District-wide Sign Inventory QC Project

Background

In 2016, DDOT had a consultant map nearly all the signs in DC.  This sign inventory was stored in GIS and was used for analysis and planning purposes, but there has never been an effort to maintain, correct or update this inventory.

This is a department-wide project proposing to update the original 2016 inventory using Signworks.  The update can be done using any computer at DDOT and with some brief training, a majority of DDOT staff can help in this effort.

Why are sign data important to DDOT?

A sign inventory is an extremely valuable data asset to many other groups within DDOT.  Here are just a few examples:

• Vision Zero/Safety.  Speed limit information is a critical component for understanding the safety of our roadways.  Using the sign inventory data, speed limit zones can be easily generated from the sign inventory.
• Parking/Planning.  Many planning studies specifically budget for parking inventories of the curbside to be done.  Having an updated sign inventory allows us to extract these valuable datasets from our GIS:
  • Parking / No Parking Zones as GIS Linework
  • Speed Limits as GIS Linework
• Asset Management. Instead of using addresses, block ranges or intersections to locate work, a GIS sign inventory provides the exact location.
• Mapping.  Want to know where all the signs are?  A GIS sign inventory is the only way to do this.
• Project Management. Since the sign inventory is GIS, it is capable of being incorporated into DDOT's project tracking system:  Protrack+.  Major construction projects can associate the planned work with sign assets, allowing for notifications to FOB about potentially affected assets.
• Permitting.  Many permitted construction and occupancy activities affect DDOT signage in some way.  In some cases, contractors remove our signs and supports as part of that activity.  When they reinstall the signs and supports, it's difficult to be sure what was originally there.  Having up-to-date GIS of the sign inventory will provide DDOT with a detailed history of what was originally there before the permit.

Project Requirements

1. A laptop or desktop computer.
   1. Cannot guarantee that this will work on iPad/tablets at this time.
2. No VPN is required
3. An internet connection
4. An ArcGIS Online Account.  Click here to request one
5. A Signworks Inventory Account.  Click here to request one

First Time Setup

1. Make sure that you have completed the project requirements (see above)
2. Once you have your ArcGIS Online and Signworks accounts (request links above), you will need to check notifications within ArcGIS Online to join the Signworks groups.
3. Log into ArcGIS Online and click on the little bell icon at the top.  This is where you receive notifications and alerts in ArcGIS Online.
4. There should be invites to two groups:  Signworks Viewers and Signworks Editors.  Accept the invites to these two groups and you are ready to start working with Signworks Inventory.

Getting Started

1. Go to http://52.1.72.218/signworks/#.  The browser will immediately redirect you to the ArcGIS Online login page.  Log in there and you will be sent to the Signworks app. 

2. Once loaded, you should see sign support data on the map, as in the picture below.  If the map is blank, please review the steps in the 'First Time Users' section to check that you have set up your account properly.  If there is a problem, put in an IT Service Request for help with Signworks

3. Or, check out this video to show you how to get started:

   
4. To learn more about the basics of Signworks Inventory, check out Getting Started With Signworks Inventory.

   1. Navigation:  About the Map and what those red dots mean

   2. Perusing the sign data:  Clicking on those red sign support dots and viewing sign data 

   3. Editing sign data:  Adding new signs or correcting existing sign data

QA/QC Workflow

Before continuing, you should have an assigned area which has 'Assignment Points' on the map.  The Assignment Points will appear in the middle of a block

1. Zoom to your assigned area.  Pick a block with assignment point (Note: an assignment point is a "?" symbol in the middle of a street block)
2. Choose one side of the street and click on the first support point.  Open the StreetSmart viewer. 
   
