Gabites Porter Consultants (GPC) is a leading provider of specialist transport planning and engineering services. Our team of highly skilled transport planners, traffic engineers, and software developers have built a solid international reputation for delivering high quality advice using the latest technology.
This site has been designed to demonstrate our capabilities and experience. Please take time to browse through the site either using the links below or the site navigating panel at the top of this page:
- About This section contains GPC's history, awards, projects and vacancies;
- Software This section contains information about TRACKS and SWEEP;
- People This section introduces the people that work at GPC;
- Services This sections provides a full break down of the services we provide; and
- Contact Click this link if you'd like to contact GPC or find out where our offices are located.
News
Changes Are Afoot
Thursday, Mar 14 2013
Changes are afoot at Gabites Porter Consultants and Traffic Design Group to harness the power of two.
You know us here at Gabites Porter for our specialist skills and abilities in the development and application of transportation models throughout New Zealand and in Australia.
And maybe you know Traffic Design Group for their considerable experience and expertise in meeting a broad range of transportation engineering and analysis needs. Both of our firms are known for being at the leading edge; for enduring commitment to our clients over many decades; and for reliable and robust advice.
These things aren’t changing. In fact, they’re about to take a quantum leap…
Gabites Porter Consultants and Traffic Design Group have joined forces. In effect, we have brought together New Zealand’s largest specialist transportation planning firm with New Zealand’s largest transportation engineering firm. The result is an organisation that is able to provide an unmatched wealth of experience and capability in all areas of transportation: modelling, planning, analysis, engineering and design.
With this change comes a new name.
From now on in New Zealand we’ll be using the name TDG.
And in Australia, TDG Gabites. Bigger company. Smaller name. Greater impact.
For more information on this exciting new development, contact Grant Smith at +64 (21) 338229, or grant.smith@tdg.co.nz.
For more information regarding Traffic Design Group, go to www.tdg.co.nz
Risk Analysis with Tracks
Tuesday, Feb 26 2013
Risk Analysis with Tracks - Oil Vulnerability and Vampire.
By popular Australian request, we added Vampire risk analysis to Tracks. The results proved interesting so we spent some time looking closely at them. We found the local numbers to be an unrealistic model of local conditions. Our own meta-analysis showed this to be as a result of weighting the mortgage and the income parameters significantly more heavily than car and trips. So its not a great of model of fuel use.
Looking further we found an interesting model for "Oil Vulnerability in Melboure" by Elliot Fishman and Tim Brennan. We find it to be a good model of risk to change in fuel, vehicle and commute cost. So we have implemented that in Tracks too. We offer them both for your comments.
Both feature are combined into a new Risk Analysis unit in the latest version of Tracks. We hope and expect it will be useful and popular
Copies of the setup program and installer can be found on the download page
Tracks 2013 - Now Available
Wednesday, Dec 19 2012
The 2013 versions of Tracks and NexView are now available.
Clients with a maintenance agreement will automatically receive their copies shortly.
Copies of the installers are also available now from the download page
We have included all the updates along with a revised manual. And we've also included a copy of the old Tracks in case the new one does not appeal.
Tracks Update - Whats New For 2013
Monday, Nov 26 2012
Tracks:
The 2013 version of Tracks looks a bit different.
- We've added an explorer like interface for directories and models.
- We have included support for the Python scripting language.
- In fact there's a whole heap of new features for handling processes.
- And there are now some toolbars.
- Plus It's all configurable - you can turn off the new bits and Tracks will work as before.
- Nex has improved drawing of Zone data - Colours, value ranges and keys are now user configurable.
- Accessibility - we have added a new module to compute accessibility to and by vehicle and public transport. A number of calculation methods are supported, including Cumulative Opportunity, PTAL and Competitive Access.
Grant Smith Elected Fellow of IPENZ
Friday, Mar 16 2012
Grant Smith is elected a Fellow of IPENZ for his contribution to the advancement of engineering practice.
We recognise his contribution to transportation planning and modelling methodologies.
He was the major developer of a suite of transportation modelling and planning software which is now used internationally.
His expertise has been widely sought by state road authorities and local government both nationally and internationally, and he has contributed his knowledge to the sector through a number of technical papers.
He has been actively involved in the activities of the Transportation Group.
Accessibility Mapping - A new feature for Tracks
Wednesday, Jan 11 2012
Access is a TRACKS based accessibility program that can be used to analyse and plot the accessibility of households or population to various land use activities or any combination of activities. This can be analysed using networks for walking, cycling, public transport or motor vehicle.
Access can provide information and plots for origin based analysis (Threshold analysis) or destination based analysis (Continuous Mapping analysis).
It is based on methodologies and research developed from the following documents:
- TECHNICAL GUIDANCE ON ACCESSIBILITY PLANNING IN LOCAL TRANSPORT PLANS – Dept. For Transport, UK
- Land Use & Public Transport Accessibility Index (LUPTAI) Tool - The development and pilot application of LUPTAI for the Gold Coast – Institute of Transport Studies (Monash)
- ACCESSIBILITY ANALYSIS FOR HOUSING DEVELOPMENT IN SINGAPORE WITH GIS AND MULTI-CRITERIA ANALYSIS METHODS – Institute of Transport Studies (Monash)
- Accessibility planning methods - Susan Chapman and Doug Weir, Booz & Company (New Zealand) Ltd, NZ Transport Agency Research Report 363
Access uses network modelled time and distance values as inputs to its analysis. It can utilise a Gravity type distribution method to determine the accessibility of all areas in a network to any particular land use activity. The deterrence coefficient can be adjusted to take into account the method of transport being analysed.
Access outputs data files that can be plotted in NEX or as metafiles using TView. In addition, data outputs are produced in the form of raw accessibility values and indexed values based on a 0-100 scale. This allows for further analysis using population data. Population weighted accessibility results can be used to determine and plot areas that are deficient in accessibility or have inappropriately high levels of accessibility for the existing population base.
For more information on Access please contact Dave Hunter.