Maptitude.co.uk
TransCAD for Great Britain
TransCAD is the first and only Geographic Information System (GIS) designed specifically for use by transportation professionals to store, display, manage, and analyze transportation data. TransCAD combines GIS and transportation modeling capabilities in a single integrated platform, providing capabilities that are unmatched by any other package. TransCAD can be used for all modes of transportation, at any scale or level of detail. TransCAD provides:
- A powerful GIS engine with special extensions for transportation
- Mapping, visualization, and analysis tools designed for transportation applications
- Application modules for routing, travel demand forecasting, public transit, logistics, site location, and territory management
TransCAD has applications for all types of transportation data and for all modes of transportation, and is ideal for building transportation information and decision support systems. TransCAD runs on readily-available hardware under Microsoft Windows 2000, XP, or Vista and embraces virtually all desktop computing standards. This has two important benefits:
- You can acquire and install TransCAD at a much lower cost than any other integrated GIS and transportation modeling solution
- You don't have to build custom applications or complicated data interchange modules to perform transportation analysis with GIS data
TransCAD Objects
TransCAD extends the traditional GIS data model to include transportation data objects such as:
- Transportation networks
- Matrices
- Routes and route systems
- Linear-referenced data
These extensions make TransCAD the best data management and analysis tool for working with transportation data. You can use the GIS functions to prepare, visualize, analyze, and present your work, and use the application modules to solve routing, logistics, and other transportation problems with greater ease and efficiency than with any other product. Networks and matrices can be of virtually unlimitted size.
Transportation Networks are specialized data structures that govern flow over a network. Networks are stored in a highly-efficient way, enabling TransCAD to solve routing problems very quickly. Networks can include detailed characteristics such as:
- Turn delays or restrictions
- Overpasses, underpasses, and one-way links
- Intersection and junction attributes
- Intermodal or interline terminals, transfer points, and delay functions
- Zonal centroid connectors
- Link classifications and performance functions
- Transit access, egress, and walk transfer links
)
Matrices
hold data such as distance, travel times, and origin-destination flows
that are essential for many transportation applications. TransCAD
provides functions for creating and manipulating matrices, and tools for
spatial analysis and advanced visualization of matrix data. This
combination lets you see and understand transportation flows and network
characteristics in new and different ways.
)
Routes
and Route Systems indicate paths taken by trucks, rail, cars,
buses, or individuals traveling from place to place. TransCAD includes
tools to create, display, edit, and manipulate routes, and unique
display technology for mapping routes in a clear and compelling fashion.
You can organize a set of related routes into a single route system
layer, and include route attributes, stop locations, and vehicle
schedules.
)
Linear
Referencing identifies the location of transportation features
as a distance from a fixed point along a route. TransCAD can display and
analyze these data sets without conversion, and includes dynamic
segmentation functions to merge and analyze multiple linear-referenced
data sets. This makes TransCAD a natural choice for the following types
of information:
- Facility infrastructure and operations data
- Accident locations
- Pavement or rail condition ratings
- Traffic flows and transit ridership data
- Facility alignments
- Capital project data
Mapping and Data Visualization
With TransCAD, you can create high-quality map output using dozens of thematic mapping styles and options, unlimited colors, and fully-scalable line styles and TrueType map symbols. With a few clicks of the mouse, MapWizard® automatic mapping technology helps you create color and pattern coded maps, dot-density maps, scaled-symbol maps, and maps with integrated pie charts and bar charts. TransCAD also provides specialized mapping functions for transportation applications:
- Automatic display of one-way streets
- Dynamic map labeling that adjusts to the scale of the map
- Built-in highway shields that result in maps of publication quality
- Route system maps that show overlapping routes side-by-side for greater visibility
- Desire line maps that show region-to-region flows
Additional tools let you visualize data that cannot be displayed using a conventional GIS:
- Intersection diagrams that illustrate flows and turning movements
- Strip charts that depict facility characteristics and their variation along a route
- Interactive tools for editing geographic features and for defining turn restrictions and delays
Tables: You can see the data associated with map features in tabular form. See data for a single feature, or display data for an entire layer in a dataview. You can use dataviews to add and delete records, edit values, create formula fields, or compute statistics.
