Why is GIS Important in Transportation Environmental Applications?
Transportation is inherently a geospatial activity, involving the movement of people and/or things from one geographic location to another. Not surprisingly, therefore, much of the data needed to support transportation planning, operations, and policy decisions include location as a key attribute. Transportation environmental applications are particularly concerned with the impacts of transportation infrastructure and operation on both the natural and human environment. Since many transportation-related impacts typically diminish with distance (e.g. road noise is most severe immediately adjacent to the road), relative location is a key factor in evaluating the presence and severity of the impact that a transportation facility has on its surrounding environment. GIS can significantly enhance the analysis capabilities for transportation environmental applications in the following areas: • Visualization – Visualization of geospatial data on a map-like display is the most common and obviou
