SpaceTime UGM: Improving the Quality and Utilization of WebGIS-based OpenStreetMap Data in Updating Information on Routes and Facilities for Trans Jogja Bus Stops

The field findings from the SpaceTime UGM team's survey indicate inconsistencies in the routes of the OSM (OpenStreetMap) transport map. Therefore, updating the routes in OSM becomes crucial to ensure that the data displayed in OSM is reliable and can be used by the public. In addition to route inconsistencies, the SpaceTime UGM team also discovered inconsistencies in bus stop points on the transport map compared to the data provided by the Regional Transportation Agency of Yogyakarta Special Region. The number of bus stops in OSM is 202, while the data provided by the Regional Transportation Agency is 267, indicating a difference in the number of bus stops. This discrepancy increases the urgency of conducting actual field surveys to determine the accurate number of bus stops and updating the information on WebGIS (Web Geographic Information System) that will be created, including accurate routes and bus stop points. This can be achieved by creating a new dataset obtained from field surveys of routes and bus stops, which is expected to facilitate users in utilizing the Trans Jogja bus transportation mode.

The outputs

• Mapping of 370 Trans Jogja bus stops and approximately 500 km of road network, including 18 Trans Jogja bus routes and 3 Feeder Bus routes.
• Two sets of printed reports containing an overview of the facilities available at each Trans Jogja bus stop, including a database of bus stops.
• An interactive WebGIS (Web Geographic Information System) containing information on the locations of Trans Jogja bus stops and routes.

The Outcomes

Activity Implementer:

• Increased hard skills related to mapping using OpenStreetMap (OSM), creating WebGIS, and field surveying.
• Improved soft skills related to human resource management, enabling effective and efficient implementation of the activity.

OpenStreetMap:

• Updating OSM data, particularly transportation data, including Trans Jogja bus routes and bus stops.
• Improving the quality of transportation data in OSM by adding information on bus stop locations, facilities available at each bus stop, and Trans Jogja bus routes.

Community:

• Access to up-to-date information on Trans Jogja bus routes and bus stops, including additional information such as the type/tipology of bus stops and facilities available at each bus stop. This complements the existing information on Trans Jogja bus routes and bus stops. Information on supporting facilities such as ramp stairs and guide blocks can assist people with special needs.

Partners:

• Obtaining spatial data on routes and bus stops, as well as information on the current condition of bus stops (existing), which can be used as a reference for improving or enhancing the quality of bus stops by the government or Trans Jogja bus management.

Solution

• Data from OpenStreetMap (OSM), including Trans Jogja bus routes, road data, and bus stop data, are used as input for the activity. Trans Jogja bus route data is used for evaluating routes in the designated corridors. Updating this route information is supported by using road data. Bus stop data is used to determine the locations of bus stops and as a basis for inventorying the quality of bus stop facilities with detailed information.

• OSM data is used as observational material to assess the accuracy of the data with the field conditions. Therefore, the OSM data that will be used as a basemap for WebGIS visualization needs to be up-to-date.

• Evaluated and updated Trans Jogja bus routes and bus stops are then visualized in an interactive WebGIS that provides convenience for users. OSM is used as a basemap in WebGIS to provide realistic representations of Trans Jogja bus routes and bus stops to users.

Implementation

The field survey was conducted in two stages. The first stage was the survey of the suitability of Trans Jogja routes, conducted by the entire SpaceTime UGM team from January 23-29, 2023. The team was divided into 4 working teams, each responsible for testing different Trans Jogja routes. A total of 18 different Trans Jogja routes, as well as 3 routes from Teman Bus integrated with the Trans Jogja system, were surveyed with different starting and ending points. The purpose of this survey was to validate whether the routes in OSM and Trans Jogja/Teman Bus applications are consistent with the field conditions.

The second stage was the survey of bus stop facilities, aimed at collecting data on the facilities available at each bus stop, determining the typology of the bus stops, and validating the data of bus stop points in both the application and OSM. This survey was conducted from January 30 to February 19, 2023, and is still ongoing. The entire SpaceTime UGM team, divided into 4 working teams, conducted the survey with a division of survey areas based on quadrants I to IV to avoid duplication of data collected. Data was collected using Google Form application, which contains assessments of bus stop conditions based on primary parameters and additional parameters previously determined.

The primary parameters in this survey consist of bus stop identity, bus stop signage at the bus stop/Bus Stop Place (TPB), and route information at the bus stop/TPB. Meanwhile, the additional parameters consist of access to the bus stop, bus stop placement, typology and branding, waiting room design, information system at the bus stop/TPB, lighting and openness, and bus stopping space. These seven parameters are further elaborated into several sub-parameters that need to be assessed by the surveyors in the field

OSM Bus Route Updating

The update of Trans Jogja route data in OSM is done to generate the latest data on the Transport Map in OSM. The data used for the update is the bus stop data obtained from field surveys, including details of 18 Trans Jogja corridors and 3 Teman Bus corridors. The mechanism for updating is by updating the relations that include the bus stop points and road segments. If there are routes that do not have existing relations, new relations need to be added. This way, the route data in OSM can be used for the creation of WebGIS in the next steps.

