One of the UK’s leading suppliers of software for the traffic industry and a specialist in web mapping and software hosting, Buchanan Computing, has updated its free internet collision mapping application with the newly released government data.
As part of the UK government’s initiative to release public data, and to help foster innovation, the Department for Transport (DfT) has just released the 2016 road traffic collisions dataset under an Open Government License (OGL).
As this raw data is not easily understood, and is difficult to visually interpret, Buchanan has published it onto its CollisionMap, a free web-mapping app for viewing all road collisions in the UK. This is a free service displaying a wealth of collision data overlaying open base mapping. All road traffic collisions between January 1, 2011, and January 1, 2017, which took place in the UK and resulted in an injury or fatality, can be accessed.
The web application is based upon the latest Ordnance Survey mapping and has a detailed gazetteer to find the location a user is interested in, and a number of unique selection and display features. It shows all accident locations even when zoomed out, giving a full indication of safety issues over a large area. This is particularly useful for rural locations or for looking at whole authorities.
CollisionMap is based upon Buchanan’s Traffweb web mapping tool, a system supplied commercially to many local and police authorities. It is totally free to use, without any need to register, can be accessed from any modern browser, and is provided by the company as a pro bono service to the community, in order to promote road safety. Other websites Buchanan hosts for specific areas have additional features and information or more recent accident data, including those for: Devon County Council, Thames Valley and Hampshire Police forces, and Essex County Council.
Buchanan has also released an interim update to the UK’s most popular traffic sign software, SignPlot, which adds advanced editing facilities, more file formats, and a new set of symbols for Scotland.
The Workbench feature in Version 3.45 has been made more powerful by allowing users to change any part of the sign on display, even elements in sub blocks, with the complete sign still showing for reference. For Scottish sign designs, a new library file from Transport Scotland adds all the symbols that are authorized there, but not in the UK’s TSRGD (Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions).
