2436 - Using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to Provide Technical Assistance on Safe Routes to School in Rural Communities in Florida

Abstract

Background Rural areas tend to receive less funding and lower priority, which results in their having much more limited resources for a variety of infrastructure needs to support active living. They also face many more challenges when developing proposals for grant assistance to support active living initiatives. To qualify for grants, counties are required to prepare proposals containing information gathered from many sources. In other cases, obtaining technical assistance in gathering and producing the data using different methodologies is a critical part of the proposal process. Coordination among these stakeholders can be a challenging task. The University of Florida (UF) Center for Health and the Built Environment has received a grant to provide technical assistance for rural areas to develop proposals for state funding for the Safe Routes to School (SRTS) program. The UF team is also coordinating across maintaining agencies, and other constituencies, and conducting public outreach and site analysis to develop the grant applications. Our proposal includes funding for the continued development of technical assistance, methodologies and coordination. Methods The UF team has developed a GIS methodology to more efficiently identify schools of highest priority to receive grant funding throughout the state of Florida. The GIS analysis focused on three areas throughout the State of Florida: Rural Economic Development Initiative (REDI) Counties, Small Towns & Rural Areas in Rural-Urban Commuting Areas (RUCA), in FDOT districts 1, 2 and 3, and lastly unclassified areas which exclude REDI, RUCA, urbanized areas, and conservation lands. Results So far, our analysis has pinpointed 873 schools - 390 of the schools were in REDI counties, 94 in RUCA areas, and 389 in unclassified areas. The team's analysis uses an estimate of the affected student population, which was determined by a student generation rate (SGR), as well as the number of dwelling units that lie within the school buffer and school buffer clusters. The statewide analysis also took into consideration annual daily traffic data, existing sidewalk coverage, and crash data that involved pedestrians and bicyclists. Conclusions Increasing the amount and availability of technical assistance to rural communities is an initiative that needs continual development. Continuing efforts, such as using the statewide GIS analysis to establish county-wide priorities are vital to establishing investment in active transportation for rural communities throughout the country. By creating a model to highlight the rural areas that require the most need, we can efficiently move forward offering aid and assistance.