When we think of GIS apps (especially those mobile ones), the thoughts of seeing maps with many highways and roads immediately comes to mind. Even “talking” maps are available, where the app will literally talk you through how to get from Point A to Point B. In a way, this can be considered the autopilot aspect to your car.
But these days, GIS apps are becoming “smarter” by providing information of interest in real time to the driver. One of the best examples of this is the functionality created by a vendor known as Ordinance Survey or OS for short. In their mapping software, the following information is now available to the GIS professional:
- The physical dimensions of certain roadways;
- The accessibility and ownership of other roads and secondary paths;
- The responsibility for the maintenance of the roadway infrastructure;
- The current roads which are currently under construction (even the future ones as well);
- All the twists and turns on the road in which the individual is traveling upon (this would be primarily the country roads and/or farm roads).
At the present time, this specialized software is only available in the United Kingdom, but OS has plans to offer it in other countries as well, as quickly as possible. There are not just benefits to the individual driver, but even to government agencies as well.
According to Andrew Jones, the Roads Minister and a Member of Parliament: “This new and innovative digital map will help local authorities and utilities companies better plan how to route traffic and keep it moving during roadworks, minimizing disruption and cutting unnecessary delays to motorists. The Government has contributed £3 million to its development and this is on top of our existing £23 billion commitment to improving our road network, which will help make journeys safer, better and quicker.” (SOURCE: https://www.directionsmag.com/pressrelease/5174).
There are other numerous benefits as well, which include the following:
- Viewing the accurate and precise geometry of a roadway;
- GIS data is updated in real time from the most authoritative sources;
- An open standards approach is used, which means that a customer (even a potential customer) can quickly easily launch their mobile app which supports this functionality.
GeoTel is a telecommunications research and GIS mapping firm that researches and provides telecom datasets for more than 7,000 cities in the United States and worldwide. GeoTel’s expertise includes specialists in economic geography, geospatial engineering, web GIS, and telecommunications GIS Data infrastructure.
