Publisher
Editorial
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While the application of tracking technologies has developed substantially in social sciences and transportation sciences in the last decade, it has failed to make a significant impression in the scientific field of urbanism and spatial planning. The chair of Urban Design and the chair of spatial Planning at the Delft University of Technology noted this shortcoming while working within the framework of the EU-sponsored spatial metro project and the network cities research programme. In a joint effort, on 18 January 2007, they held an international expert meeting on the application of tracking technologies in urbanism. The Delft school of Design sponsored and facilitated the expert meeting.
The starting point of Urbanism on track was the exploration of the current and future possibilities and the limitations in the application of tracking technologies in urban design and spatial planning processes. The expert meeting Urbanism on track aimed to address the subject from the viewpoint of multiple disciplines. The book Urbanism on Track shows a preliminary crystallisation of the ideas presented at that meeting. as such, Urbanism on track documents the early stages of the application of tracking technologies. Practices or applications are as yet far from mature, but the documentation of this relatively early stage of technological development is what makes the book particularly relevant.
While the application of tracking technologies has developed substantially in social sciences and transportation sciences in the last decade, it has failed to make a significant impression in the scientific field of urbanism and spatial planning. The chair of Urban Design and the chair of spatial Planning at the Delft University of Technology noted this shortcoming while working within the framework of the EU-sponsored spatial metro project and the network cities research programme. In a joint effort, on 18 January 2007, they held an international expert meeting on the application of tracking technologies in urbanism. The Delft school of Design sponsored and facilitated the expert meeting.
The starting point of Urbanism on track was the exploration of the current and future possibilities and the limitations in the application of tracking technologies in urban design and spatial planning processes. The expert meeting Urbanism on track aimed to address the subject...
While the application of tracking technologies has developed substantially in social sciences and transportation sciences in the last decade, it has failed to make a significant impression in the scientific field of urbanism and spatial planning. The chair of Urban Design and the chair of...
Articles
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Shoval introduces us to the world of GPS tracking and presents two cases in which he used GPS-obtained data for his research on the outdoor mobility of elderly people with cognitive disorders and research on the user-density of an Israeli heritage site.
The first case relates to the sophistication of a location kit that is used to collect data for research focusing on the outdoor mobility of elderly people with cognitive disorders. This kit enables the researchers to measure not just the time-space activity of the research subjects, but also the level of their participation in the study.
The second case relates to the ability to ‘pixel’ environments using the high-resolution nature of the GPS-obtained data.
Shoval introduces us to the world of GPS tracking and presents two cases in which he used GPS-obtained data for his research on the outdoor mobility of elderly people with cognitive disorders and research on the user-density of an Israeli heritage site.
The first case relates to the sophistication of a location kit that is used to collect data for research focusing on the outdoor mobility of elderly people with cognitive disorders. This kit enables the researchers to measure not just the time-space activity of the research subjects, but also the level of their participation in the study.
The second case relates to the ability to ‘pixel’ environments using the high-resolution nature of the GPS-obtained data.
Shoval introduces us to the world of GPS tracking and presents two cases in which he used GPS-obtained data for his research on the outdoor mobility of elderly people with cognitive disorders and research on the user-density of an Israeli heritage site.
The first case relates to the...
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There is a growing demand for knowledge about processes in our cities, specifically the understanding of people’s actual behaviour. Advanced Tracking Technologies offer the ability to give both actual and detailed insight into both people’s individual and collective travel behaviour. The collected information can be used in urban analysis to map behaviour, feed prediction models, for simulation tools and for human behavioural sciences.
The use of emerging technologies such as GPS tracking, mobile phone tracking and RFiD is replacing existing methods and adding features to traditional instruments in the field of urban design and planning. Advanced tracking technologies have already been used in other fields – those of sociology, geography, transport planning logistics, and biology have been using tracking technology in their research since the 1990s.
This chapter gives an overview of tracking technologies relevant to urban design and planning. Firstly, the need for advanced technology is explained, followed by an explanation of available techniques. The chapter concludes with examples of the application of tracking technologies in practice.
There is a growing demand for knowledge about processes in our cities, specifically the understanding of people’s actual behaviour. Advanced Tracking Technologies offer the ability to give both actual and detailed insight into both people’s individual and collective travel behaviour. The collected information can be used in urban analysis to map behaviour, feed prediction models, for simulation tools and for human behavioural sciences.