3. The viewer will show red points that indicate where nearby signposts are located.  The red point with the magenta ring around it is the post that you selected on the map.  The blue triangle on the map is a 'view cone', showing the approximate area that you are seeing in the StreetSmart viewer. 
4. If the angle of the current camera position is poor, simply click on the street image locations to back down the road until the sign face is in view, then zoom in to see the details. 
5. Check the signs on the post in the picture and compare them to the individual Signworks signs on the right panel.
6. Check for:
   1. All sign types matching? 
   2. Signs in the wrong order?
   3. Is support location correct?  (within 4-5 feet)
   4. Is sign data correct?
      1. Arrow directions match?
      2. Days and Times match?
      3. Wards/Zones match
7. If corrections are needed, you can use the Signworks editing tools to fix the problem.  See the Editing Guide below
8. Once done with that support and all corrections are done, click the next support.  Repeat until all points on the block have been checked and corrected (if needed).
9. Once the block is done, click on the Assignment point and edit it.  Update the status to 'Retired'.
10. Go to your next Assignment point.

Check out a recording of the first training session below:

Editing Guide

Signworks has a lot of tools that enable you to add, edit and change signs and support data.  Check out the video below to see exactly how to do it:

Adding New Signs

1. Click on the Add New Sign button, which is below the Support and Signs:
   
2. After clicking that, a new sign panel will be created for you called 'new addition':
   
3. Click the editing icon on this new sign panel and proceed with editing this blank sign, as described in Editing Signs below.

Adding New Supports

If you have found a sign post/support which is not currently in Signworks, it's easy to add it in. Check out the video below to see exactly how to do it:

Follow the guidance for adding new supports in the official Signworks Inventory documentation:

Editing and Adding Supports and Signs

Editing Signs

1. Click the edit button, as shown below:
   
2. This will open the Sign Editor panel, which will look like this:
   
3. Edit the sign data as needed:
   1. Sign Type:  Click on #1 and search for the correct sign type
   2. Arrow Direction:  Click on #2 and pick the correct arrow direction
   3. Correct the Ward/Zone: # 4
   4. Add MPH to Speed Limits sign:  #3
   5. Add Sign Text:  #6
4. Click Save (see #8)

Removing a sign

If a sign no longer exists (but is showing in SignWorks), it needs to be retired.

1. Follow the same steps to begin editing the sign as described above in Editing Signs
2. In the Sign Editor, click the Status dropdown and change to 'Retired'
3. Click Save

The retired sign should now be removed from the support.

Note: if you accidentally add a sign or support, it needs to be fully deleted, not just retired, so we know it never actually existed. Put a #delete tag in the Sign Text box. You can also send the Sign ID to James Graham for deletion.

Add or Remove Time Restrictions to a Sign

If a parking sign has time restrictions, they can be added, changed, or deleted in the bottom portion of the Sign Editor (#7).

1. Follow the same steps to begin editing the sign as in Editing Signs
2. To add a new time restriction (or 'Time Band'), click on the little plus sign to create one.
   Note:  If the sign has no time/day restrictions, there should just be a button like this:
   
3. If a restriction doesn't belong on the sign, clicking the "x" button beside it will delete it.
4. If you have made an error with start/end days or times, SignWorks will display a flashing red box to alert you about it.  Check the message and correct the error.
5. Click 'Save'.

Remove a Support

If a support no longer exists at a location, you can remove it easily.

1. Click on the Edit Support button, as shown below:
   
2. Update the Status dropdown to 'Retired'.
3. Click Save.

The support and all signs on it will now be retired and removed from the map.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Below are a continually updating list of frequently asked questions.  If you noticed any FAQs that are missing, feel free to edit this page and add them yourself.  Thanks!

What if a sign or support is missing?

If you go to a support on the map and see in the street-level image that it's not there, you have to figure out if it was gone on purpose or if it is missing.

1. First check the "Time Travel" street-level image.  Click on the date at the top-left of the picture and change to previous date.  Was the sign there?  It might have recently been run over and DDOT doesn't know.  These signs should be marked with a comment of #missing
2. If it's been gone for at least two years, it's probably ok to retire the sign.  If the entire support is missing, retire the support.

If you are still not sure - go over to the Signworks Teams channel and ask the group.  Include pictures and a Sign ID so they can go over and check it out themselves.

