Ian Kilpatrick (User Spotlight September 2024)

Josh Alpers · September 9, 2024

IAN KILPATRICK

Ian Kilpatrick
Education: University of Utah - M.S. City and Metropolitan Planning

Current Employment: Transportation Planner at Felsburg, Holt, and Ullevig (FHU)

Greatest Interests about Travel Demand Modeling and Forecasting: I like that travel demand modeling allows us to test different development scenarios, roadway characteristics, transit alignments etc. in a relatively cost effective way before actually building anything. The cost of a TDM analysis is nothing compared to having to reconstruct a road. I am also a GIS nerd, so I like all of the various ways the output data can be presented on a map to tell a story.

Favorite Modeling Project(s): When I worked for Parametrix, I worked on a project where we tested different development scenarios in conjunction with different transit alignments and modes to see how each variable would impact the potential modeled future ridership for each transit line. This project was rewarding because the results of the analysis sparked a lot of interest with the client and other stakeholders who had some influence in the transit realm.

Valuable Resources, Tools or Software: I admire the online GIS tools our MPO friends have created to summarize model inputs and outputs. They are a great resource for looking at the big picture. Modeling is like pruning a tree. Hacking away at the branches is how you get the job done. But once in a while, you have to step back, circle the tree, and take it all in to see if you’re getting the shape you expected. The online GIS tools help me do that.

Hobbies and Interests: Traveling, photography, making music, hiking, biking, and gaming.