The use of emerging technologies such as GPS tracking, mobile phone tracking and RFiD is replacing existing methods and adding features to traditional instruments in the field of urban design and planning. Advanced tracking technologies have already been used in other fields – those of sociology, geography, transport planning logistics, and biology have been using tracking technology in their research since the 1990s.
This chapter gives an overview of tracking technologies relevant to urban design and planning. Firstly, the need...
There is a growing demand for knowledge about processes in our cities, specifically the understanding of people’s actual behaviour. Advanced Tracking Technologies offer the ability to give both actual and detailed insight into both people’s individual and collective travel behaviour. The...
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Urban planners and designers depend on spatial-oriented information and knowledge to comprehend a situation and to find design opportunities and solutions for spatial problems. Geographic location, spatial patterns and the distribution of features or events across an urban landscape inform many people of the decisions that planners either make or help others to make. as we will see in this chapter, a Geographic information system (GIS) provides urban planners with a platform on which they can deal with these complex spatial environments and represent, analyse and model them. It also generates new insights through advanced spatial analysis and helps to increase efficiency and flexibility in the planning process.
Parallel to GIS, handheld Global Positioning systems (GPS) are becoming increasingly available, opening the way for various applications in spatial research. The linking up of GPS and GIS in particular has proved to be a powerful instrument for urban analysis. This chapter is an introduction to the use of GPS tracking data in GIS for the descriptive and comparative analysis of pedestrian movement behaviour and the exploration of space-time activity patterns. The first part of the chapter addresses some key concepts of GIS into urban planning and design. It will address a number of fundamental GIS tools for delineation and the analysis of spatial patterns and relationships. The second part elaborates on the analysis of spatial patterns using GIS in combination with GPS. GPS tracking data will be explored by mapping movement and density in order to comprehend and monitor pedestrian behaviour in city centres, with rouen as a case-study.
Urban planners and designers depend on spatial-oriented information and knowledge to comprehend a situation and to find design opportunities and solutions for spatial problems. Geographic location, spatial patterns and the distribution of features or events across an urban landscape inform many people of the decisions that planners either make or help others to make. as we will see in this chapter, a Geographic information system (GIS) provides urban planners with a platform on which they can deal with these complex spatial environments and represent, analyse and model them. It also generates new insights through advanced spatial analysis and helps to increase efficiency and flexibility in the planning process.
Parallel to GIS, handheld Global Positioning systems (GPS) are becoming increasingly available, opening the way for various applications in spatial research. The linking up of GPS and GIS in particular has proved to be a powerful instrument for urban analysis. This...
Urban planners and designers depend on spatial-oriented information and knowledge to comprehend a situation and to find design opportunities and solutions for spatial problems. Geographic location, spatial patterns and the distribution of features or events across an urban landscape inform...
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The first part of this paper gives a survey of the state of the art of research on human spatio-temporal behaviour in connection with the development of pedestrian navigation systems. The second part of the paper deals with the problem of pedestrian route choice behaviour. It is in particular concerned with localisation technologies and their adaptation to location-based information systems. The third part of the paper outlines three projects performed at arsenal research and the Vienna University of Technology in these areas. Firstly, it describes a research project on the requirements with regard to the development of ubiquitous cartography for pedestrians in indoor and outdoor environments. secondly, it describes a self-learning travel guide for city tourists based on mobile phones and GPS. Lastly, it describes an audio-guide system which provides landmark-based navigation instruction.
The first part of this paper gives a survey of the state of the art of research on human spatio-temporal behaviour in connection with the development of pedestrian navigation systems. The second part of the paper deals with the problem of pedestrian route choice behaviour. It is in particular concerned with localisation technologies and their adaptation to location-based information systems. The third part of the paper outlines three projects performed at arsenal research and the Vienna University of Technology in these areas. Firstly, it describes a research project on the requirements with regard to the development of ubiquitous cartography for pedestrians in indoor and outdoor environments. secondly, it describes a self-learning travel guide for city tourists based on mobile phones and GPS. Lastly, it describes an audio-guide system which provides landmark-based navigation instruction.
