Spider Maps Summary of Best Practices and Guide

Spider Maps: Summary of Best Practices and Guide to Design Prepared by: Margaret Carragher & Wenwen Zhang

Overview of Presentation • What is a Spider Map? • Project Purpose • Who has Spider Maps & What Makes them Effective? • GIS Spider Map Production • Spider Map Web Application • Further Spider Map Applications and Design Recommendations

What is a Spider Map? A spider map is a schematic diagram of transit options serving a particular locality Spider Maps have evolved to include places walkable from location.

Project Purpose • Evaluate what makes Spider Maps Effective • Apply Spider Maps to MARTA • Automate the creation of paper Spider Maps for MARTA • Create web application for MARTA Station Spider Maps • Provide recommendations for Spider Map design

Spider Maps for MARTA • Shown interest • Area map for Five Points Station • Feeder bus system is good for Spider Maps

LONDON • Schematic • Service period • Connections to subway • Amount of Spider Maps • No headways • No service times • No references to orient riders using the schematic map

WASHINGTON D. C. • Headway information • “YOU ARE HERE” • “How to Use This Map” • Multiple scale maps • Routes from location highlighted • Number of Spider Maps

LOS ANGELES • Interstate references • Colors represent service type (local, express, rapid, interstate) • Destination Table and Area Map • Only one Spider Map • Only shows rail stations, no rail lines • No references to orient riders using the schematic map

Who has Spider Maps & What Makes them Effective? City Effective Pieces of Information London • Local bus stop connection area map • Amount of Spider Maps in system Washington D. C. • • Los Angeles • Colors for service type • Destination table Boston • Headway information • All other routes faded Headway information “You are here” Instructions All routes, highlighted ones from selected station

GIS Map Production GIS Toolbox for Spider Map Automatic Production

GIS Output • • • User friendly Basemap automatic update Flexible layout Cannot insert the frequency table automatically Cannot change route labels automatically

Spider Map Web Application

Spider Map Best Practices/Recommendations • Frequency/Headway • Instructions So riders know maximum time they will have to Understanding how to use these maps to best get required information wait • Walking Area Map • Locations/References To locate bus connections and local destinations Especially for schematic maps, this helps orient surrounding transit stations riders where their stops will be

Questions? CONTACT INFORMATION: Margaret Carragher, EIT Metro Planning and Engineering Margaret. Carragher@metro-pe. com Wenwen Zhang Georgia Institute of Technology wzhang 300@gatech. edu Special THANKS to: • Dr. Kari Watkins, PE Georgia Institute of Technology • Anne Jacobs Georgia Institute of Technology • Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA)