Steering Clear of Steers

About the Program

Category: Transportation (Best in Category)

Year: 2012

With an alarming number of livestock related traffic incidents occurring every year in Maricopa County, the Traffic Management Division was in need of an effective, efficient process to visualize and analyze the occurrences of these incidents. An application was developed that would allow simple additions of new reports, easy visualization, sophisticated analysis and reporting and presentation of results. Utilizing existing county software, the newly implemented program could recognize trends, point out areas with a high frequency of livestock incidents and track these incidents over time. Measurable results were obtained immediately. The simple process for adding new incidents eliminated a backlog, while on the fly analysis instantly alerted employees of problem areas, enabling them to take action. Further analysis allowed for trend spotting and proactively mitigating livestock incidents. Finally, comparing incidents over time will increase government accountability and facilitate effective policy-making. Within two days of launching the program, several months worth of undocumented incidents were eliminated. County officials can now identify problem areas and address them accordingly, saving both time, money, and lives.