App: GridTraveler
Hosted in ArcGIS Online:
Mission Statement
Background
The Canada Strong Pass Initiative
Since 2025, the Government of Canada has introduced the Canada Strong Pass, a seasonal, recurring initiative that offers visitors with free admission to places operated by Parks Canada during the summer months between June and September, and occasionally for holiday periods. These places include destinations such as national parks, historic sites, national museums that are waiting for us to discover.
The Dilemma: Traveling to Remote Areas Sustainably and Confidently Without Range Anxiety
As part of 2050 net zero emission commitment, Canada has a mandate to transition to electric vehicles (EVs) to decarbonize transportation. There is also a goal reduce 40-45% of emissions below 2005 levels by 2030 through the 2030 Emissions Reduction Plan across all modes of transportation.
While modern electric vehicles (EVs) can travel long distances, inadequate fast-charging options, charger unreliability, and increased trip planning requirements can make visiting remote recreational areas challenging.
Many EV drivers are climate and sustainability conscious. Some may however be deterred from visiting remote destinations such as national parks that require long drives due to underdeveloped charging infrastructure in remote areas and “range anxiety”. Furthermore, there have also been reports of some EV drivers experiencing sub-optimal experience with in-car navigation system not finding or incorrectly listing charging stations. The fear and the feeling of uncertainty that drivers have towards locating and having the assurance that EV charging stations are available when they are on a journey to explore inspired us to create GridTraveler to overcome these emotions.
Our Mission
Our mission is threefold:
1 | Help EV drivers plan their road trips with confidence
By offering a map application that combines data related to popular Parks Canada destinations, EV charging options, stopovers and features enroute, we help you plan road trips across Canada to lower range anxiety and identify attractions that are EV friendly versus those that require some extra planning.
2 | Raise awareness on the vast network of EV charging stations available as well as remote areas that could benefit from further development of EV charging options
So that they could become more accessible to visitors who choose to travel with zero carbon footprint. And before that, alternatives options that visitors have to help them visit these locations with alternative modes of transportation while being kind to our environment.
3 | Showcase 100 parks across Canada
Their whereabouts and the latest visitation statistics.
Video Presentation
Documentation
Team Members
Frances Leung: Frances Leung is a doctoral researcher in the Department of Geography, Geomatics and Environment at the University of Toronto. She employs remote sensing technology and geospatial analysis to investigate urban vegetation changes, land use dynamics and the role of green infrastructure in fostering adaptable and environmentally resilient cities. Beyond her research work, she is committed to community engagement through sustainable gardening education. She regularly delivers public horticulture workshops and presentations, fostering environmental stewardship and connecting people with nature.
Congping Li: Congping Li is a PhD candidate in the Department of Geography, Geomatics and Environment at the University of Toronto. Her PhD research investigates the audio-visual interactions of urban environment and the potential impacts on mental wellbeing based on multimodal experiments.She is also interested in investigating the relationship between quantifiable urban environmental features and mental health outcomes, using GIS-based spatial modelling to reveal spatial disparities in these features, the health inequities embedded within broader patterns of structural environmental injustice, and how these disparities intersect with socioeconomic status to intensify existing inequities.
Devin Wu: Devin Yongzhao Wu is a PhD student in the Department of Geography, Geomatics and Environment at the University of Toronto. His research applies artificial intelligence to geospatial analysis, utilizing Explainable AI (XAI) and large-scale mobile data mining to uncover the hidden dynamics of urban systems. Additionally, he focuses on environmental noise modeling to understand how urban environments shape the acoustic landscape of a city.