Improvements to TAGIS
By CDOT Traffic Analysis Unit
June 3, 2013
What was improved, briefly
Recent improvements to the Colorado Department of Transportation's (CDOT’s) Traffic Analysis Geospatial Information System (known as “TAGIS”) allow internal and external customers to view and download important traffic-related data instantly from our CDOT website. Before these improvements, this was a labor-intensive process that required extensive involvement of CDOT staff members to fulfill requests for data.
The recent TAGIS improvements also integrate into traffic data about non-CDOT Colorado roads; this will reduce the off-system collection costs for CDOT by about $50,000 per year.
Background
TAGIS (Traffic Analysis Geospatial Information System) is a traffic analysis web application that is intended for users who require detailed answers to traffic data. It enhances dissemination of traffic data to CDOT’s internal and external customers. The TAGIS application focuses on four key areas:
The ability to analyze and query the traffic database as determined by the user.
The visualization of traffic data on a map and the specific point where a traffic count was taken.
The integration of various traffic data sources into one application.
The dissemination of traffic data requests through the application without a need to wait on a response from CDOT staff.
This information technology (IT) project made several improvements to TAGIS:
1) several performance and technical issues were resolved;
2) short-duration classification data and hourly short-duration traffic counts were integrated into the application; and
3) functionality was added to allow customers to view and download data instantly.
Benefits
There are several benefits of the TAGIS project. The two key CDOT strategic focus areas that TAGIS addresses are as follows:
IMPROVE BUSINESS PROCESSES FOR BETTER CUSTOMER SERVICE AND EFFICIENCY
One of the main functions that were added is the integration of short-duration classification data and hourly short-duration traffic counts. These types of data are not previously published on the CDOT external website, and any requests for these types of data were completed by the Traffic Analysis Unit (TAU) of CDOT. The integration of this data into the application allows internal and external customers to view and download the data instantly without waiting for TAU staff to complete the request (eliminating the waste of waiting). This improvement also frees up TAU staff so that the staff can focus on quality assurance and quality control of the traffic data that is uploaded into CDOT’s traffic databases.
ACHIEVE BETTER TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY IN CDOT BUDGET, PROJECT PLANNING, CONSTRUCTION AND MAINTENANCE ACTIVITIES
CDOT’s traffic data is one element of the Highway Performance Monitoring System (HPMS) file that is submitted to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) on an annual basis. FHWA uses this data to provide to Congress assessments of future highway investment needs and investment/performance relationships. Congress, in turn, uses HPMS to evaluate federal-aid highway programs, funding levels, and federal apportionment.
HPMS requires traffic data from Colorado road segments that are not owned or operated by CDOT – these are owned by various cities and counties. Non-CDOT agencies collect data on these road segments to help with maintenance, construction and project planning needs. The recent TAGIS improvements integrate this data into TAGIS. This data will help to reduce the off-system collection costs for CDOT by about $50,000 per year and allow external customers to view in TAGIS where CDOT has collected in their jurisdictions as well as viewing the data that they have submitted to CDOT in TAGIS.