Open Access Open Access  Restricted Access Subscription Access

Geographic Information Systems in Transportation Engineering: A Critical Review of Spatial Planning, Network Analysis, Accessibility, Operations, and Digital Infrastructure

P. A. Pisal, S. V. Patil, J. P. Shekhar, P. B. Mane

Abstract


Geographic Information Systems (GIS) have evolved from digital mapping and spatial database tools into analytical infrastructure for transportation planning, engineering design, network operations, asset management, and sustainable mobility. This review synthesizes the supplied research-review notes on urban transport planning, travel-demand modelling, traffic congestion, public-transport accessibility, active mobility, on-demand transit, freight and logistics, infrastructure management, and integration with big data, artificial intelligence, Building Information Modelling (BIM), Internet of Things (IoT), and digital twins. The reviewed studies demonstrate that GIS supports network topology management, geocoding, dynamic segmentation, route and vehicle-routing analysis, service-area estimation, accessibility indices, spatial decision support, and asset-condition mapping. Case studies illustrate how GIS can reveal congestion bottlenecks, compare accessibility between metropolitan areas, evaluate transport investment scenarios, and link infrastructure condition with spatially referenced inventories. Recurring limitations include incomplete or outdated network attributes, high data preparation costs, inconsistent spatial referencing, oversimplified catchments, weak temporal representation, lack of socioeconomic disaggregation, limited external validation, and uneven adoption in data-constrained regions. New data streams increase analytical resolution but introduce representativeness, privacy, interoperability, and explainability concerns. A decision-centred synthesis framework is proposed to connect data quality, network modelling, method selection, uncertainty analysis, equity assessment, validation, and implementation. Because the supplied corpus combines foundational papers, case studies, reviews, and records with incomplete bibliographic metadata, this is a critical narrative review, not a newly conducted systematic review or meta-analysis. Original publications and citation details should be verified before submission.

Keywords: Geographic Information Systems; transportation engineering; GIS-T; network analysis; traffic congestion; public transport accessibility; route optimization; transport planning; spatial decision support; GeoAI


Full Text:

PDF

References


Agyemang, E. (2013). A cost-effective Geographic Information Systems for Transportation (GIS-T) application for traffic congestion analyses in the Developing World. Ghana Journal of Geography, 5, 51–72. https://journals.ug.edu.gh/index.php/gjg/article/view/480

Albacete, X., Olaru, D., Paül, V., & Biermann, S. (2017). Measuring the accessibility of public transport: A critical comparison between methods. Applied Spatial Analysis and Policy, 10(2), 161–188. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12061-015-9177-8

Abu Olba, M. A. (2006). GIS applications in transportation analysis and planning. Academic research report / term paper, CRP 514: Introduction to GIS, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals. [Verify institutional repository and full publication details.]

Biswas, A., Adhinugraha, K., & Taniar, D. (2023). Comparative GIS analysis of public transport accessibility in metropolitan areas. Computers, 12(12), Article 260. https://doi.org/10.3390/computers12120260

Chen, Y.-Y., Wei, P.-Y., Lai, J.-H., Feng, G.-C., Li, X., & Gong, Y. (2016). An evaluating method of public transit accessibility for urban areas based on GIS. Procedia Engineering, 137, 132–140. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.proeng.2016.01.243

Deloukas, A., Kokkinos, I., Kiousis, G., & Zannou, D. (1997). GIS-based transportation planning and analysis: A practical implementation. In Proceedings of IFAC Transportation Systems, Chania, Greece, pp. 417–426. [Verify publisher and proceedings volume.]

Endashaw, D. K., Habtegiorgis, K. A., Al-Ramadan, B. M., et al. (2025). A systematic review on GIS-based road traffic accidents analysis and road safety audit. Computational Urban Science, 5, Article 53. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43762-025-00221-w

Ford, A. C., Barr, S. L., Dawson, R. J., & James, P. (2015). Transport accessibility analysis using GIS: Assessing sustainable transport in London. ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information, 4(1), 124–149. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijgi4010124

Goliszek, S. (2021). GIS tools and programming languages for creating models of public and private transport potential accessibility in Szczecin, Poland. Journal of Geographical Systems, 23(2), 115–137. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10109-020-00337-z

Hieu, H. T., & Le, K. G. (2026). GIS in transportation infrastructure: A systematic review and bibliometric analysis of construction, management, and digital integration. All Earth, 38(1), Article 2637588. https://doi.org/10.1080/27669645.2026.2637588


Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.