The first part of this paper gives a survey of the state of the art of research on human spatio-temporal behaviour in connection with the development of pedestrian navigation systems. The second part of the paper deals with the problem of pedestrian route choice behaviour. It is in particular...
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Very little scientific research based upon GPS tracking in a Danish context has been conducted and up until the present, no research at all has included comprehensive GPS tracking of human activity (cf. Jensen & Guldager, 2005; Jensen, 2003). There is therefore a need for explorative studies evaluating different tracking hardware and methodological set-ups and identifying various difficulties that may arise during data collection. From 2003 up to the present, the Diverse Urban Space (DUS) research project has conducted various experiments with the use of GPS tracking as a survey instrument relevant to urban planning. This work has involved cases including the simple testing of equipment and both small and large scale surveys.
This chapter will first provide a concise overview of the different surveys and tests conducted within the DUS and briefly explain the main methodological experiences. Hereafter, a specific case in which GPS technology is applied to track the movements of park visitors will be dealt with in more detail with regards to the methodological set-up, results and applied hardware.
in addition to the explanation of the general surveying technique and the results, one park in particular is used to illustrate a simple analysis of how Google Earth may be used in connection with real time visualisation undertaken on the basis of GPS tracking. Lastly, conclusions drawn from the park surveys and a number of more general conclusions on the basis of various other surveys are provided.
Very little scientific research based upon GPS tracking in a Danish context has been conducted and up until the present, no research at all has included comprehensive GPS tracking of human activity (cf. Jensen & Guldager, 2005; Jensen, 2003). There is therefore a need for explorative studies evaluating different tracking hardware and methodological set-ups and identifying various difficulties that may arise during data collection. From 2003 up to the present, the Diverse Urban Space (DUS) research project has conducted various experiments with the use of GPS tracking as a survey instrument relevant to urban planning. This work has involved cases including the simple testing of equipment and both small and large scale surveys.
This chapter will first provide a concise overview of the different surveys and tests conducted within the DUS and briefly explain the main methodological experiences. Hereafter, a specific case in which GPS technology is applied to track the...
Very little scientific research based upon GPS tracking in a Danish context has been conducted and up until the present, no research at all has included comprehensive GPS tracking of human activity (cf. Jensen & Guldager, 2005; Jensen, 2003). There is therefore a need for explorative...
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This chapter describes the results of a series of pedestrian observation studies carried out in Norwich, Rouen and Koblenz as part of the Spatial Metro project. The goal of these studies was to observe pedestrian behaviour and to investigate pedestrian movement and experience in the city centres. The cities are engaged in improving the physical conditions and the experience of their city centres by investing in landscaping and engineering of public spaces, city beautification, wayfinding and in communication and information technology.
The Spatial Metro project brings together a transnational group of partners, enabling them to co-operate with a view to improving city centres for pedestrians. The theme of spatial metro is ‘Discovering the city on Foot’. The project aims to make city visits more enjoyable for pedestrians by making them easier to navigate, easier to walk around and easier to understand and appreciate.
The project has been allocated European Regional Development Funding through the INTERREG IIIB Community Initiative. A group of ten organizations participate in Spatial Metro: The lead city of Norwich (UK) and the cities of Rouen (F), Koblenz (D), Bristol (UK), Biel/Bienne (CH), as well as academics from the University of East Anglia (UK), the Delft University of Technology (NL), the University of Koblenz (D) and the Swiss Pedestrian Association.
The main role of the chair of Urban Design was to develop instruments to evaluate visitor experience and to observe the use of public space. The purpose of the observation studies was to evaluate the use of space in relation to investments, (rather than using the outcome as a design tool to pinpoint) opportunities and threads in the city; the outcome focuses on a comparison between the actual situation and real use.
For the observation of the public space, a specific method using Global Positioning System (GPS) devices capturing the movement of pedestrians was developed and put into practice. The recording of pedestrian behaviour was accompanied by a questionnaire adding background information on the participants.
This article will focus on the differences and similarities in pedestrian behaviour in three historic cities in three countries based on quantitative and qualitative research. Do people behave different in these three historic European cities? Can we distinguish different spatial patterns based on the origin and familiarity of the visitor and the purpose and duration of the visit?
