ArcGIS is being used in many ways to help reduce traffic emissions. From intelligent routing and reducing congestion to encouraging people to cycle or walk, and helping guide government transport policy, GIS is helping to make the air cleaner.
GIS has long been used to improve the efficiency of many types of vehicle journeys in various industries and continues to do so. By analyzing huge amounts of data from disparate sources, better logistical and routing decisions can be made, cutting the overall travel time, reducing fuel costs, and so reducing pollution.
One example is a large European grocery chain that used ArcGIS to reduce the CO2 emissions of its vehicle fleet, by integrating multiple data streams related to emissions – creating a big-picture visualization that empowered smart decision-making.
Using an algorithm that accounted for the effects of road slope, speed, load factor, and other parameters, it was able to calculate the emissions for every engine type in its fleet, from diesel to electric, across all transportation routes.
By feeding this information into smart maps, the company confidently predicted which engines would be most efficient for each route, identifying adjustments that would optimize fleet performance, eliminate carbon emissions, and reduce costs.
Reducing the CO2 emissions of its vehicles allowed the company to hone its competitive advantage both as a brand and as an efficient operator.
Smart Traffic Management
In the realms of traffic, GIS is being used to plan and build smart motorways in the UK, by organizations such as National Highways and Costain – motorways which can slow the traffic flow on hot days to cut pollution levels.
GIS systems examine air quality from real-time sensors to enable rapid mitigations and impose a speed limit. While in other cities, GIS is used to monitor and control traffic flow in real-time, minimizing disruption on the roads via speedy interventions if necessary.
In the Birmingham area, for example, home to the recent Commonwealth Games, ArcGIS is being used to underpin a real-time dashboard. Providing Transport for West Midlands with the fundamental location intelligence to keep people moving by responding to incidents, congestion, or predicting what might happen next.
Combining live transport data from almost 20 public and private sector partners, including local authorities, rail, tram, bus operators, Network Rail and National Highways, the dashboard gives all stakeholders the same common operating picture.
The resulting insight is invaluable, improving the understanding of behavior across the network and allowing faster decisions to be made.
To encourage more people out of their cars and into more active ways of moving around, Transport for London (TfL) is using GIS to support its healthy streets approach, by analyzing a vast library of spatial data to help inform investment decisions in walking, cycling, and transport infrastructure.
City Planning
TfL developed its City Planner Tool using ArcGIS to accelerate the delivery of new schemes to create healthy streets. Planners at TfL – whether they are responsible for rail, underground, road, bus, cycle, or pedestrian routes – can query and analyse over 200 data sets and accurately evaluate the potential benefits of different proposals.
In the last two years alone, TfL has delivered or begun construction on more than 100km of new or upgraded cycle lanes to help reduce reliance on cars for short journeys. Through healthy street schemes like this, TfL is reducing emissions and improving the quality of life for everyone in London.
From a policy point of view, GIS is being used by Ricardo, one of the leading organizations providing environmental data to governments around the world, to help evidence the need for policy changes and new initiatives to stem climate change. It uses ArcGIS to automate complex data analyses and share its critical air quality and emissions data more easily with government clients.
For example, the company has allocated traffic emissions to Ordnance Survey’s Open Roads data, giving the UK government’s Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), a deeper understanding of the relationship between greenhouse gas emissions and Britain’s transport infrastructure.
Transport infrastructure in general is about to become even more intelligent with the widespread arrival of 5G, ushering in extensive IoT networks with new sensors, helping to drive AI, and supporting a whole range of emerging modes of transport, including autonomous vehicles.
This increasingly connected landscape will demand digital twins of mobility networks built with GIS, providing operators with the insight to remain customer focused, safe, sustainable, and keep people moving.
Disclaimer: Views Expressed are Author's Own. Geospatial World May or May Not Endorse it
