Abstract
The Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is technological programming that gathers, accumulates, and evaluates data related to the earth’s surface. GIS interprets set of data on a single map, which is evaluated and interpreted subsequently. Over the years, the integration of the technology with the principles of Transportation Economics gained a significant attention of numerable economies. Particularly the metropolitan cities of developed countries that encounter various challenges related to the development and maintenance of infrastructure. It was found that GIS allows the Transportation Economists to develop and propose an efficient plan related to different routes and their smart integration. The minimization of errors prevents the unnecessary alterations in the proposed plans, which subsequently prevents the wastage of resources. Hence, GIS is recognized as a tool of environmental sustainability and smart synchronization of alternate routes within a single route that assists in a friendly mobilization of masses. The integration of GIS in the discipline of Transportation Economics will define the transportation systems and infrastructure of a modern era.
Introduction
The Concept of Geographical Information Systems
The Geographic Information Systems (GIS) refers to the computer programming that captures, stores, verifies, and displays information in context to the surface of an earth. The technology of GIS is able to display multiple data on a single map that allows people to evaluate and understand the various patterns and relationships. Using the technology, authorized regulatory is able to contrast different locations of objects and identify the relationships. Primarily, the technology was used to identify facilities that cause intense pollutions such as fuel stations (National Geographic Society, 2016). Understanding the metaphor in a broader context, GIS is a systematic procedure of generating information related to geographic elements that have the expertise in insertion, management, evaluation, and reporting of data. Regardless the multiple applications of the technology, GIS are prominently used for issues related to transportation and gained significant attention under this context globally. The context has a separate principle to study, which is widely recognized as Geographical Information Systems for Transportation (GIS-T; Shaw & Rodrigue, 2016).
Relationship of GIS-T with Transportation Economics
Transportation Economics is a principle that focuses on the mobilization of people and resources during a specific interval and/or period. Falling under the branches of economics, it assists the people in allocating the resources within the sector of transportation. Discussing the concept of GIS-T briefly, it refers to the disciplines and implications of geographic information and related technologies in order to solve problems related to transportation. The core concept is studied in two dimensions; first, various facilitations that the technology provides to improve transportation systems. Second, the concern authorities use GIS-T to enhance the transportation of a region further (Shaw & Rodrigue, 2016).
Discussion
Role of GIS-T in Saving Money for Transportation Economists
GIS-T is a resourceful asset for the Transportation Economists and the organizations that manage a national transportation system. Initially, the economists were engaged in generating data on a national scale, which was subsequently processed for results and forecasting the demand and progress of ongoing transportation projects. The survey usually consumes an intense amount of time and engagement of resourceful assets (employees or experts) without ensuring the validity. However, the introduction of GIS has disengaged the process of expert engagement in longitudinal surveys. Instead, the software tends to generate information related to transportation in an automated manner, which simultaneously ensure the validity and authenticity in results. Since the time is equivalent to money for professionals and organizations, GIS is software that minimizes an unnecessary wastage of money in an unprecedented manner. Precisely, the Transportation Economists will spend 10% of the time and monetary resources in building maps according to the requirements and projects, while the 90% of the resources will be allocated monitor Location Intelligence using GIS-T (OSI, 2012).
The purpose of integrating GIS into Transportation Economics is to generate maps by instituting least possible time. Precisely, the reason of using the software is to acquire maps with maximum efficiency. An organization would require countable cartographers that are liable to conduct the map generation process using GIS-T. Besides, the technology will automatically process the information and provide accurate results for forecasting and planning procedures. As result, GIS-T will eliminate the employment of excess engineers and scientists in order to save monetary resources while allocating resources for transportation (Seibel, 2015).
On a broader scale, the use of GIS is commonly into practice particularly with the bureaus liable for transportation planning of various metropolitan cities. The Transportation Economists working for a government, private organizations, etc. heavily utilize the technology of GIS-T. The technology assists the concern regulatory in the enhancement of decision-making processes for efficient utilization of limited monetary resources. The technology provides a friendly usage and costs efficiency to the regulatory, specifically in the developed countries. The developed countries face the maintenance of highway as a critical challenge. GIS allows the economists to preserve and evaluate the data related to changing densities of population, distribution of lands, patterns for traveling, etc., which is subsequently integrated with the maps. Hence, the engaged economists are allowed to provide relevant forecasting to the national regulatory utilizing minimal budget, which further allows them to construct policies and conducts for national transportation (Gupta, Jain, Sikdar, & Kumar, 2009).