After this introduction, the set-up and implementation of the fieldwork will be explained in ‘Way of Working’. Here, the methods for processing the data and the criteria employed in connection with the analysis will be clarified. Following this, the results will be described and illustrations provided for each location. The chapter concludes with a synthesis comparing the findings of the different cities.
This chapter describes the results of a series of pedestrian observation studies carried out in Norwich, Rouen and Koblenz as part of the Spatial Metro project. The goal of these studies was to observe pedestrian behaviour and to investigate pedestrian movement and experience in the city centres. The cities are engaged in improving the physical conditions and the experience of their city centres by investing in landscaping and engineering of public spaces, city beautification, wayfinding and in communication and information technology.
The Spatial Metro project brings together a transnational group of partners, enabling them to co-operate with a view to improving city centres for pedestrians. The theme of spatial metro is ‘Discovering the city on Foot’. The project aims to make city visits more enjoyable for pedestrians by making them easier to navigate, easier to walk around and easier to understand and appreciate.
The project has been allocated European Regional...
This chapter describes the results of a series of pedestrian observation studies carried out in Norwich, Rouen and Koblenz as part of the Spatial Metro project. The goal of these studies was to observe pedestrian behaviour and to investigate pedestrian movement and experience in the city...
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In recent years, a new approach for estimating people’s movement in cities has emerged through mobile phone positioning. As opposed to the more traditional methods of traffic surveys, automated counts, or individual counters on streets, the use of aggregated and anonymous cellular network log files has shown promise for large-scale surveys with notably smaller efforts and costs. In addition, a frequent data feed from the cellular network has also been argued to demonstrate fine grain over-time variation in urban movements, which are lacking from the traditional prediction methods. However, despite the positivist approach to the new methodology, additional evidence is needed to show how cellular network signals correlate with the actual presence of vehicles and pedestrians in the city.
The purpose of this paper is to address this shortcoming by presenting the results of a survey effectuated in Rome, Italy in January 2007. Using the results of the two-day experiment, we will employ statistical models to investigate the relationship between empirical pedestrian and traffic counts on the streets of rome with the simultaneous Telecom Italia Mobile (TIM) network signal and traffic prediction. Secondly, we will explore whether the mobile network data demonstrates the significant time-dependent variation that is missing from traditional fixed predictors like space syntax choice and integration analysis and could thus describe cities dynamically over time. Finally, we will also outline some general issues of accuracy in using aggregate mobile network data for estimating people’s movement in cities.
In recent years, a new approach for estimating people’s movement in cities has emerged through mobile phone positioning. As opposed to the more traditional methods of traffic surveys, automated counts, or individual counters on streets, the use of aggregated and anonymous cellular network log files has shown promise for large-scale surveys with notably smaller efforts and costs. In addition, a frequent data feed from the cellular network has also been argued to demonstrate fine grain over-time variation in urban movements, which are lacking from the traditional prediction methods. However, despite the positivist approach to the new methodology, additional evidence is needed to show how cellular network signals correlate with the actual presence of vehicles and pedestrians in the city.
The purpose of this paper is to address this shortcoming by presenting the results of a survey effectuated in Rome, Italy in January 2007. Using the results of the two-day experiment, we...
In recent years, a new approach for estimating people’s movement in cities has emerged through mobile phone positioning. As opposed to the more traditional methods of traffic surveys, automated counts, or individual counters on streets, the use of aggregated and anonymous cellular network...
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Various applications of geo-referenced information currently being developed are or will be both commercially and publicly available. These applications combine functions such as mobile communication, GPS, digital photography, e-mail, cartography, satellite imaging and internet access. One of the first applications of so-called ‘location based services (LBS)’ has been the tracking & tracing of convicts on parole and animal species in the wild. In the United States, web-based products are available that enable parents to trace the whereabouts of their children, so-called child monitoring services.
Locative media are also a powerful tool in the hands of urban investigators wishing to learn directly from users the specific routes they take and the locations or events they attend. Locative media can help to unveil the specific mental maps that an individual user has in his or her head. The experience and perception of a place or route can be reported by residents by means of short texts and photos.
We decided to further develop geographical research techniques such as Hägerstrand’s space-time path and diary analysis. In doing so we developed sense of the city as a method of providing insight into the simultaneous but diverse patterns and experiences of people in regard to time and space.