Output: Page layout tools help you design and create professional presentations that combine the results of your analyses into a single powerful display. You can print your maps and layouts on any printer or plotter, or save them to vector or raster formats. You can also save your work as JPEG or PNG files for use on a web page.
Geographic Analysis Tools
One of the best reasons to use a GIS is to unearth and analyze the geographic components of your data. You can create bands (buffers) around map features, create districts, define areas of influence, and find shortest paths. TransCAD also makes it easy to overlay and aggregate data and calculate statistics.
Ask and Answer Geographic Questions: Where are areas with the highest population density? How many people live within one, two, and three miles of a transit stop? TransCAD answers these and many other types of questions. You can integrate census statistics with your own data to identify geographic characteristics that impact you and your operations. You will be amazed at how quickly you can enhance your decision making using this easy-to-use GIS tool.
)
Bands:
You can automatically create bands around any number of map features and
then analyze the characteristics of those areas. Find out how many
customers live within a certain distance of a store, compute the
demographic characteristics around potential store sites, analyze the
neighborhoods most affected by noise pollution from a highway, or
determine accessibility to facilities.
Districts: TransCAD lets you join smaller areas into districts and compute the attributes for each one. For example, you can group ZIP Codes together to create sales territories, land parcels to create zoning districts, or city blocks to create school districts.
Areas of Influence: You can determine the areas closest to each of your facilities by building areas of influence, then estimate the attributes within each area to determine areas that are under- or over-served.
)
Surface Analysis: With TransCAD, you can analyze and display surfaces
on a two-dimentional map or as a 3D map. You can create contour maps of
elevations and then determine the viewshed for any location, either at
ground level or at a particular height. For example, you can find areas
of weak service from a transmission tower. You can also create surfaces
that represent data values, such as measures of air pollution or levels
of radon gas, over a geographic region.
Application Modules
TransCAD is the only software package that fully integrates GIS with demand modeling and logistics functionality. There are many reasons why it is valuable to have a GIS as part of a planning or routing and logistics package.
First, GIS makes it possible for models to be much more accurate. Network distances and travel times are based on the actual shape of the road network and a correct representation of highway interchanges. Also, with networks you can specify complex road attributes such as truck exclusions, delays at intersections, one-way streets, and construction zones.
Second, the entire modeling process is more efficient. Data preparation is greatly facilitated and the database and visualization capabilities catch errors before they cause problems.
A third advantage is the GIS itself. In TransCAD, different modeling equations can easily be derived and applied for different geographic subareas. Similarly, TransCAD brings new and much-needed capabilities for measuring geographic accessibility.
Lastly, the GIS approach provides a graphical solution that is easily understood. Users can convey highly technical information to the non-practitioner in a very straightforward and understandable manner.
TransCAD can solve problems of virtually any size. Unlike other GIS products, application modules in TransCAD are fully integrated with GIS functions for improved performance and ease of use. This makes TransCAD ideal for many types of transportation applications including:
- Network Analysis
- Transit Analysis
- Transportation Planning and Travel Demand Modeling
- Vehicle Routing and Logistics
- Territory Management and Site Location Modeling
Network Analysis
Network analysis models are used to solve many types of transportation network problems:
- Shortest path routines can be used to generate the shortest, fastest, or least-costly route between any number of origins and any number of destinations, with any number of intermediate points.
- Network partitioning can be used to create service districts based on accessibility, perform drive-time analysis, or evaluate possible facility locations. When you perform network partitioning, you can also calculate the network distance or travel time from specific locations.
- Traveling salesman models construct efficient tours that visit any number of points on a network.