Bus Stop Updating

n addition to updating the Trans Jogja routes in OSM, updates are also made to the bus stop points. The steps include matching the survey results of bus stop points with the points in OSM. Some points are found to be missing in OSM but are present in the field survey conducted by the team. Therefore, adjustments to bus stop points in OSM are made based on the survey results. The point adjustment process is carried out using JOSM software, which is a Java-based software for editing OSM. The updating process includes adjusting existing points by shifting them according to the survey coordinates, adding points that were previously missing, and adding tag information

WebGIS Platfrom Creation

The final stage of development involves the steps to develop the WebGIS until it is ready to be used as the final output of this project. As planned, the WebGIS is designed to display visualizations of bus routes and bus stops. However, the WebGIS is also projected to be further developed to have the ability to display planned bus route itineraries by users using GTFS data. Up to the current development stage, the WebGIS is able to display Trans Jogja routes and bus stops using the latest survey results. The data is converted into GeoJSON format so that it can be displayed in the WebGIS. In addition, the WebGIS is built using various libraries including openlayer, vite.js, tailwind.css, and docker. With the help of these libraries, the features available in the WebGIS include changing the extent with zoom in and zoom out mechanisms, full extent, changing the OSM basemap, and a static legend. Therefore, the WebGIS is now ready for users to obtain information on Trans Jogja bus routes and bus stops. The ability for itinerary-based route planning is expected to be added later as a form of continuity for this WebGIS.

In essence, WebGIS is a map that is connected to the internet for users to access online. Therefore, several technical steps are needed to connect WebGIS to the network. The first step is to purchase hosting to accommodate the main domain, with the address https://cekrutebus.id/. Next, sub-domains are needed to display WebGIS and the dashboard, which contains additional information about Trans Jogja bus routes and stops. Both sub-domains, especially WebGIS, require a Virtual Private Server (VPS) to operate effectively. Therefore, WebGIS with the address https://jogja.cekrutebus.id/ and the dashboard with the address https://dashboard.cekrutebus.id/ are moved to a VPS as the server. Additionally, extensions such as PostGIS, Docker, and Putty are needed to manage the database and connect to the VPS, along with NginX as the web server.

Challenges

There are several challenges and obstacles encountered, ranging from the preparation stage to the creation of WebGIS.

• Preparation and Planning Challenges: in this stage are related to regulatory permits, as the partners involved in this activity are state-owned enterprises (PT. AMI), the DIY Transportation Agency, and the research institution (PUSTRAL), each of which has its own permit regulations. The permitting process for discussions, data requests, and audience with these agencies took a significant amount of time, causing delays in the implementation timeline.
• Field Surveys: The implementation of Trans Jogja route surveys went smoothly, but some routes needed to be resurveyed due to passengers being transferred to other buses, resulting in uncertainty in the surveyed routes of Trans Jogja. This occurred in several routes such as 3A (Terminal Giwangan - Terminal Condongcatur) and route 3 (which has now changed to route 13 based on the latest gubernatorial regulation in January 2023).
• Field surveys of Trans Jogja bus stops were hindered by adverse weather conditions in the past few months, resulting in fewer data points. Some bus stops do not have parking areas for motorcycles. Provincial roads are busy and do not have pedestrian bridges (JPO), making it difficult to cross. Some bus stops on the map do not have physical signs on the field, making it difficult to identify bus stops without waiting for the bus to arrive.
• There are some parties that are not cooperative during the bus stop survey implementation. Time management is needed during field surveys, especially during high traffic periods. Some bus stops were missed in the previous survey, requiring re-surveying and reprocessing of bus stop data.
• Data Processing and Presentation : Route updates experienced slight delays from the previously determined timeline because personnel allocation for updating route data in OSM was reduced to allocate more resources for post-field bus stop data processing.
• Further exploration is needed for digital cartography in terms of UI/UX for the WebGIS to be created. After consultation with mentors, changes are needed in the use of applications and libraries in the WebGIS dashboard, as they are deemed less optimal. In addition, there is a need to incorporate a new data format, GTFS, which has not been used before, requiring further in-depth understanding.
• The progress of WebGIS development encountered obstacles in deploying it to the website due to the complexity of VPS installation, and the hosting provider was unable to assist as VPS is a self-management service that requires someone who can configure the VPS.

Sustainability

The Booster Grant activities have generated various activities related to the utilization of OSM data based on the timeline that has been prepared. A total of 21 Trans Jogja routes and 370 bus stops have been collected. The collected field data has been submitted to relevant partners to help them update the Trans Jogja database. One of the partners is PT. AMI, as the manager of Trans Jogja buses. PT. AMI has received the data well, and has taken immediate actions to address the issues that have been reported. Another partner is the Transportation Agency of the Special Region of Yogyakarta, which is planned to coordinate regarding the issues found in the bus stops, ranging from information systems to facility improvements. This is expected to result in future improvements to the bus stops for the convenience of users. The previously in-progress platform has now reached the final stage, including route visualization and map navigation. The final stage WebGIS platform has a completed user interface. However, the planned dashboard features at the beginning of the project could not be realized due to the complexity of the development. The dashboard features can be included in future development plans. The WebGIS platform now has hosting and VPS, allowing for the addition of subdomains. Subdomains are used to add data from other areas, enabling the implementation of the WebGIS platform in other regions with bus transportation. In addition to creating the WebGIS platform, updates to routes and bus stops in OSM were also carried out using JOSM (Java OpenStreetMap). The updates included correcting incorrect stop names, adding new stops, removing stops that were not found, and adjusting stops that were not correctly located. OSM information updates can also be carried out in other areas, so that updates are not only limited to the Special Region of Yogyakarta, but also in other regions as well.