Adebola & Enosko (2012) conducted a research in Nigerian regions in order to evaluate the efficiency of GIS in relation to the efficacy of transportation system. The authors found that the GIS allows the Transportation Economists to gather and evaluate the demand and supply data based on demographic, geographic, and economic variables before developing a concrete road networks. Under this context, GIS-T allows the economists and national regulatory to avoid alterations and modifications in road networks, which are subject to consume lucrative financial resources. The technology provides a sound set of information related to the specified variables, which ultimately minimize the probabilities of errors.
Impact of GIS in Future Projects
According to Ford, Barr, Dawson, & James (2015), a constant use of GIS-T by the Transportation Economists has the tendency to expand the tendency of sustainable mobilization of people. The sustainable mobilization through road channels will reduce the unbalancing elements and retain the synchronization with residential areas within a national boundary. Besides, the efficiency of GIS will minimize the extended distances, pollution, and excessive travel emissions. GIS is an effective tool that complies with the Clean Air Act by controlling and subsequently minimizing the air pollution due to an effective and sensible development of road infrastructure (Mason 2015). Considering the utilization and application of the metaphor, an individual can predict that the future transportation projects will be environmental and community friendly since GIS is an integrated tool for eradicating the wastage and interconnecting the routes simultaneously. Besides, the government and Transportation Economist would be able to offer alternative sub-routes within a route, which will distribute an inclining burden of traffic and pollution and assist the intense mobilization of people.
Conclusion
GIS became a prominent tool and/or software in the discipline of Transportation Economics. The software facilitates the users in multiple ways that save time and money, and increases the efficiency in decision-making simultaneously. Considering the factors of cost-minimization, the Transportation Economists are able to create and propose a road infrastructure map/plan that caters demographic, geographic, and economic variables with least possible errors. The use of GIS provides results with maximum validation and support from facts, which eradicate a common practice of alterations or modification. In the modern era, GIS is titled as a tool of environmental sustainability and route efficiency, specifically for metropolitan cities in developed nations. Using the technology of GIS in transportation, the government is able to control the factors that harm environmental sustainability and mobilization of masses.
References
Adebola, O. & Enosko, O. (2012). The Utility of Geographic Information System (GIS) in Transport Data Integration for Economic Development: Evidence from Ibadan, Nigeria. Global Journal Of Human Social Science, Sociology, Economics & Political Science, 12(14), 43-52. Retrieved from https://globaljournals.org/GJHSS_Volume12/6-The-Utility-of-Geographic.pdf
Ford, A., Barr, S., Dawson, R., & James, P. (2015). Transport Accessibility Analysis Using GIS: Assessing Sustainable Transport in London. International Journal Of Geo-Information, 4, 124-149. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijgi4010124
Gupta, P., Jain, N., Sikdar, P., & Kumar, K. (2009). Geographical Information System in Transportation Planning - Geospatial World. Geospatial World. Retrieved 6 September 2016, from http://www.geospatialworld.net/article/geographical-information-system-in-transportation-planning/
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Mason, M. (2015). Environmental Engineering & GIS. Environmental Science. Retrieved 7 September 2016, from http://www.environmentalscience.org/environmental-engineering-gis
OSI,. (2012). Cost Saving and Efficiency and GIS - Ordnance Survey Ireland. Ordnance Survey Ireland. Retrieved 7 September 2016, from http://www.osi.ie/education/benefits-of-gis/cost-saving-and-efficiency-and-gis/
Seibel, M. (2015). Saving Time and Money with GIS Software Investments. Linkedin. Retrieved 7 September 2016, from https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/saving-time-money-gis-software-investments-mark-seibel-gisp
Shaw, S. & Rodrigue, J. (2016). Geographic Information Systems for Transportation (GIS-T). The Geography of Transport Systems. Retrieved 7 September 2016, from https://people.hofstra.edu/geotrans/eng/methods/ch1m4en.html
