Feasibility of Using Cellular Telephone Data to Determine the Truckshed of Intermodal Facilities

In order to determine the feasibility of using cellular telephone location data in deriving the geographic extent (truckshed) from intermodal facilities, this study was conducted to determine the feasibility analysis in three aspects: technology, penetration analysis and truck tracking methodology. A preliminary test was also conducted to demonstrate the cell phone tracking and traveling characteristics identification process using Washington, D.C. metropolitan area data provided by AirSage, Inc. The preliminary feasibility analysis found that cell phone locations could be located within an average of 100 meters or less of their actual position, which is feasible to use for a long haul truckshed tracking from the intermodal facilities. Cell phone penetration analysis showed that only partial cell phone data were available for the truckshed tracking system. Thus, a long time period of observations are needed in order to increase the number of cell phones tracked. The research team developed a process and conducted a program for tracking cell phone trajectories and identifying the cell phone characteristics (truck or not). However, a database which covers possible truck traveling objectives, such as truck stops, rest area or warehouse, and land use categories, has to be established in order to identify the characteristics of the cell phones from the anonymous cell phone database. The preliminary test illustrates several examples for tracking cell phones and identifying the characteristics of cell phones based on the proposed tracking and identification process. The results show that the vendor provided data can provide enough cell phone data points for tracking the trajectory of cell phones. It also demonstrates that the developed tracking and filtering process and computer program are able to track every individual cell phone data point and identify the traveling characteristics based on the trajectory and destination of cell phones.

• Record URL:
  http://matc.unl.edu/assets/documents/matcfinal/Schrock_FeasibilityofUsingCellularTelephoneDatatoDeterminetheTruckshedofRail-TruckIntermodalFacilities.pdf
• 
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Date on the title page is December 2012. This research was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Transportation, University Transportation Centers Program.
• Corporate Authors:

  University of Kansas, Lawrence

  Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering
  1530 West 15th Street
  Lawrence, KS  United States  66045-7609

  Mid-America Transportation Center

  University of Nebraska-Lincoln
  2200 Vine Street, PO Box 830851
  Lincoln, NE  United States  68583-0851

  Research and Innovative Technology Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • Schrock, Steven D
  • Mulinazzi, Thomas
  • Wang, Ming-Heng
• Publication Date: 2010-3

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Edition: Final Report
• Features: Figures; Maps; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 73p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Automatic vehicle location; Cellular telephones; Detection and identification systems; Feasibility analysis; Intermodal facilities; Trip length; Trucking
• Uncontrolled Terms: Mobile phone trajectories
• Geographic Terms: Washington Metropolitan Area
• Subject Areas: Data and Information Technology; Freight Transportation; Highways; I70: Traffic and Transport;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01484411
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: 25-1121-0001-122, MATC-KU: 122
• Files: UTC, TRIS, RITA, ATRI, USDOT
• Created Date: Jun 19 2013 12:28PM