Citation

Rothenberg HA, Knodler MA, Riessman R. J. Saf. Res. 2005; 36(5): 469-471.

Affiliation

MassSAFE, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, 139 Marston Hall, Amherst, MA 01003, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2005, U.S. National Safety Council, Publisher Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.jsr.2005.10.005

PMID

16297403

Abstract

Highway safety decision-makers require timely access to quality data from a wide variety of sources. The Massachusetts data warehouse and Interactive Data Retrieval System (IDRS) were developed to provide state and federal highway safety decision-makers with access to a variety of safety-related data through a common user interface that allows users with varying levels of data analysis skill to query data. The Massachusetts data warehouse currently houses 13 data sets and provides online access to nine of those data sets through the IDRS.

Upon implementation of the original system, the Governor's Highway Safety Bureau (GHSB), which funded the project, and the Massachusetts Traffic Safety Research Program (MassSAFE) at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, which developed the system, requested a study to determine if the system met user needs, and what changes could be made to improve usability.

The beta test period and the ongoing feedback provided by users have proven valuable to system funders and developers in producing a system that is easy to use and useful to a variety of traffic safety stakeholders. Developers gained an improved overall understanding of how users access data and how best to meet the needs of users with varying skill levels.