GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS APPLICATIONS TO TRANSPORTATION CORRIDOR PLANNING

Geographic information system (GIS) applications to large transportation corridor planning are reviewed in two cases: a large multicity urban region considering a major regional ring road, and a 120-mi, 10-county rural corridor recently upgraded to Interstate status. In both cases, the use of a transportation-oriented GIS, TransCAD, was found to greatly facilitate the display and understanding of information and the decision-making process. A wide variety of GIS procedures--data and traditional modeling--was found to be applicable. Examples are shown of how the use of the GIS added value to decision making, at a reasonable investment in time and effort by agency and support staff.