This paper discusses the development, delivered system, and successful operation of a Geographical Information System (GIS) for road safety for Lothian Regional Council, Scotland. In 1978, the Lothian Road Accident Statistics System (LORASS) was implemented on a mainframe computer, but was eventually no longer able to meet increasing and changing demands. In 1989, the Council set up a group (GIS Steering Group GISSG) to examine the potential for GIS and develop a strategy for handling geographical information. The road safety GIS was one of its pilot projects. The paper describes the following stages of development of this GIS: (1) the tendering process; (2) post-tender project management and iterative prototyping; (3) the map iterative prototyping; (3) the map base, data, and functions of the originally delivered GIS; (4) Version 2 of the delivered GIS system; (5) training; and (6) future developments and enhancements. The GIS matched and in many areas exceeded expectations, with the following benefits: (1) time savings and improved productivity for staff; (2) lower operating costs; (3) quicker provision of requested data; (4) improved data management and analytical ability; (5) improved use of resources; and (6) better public presentation. Some examples of its accident plots are displayed.
Samenvatting