Discovering Spatial and Temporal Patterns of Traffic Accidents in Stillwater, Oklahoma

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to establish a greater understanding towards spatial and temporal patterns of traffic accidents in Stillwater, Oklahoma through the use of a GIS. Traffic accidents from 2001 through 2008 were represented through various visualization methods in ArcGIS to support the idea that geovisualization influences an increased understanding of patterns with accidents in the city. Traffic accidents are not random. Spatiotemporal patterns of accidents exist within the city of Stillwater, Oklahoma. Accidents are influenced by patterning of daily and seasonal social activities, as well as weather events. Deeper insight of traffic accidents in the city is gained through crash mapping and using different 3-D visual representations of the data in a GIS. Hot spots in the city reveal when and where concentrations of accidents cluster at specific locations. Geovisualization of traffic accidents acts as a compass to help navigate police and transportation planners to road areas needing safety reform, a benefit to the city.