Integrating Transportation Planning Models with GIS: Issues and Prospects

Abstract

This paper examines the possible benefits of combining transportation planning models with geographic information systems (GIS) in the hope that integrating these systems can alleviate the inherent problems of transporta tion planning models, such as user unfriendli ness, labor intensiveness, and theoretical limitations. Specifically, this paper focuses on the issue of incompatibility between GIS and conventional transportation planning models in dealing with network topologies. Resolving this conflict in topologies is a cornerstone for eliminating the user-unfriendliness and labor-intensiveness problems. This paper presents the development of an algorithm that converts GIS topology into transportation network topology. The FORTRAN-based topology conversion algorithm generates transportation networks from GIS carto graphic files and establishes a communication channel between the two systems.