Transforming Transportation Equity with AI-Powered Mapping Data

Transportation equity is essential for building safer, more sustainable, and inclusive communities. Unfortunately, transportation inequities remain a significant problem in the US, disproportionately impacting marginalized communities. Comprehensive, accurate, and up-to-date geospatial data is crucial for identifying inequities and supporting planning efforts aimed at creating a more equitable future. This blog explores how different communities across the US have leveraged high-precision AI-powered geospatial data to fuel equitable transportation planning.

What is transportation equity?

Transportation equity is characterized by access to safe, reliable, and affordable transportation for everyone, across all modes of transportation. However, millions of people across the US experience transportation inequity which is often linked to broader social and economic disparities. According to the US Department of Transportation (USDOT), 27% of households below the poverty line do not own a car, and workers who travel by bus have nearly double the commute times than workers who travel alone by car. Moreover, vulnerable road users, or those using transportation networks who are not in a single-passenger vehicle, are at an increased risk of injury and death. Nearly two-thirds of the communities with the highest roadway fatality rates in the US are currently dealing with transportation disadvantages.

These disparities underscore the urgent need for comprehensive geospatial data to inform decision-making and develop targeted interventions to improve transportation accessibility and equity. To address the safety concerns and inequity in transportation networks, Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) and Departments of Transportation (DOTs) are implementing planning initiatives such as Vision Zero, aimed at eliminating death and serious injuries from traffic incidents. The use of high-accuracy geospatial data is fundamental in supporting these transportation planning efforts.

Difficulties in obtaining transportation mapping data  

Though accurate, comprehensive, and up-to-date geospatial data plays an important role in achieving transportation equity, many MPOs and DOTs struggle with inaccurate or poorly maintained data. Transportation networks are dynamic and intricate and the geospatial data used for transportation planning needs to reflect this complexity. Planners need highly detailed vector data representing critical transportation elements, like uniquely classified layers for sidewalks, bike lanes, crosswalks, medians, and more. It can be expensive and time-consuming for MPOs and DOTs to get the high-precision geospatial data they need. Data sourced from open platforms could be outdated or lack sufficient detail and developing first-party data through manual digitization is often a tedious and time-consuming process. Even if planners have a comprehensive geospatial dataset of a region’s transportation networks, maintaining its accuracy over time poses a significant challenge.

AI-powered geospatial data to fuel equitable transportation planning

Thankfully, artificial intelligence (AI) is helping to address the challenges faced by transportation planning departments in obtaining high-precision geospatial data. Ecopia AI (Ecopia) has developed AI-based mapping systems that ingest high-resolution imagery to extract high-precision transportation features at scale, with the accuracy of a trained GIS professional.  By minimizing time spent on manually digitizing features, planning professionals can allocate more time to analysis and planning. This section will explore how MPOs and DOTs have partnered with Ecopia to create and maintain a comprehensive, accurate, and up-to-date database of vector layers to power equity analyses and transportation planning.

Active transportation planning 

Active transportation planning encompasses non-motorized forms of travel, such as walking and cycling. When active transportation planning, MPOs and DOTs need detailed transportation data like crosswalk polygons and sidewalk widths to ensure safe and equitable community connections. For example, Ecopia worked with the Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA) to help support active transportation planning initiatives. Ecopia extracted transportation feature vector data from high-resolution aerial imagery for over 2,000 miles of road in just two months. The detailed vector data included roadway and laneway data with width attributes, sidewalk and bike infrastructure, and more to help CCTA meet its active transportation planning goals.

Detailed data relating to sidewalk width, curb height, and other features is also helpful for assessing compliance with the American Disabilities Act (ADA). Ecopia’s case study examining 700 miles of sidewalks, crosswalks, pedestrian bridges, and more in Baltimore, Maryland,  evaluated ADA compliance and overall transportation equity in the region. Using data from Ecopia, the Maryland DOT, and the US Census Bureau, the case study demonstrates how detailed mapping data and advanced transportation features can be layered with demographic data to reveal disparities in transportation equity. The results produced impactful maps for decision-making highlighting specific areas with elevated transportation inequity and pinpointing locations with the greatest need. 

To learn more you can read the full case study here.

Multimodal transportation planning

From cycling to taking the train, individuals navigate through transportation networks in diverse ways. Equitable transportation planning must take into account all modes of transportation, recognizing the distinct needs of users. Offering a diverse range of accessible, reliable, and safe transportation options promotes equity within a transportation network. 

Geospatial data plays an important role in understanding existing multimodal transportation networks and informing decisions to enhance equity within them. Ecopia partnered with the San Bernardino County Transportation Authority (SBCTA) to digitize the county’s entire transportation network, which spans over 20,000 square miles and serves over 2 million residents, in just three months. Ecopia’s extraction of detailed transportation features has helped the county advance one of its main initiatives of furthering the development of multimodal transportation networks to support improved accessibility and sustainability in the community.

Green infrastructure planning 

In the context of sustainable development, transportation planning and green infrastructure planning go hand in hand. Examining the relationship between the two can provide a more comprehensive understanding of a region. For instance, understanding the presence of tree canopy cover and its impact on pedestrian comfort and safety is valuable for planners. Additionally, incorporating vegetated medians not only introduces green space for pedestrians but also helps mitigate flooding from stormwater. Features like these, and other land cover data, can help planners understand areas that are at higher risk of environmental hazards and inform transportation planning decisions, further supporting transportation equity. 

The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) selected Ecopia to create a comprehensive map of 26 land cover and transportation features for MPOs throughout the state. The dataset of detailed features that Ecopia provided has given MPOs the accurate information they need for decision-making to support transportation planning, stormwater and flood management, tree canopy management, and other important equity initiatives.

Ecopia has also partnered with the City of Los Angeles Bureau of Street Services to support climate-resilience efforts, with a specific focus on optimizing stormwater medians. The city used information about traffic medians, street trees, and bus pads from Ecopia’s AI-based mapping systems to inform the placement of stormwater outputs and vegetation within medians to support sustainable urban planning. This data ultimately assisted the city in optimizing road infrastructure, supporting transportation equity, and enhancing residents’ quality of life.

Stakeholder engagement and continuous assessment to support transportation equity

Transportation networks are continuing to change and as urban areas grow and evolve, the demand for efficient and sustainable transportation solutions becomes increasingly critical. Recognizing that transportation networks are constantly changing, Ecopia’s AI-based mapping systems regularly ingest high-resolution geospatial imagery to extract vector features and detect change over time, giving MPOs and DOTs the up-to-date data that they need to make decisions. As transportation networks evolve they must be continually assessed to make sure that they are accessible, reliable, and serving the needs of the people that rely on them. Acknowledging that users provide firsthand insights into their needs and challenges, equitable transportation planning should include frequent opportunities for public participation and consultation. 

Navigating the future with high-precision geospatial data 

Comprehensive, accurate, and up-to-date geospatial data is playing a pivotal role in addressing challenges related to transportation equity and bolstering initiatives for equitable transportation planning. Given the advancements in AI technology and current federal funding opportunities for MPOs and DOTs, high-precision geospatial data is more accessible today than ever before. 

To learn more about how AI-powered geospatial data can fuel equitable transportation planning in your community, get in touch.