A GIS-dynamic segmentation approach to planning travel routes on forest trail networks in Central Taiwan

Information about park infrastructure such as trail networks is not only useful for visitors to plan trips that meet their own needs, but it is also important for park and open space managers to monitor their assets and direct trail use patterns to achieve management objectives. This study aims at applying and evaluating dynamic segmentation and network analysis techniques in a GIS to gather elevation data on trail routes and generate travel time and energy consumption information. The method was applied to a network of 16 trails in a well-visited forest recreational area in central Taiwan Island. Results show that it is feasible and efficient to use GIS methods to integrate multiple data sets and derive advanced trail information. Optimal routes based on the least time cost and the most energy cost were identified. Combining indoor, GIS-based and outdoor field work of trail surveys is likely to produce information that is reliable and useful for visitors and managers to make travel and management decisions.