CASEstudy Chasing pavements A map of pavement widths helps local authorities with social distancing plans Spatial analysis by Esri UK has found that 70% of pavements around the country are less than 3 metres wide, making it difficult for pedestrians to remain 2 metres apart and follow government guidelines for social distancing. Using measurements from Ordnance Survey, Esri UK has created a map of all pavement widths, discovering that only 30% of Great Britain's pavements are at least 3 metres wide, 36% are between 2-3 metres and 34% are less than 2 metres wide. Esri UK, the mapping and spatial analytics company, has released the new map data for free to help the public sector and other organisations respond to government guidelines for social distancing, as councils adapt their infrastructure to make walking safer for the public. Over 60 local authorities are using the new pavement map data including Glasgow City Council, Stirling Council and Dover District Council. Measures being introduced around the country include widening pavements, removing street furniture or reallocating road space for pedestrians. Oliver Penman, Senior Information Officer, GCC Corporate GIS, Glasgow City Council, said "This map is a vital tool to help us find the right solutions to support social distancing. Where it may not be feasible or cost-effective to look at extending pavement space, we can review other options such as clamping down on pavement parking and reducing speed limits, to cut danger on residential streets." The map is part of Esri UK's Covid-19 Disaster Response Programme, created to provide any organisation with new mapping and analytical capabilities for free, to help manage their response to the pandemic. Local authorities, for example, are using Esri's mapping and analysis tools to help adjust their service provision, map vulnerable communities, deploy volunteers and communicate with citizens. "The pavement map is designed to help local authorities and related organisations prioritise their efforts, to ensure the safety of the public, as lockdown restrictions are being gradually eased," said Paul Clarke, head of Esri UK's Government practice. "By giving them an instant view of the situation they're faced with, the map reduces the time needed to manually measure pavements and not rely on records which may be out of date. Easy access to current pavement width data will help all councils make faster decisions with greater certainty and ensure walking is as safe as possible." Esri UK has made its ArcGIS software free to use along with a huge free data repository, the Covid-19 Data Hub, with over 80 different types of carefully selected, authoritative location data, including Coronavirus cases, health, infrastructure and population data. New data is continually being added to equip organisations with valuable insights as the situation evolves over time. As social distancing requirements change, for example, the pavement dataset will be evolved to meet these changes. Most importantly, all of the data has been carefully curated to make sure that it is the best available from reputable sources. Esri UK created the Covid-19 Data Hub to bring a wide range of incredibly useful datasets together in one place. The data can be integrated into existing ArcGIS systems or used to create a host of brand new rapid response GIS dashboards and mobile solutions, specifically designed for Covid-19 initiatives. Organisations of all kinds are turning to geographic information systems (GIS) to help them make rapid decisions in this everchanging and unpredictable world. Esri's ArcGIS platform provides them with the dashboards, apps and tools they need to analyse, forecast and understand the situation. Yet technology alone is not enough. Authoritative data is vital, otherwise the decisions they make could be flawed. The map is free to use from Esri UK as part of its Disaster Response Programme. Esri UK are able to provide the OS MasterMap free to Local Authorities as the data is covered by the PSGA agreement (Public Sector Geospatial Agreement). The data can also be made available free to the private sector, via the Ordnance Survey Mapping for Emergencies programme. Esri UK created the new interactive map using its ArcGIS mapping software, using the latest MasterMap Topography Layer from Ordnance Survey (OS). OS MasterMap Topography Layer is the most detailed and accurate view of Great Britain's landscape - from roads to fields, buildings, trees, fences, paths and more. Using its GIS software, ArcGIS Pro, Esri UK extracted all the pavements and applied different colours to identify different widths. In the image above represents pavements of 3+ metres; orange shows widths between 2-3 metres and red denotes pavements of less than 2 metres wide. Local authorities and organisations can access the pavement map at: https://bit.ly/2PapBq4 www.arcgis.com 34 <strong>Jul</strong>y/<strong>Aug</strong>ust <strong>2020</strong>
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