Add Incident EventType

[DeraldDudley]

Version 2 - Add Incident EventType

Summary

Add an incident value to the EventType Enumeration

Motivation

Adding an incident value to the EventType enumeration enables publishers to inform drivers about events that close or restricts the use of road segments. This is valuable because it reduces driver uncertainty and increases the probability of driver success. It also fulfills use cases identified by WZDx working group members and state transportation officials. These use cases include informing citizens about road closures after a hurricane and informing transportation management centers about road status during emergencies.

Adding 'closures' will bolster the specifications usefulness. A more useful specification is more likely to be implemented. More implementations inform more drivers about hazards to navigation. Better informed drivers avoid hazards resulting in safer, cleaner, and more efficient transportation.

IncidentRoadEvents vs WorkZoneRoadEvents

IncidentRoadEvents are very similar to WorkZoneRoadEvent. They are different in the following ways:

• The property type_of_work is dropped from the IncidentRoadEvent object.
• The property end_date is optional in IncidentRoadEvent object.
• The property type_of_incident is created for the IncidentRoadEvent object. Incident types are described using event_cause from the Transportation Management Data Dictionary 3.1 (TMDD)

Proposed changes

EventType Enumeration

Value	Description
work-zone	An area of a trafficway with highway construction, maintenance, or utility-work activities. A work zone is typically marked by signs, channeling devices, barriers, pavement markings, and/or work vehicles. It extends from the first warning sign or flashing lights on a vehicle to the "End of Road Work" sign or the last traffic control device. A work zone may be for short or long durations and may include stationary or moving activities. Inclusions: Long-term stationary highway construction such as building a new bridge, adding travel lanes to the roadway, and extending an existing trafficway. Mobile highway maintenance such as striping the roadway, median, and roadside grass mowing/landscaping, and pothole repair. Short-term stationary utility work such as repairing electric, gas, or water lines within the trafficway. Exclusions: Private construction, maintenance, or utility work outside the trafficway. *The AASHTO term equivalent to roadway is traveled way. *The AASHTO term equivalent to trafficway is highway, street, or road. Source: https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/publicroads/99mayjun/workzone.cfm
detour	A temporary rerouting of road users onto an existing trafficway to avoid a work zone or other impedance. Source: https://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov/htm/2009/part6/part6c.htm
restriction	A section of roadway that has limitations of how that section can be used.
incident	Incidents or events that close or restrict the use of road segments.

IncidentRoadEvent Object

The IncidentRoadEvent object locates and describes incidents or events that close or restrict the use of a road segment.

The IncidentRoadEvent is a type of road event; it has a core_details property which contains the RoadEventCoreDetails and exists within a RoadEventFeature.

Properties

Name	Type	Description	Conformance	Notes
core_details	RoadEventCoreDetails	The core details of the road event that are shared by all types of road events, not specific to work zones.	Required
types_of_incident	Array; One or More Incident Types	A list of one or more incident types indicating the cause of closure or restriction.	Required	Incident types are described using event_cause enumerations from the Transportation Management Data Dictionary 3.1 (TMDD)
start_date	String; date-time	The UTC time and date when the event begins.	Required	All datetime formats shall follow RFC 3339 Section 5.6. Example: 2016-11-03T19:37:00Z.
end_date	String; date-time	The UTC time and date when the event ends.	Required	All datetime formats shall follow RFC 3339 Section 5.6. Example: 2016-11-03T19:37:00Z.
start_date_accuracy	TimeVerification	A measure of how accurate the start date-time is.	Required
end_date_accuracy	TimeVerification	A measure of how accurate the end date-time is.	Optional
beginning_accuracy	SpatialVerification	Indicates how the beginning coordinate was defined.	Required
ending_accuracy	SpatialVerification	Indicates how the ending coordinate was defined.	Required
location_method	LocationMethod	The typical method used to locate the beginning and end of a work zone impact area.	Required
vehicle_impact	VehicleImpact	The impact to vehicular lanes along a single road in a single direction.	Required
lanes	Array; [Lane]	A list of individual lanes within a road event (roadway segment).	Optional
beginning_cross_street	String	Name or number of the nearest cross street along the roadway where the event begins.	Optional
ending_cross_street	String	Name or number of the nearest cross street along the roadway where the event ends.	Optional
beginning_milepost	Number	The linear distance measured against a milepost marker along a roadway where the event begins.	Optional	A milepost or mile marker is a surveyed distance posted along a roadway measuring the length (in miles or tenth of a mile) from the south west to the north east. These markers are typically notated on State and local government digital road networks.
ending_milepost	Number	The linear distance measured against a milepost marker along a roadway where the event ends.	Optional	A milepost or mile marker is a surveyed distance posted along a roadway measuring the length (in miles or tenth of a mile) from the south west to the north east. These markers are typically notated on State and local government digital road networks.
event_status	EventStatus	The status of the event.	Optional
worker_presence	WorkerPresence	Information about whether workers are present in the road event area.	Optional
reduced_speed_limit_kph	Number	The reduced speed limit posted within the road event, in kilometers per hour. This property only needs to be supplied if the speed limit within the road event is lower than the posted speed limit of the roadway.	Optional
restrictions	Array; [Restriction]	A list of zero or more road restrictions that apply to the roadway segment described by this road event.	Optional	Restrictions can also be provided on an individual lane.

