Business intelligence (BI) activities conducted, managed, or assisted by CARTS involve the systematic integration, analysis, and dissemination of crash related data to enhance safety measures, reduce risks, and improve overall safety performance within the transportation sector, with particular emphasis on public roadways in Louisiana. These activities are essential for making data-driven decisions and ensuring the well-being of passengers, employees, and the general public.

BI Projects, Tools, and Processes

Data Integration

• Integrate crime lab blood alcohol and drug test records with crash data.
• Integrate roadway characteristics information with crash data.
• Integrate EMS run time data with crash data.
• Integrate vital statistics data with crash data.

Data Analysis

• Perform annual network screening of all public roadways and intersections.
• Complete crash summary data reports highlighting yearly changes in the crash data.
• Produce yearly commercial vehicle safety report, analyzing truck crashes for a given year.

BI Tools

• Create pattern recognition analysis tools, allowing engineers to efficiently analyze data critical to planning safety improvements for intersections and highways.
• Develop web-based countermeasure evaluations tool which can be used by engineers to efficiently measure safety benefits vs. costs for specific highway safety countermeasures.
• Generate crash analysis tools for law enforcement officers to identify when, why, and where crashes are occurring to effectively utilize officer resources.

Dashboards

• Maintain a variety of interactive dashboards presenting data visually to better engage a broader audience, introduce data in a more comfortable manner, and provides stronger communication with the public.
• Create and maintain mission-specific dashboards for organizations such as the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development, Louisiana Highway Safety Commission, Louisiana Office of Behavioral Health, and others.

Performance Metrics

• Create interactive tools to aid Metropolitan Planning Organizations in establishing targets for Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) performance metrics reported annually to the Federal Highway Administration. This tool is updated annually.

Predictive Analytics

• Develop models to predict motor vehicle driver alcohol use. These models are monitored on a regular basis and updated as needed.
• Create and maintain Safety Performance Functions (SPFs) for a variety of highway and intersection configurations. These SPFs are used to calculate the expected number of crashes and related highway safety metrics used in the planning of safety improvements on public highways in Louisiana. SPFs are updated annually.