results to date, the ARES system is expected to be put into production shortly.

Subject Headings: Traffic accidents | Computing in civil engineering | Computer software | Data analysis | Permits | Information systems | Urban areas | Michigan | United States

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