)
)
)
Transit Analysis
TransCAD also has special tools and procedures for creating and working with transit networks. Transit fares can be specified as either flat or zonal. Using transit networks and fare structures, you can solve shortest path problems and calculate transit path attributes (i.e. skims). You can also have separate and fully integrated networks for non-motorized travel modes. For example, you can include pedestrian links when doing transit network analysis.
Transit networks can also be used for performing transit assignment. You can estimate the number of passengers that utilize links in a transit network as a function of transit level of service. These models produce link level and aggregate ridership statistics. TransCAD includes an array of sophisticated transit network assignment procedures.
TransCAD is the only GIS with specific extensions for public transit. TransCAD can perform data management for complex transit systems and has applications in customer information systems, scheduling, and marketing.
Transportation Planning and Travel Demand Modeling
Transportation planning and travel demand models are used to predict changes in travel patterns and the utilization of the transportation system in response to changes in regional development, demographics, and transportation supply. TransCAD is the only planning package that is GIS-based and fully integrates GIS and planning tools for trip generation, trip distribution, mode split modeling, and traffic assignment. TransCAD includes all of the traditional UTPS models, quick response models with reduced data requirements, and advanced disaggregate demand models.
-
Trip
Generation/Production models included with TransCAD estimate
the number of trips, by purpose, that are produced or originate in
each zone of a study area. - Trip Attraction models predict the number of trips attracted to each zone or to a particular land use.
- Trip Balancing methods are provided so that the number of attractions equals the number of productions.
- Trip Distribution models are used to predict the spatial pattern of trips or other flows between origins and destinations.
- Mode Split models are used to analyze and predict the choices that individuals or groups of individuals make in selecting the transportation modes that are used for particular types of trips.
- P-A to O-D and Time of Day tools enable you to convert productions and attractions to origins and destinations, decompose a 24-hour trip table matrix into hourly trip tables, convert person trips to vehicle trips, and apply peak hour factors.
-
Traffic
Assignment models estimate the flow of traffic on a network
and allow you to establish the traffic flow patterns and analyze
congestion points. TransCAD provides a full complement of traffic
assignment procedures that are used for modeling urban traffic. These
procedures include numerous variants that are tailored for modeling
transit, as well as intercity passenger and freight traffic. - Advanced Highway Assignment procedures included with TransCAD allow for generalized-cost traffic assignment, HOV assignment, multimode vehicle assignment, multiple user class traffic assignment, combined trip distribution/assignment, and assignment with volume-dependent turning delays and signal optimization.
)
)
There is a new master, multimodal equilibrium traffic assignment procedure that simultaneously assigns cars, trucks, and buses to the road network. There can be multiple user classes for cars (e.g. HOV users) as well as different classes (e.g. sizes) of trucks. This procedure includes the option of using exact entrance to exit tolls by vehicle class and differential values of time to be used in calculating generalized cost. Network exclusions keep each class of traffic restricted to the links that it is permitted to use. Some vehicles, such as fixed-route buses, can be pre-loaded on the multimodal network. Among the reporting options is a breakdown of link traffic by vehicle class and type.
Vehicle Routing and Logistics
TransCAD includes a comprehensive library of logistics procedures that apply to all modes of transportation and can be used to solve a variety of logistics problems.
)
Vehicle
Routing/Dispatching:
TransCAD provides a rich set of tools that solve various types of
pickup and delivery routing problems. These tools are used to prepare
input data, solve the routing problem, and provide tabular and graphical
output of the resulting routes and vehicle schedules. The TransCAD
procedures can solve many variations on the classic vehicle routing
problem, including restrictions on the time when stops can be made, the
dispatching of vehicles from multiple depots, and the use of
non-homogeneous vehicle fleets. The vehicle routing procedure in
TransCAD is also capable of solving problems involving mixed pickup and
delivery. Once a solution is found and the results displayed
graphically, users can edit the routes interactively by adding or
removing stops. Once stops have been added or removed, users can perform
a re-optimization of the route so as to minimize time window violations.
