Every agency has existing database information and systems that require systems integration services provided by Chaparral Systems Corporation staff. This is one of the reasons why all clients have an annual maintenance contract in place. During implementation of the TRADAS system there are standard data integration services provided by Chaparral Systems Corporation staff. For clients that request additional data integration services, a separate contract is executed on a client specific basis.
Since traffic data are collected in a variety of settings determined by the specific application for the data, there are many data sources that can be integrated with the TRADAS system. Generally, agency software applications can be categorized as either planning or operations systems. The development of Traffic Management Centers (TMCs) under the umbrella of Intelligent Transportation Systems is an excellent example of a traffic operations function that produces significant traffic data. Chaparral's TRADAS product is ideal for collecting traffic data from a variety of disparate sources and for presenting these data in a common database format over a network. The TRADAS general models for raw traffic data sources and general traffic data objects permit the system to perform these archival/integration functions. Listed below are some of the general data integration services provided by Chaparral Systems Corporation staff:
Services providing a traffic database of data collected from TMC sources, as well as from any other sources that will furnish traffic data for general use. The latter include counts from state or local agencies or commercial traffic data collection operations. A TRADAS data integration can also include TMC center data exports where the TMC can accept other kinds of data, such as crashes or other incidents. Its highly general structure is by no means limited to traffic data.
TRADAS adds significant value to the process of traffic data collection and analysis. A TRADAS installation in a TMC provides:
- Quality control analyses on the data stream
- Summarization and data archival functions
- Both standard and ad hoc reports through common tools such as Microsoft Office
- Transportation database management
Similar added value is provided to other operations and planning entities that provide traffic data to a TRADAS user. The end product, in addition to reports, is the provision of transportation data on a standard Oracle database across a network. Depending on the client and administrative environment, these data could be repackaged and generally made available on the Internet.
Pricing of this service is highly flexible, and depends in large part on the purchaser of the service. In general, transaction-based or fixed price arrangements are preferred. Chaparral will also consider installing a TRADAS data integration center in a TMC at an agreed upon pricing structure.
In summary, a TRADAS data integration center can meet the archival requirements for a TMC, while integrating data from a variety of other sources, to provide the public and private sectors with a valuable, easily accessible, source of high-quality traffic/ transportation data.