CDAT
Commuting Data Analysis Tools (CDAT) is a freely available data analysis platform used to help governments and agencies plan and improve public transportation systems.
The Details
YEAR
2021
TYPE
Web Application
ROLE
UX/UI
Commuting Data Analysis Tools (CDAT) is a freely available data analysis platform used to help governments and agencies plan and improve public transportation systems.
This project is a joint venture of The Ministry of Transportation of Israel and BeForGood foundation. The vision was to create a tool for decision makers that will either confirm or refute basic assumptions that currently exist in public transportation planning.
Hopefully this tool will become a game changer in the approach of mass transit planning by harnessing the benefits of big data digital platforms. The project was under a tight budget and schedule which required extra efficiency. The team included four personal: product manager, backend engineer, frontend programer and me as the product designer.
Talking with public transportation designers brought a better understanding of the needs and opportunities the platform can address.
Currently many public transport designers and decision makers are using spreadsheets and SQL queries to produce reports that are based on very limited data. Beyond it being a time consuming and an error-prone process, it is mostly not compatible with the public’s daily needs. Therefore, predicting the effectiveness and impact of a new bus line or a train station, is impractical.
In March 2018, the OECD announced that traffic jams in Israel are 3.5 times higher than the average of the other countries in the organization, and that traffic jams in Israel are some of the worst. The congestion on the roads causes a loss of about 50 billion NIS of the annual product and the amount is expected to double by 2040.
The map does not reflect the public’s commute realities. Many places around Israel with the poorest access to public transit are also the most impoverished. Ineffective public transportation obstructs easy access to jobs, goods, quality food, healthcare, schooling and other services. Good public transport is critical for low-income people. Dealing with inequality requires addressing ineffective public transportation issues.
Once we understood the users and their needs we were able to specify the issues we want to solve. I used wireframes to help determine the basic structure and features of the platform. The wireframes were later used to present our ideas and consult with experts to make sure that we accommodate their needs.
Following are some of the features and values the product currently delivers and how we might expand it in the future.
Viewing trends and behaviors related to commuting and transit network usage for each specific statistical area. The tool can be used to identify possible areas for improvement and support new initiatives. Hopefully this will lead to making informed decisions that can shape policy and make the best use of valuable human and financial resources.
Measure, quantify and compare the impact of transportation programs and initiatives based on hard data, not just assumptions and impressions. Immediately download your customized reports for instant sharing, easy reference, or input into other analysis tools using XLSX and CSV formats.
Help businesses understand the cost in lost employee productivity by evaluating the time wasted on commuting, comparing alternate locations, providing alternatives for their commuters and making better decisions, all with an eye toward improving productivity, efficiency and job satisfaction levels.
The platform delivers instant access to a large pool of data collected from the following resources: registration and trip information system, public transportation joint fare collection system, surveys and other data generated by private companies.
Currently the app is showing 36 statistical areas which were chosen for this project. The app could be easily extended to the rest of the country, as the necessary data is already available.
The app provides a feature that can filter the top five daily destinations. This filter presents: the route distance,the average commute time, the percentage of drives from a specifically defined area to the destination and transit frequency. This is a critical tool that indicates which destinations need the most attention.
Isochrone Layer is a travel time calculator that shows how far it takes to commute by public transit or a private car and generates isochrones that represent the area one can cover, either way, within the time limitations.
