GIS in Transportation:GIS - T

Prof. Yuji Murayama - Instructor

Hao HOU – Teaching Assistant

Division of Spatial Information Science

University of Tsukuba

What is GIS–T

Geographic information systems for transportation (GIS-T) refers to the principles and applications of applying geographic information technologies to transportation problems (Miller and Shaw, 2001).

(www.gis.fhwa.dot.gov/documents/Newsletter_Winter2014.asp)

Evolution of GIS–T

The evolution of GIS-T is characterized in three stages: the map view, the navigational view, and the behavioral view (Goodchild, 2000) .

map view navigational view behavioral view

GIS Components in Transportation

(Rodrigue, et al. 2013)

Encoding

Management

Analysis

Reporting

GIS Encoding in Transportation

Deals with issues concerning the representation of a transport system and its spatial components. To be of use in a GIS, a transport network must be correctly encoded, implying a functional topology composed of nodes and links. For instance, an encoded road segment can have data related to its width, number of lanes, direction, peak hour traffic, etc　 (Rodrigue, et al. 2013) .

GIS Management in Transportation

In order to manage GIS data for analysis and visualization, a database is often used for better arrangement. GIS database for transportation can be arranged by spatial, thematic or temporal principles.

Spatial Principles: organize data by spatial attributes, such as scale of region, country, census units, etc.

Thematic Principles: organize data by different themes.

Different usage - highway, transit, railway, terminals, etc.

Different width – 1 m, 5 m, 10 m, 30 m, etc.

Different material - concrete, cement, mud, etc.

Temporal Principles: organize data by time period, such as year, month, week, etc.

GIS Analysis in Transportation

GIS analysis in transportation can be as easy as a simple query to by an element of a transport system to find the position (e.g., where is the nearest bus station) and as hard as to build a model to predict future development or to help urban planning with several index including accessibility, density, cost, etc. (e.g., if a new road was added, what would be the impacts on traffic and future land use developments).

Find Position Modeling

(http://geospatialworld.net/Paper/Application/ArticleView.aspx?aid=1611)

GIS Reporting in Transportation

1. Visualization and data reporting

2. Link between GIS researchers and public users

3. Convey complex information in a visual format (displayed or printed).

(http://www.esri.com/esri-news/arcnews/fall13articles/implementing-web-gis)

GIS for Transportation

Manage Transportation Logistically

GIS is an integrating technology that helps:

Manage variable costs and routing and

scheduling effectively

Track your mobile assets in real time

Implement fuel-saving green initiatives

to minimize carbon emissions

Meet customer expectations

(http://www.esri.com/news/arcnews/fall11articles/city-of-woodland-refines-water-crew-dispatch.html)

GIS for Transportation

Different Fields

Aviation

Roads and Highways

Ports and Maritime

Public Transit

Railways

GIS for Transportation

AviationAirports comprise different

departments and interact with

various entities. GIS can help

arrange the flying time as well as

flying route. Applications includes:

Airports system

Air Traffic Management system

(http://www.esri.com/~/media/Files/Pdfs/news/arcuser/0114/TurningaRequirement.pdf)

GIS for Transportation

Roads and HighwaysGIS is used in six aspects to help plan, monitor and manage a safe & effective road infrastructure.

Planning: Identify deficiencies and determine optimal solutions.

Design: Integrate GIS with other design tools to bring great analytic and cost-estimation capabilities to infrastructure design process.

Survey: Manage and store spatial data with survey measurements.

Construction: Integrate project and financial management software with GIS to better manage infrastructure projects.

Maintenance: Easily manage disparate assets. (http://www.esri.com/library/brochures/pdfs/gis-sols-for-highway.pdf)

GIS for Transportation

Ports and Maritime

For water, traffic, and navigation

managers, GIS combined with

Global Positioning System (GPS)

technology offers a superior

solution for tracking vessels and

managing traffic in crowded

waterways. ( http://www.esri.com/industries/ports-maritime/business/ports )

GIS for Transportation

Public TransitPublic transit is key to meeting transportation challenges presented by rapidly growing cities, rising fuel prices, budget constraints, and global environmental issues. GIS visualization and analysis tools can help to integrate critical information for effective public transit planning, operations, monitoring, and delivery.Such GIS applications include:

Route Planning Systems

Operations and Integrated Transportation Systems

Safe and Secure Public Transportation Systems

…… 

GIS for Transportation

RailwaysRailway managers, whether focused on

passenger or freight delivery, can use

the spatial and analytic components of

GIS to efficiently manage assets,

maximize throughput, and monitor

safety. The ability to share maps and

information online improves

communication with your stakeholders,

including customers.(http://www.esri.com/industries/railways)

WebRail - Asset Management by Sysfer

Popular GIS Functions in Transportation

Buffer Analysis

(http://media.tmiponline.org/clearinghouse/gis/octa/octa.pdf)

The simplest approach to building transit catchment areas is to create a buffer around an entire route. The buffer is centered on the route of interest and is defined by the maximum distance that riders find convenient to walk to. This method is commonly used to describe fixed-route service areas for federal reporting purposes.

Popular GIS Functions in Transportation

Optimum Path Analysis

(http://media.tmiponline.org/clearinghouse/gis/octa/octa.pdf)

A spatial analysis function using network analysis to determine the path along a network of lines that may have some predetermined criteria (such as shortest length, shortest travel time, etc). 

Popular GIS Functions in Transportation

Network Analysis

Most GIS software has network analysis capabilities that can be used to create network-based catchment areas. The user specifies the origin points (stop locations) and maximum walk distance. The network tools then determine the walk network around each origin point (bus stop) that lies within the user-specified distance.

(http://media.tmiponline.org/clearinghouse/gis/octa/octa.pdf)

Conclusion

GIS technology has opened up new horizons in transportation. It provides a means of communication that allows for an interactive understanding between the public and transportation professionals As the increase of available transportation database and development in information technology, more applications will be developed for transportation planning or analyzing in the future.

GIS(http://jksafelogistics.com/Domestic%20Transportation%20Services.html)

Reference

Banos, A., & Thévenin, T. (Eds.). (2011). Geographical Information and Urban Transport Systems. ISTE.

Goodchild, M. F. (2000). GIS and transportation: status and challenges. GeoInformatica, 4(2), 127-139.

Miller, H. J., & Shaw, S. L. (2001). Geographic information systems for transportation: principles and applications. Oxford University Press.

Rodrigue, J. P., Comtois, C., & Slack, B. (2013). The geography of transport systems. Routledge.

www.gis.fhwa.dot.gov/documents/Newsletter_Winter2014.asp (Accessed 14 Febrary 2015)

http://geospatialworld.net/Paper/Application/ArticleView.aspx?aid=1611 (Accessed 16 Febrary 2015)

http://www.esri.com/industries/ports-maritime/business/ports (Accessed 16 Febrary 2015)

http://www.esri.com/esri-news/arcnews/fall13articles/implementing-web-gis (Accessed 16 Febrary 2015)

http://www.esri.com/~/media/Files/Pdfs/news/arcuser/0114/TurningaRequirement.pdf (Accessed 16 Febrary 2015)

http://www.esri.com/industries/railways (Accessed 17 Febrary 2015)

http://www.esri.com/library/brochures/pdfs/gis-sols-for-highway.pdf (Accessed 17 Febrary 2015)

http://media.tmiponline.org/clearinghouse/gis/octa/octa.pdf (Accessed 17 Febrary 2015)

http://jksafelogistics.com/Domestic%20Transportation%20Services.html (Accessed 17 Febrary 2015)