Spider Maps:Summary of Best

Practices and Guide to Design

Prepared by:Margaret Carragher & Wenwen Zhang

Overview of Presentation

• What is a Spider Map?• Project Purpose• Who has Spider Maps & What Makes them Effective?• GIS Spider Map Production • Spider Map Web Application• Further Spider Map Applications and Design Recommendations

What is a Spider Map?

A spider map is a schematic diagram of transit options serving a particular locality

Spider Maps have evolved to include places walkable from location.

Project Purpose

• Evaluate what makes Spider Maps Effective• Apply Spider Maps to MARTA• Automate the creation of paper Spider Maps for MARTA• Create web application for MARTA Station Spider Maps

• Provide recommendations for Spider Map design

Spider Maps for MARTA• Shown

interest• Area map for

Five Points Station• Feeder bus

system is good for Spider Maps

LONDON• Schematic

• Service period

• Connections to subway

• Amount of Spider Maps

• No headways

• No service times

• No references to orient riders using the schematic map

WASHINGTON D.C.• Headway information

• “YOU ARE HERE”

• “How to Use This Map”

• Multiple scale maps

• Routes from location highlighted

• Number of Spider Maps

LOS ANGELES• Interstate references

• Colors represent service type (local, express, rapid, interstate)

• Destination Table and Area Map

• Only one Spider Map

• Only shows rail stations, no rail lines

• No references to orient riders using the schematic map

Who has Spider Maps &What Makes them Effective?

City Effective Pieces of Information

London • Local bus stop connection area map• Amount of Spider Maps in system

Washington D.C. • Headway information• “You are here”• Instructions• All routes, highlighted ones from selected station

Los Angeles • Colors for service type• Destination table

Boston • Headway information• All other routes faded

GIS Map ProductionGIS Toolbox for Spider Map Automatic Production

GIS Output

• User friendly• Basemap

automatic update• Flexible layout

• Cannot insert the frequency table automatically

• Cannot change route labels automatically

Spider Map Web Application

Spider Map Best Practices/Recommendations

Questions?

Margaret Carragher, EITMetro Planning and EngineeringMargaret.Carragher@metro-pe.com

• Dr. Kari Watkins, PE Georgia Institute of Technology

• Anne Jacobs Georgia Institute of Technology

• Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA)

Wenwen ZhangGeorgia Institute of Technologywzhang300@gatech.edu

CONTACT INFORMATION: Special THANKS to: