Yep, 24-hr traffic volumes. And multiple years are shown visually by colored bar charts whenever you click an icon. So, you can tell at a glance if traffic is increasing, decreasing, or staying level each time you click.
Also, there are a couple optional fields where you can put counter ID number’s, 85th percentile speeds, notes regarding road construction, etc. (see below). I am refraining (at this point) from including peak hour data, truck percents, bi-directional volumes, etc. because I want keep this simple, simple to enter data, and simple to view. If a user is interested in the finer things, they can always contact the agency who entered the data (identifed by virtue of a unique icon). At least that’s the plan, for now, as of this moment…
Check it out: http://www.onlinetrafficdata.com
Some user-definable fields without sacrificing overall simplicity
Because it is that important to me. I do not want you to miss it (plus my programmer messed up). Satellite and Terrain are cool too, but Map is where the action is. Check it out — check it out twice.
Update: My programmer has repaired this duplicative representation of the “Map” button. By popular demand however, I may need to to ask him to put it back…
Yeah, but you could be cooler. The only people who can really use GIS’s have experience in engineering, planning, or IT. Admit it, as cool as a GIS system is, it is NOT something your wife could use (or hasband–sorry). The general public does not use it, most of the agency staff can’t use it, many don’t even know how to access it (or want to). And if they did have instructions on how to use it, would give up pretty quickly (probably when instructed to download and install the Autodesk viewer or similar). There are easier systems out there but I won’t mention them because they make it harder for me to make my point 
Don’t get me wrong–I love GIS and Online Traffic Data does not replace it, rather it is an additional way to access data, specifically, traffic data. It is an easy way to enter and view traffic data from multiple agencies all in one place using a method everyone already knows how to use (Google Maps).
Want to make someone happy? Put their traffic data online: Simple to view, simple to use.
Are you kidding? City Engineers (for example) will no longer wonder if they are looking at the most recent traffic count for a particular roadway (unless they have a cool GIS – see adjacent post). Never again, will the engineer or planner get a phone call asking for traffic data (well, maybe once, but after they tell the caller that everything is online that puts an end to the requests–especially when the caller realizes it is on a Google Maps platform that they “already know how to use”).
Planners love it–to see a visual representation (some people call them “bar graphs” but I’m trying to avoid sounding technical) of historical data and trends…pull this site up on the big screen at your next public meeting and watch the smiles…
Developers can’t believe a site like this exists. Free access to traffic data? Are you kidding me? That’s amazing!
Even traffic engineers are amazed at how easily they can see where traffic data has been collected and when. And because they are a traffic engineer, they may be interested in peak hour data, bi-directional data, vehicle classification, speed, etc. So guess what? By the icon, they will know who to contact to see what detailed info is available. Before now, traffic engineers did not even know where data was collected, let alone who to contact for details. And, if it is not on the map, well, that’s an opportunity for someone to collect it and help build the map…who knows, someday I may include a link to the client GIS…
Online Traffic Data answers the question: If the management of traffic data were invented today, how would it be done?
There are many software programs available to manage traffic data (some even online). Most of them provide a valuable function for a handful of people. None of them offer a common URL where traffic data from different agencies can be viewed simultaneously–for free. OnlineTrafficData does not replace existing GIS tools but simply provides an additional resource where the non-engineer (as well as the engineer) can quickly view traffic data without instruction. Because it is uses Google Maps platform, everyone already knows how to use it. And data entry is a snap–couple mouse clicks and your done. Check it out and let me know what you think: www.OnlineTrafficData.com.
And don’t forget, if you want more info, including a fully functional demo account, click on the “request more info” button.
