265264 Development of interactive geospatial PDF planning maps of traffic collisions near school sites to aid California SRTS funding applicants

Monday, October 29, 2012 : 10:50 AM - 11:10 AM

John Bigham, MPH , Safe Transportation Research & Education Center, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA
Swati Pande, MS , Safe Transportation Research & Education Center, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA
Patti Horsley, MPH , California Active Communities, California Department of Public Health, Safe Routes to School Technical Assistance Resource Center (TARC), Sacramento, CA
David R. Ragland, PhD, MPH , Safe Transportation Research & Education Center, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA
Lisa Cirill, MS, PAPHS , California Active Communities, California Department of Public Health, Sacramento, CA
     
Background

Schools can apply for Safe Routes to School (SRTS) funding to improve safety near their school by reducing pedestrian and bicyclist collisions. To aid in the identification of problematic areas and strengthen a case for funding, interactive geospatial PDF maps for all cities and unincorporated areas of California were developed.

Methods

Geocoded California collision data were obtained from the Transportation Injury Mapping System (TIMS). School locations and free/reduced meal program information were obtained from the California Department of Education. Past SRTS grant awards were compiled for each school. These data sources were used to develop the maps in ArcGIS 10 software and through custom Python scripts.

Results

Maps were created for 482 cities and unincorporated areas of 58 counties in California. The maps provide a visual depiction of schools, street-level pedestrian and bicycle collisions, school free and reduced price meal eligibility, and past state and federal SRTS grant awards. The geospatial PDF feature allows schools or collisions in the map to be identified and the relevant data table displayed within the PDF. Map layers can also be turned on and off depending on the information needed to be viewed.

Conclusion

These maps serve as a useful resource to assist communities in SRTS planning and their applications for funding. Anyone with the free Adobe PDF Reader can view and interact with the maps, making them accessible to audiences with any level of technical knowledge.

Learning Areas:
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs

Learning Objectives:
1. Evaluate traffic safety conditions near school sites. 2. Formulate evidence-based content for a SRTS funding application. 3. Design geospatial PDF maps.

Keywords: Geographic Information Systems, Community Health Planning

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have worked in the field of traffic safety for several years and have a background in statistics and have utilized GIS in my current work. I have specifically been involved in several Safe Routes to School related projects that incorporate policy development to evaluation and analysis.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

Back to: 3122.0: Using Geographic Information System (GIS) data in Community Health Planning and Policy Development