THE USE OF GIS IN PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION

This interim report was prepared to document the range of use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in public transportation. Section 1 provides an introduction to the report. Section 2 provides an introduction to GIS in transportation (GIS-T). GIS-T is defined and the primary functions associated with its application are identified and summarized. The section concludes with a preliminary discussion of a framework appropriate for the establishment of a transit GIS. Section 3 presents potential uses for GIS in public transit as compiled through literature review and discussion with individuals in the transportation planning profession. The range of uses is categorized according to four major application areas, including the following: information dissemination; transit planning; facilities and real estate management; and operations and control. The categorization of applications is followed by the identification of the potential benefits of GIS, along with factors related to the implementation of a transit GIS. The section concludes with an overview of how GIS has evolved over the past few decades. Section 4 summarizes the literature on the use of GIS in public transit. Summaries of specific research projects and papers are presented based on the categories identified in Section 2. The literature review provides a sound foundation for understanding the uses of GIS that are currently being used in public transit. Section 5 provides an inventory of GIS activities in Florida, with an emphasis on uses of GIS in transit. This inventory is the result of a survey of agencies in Florida, including transit systems, metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs), regional planning councils (RPCs), and Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) District Offices. The section also includes a summary of the survey research methodology as well as a presentation of the survey results. Some of the issues addressed in the GIS survey include organizational perceptions related to GIS, transit applications, sources of data, software, platform, coordination, and implementation strategies. Section 6 presents a series of recommendations regarding which specific uses of GIS have the greatest potential for offering benefits to Florida's transit systems. FDOT and the Center for Urban Transportation Research (CUTR) have determined jointly which applications should be pursued as example uses of GIS throughout the remainder of this project. Three appendices are provided at the conclusion of the report, including a copy of the survey instrument in Appendix A, a list of GIS contacts at Florida's transportation agencies in Appendix B, and a summary of survey results in Appendix C.