Spider Maps: Summary of Best Practices and Guide to Design

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

2. 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

3. 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.

4. 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

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

6. 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

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

8. 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

9. Who has Spider Maps &What Makes them Effective?

10. GIS Map Production GIS Toolbox for Spider Map Automatic Production

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

12. Spider Map Web Application

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

14. Questions? Margaret Carragher, EIT Metro Planning and Engineering Margaret.Carragher@metro-pe.com • Dr. Kari Watkins, PE Georgia Institute of Technology • Anne Jacobs Georgia Institute of Technology • Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) CONTACT INFORMATION: Special THANKS to: Wenwen Zhang Georgia Institute of Technology wzhang300@gatech.edu