)
Arc
Routing:
Arc routing problems are a class of problems that involve finding
efficient ways to travel over a set of links in a transportation
network. Arc routing has a large number of public and private sector
applications, including street sweeping, solid waste collection, snow
plowing, mail delivery, and other door-to-door operations. In a typical
arc routing problem, people or vehicles are dispatched from one or more
depots to traverse a set of service links. The result of an arc routing
problem is a set of one or more routes that cover all the service links
with the minimal amount of deadheading. /p>
Network Flow and Distribution Analysis: TTransCAD includes a set of procedures for solving network flow problems. These problems involve efficient delivery of goods or services, and arise in transportation and many other contexts.
){kind=link}
Territory Management and Site Location Modeling
)
TransCAD procedures for regional
partitioning, clustering, and facility location have broad applications
in transportation and marketing. Clustering routines assemble customers,
facilities, or areas into groups that are compact and can be serviced
efficiently. Districting models group Census tracts, ZIP Codes,
counties, or other regions into territories that are compact and
balanced. Location models evaluate the costs and benefits of any number
of proposed facility locations.
Map Your Own Data
Data Access: TransCAD lets you create maps using your own data. Map data from dBASE files and text files directly, or access data from any ODBC compliant data source such as Access, Oracle, SQL Server, and many others. You can also use raster images such as satellite or aerial photographs directly in your maps. These images can be used as a means of reference or in conjunction with the map editing tools to create or edit geographic files.
You can map ArcView Shapefiles, MapInfo TAB files, and Oracle Spatial tables directly. With the built-in translators, you can also import geographic data from other desktop mapping, GIS, and CAD packages, as well as many common file formats.
Geocoding: You can link your data to map features or locate data on a map using street address or ZIP Code, or by simply pointing to the correct location. In a few easy steps, you can use your own data to color code ZIP Codes by sales or display the locations of customers.
GPS: A built-in interface to Global Positioning System (GPS) devices lets you track and record your location, and build geographic databases as you work. With a GPS and a laptop, users in the field can create accurate geographic files of public utilities, corporate facilities, geographic features, and more.
System Requirements
TransCAD will perform well on any computer that runs Windows 2000, XP, or Vista. Recommended hardware includes at least 256MB of RAM, at least 1GB of hard disk space, and a CD-ROM or DVD drive.
TransCAD Versions
TransCAD comes in two versions. Standard TransCAD contains all of the GIS, planning, network analysis, routing and logistics, and location modeling capabilities described in this brochure. Base TransCAD has most of the GIS capabilities but does not include all of the procedures for transportation planning and routing, nor the planning utilities which permit importing CTPP, PUMS, TranPlan, MINUTP, emme/2, TRIPS, and TP+ files.
| SUPPORTED DATA STRUCTURES: | Base | Standard |
| Points, Lines, and Areas |  |
|
| Matrices & Desire Lines | |
|
| Route Systems | |
|
| Networks | |
|
| TRANSPORTATION PROCEDURES: | Base | Standard |
| Shortest Path | |
|
| Shortest Path with Turn or Transfer Penalties | |
|
| Address to Address Shortest Path | |
|
| Multiple Shortest Path | |
|
| Network Creation | |
|
| Network Partitioning | |
|
| Network Bands | |
|
| Traveling Salesman | |
|
| Travel Demand Forecasting | |
|
| Transit Procedures | |
|
| Routing and Arc/Street Routing | |
|
| Logistics | |
|
| CTPP, PUMS Import | |
|
| TranPlan, MINUTP, emme/2, TRIPS, TP+ Import | |
|
| GIS FEATURES: | Base | Standard |
| Geographic Analysis Tools | |
|
| Surface Analysis Tools | |
|
| Geocoding | |
|
| Linear Referencing & Strip Charts | |
|
| Basic Geographic Editing | |
|
| Spatial Statistics | |
|
| Interchange Editor | |
|
| Conflation Tools | |
| ©2008 Caliper Corporation, All Rights Reserved |