J. Joseph Moakley Center for Technological Applications
Bridgewater State College, Bridgewater, MA
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J. Joseph Moakley Center for Technological Applications Bridgewater State College, Bridgewater, MA |
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For Immediate Release (2/20/97)
A recently completed project funded by the Federal Transportation Administration (FTA) could change the way transit authorities and planning agencies deal with transportation issues for years to come. As a result of a collaborative effort between the FTA and Bridgewater State College (BSC), geographic information system (GIS) bus route databases for 550 communities in the United States have been created. This is the first time since this technology has been available that such a project has been undertaken and completed. With support from the FTA, BSC began the endeavor in 1994 utilizing students who had been trained in the use of GIS as analysts. The results of a survey conducted by the FTA found that less than two dozen of the five hundred and fifty transit agencies in the entire country had developed the GIS databases for their fixed route system. “The development of GIS technology created exciting possibilities for the transit industry. However as we embarked on this project, we found that it was not being utilized to its full potential,” states Lawrence Harman, project director.
Using a list of transportation agencies who had filed complimentary paratransit plans as a result of the American with Disabilities Act, GIS analysts were able to determine which communities in the United States had fixed route bus systems. They began the task of contacting each transit agency by telephone to ask for their route information. At this time, the FTA surveyed the various transit agencies about their use of GIS. Of the 550 systems contacted, only 20 had utilized GIS for route systems. Once the student analysts had received information from at least one hundred systems, the creation of the databases began. In the first year of the project, 300 databases were created. The following year 230 were completed. Fewer databases were created the second year because the route systems being developed were for larger communities. “It took four student analysts one week to create a GIS route system for Chicago’s bus services. The agency had been trying to do it for over a year and a half and hadn’t been successful because the process is so labor intensive,” Harman explains.
The continuing evolution of GIS capabilities is evident when you consider that during the course of this project the technology changed midstream from a DOS based application to a Windows based technology. This change resulted in the need to transfer all the prior work done through DOS to a Windows format. The Windows GIS software chosen by the FTA was TransCAD 3.O from Caliper Corporation, Newton, Massachusetts. With Windows capabilities, a user would be able to separate the various routes on the map that overlapped on a particular street. In a Windows GIS product, the graphics capabilities are vastly improved as well. Also, during this process the John Joseph Moakley Center for Technological Applications was constructed and opened at Bridgewater State College providing space and improved technology to complete the project.
The second phase of this project is to use the GIS fixed route database for applied research. During the summer of 1996, students entered level of service information obtained from the transit system bus schedules into a spreadsheet style database for about 60% of the nation’s systems. Part-time students continue to enter the level of service information during the 1996 - 1997 academic year. Using a prototype, staff and faculty at the Moakley Center have linked the spreadsheet level of service (LOS) databases with the GIS route systems for each route. The GIS analyst can connect the location of the route with the level of service spread sheet through the common data field of the route number. By clicking on the topic of interest through a dataview and then selecting a theme, the GIS will automatically create a theme map with a legend. Examples of thematic maps generated by the Moakley GeoGraphics lab are wheelchair accessibility, frequency of a.m. peak service, and scheduling of service for a route on a particular day. Community bus service, route design, and fixed route transit options for individuals with disabilities are just a few of the issues that can be addressed with this technology. “The ability of GIS to map performance indicators at the route level is a significant achievement for transit policy analysts,” Harman said.
Although the initial stage of this project is complete, there are still some avenues left to pursue. The Moakley Center GeoGraphics Lab is creating area GIS databases for cities and towns covered by the various transit agencies in the nation. This will include not only fixed route lines, but also areas served by paratransit and other modes. As information is contributed by agencies across the nation, the databases for the regional transit authorities will be constructed. The group has experimented already by creating a GIS database for the FTA Region 1 (New England) service area and several states throughout the United States.
Dr. Uma Shama, an applied mathematician at Bridgewater State College, is working with the project to create prototype applications to assist the FTA in documenting the effectiveness of the national investment in transit and in assuring equity and compliance with the FTA’s civil rights regulations as well. Using a GIS technique called “bands” and census data, the GIS analyst can automatically determine the population within a specified distance of a route system. The GIS tool can also determine the ethnic and racial composition of the population within and outside these proximity bands. For the first time, FTA policy analysts will be able to confidently document the number of people served by the national investment in transit based on information aggregated from the city block level. More importantly, by simply drawing a map, the FTA can ensure some measure of equity and social justice as the Federal tax dollar is allocated for local transit projects throughout the country.
Also, as part of a cooperative agreement between the Federal Transit Administration and Bridgewater State College, the Moakley Center is in the process of creating a world wide web site for FTA Transit GIS databases and route systems. This will make the databases and route systems developed by Bridgewater State for the FTA available to anyone who has access to the world wide web or file transfer protocol (FTP) site. In return, users of the data may make their improvements or updates available to others through the same web site. The web site address is http://geolab.bridgew.edu.
The uniqueness of this endeavor is twofold. Nationally, this project is important because it represents the first time GIS databases for fixed route systems will be available in one place for use by anyone who has the ability and knowledge to use them. Locally, the students involved in the project will also benefit handsomely from its success. “As a result of participating in this project, BSC has provided its students with an opportunity to develop talents and skills for an industry that is just emerging,” Harman stated. GIS is popular not just in the transit industry where jobs may be limited at present, but also in business and corporate communities where there are a number of uses. Corporations can use these skills to help locate their business, analyze their sales force, and determine if they are allocating their resources correctly. This project has been mutually beneficial for the FTA and the college. “Eighty percent of the work involved with using GIS is creating the databases so we have just completed 80% of the work for the transit industry. The students who worked as analysts can now enter the work force with skills for an industry that is just emerging and could take them anywhere,” concludes Harman.
For further information, contact
Linda Balzotti
Office of Public Affairs
Bridgewater State College
Tel: 508-697-1335
FAX: 508-697-1336
E-mail: lbalzotti@bridgew.edu
or
Larry Harman
Moakley Center for Technological Applications
Bridgewater State College
Tel: 508-279-6144
FAX: 508-279-6121
E-mail: lharman@bridgew.edu