Progress in the Accessibility Study using GIS

Abstract

This paper discusses progress in approaches to the accessibility study using GIS from the accessibility of equity and mobility in the potential accessibility of public transportation. The availability of GIS has led to greater social recognition of the importance of geographic information. GIS changed research methods for the study of accessibility and enabled clarification of spatial variations in accessibility at the local level. As the result, the accessibility study can now focus specifically on: 1) widening the areas analyzed; 2) analysis at the micro level; 3) changes in methods for measuring distance; 4) consideration to multimodal transportation from single modal transportation; and 5) visualization of accessibility. The concept of accessibility is changing from the viewpoint of the distance separating places to the viewpoint of the ability to conquer the distance through mobility. GIS enables analyses of intermodal accessibility through multimodal transportation as a measure of the ability to overcome distance and schedule accessibility considering departure and arrival times.