THE POTENTIAL USES OF A COMPUTER ANIMATED FILM IN THE ANALYSIS OF GEOGRAPHICAL PATTERNS OF TRAFFIC CRASHES

If one looks at research in progress regarding the phenomenon of traffic crashes, it can be seen that little of this work relates to the analysis of geographic patterns of traffic crashes. The geographic approach involves the analysis of patterns of data in a two dimensional spatial domain utilizing points and lines as primitives. Broadly speaking, the approaches which are applicable here are distributional, residual and cluster analyses in one and two dimensions. The purpose of a computer animated film is to display the object(s) of analysis in a dynamic temporal setting. Scientific applications of this technique are beginning to see use in a large variety of areas since it is often far easier to display complicated spatiotemporal processes than to describe them either verbally or in mathematical terms. Uses of such a tool in a geographical setting are fundamentally twofold. Initially the film can be used as a cognitive device to aid the research person in perceiving the spatiotemporal dynamics of the process as represented by the patterns. Secondly, the film may be used as an heuristic device to aid in suggesting hypotheses which later may be tested in the data. An example of this approach is a film which displays traffic crashes occurring in washtenaw county, Michigan during the years of 1968-70. Two scenes are displayed, collapsed real time and A composite week each representing different temporal frequencies as defined by the sampling theorem. Both scenes prove useful as a cognitive and hypothesis formulating device. The film is in color and of seven minutes duration. (A) /TRRL/

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/00014575
• Corporate Authors:

  Pergamon Press, Incorporated

  Maxwell House, Fairview Park
  Elmsford, NY  United States  10523
• Authors:
  • Moelceering, H
• Publication Date: 1976-12

Language

• English

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References;
• Pagination: p. 215-227
• Serial:
  • Accident Analysis & Prevention
  • Volume: 8
  • Issue Number: 4
  • Publisher: Elsevier
  • ISSN: 0001-4575
  • Serial URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/00014575

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Cinematography; Computer animation; Crashes; Digital computers; Film; Geography; Highway safety; Information processing; Location; Traffic crashes
• Old TRIS Terms: Animation
• ITRD Terms: 1643: Accident; 6752: Cinematography; 8673: Digital computer; 9061: Location
• Subject Areas: Geotechnology; Highways; Safety and Human Factors; I82: Accidents and Transport Infrastructure;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00149872
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Transport and Road Research Laboratory (TRRL)
• Contract Numbers: NSF GI 38004, DA HC04-73-0032
• Files: ITRD, TRIS
• Created Date: Apr 13 1977 12:00AM