Roadkill Observation Collection System (ROCS): Phase III Development

The Roadkill Observation Collection System (ROCS) is a multi-phased effort that has developed software for a tripartite system: rugged, handheld and integrated personal digital assistant (PDA) - global positioning system (GPS) data collectors, automatic uploads of data from the PDA-GPS units to a central electronic data repository and controlled admission to the ROCS central data server to access data to examine results on visualization software, for evaluation, summaries and reports. Data collection for this latest phase of the ROCS was conducted in 2010 and early 2011 in Iowa and New York by transportation maintenance crews removing animal carcasses along highways. An evaluation of a portion of the spatially accurate data (within 5-10 meters of actual location) using the central ROCS server indicate the data can be used to identify areas of high animal–vehicle collisions via a spatial cluster analysis, can be used to conduct a cost–benefit analyses for mitigation, and have the potential for other useful evaluations. Field and system tests of the ROCS have been completed indicating a fully functional system that is now ready for broader geographic deployment.

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