Integrating Real-time GIS and Social Media for Qualitative Transportation Data Collection

New technologies such as global positioning system, smartphone, and social media are changing the way we move around. Traditional transportation research has overwhelmingly emphasized the collection of quantitative data for modeling, without much collection of qualitative data to understand the processes of why and how individuals make their travel choices. The authors developed a prototype in this project to use real-time geographic information system (GIS) and social media (Twitter) to collect, analyze, and display qualitative travel information from individuals. There are two goals in this research project. One is to collect tweets from individuals to speculate the trip purposes of their travels. The prototype developed in this project collects tweets from volunteers and calculates the probabilities of their trip purposes from what they tweet about in Twitter. Another goal of this research is to display tweets on the web through real-time GIS. This would be very useful during emergency evacuations in extreme events such as 9/11 and Hurricane Sandy. The project is directly relevant to University Transportation Research Center's (UTRC's) research focus area 4 "system modernization through implementation of advanced and information technologies" and research focus area 8 "securing transportation systems and improving planning for and response to extreme events."

• Record URL:
  http://www.utrc2.org/sites/default/files/Final-Report-Integrating-Real-time-GIS-and-Social-Media.pdf
• 
• Record URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/32344
• Supplemental Notes:
  • This document was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Transportation, University Transportation Centers Program.
• Corporate Authors:

  Hunter College of the City University of New York

  Department of Geography, 695 Park Avenue
  New York, NY  United States  10065

  University Transportation Research Center

  City College of New York
  Marshak Hall, Suite 910, 160 Convent Avenue
  New York, NY  United States  10031

  Federal Highway Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590

  Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology

  University Transportation Centers Program
  Department of Transportation
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • Gong, Hongmian
  • Kessler, Carsten
• Publication Date: 2016-12-26

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Edition: Final Report
• Features: Figures; Maps; References;
• Pagination: 19p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Data collection; Geographic information systems; Hazards and emergency operations; Information dissemination; Prototypes; Real time information; Social media; Trip purpose
• Identifier Terms: Twitter
• Geographic Terms: New York (New York)
• Subject Areas: Data and Information Technology; Planning and Forecasting; Security and Emergencies; Transportation (General);

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01637831
• Record Type: Publication
• Contract Numbers: 49997-34-25
• Files: UTC, TRIS, ATRI, USDOT
• Created Date: Jun 8 2017 12:04PM