Evaluating Global Positioning System (GPS) Data Usability for Freight Performance Measures

Freight Performance Measures (FPM) are of interest to transportation planning agencies. One of the key tools that aids in the study of freight system activity is the data from Global Positioning System (GPS) devices located in trucks and cars. While commercially available GPS data has a common basic output format, the level of aggregation of the raw data, impacts the data’s ultimate usability and applications. This paper categorizes the different level of GPS data – from raw to highly aggregate and highlights the different strength, weakness, and applications of the data. Based on the insights learned from previous studies related to GPS data types, the authors make recommendations for how to match the GPS data to different analytical needs.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • This paper was sponsored by TRB committee ABJ90 Standing Committee on Freight Transportation Data.
• Corporate Authors:

  Transportation Research Board

  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001
• Authors:
  • Sankarakumaraswamy, Saravanya
  • McCormack, Edward
  • Goodchild, Anne
  • Hallenbeck, Mark
• Conference:
  • Transportation Research Board 96th Annual Meeting
  • Location: Washington DC, United States
  • Date: 2017-1-8 to 2017-1-12
• Date: 2017

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 14p
• Monograph Title: TRB 96th Annual Meeting Compendium of Papers

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Data analysis; Data collection; Freight traffic; Global Positioning System; Performance measurement; Traffic data
• Subject Areas: Data and Information Technology; Freight Transportation; Planning and Forecasting;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01627731
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: 17-04053
• Files: TRIS, TRB, ATRI
• Created Date: Feb 27 2017 5:12PM