What if I found a sign that I don't recognize and can't find it in SignWorks?

A good resource to begin exploring different sign types is at:  http://www.trafficsign.us/index.html

If after looking over that Web site, you still cannot conclusively ID a sign, here's what you should do:

1. Make a screen capture of the sign in question using a program like the Windows 'Snipping Tool'.
2. Copy the screen capture.
3. Go to the Signworks Teams Channel
4. Post a new message in that channel, being sure to paste a copy of that sign in the message.

The Signworks team will respond with guidance shortly.

What if there is a problem with the sign?

If you find a problem with a sign, you should make note of the issue by describing the issue in the "Sign Text" form field.

• Faded Sign?  If you find faded signs, you can also use the hastag #faded
• Sign Is Missing?  If a sign is gone and obviously/probably needs to be there add #missing
  but do not retire the sign.  Otherwise simply retire the sign, it should still eventually be checked
• Sign not in the database?  For signs that need to be added to the database, if you want to note them to come back later, use #catalog
• Mistake or non-DDOT sign? If you accidentally add a sign or support that never existed, or find a sign or support that is not from DDOT (for example, private sign or park sign), it needs to be fully deleted, not just retired, so we know it never actually existed. Put a #delete tag in the Sign Text box.
• Other weird problems?  Use the catch-all hashtag #problem so we can search and find them later.

Once you add a hashtag you can add more details after it in the Sign Text form. If you don't add the hashtag your note may not be seen. Important: use only these hashtags so they all can be found together in a search.

To find any of your hashtags later, do a sign query (under Tools in Signworks) and in the "attributes" tab, search "#" or the specific hashtag (e.g. #catalog) in the "sign text" field and all the signs with the hashtag will be highlighted on the map. More on this and searching more generally here!

What can we ignore?

There are signs and supports that we can ignore at this point.

1. Street name signs
2. Alleys (but if you do an alley, put an "Assignment" type support in the middle and do all segments of alleys inside that block)
3. Temporary signs (e.g., "END CONSTRUCTION")
4. Private signs (e.g., inside a private alley or posted by a local church)
5. Supports with no signs (it is helpful to add them, but not a priority - do keep supports if already in SignWorks)

What types of supports are in the system?

<developing>

There is a drop-down list of support types that are self-explanatory.

Special notes:

1. You may need to look way up to see if there's a streetlight
2. If you see a streetlight, or traffic signal, check to see if it is actually both - there is a "combo" type for a support that has both a traffic "signal" and a "streetlight" support type
3. The "assignment" type that is used to track each street segment can be useful to add for marking areas like alleys or long streets to that are harder to keep track of, retire when done
4. Many supports are erroneously coded as "U-Post", to be sure you didn't miss any it can be helpful to do a last pass and check for support type (and any signs or supports that might have been missed) as part of your final pass before retiring each assignment

How do i find the right sign?

There are a lot of signs.  If you are new to traffic signs, it can be quite overwhelming.  There are nearly 2000 unique sign types in the Signworks catalog and while we've provided tools to help you search and find them you're probably going to run into some confusing signs.

A good resource is at:  http://www.trafficsign.us/index.html

Also, there are individual PDFs for each of the major sections of the MUTCD guidebook:

• Guide Signs:  https://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov/SHSe/Guide.pdf
• Regulatory Signs:  https://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov/SHSe/Regulatory.pdf
• Warning Signs:  https://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov/SHSe/Warning.pdf
• School Signs:  https://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov/SHSe/School.pdf
• <add others if possible, later>

What's the best way to point people to a specific sign location?

If you have a question about a specific sign, copy the unique ID (visible when you are editing the sign) and send it to someone.

See our detailed help guide for using Unique IDs in Sign Query, which shows you how to do that and a lot more.

What if I the block I'm working on has a significant reconstruction going on?

If there is a major construction project going on that has impacted (removed) signage, you should review what you can but do not mark the block assignment as complete. 

Any blocks you skip should be noted on the QC Notes page.