Heavy rain, flooding and transport: what the data can show

Rain can interrupt roads and reduce regularity, but GPS alone cannot explain the cause. Analysis needs to combine time, location, alerts, and source quality.

From weather alert to effect on the line

COR works with operational stages and publishes occurrences such as flooding and closures. To analyze a line, you need to know when the rain intensified, where the blockages occurred and which sections of the route pass through these areas.

The effect may appear as deviation, low speed, long periods without movement, early return or absence of records.

What GPS Doesn't Explain

A stopped position does not inform whether the bus is in congestion, awaiting release, broken down or out of service. A transmission gap may result from mobile network shadow or source unavailability. The map provides spatial and temporal evidence, not automatic diagnosis.

Method for a post-event analysis

After rain, define the critical window and compare with similar days. Mark official occurrences, overlay routes and calculate how long it took the line to recover its normal vehicle lane and headways.

  • Record the operational stage and its times.
  • Map confirmed occurrences, without using isolated reports as definitive truth.
  • Compare affected lines with control lines in other areas.
  • Provide GPS coverage throughout the period.
  • Avoid stating that flooding caused the fall without spatial and temporal compatibility.

Transparency

Sources consulted

Links verified on August 12, 2026. Official documents and pages may be updated after this date.

  1. Estágio operacional e ocorrências relacionadas à chuva Centro de Operações e Resiliência do Rio
  2. Boas práticas do GTFS Realtime MobilityData / GTFS
  3. Linhas de ônibus e planos operacionais Secretaria Municipal de Transportes do Rio

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