GIS road mapping for public transportation

Abstract

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology has been applied over the years within the transportation industry for several applications. Many new uses, advantages, and problems have come with this. A big challenge all over the world is to manage the growing traffic. GIS and Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) have been implemented in developed countries for over two decades. This paper aims to study the applications of GIS in Koura, Lebanon to create a Public Transportation (PT) network available to all people to reduce car usage as well as helping the environment. The major problem in Lebanon is the highly congested roads and the high fares for public transportation. Data collection was done by GNSS mapping, filling a survey and collection of POIs to better understand how people use PT in Koura. Heat Maps or Hot Spots were generated to better understand the density or weigh of each region. It was found that the major problem of the current PT system is the unavailability of bus stops and that people are willing are to use a new and well-organized PT system. Furthermore, two important regions were found where there is a high concentration of people and greater number of bus stops.