Ecopia's Pedestrian Right-of-Way Maps: Foundational Data for Safe & Accessible Communities

The onset of the Coronavirus pandemic led to a drastic drop in road travel across the US. However, despite this dramatic reduction, accidents and casualties on US roadways in 2020 increased to unprecedented levels - resulting in a 21% spike in pedestrian fatality from 2019 to 2020 - the largest ever annual increase since the government's tracking system for car accidents was established in 1975. The epidemic of motor vehicle accidents is far-reaching, extending beyond the borders of America and into other countries including Canada. This has spurred a far-reaching Vision Zero movement -  a strategy to eliminate all traffic fatalities and severe injuries while increasing safe, healthy, equitable mobility for all.

Leveraging Mapping Data to Improve Transportation Safety

Amongst the known effective strategies to reduce motor vehicle accidents and related injuries are engineering and road design improvements - including safer crossings and improved lighting. A foundational element for planning and decision-making surrounding this sort of infrastructure is the availability of accurate right-of-way (RoW) mapping data. ‍

Traditionally, creating and maintaining such mapping data has been time-consuming and often cost-prohibitive at scale - leading to many communities and transportation authorities not having a comprehensive inventory of Pedestrian RoW features. This results in challenges for GIS officers, urban planners and civil engineers who seek adequate information for their RoW planning efforts.‍

Harnessing AI & Geospatial Data to Create Pedestrian Right-of-Way Data At-Scale

Building upon a decade of R&D and experience leveraging AI to convert high-resolution imagery to high-precision mapping data, Ecopia is capable of creating and maintaining pedestrian RoW mapping data in a timely and affordable fashion - including mapping all sidewalks (+ width measurements in feet) and crosswalks (+ width measurement in feet and the type of crosswalks) throughout cities and across nations. Further, to assist with the unique community-centric needs of some stakeholders, additional information can be added including bicycle lanes, canopy coverage and road obstructions, and paved/unpaved road attribution.

These RoW maps offer communities enhanced capability to conduct important initiatives including pedestrian safety and multi-modal transportation planning. And, by overlaying additional information layers such as incident data, regional or state agencies can better understand and augment problematic areas - ensuring communities that are safe, accessible, and equitable for all.

Supporting Diverse Stakeholders with Better Data

Ecopia’s RoW maps are leveraged by a diverse set of stakeholders including:

• Council of governments (Such as SEMCOG)
• Metropolitan Planning Organizations
• State Department of Transportation
• Civil Engineering and Urban planning firms (such as Alta Planning+Design)
• Organizations leading the Vision Zero Initiatives in their respective jurisdictions
• Organizations using Americans with Disabilities Act Funding to improve accessibility and road safety

To learn more about Ecopia’s RoW mapping capability and how it can help your organization, click here. You can also check out some of our product samples here.