GIS Role in Land-Use

and Transportation
Planning

Andres Rabinowicz
Caliper Corporation
Newton, MA, USA
 GIS Intro
• Essential technology for land-use and
transportation planning
• GIS became widespread with arrival
of powerful and low cost programs
• Applicable on standard computer
platforms
• GIS adopted by planning entities and
consultants
Maps in Planning
 Transportation Land Use
GIS Systems Planning Models

• Autodesk • TranPlan • DRAM/EMP

• Intergraph • MinUTP AL
• TP+ • POLIS
• ArcInfo
• Cube, TRIPS • TRANUS
• ArcView
• Emme 2/3
• IDRISI • UrbanSim
• Tmodel
• GeoMedia • MEPlan
• Visum
• MapInfo • QRS
• Maptitude • Omnitrans
• TransCAD • ESTRAUSS
GIS as Data Integrator

GI
S
 Planning Models - GIS
GIS TDM

Examples Drawback
• ArcInfo – Tranplan, • Different Data Models
EMME2 • Data Accuracy
• ArcView – VISSUM • Oversimplistic
• Lack of common
• ArcView – CUBE
programming language
• ArcView – EMME2 • Inefficiency
Many Dialects
 Geographic Engine Non Geographic Engine

Point Line Area Tables Matrix Network

Routes LRS Simulation Extensions

Dynamic Components

Transportation Planning and Land Use Models

 Land Use Models and GIS
• Most land use models do not exploit
power of GIS
• Linked vs. Integrated
• This may be temporary as in
Transportation Planning
• GIS tools important for LU models
accessible only in integrated environment
– Spatial Queries
– Adjacency, proximity
– Accessibility, visibility
– Spatial Autocorrelation
 Problems in Land Use
Transportation Modeling
• Convergence
• Old Data
• Aggregate vs. Disaggregate
• Data Aging
• Incorrect Models and/or practices
• Inaccurate datasets
• Tricks to increase models (cut off values
of functions)
• Consistency
• Lack of dynamic data
Land Use Evolution
 Typical Planning Model

Trip
Generation Trip
Generation
Trip
Distribution Error Trip
Propagation Distribution
Mode
Choice Mode
Choice

Assignment
Assignment

Converge
nce Converge
nce
Use of highly accurate road
networks

Traditional Model GIS Integrated

Model
Accurate Transit Networks

Traditional Model GIS Integrated

Model
 GIS-T
• Data Integrator
• Complex Spatial relations and
calculations
• Accurate networks
• Platform for more advanced models:
– Tour based models
– Activity based Models
– Population Synthesis
– Dynamic Traffic Assignment
– GIS-Internet based survey collection
– Traffic Simulation
 Error Propagation in Models
• Inadequate socio-economic data
• Inaccurate geographic files
• Deficient algorithms
• Some algorithmic speedup “tricks”
• Algorithms not run to convergence
 Measures of Traffic Assignment Convergence: GAP
Many different measures of convergence used
Many are poor indicators (Rose et al. 1988)
Change in the objective function z = Objective function
(LeBlanc, Sheffi)  z n − z n −1 
 n
 ⋅100%
 z 
Maximum flow change x flow, i link, n iteration
 xin − xin −1 
 
max  
 xin
 
Ortuzar / Willumsen
∑x (t − t )
ijr
ijr ijr
*
ij
x flow, t time

∑x C ij
*
ij

(Average Excess Cost) x flow, OD = demand from

Bar-Gera / Boyce ∑x UE t − ∑ xaon t
i to j
∑ OD
Relative Gap (Rose et al.) x flow, t travel time
∑x t −∑x
UE aon t
∑x t UE
Some convergence criteria are poor measures
 Washington Regional Network
Nodes 20343

Links 57374

Zones 2523

Trips 2977171

Extent 92 x 109 mi
Examples: An irrelevant change and a major
project

Doubled Capacity on 2
links
Increased Demand 5%
 Flow changes with and without project
(links with a flow change > 50)
Gap Gap
0.1 0.01

Gap 0.001 Gap

0.0001
 Feedback Convergence
Motivation
• Required for model consistency

• Use of the proper congested

travel times

• Fuller evaluation of project

impacts
Feedback

Trip
Generation

Trip
Distribution

Mode
Choice

Assignment

Converge
nce
 Feedback Convergence
Questions
• How should we measure feedback
convergence?

• How much is enough?

• What is the best way to compute it?

Gap 0.01 – 5% change, Diff > 200
Gap 0.01 – 5% change, Diff > 200
Gap 0.00001 – 5% change, Diff > 200
Gap 0.00001 – 5% change, Diff > 200
 Assignment Runs
Convergen RMSE #Links VHT VHT Proj VHT Savings
ce Base

0.01 140.7 3421 108990 109164 -1740

0 0
0.00001 103.4 1196 108990 107880 11100
0 0
 Conclusions
• GIS based Integrated Land Use/Planning is necessary for
modeling advanced modeling
• Accurate models need to be supported by accurate data
• Models need to be run to proper convergence
• Speed up trick have to be avoided … and prohibited
• Dynamic modeling is necessary for analysis of transient
behavior (traffic signals, incidents, evacuation plans.