Tiny Singapore is strengthening public transport with GIS to meet the travel demands of increasing population
The city-nation of Singapore faces increasing population and travel demand, against a backdrop of limited land space. The logical way for the nation to accommodate the diverse travel needs of the people is to invest heavily in public transport since it is the most space-efficient means of carrying large number of people.
Over the years, Singapore’s Land Transport Authority (LTA) has been working on multipronged approach aimed at putting more information into the hands of the commuters so that they can plan ahead to decide the mode of transport to use and travel conveniently by avoiding traffic jams. One of its strategies is to unleash the value of LTA’s GIS data by proactively making this information easily available to the public for informed decision making while getting around in Singapore.
In line with LTA’s key strategic thrust in making public transport a choice mode, LTA’s public transport portal – PublicTransport@SG was rolled out in 2008 to provide commuters with the convenience of accessing public transport information from a single website. One of the main features of PublicTransport@SG includes an interactive GIS map to help commuters to move around Singapore with public transport information such as bus service information, key bus services maps, MRT and LRT system maps, the public transport guide and premium bus services. Real time information on bus arrival time is also available for select bus stops. The website also features the latest public transport related news and information on public transport promotion campaigns and initiatives. Citizens can freely access LTA’s GIS data at the One.Motoring portal too.
Motorists can be informed of road accidents and travel speeds of the routes they are planning to take, before they embark on their journeys. They may even query regarding the availability of car parking spaces at their destinations, so that they can make alternative arrangements to avoid long waits. Commuters can locate nearest bus stops using mobiles equipped with locationbased services and even find out when the next bus will arrive.
LTA has collaborated with Google to give commuters transport options at their fingertips. The result is a service that allows commuters to plan their journeys based on current traffic status. The partnership is one of the first few instances where a country is working with Google to provide transport options as part of its global online map platform.
LTA’s mobile service, MyTransport. SG makes it easier for commuters to access land transport information on a single platform. The service allows them to access a comprehensive range of transit and traffic information – including locations of bus stops and MRT stations – from any GPRS-enabled mobile device.
Following the launch of MyTransport. SG (mobile), LTA launched the portal MyTransportSG portal to cater to all land transport users. The portal can be customised to suit the needs of the people based on their profile as commuters, students, cyclists or commuter with mobility needs etc, all under one roof. New features include GIS information on:
- Taxi stand location: Commuters can search for taxi stands near their location. Each taxi stand has a location code that they can use as reference point for the cab driver to pick them up when they make a booking.
- Cycling town and bicycle parking: Cyclists can use the network of cycling paths with park connectors to access key public transport nodes and neighbourhood amenities. The portal also provides GIS information on bicycle parking facilities at most MRT stations.
CATCHMENT AREAS
LTA also applies GIS for studying the behavior and characteristics of consumers living in various bus and rail catchment areas. It allows the organisation to analyse the sensitivity of the consumers to different parameters. Each bus stop and rapid transit station (RTS) along the corridor is mapped using GIS. By modifying the radius of the catchment area, GIS shows the patterns, relationships and trends that help LTA understand the attributes and underlying factors within the catchment areas, so that they can choose the best modal option for the population living in the catchment area and plan for changes in the transportation network design.
ROAD SAFETY
In the area of road safety, LTA leverages on GIS technology to significantly reduce the number of traffic accidents, fatal or otherwise, at accident- prone areas. GIS makes the visualisation of collision incidence distributions and patterns more intuitive than statistics, charts and tabular data. Through collaboration with Singapore Traffic Police, traffic accident locations and collision patterns can be easily visualised and analysed geographically in a process known as “Black Spot Analysis.” Trouble spots can be pin-pointed for road safety engineers to implement traffic improvement schemes. This has yielded a significant reduction in accidents over a two-year period.
STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS
Rosina Howe, LTA’s Group Director (Innovation & InfoComm Group) and Chief Innovation Officer, says “LTA has established partnerships with private technology providers to provide real-time traffic information, dynamic routing and navigation solutions, to further exploit its enterprise geospatial data to benefit end users. These collaborations have brought about an array of innovative services that directly benefit the public and transform the way Singaporeans use land transport systems.”
BENEFITS
LTA’s multi-pronged approach has yielded significant returns as LTA is able to concentrate on providing efficient traffic and transport solutions while leveraging on the resources of the private sector to offer highimpact commuter applications without incurring significant costs to the government. Commuters can make use of these information services to plan their journey in advance for efficient routes to their destination and even make changes to their routes on the move when exigencies arise.
