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Track: Transportation, Logistics Planning
Ian von Essen
Spokane County
1026 W Broadway
Spokane, WA 99260
Telephone: 509-459-6344
Fax: 509-324-3494
E-mail: ivonessen@spokanecounty.org
Melanie Rose
Using ArcView To Enhance Regional Mobility Through Ride Matching
Defining Issue: Spokane County is affected by the Washington State Commute Trip Reduction (CTR) Law and is a nonattainment area for carbon monoxide (CO) and fine particulate matter (PM 10) air pollution. In order to meet the trip-reduction goals of the CTR Law and improve air quality, it is critical that aggressive measures are taken to decrease the use of single occupant vehicles, reduce traffic congestion, and enhance regional mobility. GIS Solution: Using a federal ISTEA grant (Intermodal Surface Transportation and Efficiency Act), Spokane County enhanced its current ride matching software program, TransMatch, to an upgraded 2.0 version utilizing GIS technology (ArcView). TransMatch is used to provide free ride matching services to local employers, their employees, and the general public. By using TransMatch to link commuters together into carpools and vanpools, the greater Spokane area will experience a decrease in traffic congestion and an improvement in air quality. Methodology: TransMatch 2.0 uses
GIS technology to provide a visual ride matching tool that is both flexible and user-friendly. In essence, TransMatch links a database of applicants with ArcView to visually find potential carpool and vanpool partners. The matches are based on the commuter's origin, destination, work schedule and preferences (drive/ride, smoking/no smoking, etc.). ArcView is used to facilitate this process through multiple matching techniques: a radius match from the applicant's origin/destination, by neighborhood and corridor/route matching using the on-screen map. This visual matching also allows geographic barriers, such as mountains, lakes, and rivers to be identified for enhanced accuracy in matching potential ride sharing partners. Software: The application was written using Microsoft Access, ArcView and Wessex street file data. The purpose of the paper is to highlight the application and its functions, as well as review the technical challenges encountered during the enhancement of TransMatch to incorporate GIS
technology and meet the needs of other public agencies across the Pacific Northwest who are also using TransMatch 2.0 to provide ride matching services to the general public.
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