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). (

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 PositionModeling (

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). (

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 (

GIS for Transportation Different Fields  Aviation  Roads and Highways  Ports and Maritime  Public Transit  Railways

GIS for Transportation Aviation Airports 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 (

GIS for Transportation Roads and Highways GIS 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. (

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. ( )

GIS for Transportation Public Transit Public 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 Railways Railway 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. ( WebRail - Asset Management by Sysfer

Popular GIS Functions in Transportation Buffer Analysis ( 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 ( 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. (

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. (

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),  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.  (Accessed 14 Febrary 2015)  (Accessed 16 Febrary 2015)  (Accessed 16 Febrary 2015)  (Accessed 16 Febrary 2015)  (Accessed 16 Febrary 2015)  (Accessed 17 Febrary 2015)  (Accessed 17 Febrary 2015)  (Accessed 17 Febrary 2015)  (Accessed 17 Febrary 2015)