Current Practices in Use of Emerging Traffic Data Sources for Transportation Planning: Technologies, Challenges, and Lessons

Emerging traffic data technologies: cell-phones, global positioning system (GPS)-enabled and Bluetooth devices and refinements of traditional data sources offer potential to support a variety of transportation planning needs. A review of various technologies reveals different strengths and shortcomings based on previous studies and contemporary experience. Agencies have begun using these sources for planning activities, mostly for performance measurement and congestion monitoring but also for some travel demand model development work. These agencies identified challenges arising both from characteristics of the technologies and the requirements of vendors. As vendors of these sources have shifted their focus towards planning applications, they have sought effective business models to serve a new class of customers. Although challenges specific to different types of data source and cross-cutting challenges exist, approaches to overcoming these have been identified involving preparation and coordination among public agencies and between agencies and vendors.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • This paper was sponsored by TRB committee ADB40(1) Emerging Methods Methods and Developments in Urban Activity and Travel Analysis
• Corporate Authors:

  Transportation Research Board

  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001
• Authors:
  • Carroll, Michael A
  • Dowling, Richard P
  • Ashiabor, Senanu
• Conference:
  • Transportation Research Board 91st Annual Meeting
  • Location: Washington DC, United States
  • Date: 2012-1-22 to 2012-1-26
• Date: 2012

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: References;
• Pagination: 20p
• Monograph Title: TRB 91st Annual Meeting Compendium of Papers DVD

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Bluetooth technology; Cellular telephones; Coordination; Global Positioning System; Technological innovations; Traffic data; Transportation departments; Transportation planning
• Subject Areas: Data and Information Technology; Highways; Planning and Forecasting; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01373293
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: 12-3968
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Jun 21 2012 2:15PM