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Leica GS50…
Global Positioning Systems Aids
Planning Process in Richmond, Virginia
Overall, using GIS and GPS has had a phenomenal impact on GRTC Transit. The organization
has realized internal cost-savings by eliminating some of the services it previously contracted out
that are now accomplished through the use of GIS and GPS technologies. The next step for GRTC
is to put the mapping information onto its website.
Urban and Municipal
Planning for growth is not an easy jurisdiction – all 2500 of them! In addition Leica’s GIS DataPROTM software. GIS
process. As more and more people move to collecting the physical location (GPS DataPRO automatically creates ESRI
into continuously expanding urban areas, coordinate) and amenities at each bus shapefiles, so that the data can immedi-
it is inevitable that development follows. stop, GRTC also recorded the curb length ately be used in ESRI’s ArcView GIS
City planners are faced with the critical in order to verify that there was enough software. Helmboldt says, “prior to hav-
job of balancing the growth of a city room for buses to pull to the curb. Using ing GIS, we outsourced everything
while maintaining its quality of life. a codelist specifically prepared to collect to the regional planning organization.
attribute data during field collection, the Since then we have created our entire
Chesterfield County, outside of
organization could record the kind of route network using the GIS, and now
Richmond, is the fastest growing metro-
signage at the stop and whether or not we can produce our own maps. With
politan area in central Virginia. It is the
it needed to be replaced. The GPS was ArcView, we have a tool that integrates
responsibility of GRTC Transit (formerly
also used to record any benches, shel- all of our GPS data with additional data
Greater Richmond Transit Company) to
ters, ramps and trash cans at each stop. layers from other sources.”
provide regional transportation for the
greater Richmond metropolitan area. Once the field data was collected, GRTC has seen the immediate effect
GRTC, a privately incorporated, non- GRTC downloaded the GPS data into of adding GIS and GPS to the planning
profit organization jointly owned by
the City of Richmond and Chesterfield
County, provides bus service as well as
other public transportation to both urban
and suburban residents.
Jakob Helmboldt, a GIS (Geographic
Information Systems) Coordinator/Planner
for the GRTC Transit System, is very famil-
iar with planning for growth. Helmboldt
explains, “As the metro area continued
to grow, we realized the need for better
planning tools. I work in the Planning
Department, but we did not have our own
in-house database of bus stops and routes.
When we needed a new bus route we
had to guess where the areas of high rid-
ership might be. As demographics change
and the population grows, we had to adjust
routes and add more stops – we needed a
more accurate planning tool, rather than
relying on history.”
That’s when GRTC Transit decided to GRTC used the Leica GS50 GPS/GIS receiver to collect all bus stops and amenities for
acquire a GS50 GPS/GIS (Global Positioning Chesterfield County, Virginia. Combining the bus stop data with other layers in a GIS
System) receiver from Leica Geosystems. enabled GRTC to better query and analyze its data, which in turn greatly improved the
GRTC immediately began recording GPS planning process for new bus routes in one of the fastest growing metropolitan areas
locations for all bus stops within their in Virginia.
Leica GS50 Global Positioning Systems Aids Planning Process in Richmond, Virginia
process. According to Jakob Helmboldt, With ArcView, we can address customer numbers installed at certain bus stops),
“Now we have a tool to help us perform requests in a particular service area by sites needing additional work, dilapi-
more concrete scientific analysis. We are pulling up a map. We can also use the dated and damaged signs and even bill-
managing our resources better - we know GIS to model how a new bus stop would ing errors indicating work that may not
for certain which bus stops and routes affect an area, or map proposed improve- have been completed. From this work,
need improving. We can plan for addi- ments or new routes. Maps are great vi- we have cleaned up our database – for
tional stops, and add new stops. We have sual tools for illustrating concepts – we instance, if a street changes name, there
also utilized the GIS in terms of handling have given maps to City Council mem- may be a duplicate name, or if bus stop
customer requests for more amenities at bers, which works to our advantage be- is no longer in use, we update our data-
bus stops. Because we collected attribute cause it helps them to immediately grasp base. We also note other work that may
data with the Leica GS50 GPS/GIS receiver, a complex issue.” be needed, such as removal of the
we can query the GIS for all bus stops amenities or signage. From a data man-
Another benefit that GRTC has seen is
that have ramps, for example. The GIS agement perspective GIS and GPS have
better data management and time savings.
can tell us if a particular stop is ‘high-use,’ been great tools. Every week we update
GRTC was able to collect over 80% of its
and if it has access for wheelchairs or our GIS with the GPS information, and
2500 bus stops in a short amount of time.
walkers. Combined with 2000 Census we also update our bus stop list. We
In fact, now that GRTC is almost finished
data, we can perform some demographic have been able to sort through a lot of
with the actual data collection, it can focus
analysis to determine which areas are fa- data that over time has built up a lot of
more on planning ahead instead of trying
vorable for high ridership. Overall, the errors that are hard to identify by look-
to put out fires. Having all of the informa-
technology has allowed us to do more ing at data manually in a database.”
tion in the GIS, literally ‘at its fingertips,’
thorough planning.”
saves GRTC time and money by not hav- Implementing a GIS and GPS has
ing to physically check the condition of a had added benefits for GRTC and for
particular bus stop. the public it serves. The organization is
Benefits
currently preparing a new route system
Having a Geographic Information map and customer guidelines with the
System has definitely improved the
The Future Is Now
aim of providing more user-friendly
analysis capability for GRTC. Helmboldt The bus stop data collection project maps and schedules for its ridership.
says, “A GIS gives us analysis and query was so successful that GRTC used the In addition, GRTC plans to expand the
capabilities that we did not have before. Leica GS50 GPS/GIS receiver for another GIS capability to other departments,
project that involved replacing transpor- including the customer service depart-
tation signs in the greater Richmond area. ment, which traditionally had relied on
The new signs contained routing infor- paper maps to service customers. The
mation for passengers, and also were use of a GIS can greatly automate certain
clearly marked “GRTC” in large letters for processes, providing a faster way to look
branding and identification purposes. The up street addresses and identify the clos-
Leica GS50 GPS/GIS receiver was used to est bus stop to the caller, as well as iden-
record not only every sign’s location, but tify routes that service the caller’s origin
also any attribute information associated and destination.
with it (including type of sign) via a code-
list. Each sign’s GPS coordinate was then
compared to data in the GIS to make sure Summary
it was properly located, and/or had been
Overall, using GIS and GPS has had a
installed at the correct location.
phenomenal impact on GRTC. The organi-
Helmboldt elaborates on this aspect zation has realized internal cost-savings
of the project, “The installation of the by eliminating some of the services it had
signs was awarded to an outside contrac- previously contracted out that are now
Jakob Helmboldt, GIS (Geographic Infor- tor. From a project management compo- accomplished through the use of GIS and
mation Systems) Coordinator/Planner for nent, we can query the GIS to show signs GPS technologies. The next step for GRTC
the GRTC Transit System, uses a GS50 GPS/ that need to be revisited by the contrac- is to put the mapping information onto its
GIS receiver from Leica Geosystems to tor. We have been able to track incorrect website, so customers can go online for
capture bus stop data in Richmond, Virginia. installations (signs with incorrect route bus schedules and routing information.
To learn more, call 1-866-LEICAGIS or visit www.gis.leica-geosystems.com
Leica Geosystems Inc. 23868 Hawthorne Blvd., Torrance, CA 90505-5908 USA
US/Int’l Tel: (310) 791-5300 Fax: (310) 791-6108
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