March 09, 2015 -- The Michigan State Police (MSP) – Traffic Crash Reporting Unit (TCRU) uses the TatukGIS Developer Kernel to develop its Traffic Crash Mapping System (TCMS). The Developer Kernel (.NET edition) is used to incorporate a map viewer tool within the TCMS application that ties Michigan’s county map shape files to crash location data associated with hundreds of thousands of crash reports processed annually. The mapping tool allows a visual presentation of roadway information and features, such as type of the primary and intersections streets, distance, direction, National Functional Classification, route signing, highway class, etc.
TCRU is responsible for the complete, accurate, and timely collection, processing, and compilation of State of Michigan’s traffic crash data. Crash reports are provided by over 600 law enforcement agencies, employing 20,000 law enforcement officers, which annually submit approximately 300,000 crash reports using a form known as the UD-10.
This data is stored, analyzed, and validated on the Traffic Crash Reporting System (TCRS) database. The system has enabled Michigan to realize a 99.5% crash data location success rate. Crash location information is vital to the State of Michigan’s infrastructure management, safety programs and planning, and targeted law enforcement efforts. TCRS data is shared with federal and state traffic safety partners for use in maximizing decision making when traffic safety initiatives are being considered. TCRU makes crash reports available to the general public via a TCRU web site that allows an involved party or an insurance agent to purchase a crash report for a modest fee.
Manager of the TCRU Sydney Smith says “Michigan uses TatukGIS functionality to successfully locate 99.5% of our crash data. The mapping capabilities are easy to use by unit personnel which allows us to locate crashes more timely and accurately.”
The TCRU also oversees the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) database for Michigan, in coordination with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) which is the national central repository for all FARS data.
