Road risk model scoops supreme award

Road risk model scoops supreme award

Software that models risks on our roads scooped the Supreme Award at the New Zealand Spatial Excellence Awards in Wellington last night.

Developed by Christchurch based company Interpret Geospatial Solutions for the New Zealand Transportation Agency as part of an Eastern Bay of Plenty road safety pilot, the software is now being rolled out across large regions of New Zealand’s road network - helping target danger spots around the country.

“I’m very proud of the team and in particular Interpret’s Dale Harris who developed this world class methodology. Across many of our roads, we can’t rely on crash data to tell us where the risks are, as there have not been enough crashes to predict future crash risk. This software uses data about the roads and pulls in information about the terrain, intersections, and whether the road passes through any populated areas. It can model vehicle acceleration and deceleration, and is then able to identify any high risk curves and calculate the safest speed for that section of road,” says Kurt Janssen of InterpretGS.

“This is a really strong example of the power of location information,” says NZSEA spokesperson Jeremy Gulson. “Using location to pull all this information together gives the ability to build a picture of rural roads that can significantly reduce the risk of crashes and save lives.

“This entry from Interpret Geospatial Solutions took top spot in the Technical Excellence category, and the judges felt that the contribution it made to New Zealand made it the clear winner for our Supreme Award.”

“Spatial information and technology is a global growth industry, and our skills and experience are in demand internationally. The calibre of finalists this year shows why. Congratulations to all the award winners, they are the best and the brightest of the New Zealand Spatial Industry,” says Jeremy.

The Awards are supported by Land Information New Zealand (LINZ), the Spatial Industries Business Association (SIBA), and the New Zealand Institute of Surveyors (NZIS).

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