SBIR-STTR Award

Collaboration-Optimized Network for Naturalistic Exploration and Communication about Traffic (CONNECT) will be a tool that allows users to easily generate a wide range of data visualizations from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS). CONNECT will leverage open-source visualization tools and focus on building a collaboration and template layer that allows users to create compelling visualizations and explore the FARS dataset to make our roads safer. CONNECT will provide users with predefined templates, drawing from information visualization best practices and the types of analyses that users wish to conduct. The tool will also connect users to one another and allow them to share their visualization products, to make use of other users’ products, and to comment or collaborate about one another’s visualizations. This tool will facilitate knowledge sharing, and will create a community of practice among geographically dispersed users who have similar roles in their respective municipalities. CONNECT will be developed using a work-centered design methodology to ensure it contains useful features that are organized and displayed in a useable manner. CONNECT will give users a more thorough and efficient data analysis experience, which will increase the likelihood of developing successful interventions.

Current access to and analysis of the Fatal Analysis Reporting System (FARS) dataset requires significant time and technical skill. Data analysis tools are often general-purpose, designed to support the analysis of any dataset, and do not easily support the types of questions many transportation and safety engineers ask of the FARS data. Visualizations can help users understand relationships between variables and uncover patterns in their data. Aptima, Inc. designed the Collaboration-Optimized Network for Naturalistic Exploration and Communication about Traffic (CONNECT) tool to empower users to collaboratively create and share visualizations of FARS. CONNECT simplifies the process of creating visualizations by making the entire FARs dataset immediately accessible through a tailored interface and experience, improving exploratory analysis. Users are able to reuse their own analyses and utilize visualizations shared by others, saving time when creating analysis products while also increasing quality. CONNECT visualizations can be shared with any audience as dynamic, web-based content or as traditional static media. In Phase I, Aptima, Inc. designed the user interface and software architecture, and developed a limited functionality prototype for CONNECT. The objective in Phase II is to continue developing both the prototype and a viable commercialization plan.