Used By

Property	Object
properties	RoadEventFeature

Version 1 - Superseded by version 2 Above

Summary

Add a closure value to the EventType Enumeration

Motivation

Adding a closure value to the EventType enumeration enables publishers to inform drivers about road closures. This adds value to road event feeds by reducing driver uncertainty and increasing the probability of driver success. It also fulfills use cases identified by WZDx working group members. These use cases include informing citizens about road closures after a hurricane and informing transportation management centers about road status during emergencies.

Adding 'closures' will bolster the usefulness of RoadRestrictionFeeds and hopefully increase its uptake. It might also server Work Zone Data feeds.

Proposed changes

After

Value	Description
work-zone	An area of a trafficway with highway construction, maintenance, or utility-work activities. A work zone is typically marked by signs, channeling devices, barriers, pavement markings, and/or work vehicles. It extends from the first warning sign or flashing lights on a vehicle to the "End of Road Work" sign or the last traffic control device. A work zone may be for short or long durations and may include stationary or moving activities. Inclusions: Long-term stationary highway construction such as building a new bridge, adding travel lanes to the roadway, and extending an existing trafficway. Mobile highway maintenance such as striping the roadway, median, and roadside grass mowing/landscaping, and pothole repair. Short-term stationary utility work such as repairing electric, gas, or water lines within the trafficway. Exclusions: Private construction, maintenance, or utility work outside the trafficway. *The AASHTO term equivalent to roadway is traveled way. *The AASHTO term equivalent to trafficway is highway, street, or road. Source: https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/publicroads/99mayjun/workzone.cfm
detour	A temporary rerouting of road users onto an existing trafficway to avoid a work zone or other impedance. Source: https://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov/htm/2009/part6/part6c.htm
restriction	A section of roadway that has limitations of how that section can be used.
closure	A section of roadway that may not be used.

ClosureRoadEvent

Adding a closure EventType creates a ClosureRoadEvent Object. The ClosureRoadEvent is modeled after the RestrictionRoadEvent Object but with two additional properties. The vehicle_impact enumeration is added (see issue 264 ) to describe the event's affect. event_cause is added (see Issue 269 to inform drivers why an event occurred.

The event_cause property emulates the cause element found in the eventDescription property described in section 3.3.8.14 of the Transportation Management Data Dictionary 3.1 (TMDD). The event_cause property will be populated using the Disasters (issue 276), Special Events (issue 277), and Winds issue coming enumerations described in sections 3.6.5.8, 3.6.5.23, 3.6.5.37 respectively.

An example:

ClosureRoadEvent Object

The ClosureRoadEvent object is a linear road event that locates and describes roadways that may not be used.

The ClosureRoadEvent is a type of road event; it has a core_details property which contains the RoadEventCoreDetails and exists within a RoadEventFeature.

For representing closures due to road work, see the WorkZoneRoadEvent.

Properties

Name	Type	Description	Conformance	Notes
core_details	RoadEventCoreDetails	Describes the basic characteristics of a road event.	Required
restrictions	Array; [Restriction]	A list of zero or more road restrictions that apply to the roadway segment described by this road event.	Conditional: required if lanes property is not provided.	Restrictions can also be provided on an individual lane.
lanes	Array; [Lane]	A list of individual lanes within a road event (roadway segment).	Conditional: required if restrictions property is not provided.
vehicle_impact	VehicleImpact	The impact to vehicular lanes along a single road in a single direction.	Required
event_cause	Disasters Type, Winds Type, Special Events Type	A value, from an enumeration, describing why a restriction is in place.	Optional

Used By

Property	Object
properties	RoadEventFeature

[j-d-b]

Some complexity is regarding what road event object the closure type should be used with and what is means on each object. Right now, there is a one-to-one mapping between the EventType values and a specific road event object, such as WorkZoneRoadEvent, DetourRoadEvent, and RestrictionRoadEvent.

