Inter-Dat - Availability of Transport Data of Public and Private Interest
Abstract
Decisions in transport planning and transport policy are as well as research and development in the field of transportation based on transport data. Therefore, the supply of actual data on a high level of quality is very important. A central part of the study inter-dat is a survey among experts. This survey was carried out in 36 public institutions and private companies within Austria who are collecting and/or using data. Results show, that most of the data are only surveyed and used for a specific task or project. The knowledge of the existence of these data an the data themselves are mostly not public. Lots of data are not collected and surveyed based on a standardised method as such a standardisation does not exist. That are the reasons, why the use of these data is very inefficient. Important data for transport planning and transport policy are for example collected data via the toll system on Austrian freeways, via GPS positioning systems and via GSM based localisation of mobile phones. In all these cases, the important data are positioning data. Another deficit is the lack of an periodical mobility survey as it is carried out in a lot of other countries. The last Austrian nation wide mobility survey was carried out more than ten years ago. The existing transportation data are mostly used for infrastructural planning or for specific studies and tasks. These data are in nearly all cases directly delivered by the data collecting company or institution. Beside the fact, that data quality was rated as sufficient by most of the experts within the survey, lots of quality improvements are seen as desirable. One of these points was the lack of mobility data connected with OD-data. The data transfer is mostly based on personal contacts as no institution exists that operates a central database beside the official statistics. Recommendations based on the results of the expert survey are developed as need for action, having public and private interests in mind. In these recommendations concerning the data situation for transport planning and transport policy the demand and supply of data are considered as well as the wish for data. The goal of these recommendations is to create a data situation that is appropriate to the status of transport planning and transport policy within our society. These recommendations comprise changes within the data protection law respectively the supply and use of positioning data in an anonymous format and also changes within the possible use of data relevant for transport planning and transport policy owned by transportation companies. These types of data should be available in an anonymous format for scientifically purposes in a context of public interest. The implementation of a central database and a central meta-database has to be recommended. The goal is to raise the efficiency of the use of existing data of public interest by creating a central Austrian data management institution (that could be located within the Statistic Austria). Another recommendation is to define minimum standards of quality for mobility surveys to collect data on a very high level of quality that are comparable. Overall, an improvement of the actual data situation could be caused by the use of technological solutions as transport telematics assisting conventional methods. Another recommendation is the implementation of a periodical mobility survey, for example every five years. These data are very important for analysing changes in personal mobility as well as for checking transport related political aims.
Publikationen
Project staff
Gerd Sammer
Em.O.Univ.Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Dr.nat.techn. Gerd Sammer
gerd.sammer@boku.ac.at
Tel: +43 1 47654-85635
Project Leader
01.03.2006 - 30.11.2006
Alexander Neumann
Dipl.-Ing. Dr.nat.techn. Alexander Neumann
neumann@mediative-solutions.at
Sub Projectleader
01.03.2006 - 30.11.2006
BOKU partners
External partners
Statistik Austria
none
partner