Journal of Maps

Transport Systems: Insights in Data Analysis and Visualization

Transport system mapping is a tool for analyzing and visually representing the social and physical processes involved in transport networks across multiple geographical scales. It is used to accurately record and analyze spatial phenomena, providing a foundation for interdisciplinary research and decision-making.

Transport system mapping has become a crucial tool for understanding complex spatial processes, which can help planners to understand such critical factors as mobility, safety, service accessibility, and the environmental impacts of different modes of transportation. The digitalization of transport systems not only advances scientific knowledge, but also facilitates the creation of detailed, dynamic, and customizable maps which are vital for researchers, planners, and end users alike. Transport maps help identify spatial patterns, such as traffic congestion and safety-related risks, and social exclusion in transport access, and they underpin informed decision-making in urban planning and public policy.

With recent advances in digitization, transport maps have become not only visual aids but a key contribution to scientific knowledge by integrating new data and enhancing existing datasets. This closely aligns with the Journal of Maps’ historic tradition of promoting maps as essential for documenting field observations and supporting scientific interpretations, offering a permanent record of spatial data, fostering interdisciplinarity and collaboration across fields such as geography, engineering, and social sciences.

In this context, this Article Collection encourages the submission of original research papers on transport system mapping, supported by high-quality maps and spatial diagrams, to advance our understanding of mobility dynamics and safety, infrastructure monitoring and analysis, and accessibility in both urban and rural environments.

This Article Collection focuses on transport system mapping as a tool for analyzing spatial and social processes, aligning with the interdisciplinary scope of the Journal of Maps, and invites submission on subtopics including:

• Spatial Data Analysis and Visualization: Cartographic techniques for representing transport flows, mobility patterns, and accessibility
• Social and Environmental Impacts: Maps which analyze social exclusion in transport access and the environmental effects of transportation
• Multidisciplinary Data Integration: Combining geographic, social, and technical data to create high-precision, relevant maps
• Applications in Urban Planning: Maps that support decision-making in infrastructure and sustainable development
• Historical and Comparative Cartography: Analyzing changes in transport systems over time through maps

Preferred article types include Original Research, Case Studies, Reviews, and Perspectives, provided they present maps or spatial diagrams that significantly contribute to knowledge.

Article Collection Guest Advisors

Pedro Arias-Sánchez is Professor at the University of Vigo and is internationally recognized for his work in mapping transport systems, using advanced techniques in data capture, analysis, and visualization. He has developed automatic methods for the identification and localization of linear assets on roads using mobile LiDAR systems and imagery, and has applied deep learning techniques for the segmentation of railway and road environments, thereby improving the safety and efficiency of these infrastructures. His is author or co-author of more than 260 papers in scientific publications indexed in international reference database (Scopus), with more than 9,000 citations (Google Scholar). He is lead researcher and founder of the Applied Geotechnologies Research Group of the University of Vigo (2001-to present).

Joaquín Martínez-Sánchez is Associate Professor at the University of Vigo, specializing in the management of transport infrastructures using synthetic LiDAR data and deep learning techniques. He has developed innovative solutions for the segmentation and characterization of pavements under nocturnal conditions, as well as methodologies for assessing the vulnerability of urban infrastructures to climate risks, improving the planning and safety of transport systems.

Zhouyan Qiu is an Assistant Professor at the School of Robotics, Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, where she teaches both undergraduate and postgraduate courses. She earned her Ph.D. in 2024 through a joint program at the University of Vigo and the University of Salamanca, then served as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Vigo until January 2025. Her research focuses on the intersection of computer vision, machine learning, and multi-sensor data analysis for transportation system mapping, particularly using low-cost sensors. She actively collaborates with industry partners to translate these emerging technologies into innovative real world applications in transportation mapping and visualization.

Article Collection Key Words

1. Transport System Mapping
2. Urban Mobility
3. Spatial Accessibility
4. Interdisciplinary Cartography
5. Sustainable Planning

­­All manuscripts submitted to this Article Collection will undergo a full peer-review; the Guest Advisors for this Collection will not be handling the manuscripts.

Please be sure to select the appropriate Article Collection from the drop-down menu in the submission system.

Please review the journal scope and author submission instructions prior to submitting a manuscript.

The deadline for submitting manuscripts is 31 January 2026.

Please contact Alex Johnson at alex.johnson@tandf.co.uk with any queries and discount codes regarding this Article Collection