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The complete railroad crossing inventory analysis tool
Derrick Beasley
IT Specialist
Burns & McDonnell Engineering
9400 Ward Parkway
Kansas City, MO 64114
Phone: 816-333-9400
Fax: 816-822-3463
Email: dbeasley@burnsmcd.com
Derrick Beasley
IT Specialist
Burns & McDonnell Engineering
9400 Ward Parkway
Kansas City, MO 64114
Phone: 816-333-9400
Fax: 816-822-3463
Email: dbeasley@burnsmcd.com
Introduction
Operation Lifesaver, a national, non-profit public education program dedicated to reducing crashes at highway / railroad intersections, reports that nationwide in 1999, about 400 people died from train / vehicle collisions at grade crossings. Another 1,360 people were injured. Helping find ways to reduce accidents at grade crossings was the driving force behind a study Burns & McDonnell is conducting for the Kansas Department of Transportation grade crossing safety program. The safety program involves maintaining an updated inventory of crossing characteristics and prioritizing the crossings based on accident potential.
Over 750,000 pieces of information were inventoried for crossings throughout the State of Kansas. In order for the information to be easily managed, evaluated and analyzed, Burns & McDonnell designed a Highway/Railroad Crossing Inventory Information Management System (CIIMS) that has several custom analysis tools to manage their grade crossing safety program.
System evaluation
Creating custom applications is often necessary when "off the shelf" software is incapable of providing the necessary analysis tools. Packaging several software tools and controls together creates a synergy that takes full advantage of each platform's strengths, providing a much better option than using a single application. Developing a new application also allows all the functionality needs to be addressed under one package that may not be available in existing software.
Deciding on whether to design a new system or modify an existing one comes down to the uniqueness of each situation. Burns & McDonnell decided to design a custom application for several reasons. First, an application was required that had several unique features, in addition to interacting with a current relational database system. Second, an existing system with the uniqueness and all the interactive capabilities the client desired was very unlikely to exist. Third, modifying an "off the shelf" software package to utilize all the unique features of an existing database architecture was not feasible; again, due to specific functionality requirements. Therefore, it was determined that the most viable alternative was to build an application with all the necessary tools to manage the safety program. The components of the system are described in the following sections. Figure 4.1 illustrates an overview of CIIMS application.
Figure 4.1. CIIMS Application Overview
Application architecture
CIIMS is developed inside a Microsoft Visual BasicTM programming structure. Visual BasicTM was used because of its ability to provide CIIMS as a high-performing, scalable application. Visual BasicTM also has several database tools integrated into it that allowed for easy interaction between CIIMS and the database. Additionally, Visual BasicTM had the ability to incorporate third-party components and add-in technologies.
Data was stored in an OracleTM relational database system. Functions within CIIMS accessed the data directly in OracleTM, in addition to, storing data within the application. OracleTM was the most practical choice for a relational database because the client was already utilizing OracleTM technologies. Alternatives were researched but eliminated because of extra steps needed for seamless data interaction between multiple relational databases and because of the costs associated with managing two back-end databases.
Third party controls were used because of their ability to supplement Visual BasicTM and provide an easy way to add functionality to the program. Reports were generated from Seagate's Crystal ReportsTM controls. Images for crossings used Lead controls and True DB Grid was used for database viewing enhancements. With these controls, reports can be created in a variety of formats, images can be accessed quickly and data can be interacted with directly. The GIS module platform used Intergraph's GeoMediaTM controls. Controls in GeoMediaTM were used because they provided the application with the desired GIS functionality and because the client already had standardized GIS applications running on the GeomediaTM GIS platform.
Application interface
The CIIMS application and its proposed functionality were designed for users to have quick access to all of its components. The following section describes the functionality of CIIMS and how users interact with the application.
Before CIIMS is loaded, a logon screen requires a password to start the two-tiered CIIMS application. The user is authenticated and given rights based on a user profile set-up by the Oracle DBA. The first tier is for administrative purposes; it has full functionality throughout the application including rights to make changes to the OracleTM database. The second tier is for the standard user who can generate all the queries, reports, and analysis features within CIIMS but has no rights to update the database.
After a successful login, the Main Screen gives the user the opportunity to navigate to any portion of the application. A menu system allows reports to be generated, queries to be performed, or a map to be viewed. Buttons and menu options allow a cost analysis dialog box or a report generator window to be opened. There are several ways data interaction can be initiated. For example, if all the crossings within certain county were needed for analysis, an interactive GIS Mapping Window could be opened in a few steps to show all of the crossings. A Tabular Window could also be similarly opened to display more detailed information stored in the database.
The GIS Mapping Window provides several interactive tools. Features on the map (e.g., railroad track segments, highways, and county boundaries) can be turned on or off. Standard functions such as pan and zoom capabilities allow navigation through the map. The user can also select a subset of crossings by simply typing in a crossing number or county name from the Query Window. The extent of the map zooms directly to the selected set of crossings. This function assists in finding crossings in cases where the exact location is not known. Crossings on the map can also be selected via a selection tool. Once a crossing or crossings are selected the user has direct access to specific information. Other functions throughout CIIMS are available to the selected set of crossings.
A set of crossings can also be selected from the Table Window. The Table Window provides all the information stored in the database pertaining to the crossings. Categories of related information are organized into several views so that reviewing the data is more intuitive. An index tool provides a way to allow any subcategory of information to be selected while in the Table Window. A toggle function allows for selected crossings to be viewed either in the Table Window or in the GIS Mapping Window.
Cost Analysis and Corridor Analysis windows provide calculations and "what-if" scenarios to be performed on selected sets of crossings. Functions within CIIMS store data into variables outside of the database so "what-if" statements can be performed that do not alter the contents of the database.
Photographs for each crossing are accessible through the Image Window. After selecting a crossing from the map window or the table window, the user can open the Image Window. From this window, any one of the five pictures for a particular crossing can be viewed.
The Reports Window, which is accessible throughout CIIMS, gives the opportunity for reports to be viewed on screen or printed to a hard copy format. The formats and page setups for the reports will be predefined but can be altered by the user for slight customization. For example, the user can sort the reports by a primary and secondary field.
Summary
Without sufficient tools for analysis, it is difficult to take advantage of the abundance of information that is available within an organization. It is important that organizations take advantage of recent advancements in data collection, data storage, data management and the analysis of information. By creating a custom application that is intuitive to use, KDOT was able to easily take full advantage of nearly 750,000 pieces of information. The utilization of information technology will greatly enhance the methods of identifying railroad crossings that have the highest potential for accidents in the effort to improve safety for motorists across Kansas.