This article is copyright ESRI.
GIS for Transportation
Investments in Transportation assets
are among the largest made by today's
societies. GIS technology is used by a
diverse group of people serving all
major transportation modes, both
public and private.
Transportation facilities, including
roadways and railways, bridges and
tunnels, air and sea ports, are planned
and managed using GIS. Public and private fleets are being made more efficient and
effective through the application of GIS. Both passengers and freight shipments
arrive on schedule more often and more safely, in part due to the growing number of
GIS-based information systems.
Aviation
Airports, airlines, and flight control managers have all profited from their use of GIS
in several ways. Commercial, emergency, and defense-related airfields use GIS to
Manage facilities, both airside
and landside
Model and monitor noise
Facilitate environmental
compliance
Manage construction and
maintenance
Improve airside parking
operations
Capacity and traffic planning
Track flight paths
Airlines and flight control groups use GIS to
analyze routes and capacities, and to plan re-
routing and contingency plans for weather-
related or other emergencies. GIS provides
an excellent means of visualizing flight paths,
capacities, or noise contours.
GIS User Success Stories
The Metropolitan Airports Commission Aviation Noise and Satellite Program uses GIS
to display and analyze aircraft noise impacts in the Minneapolis/St. Paul Metropolitan
Area. Visit www.macavsat.org/GIS/ to learn more.
Fleet Management and Logistics
The process of delivering goods and services to market is changing as corporations
restructure distribution channels and re -engineer inefficient practices. Remaining
competitive often means slashing wasteful spending and building a capacity for "just-
in-time" inventory management.
Efficient operations require accurate, timely decision making. Knowing where a
vehicle, pickup, or delivery is at any given time leverages assets for optimum
deployment and cost savings. GIS can provide this critical information. Customer
satisfaction, competitive position, timely response, effective deployment, and
profitability all stand to gain.
Highways and Streets
Transportation infrastructure represents one of the
largest and most critical investments made in any
nation, at any stage of development. The movement
of people and goods either domestically or
internationally is vital to every aspect of that
economy.
GIS can be used to determine the location of an event
or asset and its relationship or proximity to another
event or asset, which may be the critical factor
leading to a decision about design, construction, or
maintenance.
In 1995, the Norwegian Parliament considered the realignment of the Coastal Trunk
Highway along the western coast of Norway. The map above shows how the proposed
change would impact recreational areas. Map courtesy of Vestnorsk
Plangruppe/Norconsult.
GIS User Success Stories
San Diego Real Time Freeway Speeds Tracked with GIS--The Caltrans District 11
application, San Diego Real Time Freeway Speeds Using ArcView GIS, recently won
mention in the Geospatial Solutions first annual Applications Contest.
Maryland DOT Rolls Out a Highway Monitoring Application--State Highway
Administration integrates five significant data sets--accidents, bridges, highways,
pavements, and traffic control devices--into one GIS-based application to improve
transportation planning and analysis within the agency.
Virginia Dept. of Transportation Maps Its Future with GIS--The Cartography
Department recognized the need for a fully automated mapping program to facilitate
accurate and efficient map production.
Mass Transit
Improving the mobility of today's citizens
is a great challenge for public transit
operators. Expanding urban areas and
geographically dispersed employment
centers have replaced the dominant
central business location. Automobiles
have reduced the demand for public
transportation. It is difficult to offer
choices and services when revenues and
subsidies are at risk.
Drivers, dispatchers, maintenance workers, route planners, management personnel,
and riders can make better decisions about their jobs and transportation when they
have reliable information. Information on bus routes, current location and schedule
adherence, subway stop location, emergency situations and locations, track
condition, demographic changes, employment centers, rideshare programs, and
neighborhood characteristics are all factors that can be used to improve transit
performance.
GIS is successfully used for
Route planning and analysis
Bus dispatch and emergency response
Automatic vehicle location and tracking
Paratransit scheduling and routing
Bus stop and facility inventory
Rail system facility management
Track, power, communications, and signal maintenance
Accident reporting and analysis
Demographic analysis and route restructuring
Ridership analysis and reporting
Transportation planning and modeling
Railroads
Railways around the world find great utility in using GIS to manage key information
for rail operations, maintenance, asset management, and decision support systems.
Major functions or disciplines in which GIS has been successfully deployed in railway
organizations include
Real estate management
Facility management: track,
power, and communications and
signaling
Asset tracking
Commodity flow analysis
Emergency response management
Environmental and construction
management
Intermodal management
Passenger information
Capacity planning
Marketing
Supply chain management
Site selection
Risk management
