Collaborative geodesign for alternative-fuel station location using “collablocation” software

Adoption of alternative-fuel vehicles requires a network of conveniently located fuel stations capable of serving the movement patterns of potential users. One hindrance to planning an effective network of stations is the difficulty of integrating the competing views of multiple stakeholders into an agreeable solution. This paper reports on a collaborative geodesign methodology applied to the problem of compressed natural gas fueling locations in the southwestern U.S.A. Geodesign is a multistakeholder spatial planning process that has gained currency in the GIS community but has not been applied to fuel infrastructure previously. We have developed an open-source interactive geovisual platform called Collablocation and a structured group process to facilitate interactive exploration of scenarios with multiple spatial data layers and to permit real-time computation and evaluation of network performance characteristics. For the pilot workshop we recruited expert stakeholders from industry, government, and local organizations. Breakout groups reached convergence on six locations on the I-10 and I- 80, and at the Arizona-Mexico border, and several other less precise areas of need were identified. A post-workshop survey indicated high satisfaction with the technical features of the platform and the workshop design, and highlighted the ease of use and exchange of information.