With the Victorian State Election scheduled for the 29th November, Spatial Vision has condensed some key election issues into a series of maps being regularly published in the lead up to the vote.
“Many of the issues of great interest to voters, and at the heart their vision for Victoria and its capital, Melbourne, can be best expressed in map form,” said Graeme Martin, consulting manager at Spatial Vision.
“This site aims to capture some of these competing ideas, or interrelated issues, and help voters better understand where what is and how it may impact on them and others.
“Public transport, and how it will continue to service an ever-, and in places rapidly, growing Great Melbourne, regional centres and Victoria generally is one such issue.
“Users of this site can view the lines and stations proposed by the key political parties to date and over the coming weeks, in the context of the existing rail network, and in relation to where we currently live, and where Melbourne is planned to grow over the coming decades.
“At this election, public transport, particularly rail transport, has been pushed forward to front and centre. Rail, like roads, is expensive, so the priorities are critical.
“Since the last state Election, there have been important developments in relation to Regional rail services, and some new stations such as that for Marshall and Waurn Ponds, and finally works are underway for a station to service Caroline Springs.”
Users will also find on the site an analysis of the new electoral boundaries, conducted by the ABC’s election analyst Antony Green. Of particular note is that the map shows how the previous state election results would have differed had the new boundaries been used.
Information shown on the site is sourced from various fact sheets by interest groups, political party press releases, state and local government web-sites, and other publically available planning documents.
“The nature of these documents is that they are evolving, and at times conflicting, and we have endeavoured to present what we understand to be the most current and accurate view of the material provided. The current rail network is sourced from publically available PVT information,” added Graeme.
“It is hoped that this site helps demonstrate the value and power of at least one aspect of spatial information technology, particularly the ability to provide a regional and local view of issues and inter-relationships. This, we, believe helps us all develop a better appreciation or understanding of the issues presented, in addition to the ability to share and interact in relation to what we see and discover.”
The Rail Travel and New Seat Margins maps are available now on It’s Your Vote, with more maps coming soon.
