Data Quality Review for GIS-Based Crash and Work Zone Data Integration

Effective work zone safety analysis requires comprehensive data on crashes, work zones, and other environmental factors. Fundamental to such knowledge is the ability to correlate crash data with corresponding work zones, with the knowledge of the data quality. Previous research demonstrated the data integration and analysis capabilities based on a common GIS roadway network. However, there are cases where the construction zone flag in the crash reports contradicts with the output of the data integration. This study is to review the overall accuracy and completeness of a previously developed crash and work zone data integration algorithm. By examining the randomly selected crashes through the original crash report and the work zone records, the results confirmed the overall accuracy of the GIS-based integration algorithm. The further analysis implies that there are data quality issues in the crash report and work zone records, which can also be identified using this algorithm. The findings can help improve work zone operations system data quality, and develop guidance for determining work zone crashes for police officers.