TOol using STAcked DAta

Decision makers, elected officials, and the public are looking for ways to understand resource allocation choices and the effect of investments and financial constraints. While the details are complicated, many of these needs can be satisfied by simply organizing information that is already used for analysis and displaying it on a map. This project report demonstrates the concept with map layers showing information about congestion, safety, pavement condition, bridge quality, and freight value. These maps can be visually stacked to provide analysts with consistent information on several important topics in one view. This is similar to the way that diners get the taste of many flavors in a tostada, a regional dish that layers many different food ingredients—vegetables, meat, cheese, etc.—on top of a tortilla. They experience all of the ingredients and flavors in each bite—thus, the TOol using STAcked DAta – the TOSTADA. The report describes the concept; the remaining development steps in the project involve adjusting the maps to exactly match road segments and to layer all the data categories into one roadway segment picture. Policy makers and transportation professionals can use the project results to understand transportation problems and economic effects. The maps can form the basis of a common dialogue to identify appropriate improvements and illustrate investment costs and benefits. The maps, and associated data layers, will improve the ability to compare a variety of data sets and elevate the discussion of transportation problems and opportunities.

• Record URL:
  http://tti.tamu.edu/documents/PRC-14-27-F.pdf
• Summary URL:
  http://tti.tamu.edu/publications/catalog/record/?id=40748
• Corporate Authors:

  Texas A&M Transportation Institute

  Texas A&M University System
  3135 TAMU
  College Station, TX  United States  77843-3135
• Authors:
  • Schrank, David
  • Lomax, Tim
• Publication Date: 2014-10

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Edition: Final Report
• Features: Appendices; Figures; Maps; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 46p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Commodities; Data analysis; Decision making; Highway bridges; Highway safety; Mapping; Maps; Pavement performance; Spatial analysis; Traffic congestion
• Subject Areas: Data and Information Technology; Highways; Planning and Forecasting;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01600196
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: PRC 14-27-F
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: May 26 2016 9:21AM