A new GIS mapping tool launched today by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation will help policy makers, transportation planners, and mobility providers align transportation resources with underserved populations throughout the state.
More than one million people in Wisconsin are non-drivers—many of whom are seniors, individuals with disabilities, young people and low-income individuals. The Non-Driver ArcGIS Online Application, available on the WisDOT website, enables state and local decision makers to locate non-driver populations in their area and begin to plan or expand public transportation options.
“Because our transportation system has historically been designed around private automobiles, not having access to a car can make it very challenging to get to work and school, to get medical care and meet the other needs of daily life,” WisDOT Secretary Craig Thompson said. “To better meet the needs of non-drivers, we have to understand where they live and what mobility resources they can access, and that’s what this tool will help policy makers do.”
The Non-Driver ArcGIS Online Application allows users to access census data and WisDMV data on a state map. Users can view estimates of how many non-drivers live in a given county, municipality, or census area. By comparing non-driver location data with transportation service mapping, users can identify ‘hotspots’ of underserved and unserved Wisconsin non-drivers.
“Making sure the large and growing population of non-drivers can get where they need to go on their schedule is a national challenge, and we are proud of WisDOT’s strong leadership on this critical issue,” Legislative Liaison for the Wisconsin Board for People with Developmental Disabilities and Wisconsin Non-Driver Advisory Committee (WiNDAC) Co-Chair Tami Jackson said. “Today’s launch of the ArcGIS tool is an important step towards better understanding Wisconsin’s non-drivers and making sure where people live can be connected to what they need to do. WisDOT’s can-do spirit and problem-solving has created a tool that has real value for planners, local governments, transit systems, and others concerned about workforce mobility, economic development, and people being able to thrive in the places they live.”
“As a WiNDAC co-chair, I am very grateful for WisDOT’s recognition of the need for a tool that allows us to better address the needs of Wisconsin’s non-driver population,” Denise Jess, Executive Director for the Wisconsin Council of the Blind & Visually Impaired, said. “The ArcGIS tool has great potential for building a more comprehensive and connected transportation system to better guide our budgeting, policy and planning decisions to meet the needs of Wisconsin’s diverse non-driver population.”
The Non-Driver ArcGIS Online Application can be accessed from the Non-Driver page on the WisDOT website: https://wisconsindot.gov/Pages/projects/multimodal/nd.aspx.
