This is Leila Mekchoudi's
GIS Portfolio
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) analyst interested in transportation planning, accessibility modelling and spatial analysis.Leila's projects explore the intersection of mobility, infrastructure, and environmental systems, with a focus on equitable access and human-centered planning.
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Geospatial Analysis of Pharmacy Accessibility in Peel Region
May 2026
This project assessed pharmacy accessibility across marginalized communities in the Peel Region using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and network analysis methods in ArcGIS Pro and R. The analysis evaluated access to pharmacy care through two primary measures: travel time to pharmacy locations and levels of marginalization at the dissemination-area level using the Ontario Marginalization Index (2021).Over 300 pharmacy locations were collected, validated, and geocoded using municipal spatial datasets, tabular address data, and OpenStreetMap (OSM) sources. A custom multimodal transportation network dataset was developed using GTFS feeds from the Mississauga and Brampton transit systems alongside regional road network and speed limit data to model both public transit and personal-vehicle travel.Network and statistical analyses were conducted to compare transit and driving accessibility patterns across Peel Region populations. Spatial and statistical outputs were integrated to support research on equitable health service coverage and identify disparities in pharmacy accessibility among marginalized communities.
This project was completed as part of Leila’s Undergraduate Honour’s Thesis at the University of Toronto under the supervision of Dr. Matthew Adams in 2026, and was awarded a research grant from NSERC as an Undergraduate Student Research Award in 2025.
Transit Service Area Analysis & Optimal Stop Location Modeling
February 2026
This project used General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS) data from the MiWay bus system to develop a transit network dataset in ArcGIS Pro for spatial network analysis. The network analysis evaluated transit service coverage and identified an optimal candidate transit stop location.A network-based service area analysis was conducted to evaluate transit accessibility across Mississauga using a 400-metre walkability standard to represent pedestrian access to transit stops.The analysis also assessed three candidate bus stop locations by integrating transit coverage with population density and land use data to identify the most suitable location for improving client service accessibility.
Analysis conducted using course-provided data and methodological instruction developed by Instructor Kerstyn Lutz in Transportation Geography (GGR370), UofT, 2026.
Highway 413 Environmental Impact Assessmentmenu-project
January 2026
Using georeferenced planning maps and digitized Highway 413 alignments using provincial road networks as reference layers, environmental impacts of the proposed Highway 413 corridor were assessed using GIS-based spatial analysis methods. Additionally, integrated Ontario Greenbelt and environmental protection layers were used to quantify overlap and constraint impacts from proposed transportation development.