1 minute read
Maps Emergency Service Alerts
Category
Excellence in Transport Data Award
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Submitting Organisation
Department of Transport Victoria
Collaborating Partner
Google Maps
During September 2021, large scale anti-vax protests were held in Melbourne, with Victoria Police enforcing an unprecedented exclusion zone around the CBD. In response, the department halted public transport services into and out of the area and police established road blocks at all entry points. The department sought to respond and provide customers with information consistent with Victoria Police orders and transport communications at the time across its channels.
The department’s open data approach was critical to the government response to this issue. The department worked to provide Google Maps with a geospatial map of the exclusion zone and identification of all train, tram and bus stops and services within the area – and for the first time, remove all timetabled services from customer view. Google worked with the department and also provided customers with “Police Activity” service alert information and transport communication broadcast messages relating to the protests, as well as directing them to the Public Transport Victoria website for more information. Following the end of the exclusion zone, transport information seamlessly returned to Google.
The provision of this information by the Department of Transport Victoria and Google received considerable positive feedback from City of Melbourne, Victoria Police and operators. Similar geo spatial mapping of emergency areas has been provided by Google Maps in other jurisdictions, including in Auckland during COVID where drivers using Google journey planning were provided with automated voice alerts as they entered COVID restricted areas; and in South Australia as drivers enter Fruit Fly Zones. Early discussions were also had with Google and Transport for NSW during COVID to activate automated voice alerts within the Google Maps product, as drivers crossed the border, however this option was not progressed due to removal of border entry requirements at the time.
