By Emily Gerson, Content Marketing Specialist
The implementation of the United States Department of Transportation's (USDOT) Work Zone Data Exchange (WZDx) Specification has become popular in transportation agencies. This movement is a push for agencies to get a consistent, effective method for monitoring, storing, and communicating work zone data.
In this initiative, there are three key stages to work zone lifecycle data: planning and design, real-time operations, and historical work zone activity records. Our software, NueGOV, simplifies all three data stages.
Planning and design
Manual work zone planning is often difficult to visualize and communicate. NueGOV provides easy location visualization on an interactive map. The map allows users to filter planned and active work zones, zoom in on locations, and click on locations for additional project details.
Work zones can often cross between jurisdictions, meaning inter-agency communication is often essential to maintain quality traffic flow and proper traveler safety. NueGOV provides data sharing options and API hooks that allows necessary data to flow freely and seamlessly between agencies.
Real-time operations
Most of today’s work zone operations are recorded after the fact, which means lag time for recorded work zone inception and completion times. NueGOV is cloud-based which means workers can mark progress quickly and easily from their cell phone or tablet. “Hot button” technology makes progress check-ins as easy as one click. It avoids any unnecessary or inconsistent note-taking while ensuring updates can be recorded and tracked instantly. Additionally, Navjoy’s Research and Development team is working on a solution to automate information without even the use of a hot button.
NueGOV also hosts real-time dashboards where work zone managers and stakeholders can quickly and easily monitor work zone locations and progression. We all know that in work zones, changes occur daily. One of the changes often requested is speed limit adjustments. Many agencies handle this via a form that gets filled out (digitally or on paper), sent up a chain of command, and then either manually approved or denied. Our software automates this process into simple emails, which speeds it up into real time and ensures necessary records are created and stored.
Historical work zone activity records
It’s important to keep work zone history records to track previous projects, successes, failures, and timing. Software can track all that and more, like travel time impacts and planned versus actual work/closure times. One example is running a report to see travel time before, during, and after construction, which can tell you both about the success of the work zone management, but also if the completed project reduced travel time in that area overall. Additionally, knowing actual work zone start and end times can help agencies better plan for future work zones in similar geographic areas or on similar corridor types.
Compliance with WZDx is key, and software like NueGOV can take it from a “have to” to a “want to” because of the ease and added benefits. If you are interested in improving your work zone management or WZDx compliance, contact us at communication@navjoyinc.com.