Development of a real-time and geographical information system-based transit management information system

The Tidewater Regional Transit (TRT) in Virginia has implemented an Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL) system into their bus system. However, there are some problems with the system that TRT is endeavoring to resolve in order to maximize its utilization. Therefore, the main goal of this research was to develop an automated Management Information System (MIS) that processes the overwhelming real-time incoming data from the AVL system in TRT, and to present it promptly in an easy-to-access, easy-to-understand, and easy-to-use format. In order to meet this goal, development of a graphics- and Geographical Information System (GIS)-based display system is essential.

Classification of data from the AVL system according to its priority, relevancy, and demand level was the first step in achieving the goal of this research. The second step was to develop a user-friendly, menu-option display system. This step mainly focuses on the structured computer model construction so that its future potential for expansion and modification is easily accommodated. The last step of the research was to develop a GIS-based display system. For this task, the TIGER/Line Census file is utilized as the data file for map display.

Since the topic of this research - MIS development - is a part of a proposed Advanced Public Transportation System (APTS) research project, its future research direction is also identified. One of the most important recommendations for the future research is the real-time operational application of the developed MIS model.