Canal & River Trust (CRT) commissioned us to develop a routable network for the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England.
Using integrated datasets and proprietary routing software, Compass Informatics generated thousands of pedestrian-friendly routes within a 5km radius of each Commonwealth Games venue. This significantly enhanced travel options for visitors by linking roadways, towpaths, and transport nodes, helping to ease pressure on traditional infrastructure.
By identifying the strategic value of CRT’s extensive towpath network, the project redirected visitor flow away from crowded streets and toward tranquil canal paths. This improved pedestrian safety, reduced congestion near event venues, and brought new visibility to overlooked public assets.
The network enabled CRT and event planners to make informed decisions about the optimal placement of toilets, refreshment points, and signage. The solution helped prioritise user experience and accessibility while preparing for the influx of global visitors during the Games.
The final product—a fully routable ESRI geo database—equipped the Canal & River Trust with a flexible, scalable planning tool. Built using Python, QGIS, and ArcGIS, the solution was ready for immediate integration into CRT’s spatial systems, ensuring practical usability ahead of the 2022 Games and beyond.
Founded in 2012, Canal & River Trust is the UK’s largest waterways charity, caring for a 2,000-mile network of stunning canals and navigable rivers.
Hosting the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games will have a huge positive impact on the West Midlands. As the region welcomes people from all over the world, additional transport capacity is required for spectators as they make their way between events. This could lead to congestion on footpaths near venues as spectators look for the best way to the next event.
CRT identified that the towpath network is underused, and could be used to redirect visitors away from main roads and peak times between events. Understanding how visitors could use the CRT network could ease congestion and help plan the location of facilities such as toilets, refreshments and signage.
Our team’s objective was to compile the necessary data, apply a routing algorithm and evaluate the results with the Trust.
Ideal for large-scale events spread across towns or cities, this solution optimises pedestrian flow, reduces congestion, and enhances the visitor experience by intelligently connecting venues, transport hubs, and underused pathways.
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