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 demonstrates new connected vehicle technology including iPhone app for traffic signal priority
    April 22, 2013
    Can an iPhone change a traffic signal? All you need is the new Siemens app. New connected vehicle technology from Siemens Mobility and Logistics allows traffic signals to be controlled by vehicle arrival and priority rather than timing plans. Signal changes can even be triggered by an iPhone app combined with GPS, as Siemens demonstrates at ITS America.
  • Auto industry on cusp of revolutionary change
    August 7, 2012
    The automotive industry appears to be on the cusp of revolutionary change, which will be engendered by the advent of autonomous or ‘self-driving’ vehicles - and the timing may be sooner than you think, according to a new report unveiled by KPMG and the Centre for Automotive Research (CAR).
  • 3D-Kennzeichen’s flexible approach to numberplates
    March 26, 2014
    Small German company 3D-Kennzeichen is seeking to replace traditional numberplates with its new, polypropylene version, which the company says has several advantages over the existing aluminium type. Company owner Dr Michael Baueionr comes at the sector from an unusual direction. A label industry specialist, he is also a polymer chemist with a longstanding interest in polypropylene and its qualities.
  • Join the USDOT Connected Cities Research Program webinar
    January 15, 2015
    The US Department of Transportation (USDOT) is to host a free webinar to inform stakeholders of its new Connected Cities Research Program. The webinar, ‘Creating Smart Paths for Connected Cities’, is scheduled for 26 February 2015, from 10:30 am to 12:00 pm EST. The webinar follows the release of the ITS JPO white paper, The Smart/Connected City and its Implications for Connected Transportation, which will provide a foundation for the discussion.