Skip to main content

New report: technology is a game changer

For decades, planners and engineers have gathered traffic data using expensive, time-consuming surveys and processes. A new AirSage white paper, "The Future of Transportation Studies: A Comparative Review" looks at the emerging trends that are transforming the transportation planning industry and examines traditional traffic data collection methods and new complementary technologies at the forefront of the transportation industry.
September 18, 2013 Read time: 2 mins
For decades, planners and engineers have gathered traffic data using expensive, time-consuming surveys and processes.

A new 6178 AirSage white paper, "The Future of Transportation Studies: A Comparative Review" looks at the emerging trends that are transforming the transportation planning industry and examines traditional traffic data collection methods and new complementary technologies at the forefront of the transportation industry.

The traditional methods of compiling origin-destination data, household travel surveys, vehicle intercept surveys and licence plate surveys, are being supplanted by new technologies such as Bluetooth or data from from cell phones, tablet computers and laptops.

Interest in the new technologies is being driven by constrained research/study budgets, says the report, as well as the fact that new technology can deliver larger, more accurate data samples much faster, making the data more current than most other methods.

Increasingly, public agencies and commercial clients are studying and using new strategies, especially cellular data, to supplement or replace traditional traffic study methods.

Bluetooth and license plate surveys eliminate some of the drawbacks of traditional survey methods. Both can cost less and be completed more quickly than household and vehicle intercept surveys. However, because both require expensive equipment, they share the same restriction of covering only a limited geographic area.

Cellular technology eliminates many of the drawbacks of traditional surveys, Bluetooth tech¬nology and license plate surveys. The technology is relatively low cost, data can be collected and analysed in just weeks, and the size and scope of a cellular traffic study are virtually unlim¬ited.

Based on preliminary findings, a household travel survey augmented by a cellular survey provides the richest pool of data, but the length of time to complete the study is long and costs (due to the household survey) are high. Cellular surveys, which provide unprec¬edented amounts of current and historical data at a relatively low cost, offer an effective and affordable alternative for regions of any size.

The full report is available here. (link %$Linker: 2 External <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-16"?><dictionary /> 0 0 0 oLinkExternal http://airsage.com/Contact-Us/White-Paper/ Airsage false http://airsage.com/Contact-Us/White-Paper/#sthash.YgugSkMz.dpuf false false%>)

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Siemens unveils Sicore II ANPR camera
    March 20, 2018
    Siemens is at Intertraffic armed with an array of technologies and systems across a broad range of traffic and transport disciplines.
  • EC promotes ''against lock-in'' approach on ITS standards
    August 2, 2013
    According to the European Commission (EC), open standards for intelligent transportation systems (ITS) would save the public sector €1 billion a year US$1.5 billion a year, citing Urban Traffic Management and Control (UTMC) as one of the standards being developed in the transport domain. Launched in 1997, the UTMC programme was the UK Department for Transport (DfT) main initiative for the development of a more open approach to ITS in urban areas. UTMC systems are designed to allow the different application
  • TinyMobileRobots launches tablet solution for road marker
    March 21, 2018
    Danish firm TinyMobileRobots is showing off a new tablet solution for its robot road marker at Intertraffic. The TinyPreMarker automatically lays out road lines – on motorways, airports or harbours - to an accuracy of 2cm, using a built-in GNSS receiver, the company says. Customers load the pre-marking course required on a programme such as AutoCAD. The product is compatible with CSV, DXF, GEO and LandXML data formats, which can then be transferred to the robot via USB, and the robot will then mark points
  • Registration for new Highways UK conference now open
    October 27, 2015
    Taking place on 25- 26 November at ExCeL London, Highways UK is a major new event bringing together those responsible for planning, developing, managing and maintaining the UK's road network. The free to attend exhibition includes many organisations in the sector including Highways England, Mott MacDonald, BAM Nuttall, Colas, Thales, Clearview Traffic Group, Kier Services, Costain, Tarmac and Atkins. Keynote speakers include Mike Brown, who was recently confirmed as TfL’s Transport Commissioner, Andrew Jone