It seems like what closure is trying to solve could be done using the VehicleImpact, as proposed in #12. For example if a RestrictionRoadEvent has a vehicle_impact value of all-lanes-closed, it signifies the road is closed. I'm thinking of "closure" as more of a sub-type of an event than an event type, unless there are other properties that are specific to "closure"s that would necessitate the need for a new ClosureRoadEvent object.

[DeraldDudley]

The Extension Subgroup’s interest is the ability to identify an event as a closure. It seems the EventType or the RestrictionType enumerations are the best fits in the model. VehicleImpact doesn’t really work because it describes how an event affects road traffic.

How do you feel about adding a Closure value to RestrictionType? Then we can use VehicleImpact to distinguish between road and lane closures.

[mark-mockett]

@DeraldDudley I think what Jacob was getting at is that adding closure to the EventType enumeration is incomplete without specifying what type of road event it should be associated with - a RestrictionRoadEvent or maybe a new ClosureRoadEvent (assuming WorkZoneRoadEvent isn't considered)? The answer to that question depends on what other information should be conveyed - for instance, the cause of the closure you outlined in #11, #10, and #9.
I don't think closures due to weather or special events fit with the other restrictions in the RestrictionType, so your inclination to add a new event type for closures makes sense to me. There are more steps to the overall implementation though

[DeraldDudley]

@mark-mockett Sorry I didn't catch that. Thank you for clarifying.

Adding closure to the EventType would result in a ClosureRoadEvent. ClosureRoadEvents, RestrictionRoadEvents, and DetourRoadEvents could all be used in RoadRestrictionFeeds to inform drivers about unusual road use constraints.

[jewel1965]

I would like to recommend that the new EeventType object be called IncidentRoadEvent. The word 'closure' can be bit confusing given that WorkZoneRoadEvent can also have closures. Also, IncidentRoadEvent name would allow for roadway impacts more than just closure.

[jewel1965]

Attached is a list of incident/event causes we use in the Bay Area 511 system.
Incident cause enumeration.xlsx

[DeraldDudley]

Updated the Issue #13 with latest thoughts of the Extension Subgroup

[tfoster-vm]

FYI, very few agencies use the word "accident". Most prefer "crash" or "incident". I would suggest we do the same.

[DeraldDudley]

FYI, very few agencies use the word "accident". Most prefer "crash" or "incident". I would suggest we do the same.

Agree its a bit outdated but we're trying to stick with the TMDD so we don't create competing enumerations...

[j-d-b]

Will the IncidentRoadEvent occur in a the RoadRestrictionFeed or will a new feed be created for this new event type?

Would you be open to implementing these changes in a forked version of the repo? I feel that the extension-related issues and content that has no relation to work zones are making it hard to follow what WZDx is, harder to find issues, PRs, and objects that are relevant to the primary goal of WZDx, to standardize representing work zone data.

I'd suggest we create a new wzdx-extended repository in the @usdot-jpo-ode organization which would be wzdx plus all non-work zone related work (e.g. restrictions, incidents).

[DeraldDudley]

Will the IncidentRoadEvent occur in a the RoadRestrictionFeed or will a new feed be created for this new event type?

Would you be open to implementing these changes in a forked version of the repo? I feel that the extension-related issues and content that has no relation to work zones are making it hard to follow what WZDx is, harder to find issues, PRs, and objects that are relevant to the primary goal of WZDx, to standardize representing work zone data.

I'd suggest we create a new wzdx-extended repository in the @usdot-jpo-ode organization which would be wzdx plus all non-work zone related work (e.g. restrictions, incidents).

I'll post an issue proposing a new feed type for incidents today. Just haven't gotten to it yet.

Open to Discuss - The WZ spec obviously adds value to the Extension but the Extension adds value (increased accessibility) to the WZ too. I'm concerned about divergent specs. Lets find a way to compliment each other...

[j-d-b]

To limit the potential for divergence, instead of a fork, the extensions (non-work zone) could go in a wzdx-extensions repo that only defines the feeds, objects, and enumerated types that are specific to the extensions. It could refer to the wzdx repo for the "shared" objects and can reference WZDx schema objects by URL rather than maintaining copies.