Geospatially Enabled Database for Analyzing Traffic Injuries in San Francisco, California

The collection and the analysis of transportation and health data, especially in geospatial terms, can be a complex process. TransBASESF.org is a geospatially enabled analytics database developed by the San Francisco, California, Department of Public Health and used to analyze, evaluate, monitor, and communicate transportation safety issues in San Francisco. The goal of TransBASESF.org is to serve as the central data repository for public health–related transportation data, to be a free and open data resource for the general public to use, and to support interagency collaboration, data standards, and data sharing in the City and County of San Francisco. The TransBASESF.org database currently includes more than 200 spatially referenced variables from multiple agencies and across a range of geographic scales, including infrastructure, transportation, zoning, sociodemographic, and collision data, all linked to an intersection or street segment. The TransBASESF.org database originated as a tool developed to facilitate health impact assessments and understand better the geographic distribution and characteristics of pedestrian injuries. The scope and the role have continued to evolve, and the database now plays a key role in the implementation of San Francisco’s Vision Zero policy, an effort to reduce all modes of transportation-related fatalities to zero by 2024. The purpose of this paper is to give an overview of the TransBASESF.org system, including its origin, development, content, technical specifications, and examples of applications to date in informing transportation safety planning and policy in San Francisco.