Various applications of geo-referenced information currently being developed are or will be both commercially and publicly available. These applications combine functions such as mobile communication, GPS, digital photography, e-mail, cartography, satellite imaging and internet access. One of the first applications of so-called ‘location based services (LBS)’ has been the tracking & tracing of convicts on parole and animal species in the wild. In the United States, web-based products are available that enable parents to trace the whereabouts of their children, so-called child monitoring services.
Locative media are also a powerful tool in the hands of urban investigators wishing to learn directly from users the specific routes they take and the locations or events they attend. Locative media can help to unveil the specific mental maps that an individual user has in his or her head. The experience and perception of a place or route can be reported by residents by...
Various applications of geo-referenced information currently being developed are or will be both commercially and publicly available. These applications combine functions such as mobile communication, GPS, digital photography, e-mail, cartography, satellite imaging and internet access. One of...
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This chapter contributes to the improvement of GPS-based travel surveying by introducing a combined method of GPS, GIS and web-based user interaction, which has been applied in large- scale fieldwork in the netherlands. With over 1000 participants, as far as we know, this is the first time that a GPS-based method that measures travel mode choice as well as the location and type of destinations that are visited has been used on such a large scale. The chapter focuses in particular on the identification of travel modes and destinations, which is still an under-researched issue.
Our approach concentrates on the issue of deriving and validating the purpose of trip destinations and travel modes, while also allowing reliable multi-day data collection. The method consists of an interpretation process and a validation process. The interpretation process uses spatial data (e.g. railways, shops) and characteristics of the respondents (e.g. home address, possession of cars) to interpret data from the logs. The travel behaviour data that result from this interpretation round can be adjusted and added to by the respondents in a validation application. The link between both processes is interactive; when new individual characteristics (e.g. the address of a friend’s house) are entered by the respondents, these characteristics will be used for further interpretation of the data.
The remainder of this chapter is structured as follows. The following section gives an overview of the advantages and drawbacks of current GPS-based data collection methods that are suitable for measuring choice of travel mode and/or trip destinations. The subsequent section describes the GPS-based method that we developed and in section four the value of our method is evaluated by presenting the results of the fieldwork we recently undertook. The results are compared with results from an internet survey that was carried out at an earlier date and also with the Dutch Travel Survey (DTS) that uses paper diaries. The chapter ends with conclusions on the use of GPS-based methods for the collection of travel behaviour data and a discussion of future possibilities.
This chapter contributes to the improvement of GPS-based travel surveying by introducing a combined method of GPS, GIS and web-based user interaction, which has been applied in large- scale fieldwork in the netherlands. With over 1000 participants, as far as we know, this is the first time that a GPS-based method that measures travel mode choice as well as the location and type of destinations that are visited has been used on such a large scale. The chapter focuses in particular on the identification of travel modes and destinations, which is still an under-researched issue.
Our approach concentrates on the issue of deriving and validating the purpose of trip destinations and travel modes, while also allowing reliable multi-day data collection. The method consists of an interpretation process and a validation process. The interpretation process uses spatial data (e.g. railways, shops) and characteristics of the respondents (e.g. home address, possession of cars) to...
This chapter contributes to the improvement of GPS-based travel surveying by introducing a combined method of GPS, GIS and web-based user interaction, which has been applied in large- scale fieldwork in the netherlands. With over 1000 participants, as far as we know, this is the first time...
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This chapter addresses two issues related to tracking people through mobile technologies and spatial planning decisions. The first major part deals with the question of how knowledge developed through the use of new tracking technologies can impact the spatial planning process. We argue that global positioning system (GPS) data are valuable – if not vital – for the improvement of travel demand forecasts by means of an activity-based transportation model when assessing travel demand management (TDM) policies such as spatial planning strategies.
Based on a brief historical outline with regard to planning policies and an overview of various travel demand models, the need for advanced data and their use in modelling practice is shown. In the next section, the other topic of this chapter discusses what kind of spatial interventions can be expected due to the use of new tracking technologies. Here, four application areas related to travel demand modelling are identified and subsequently explained: the use of route knowledge and the concepts of accessibility, activity spaces and mental maps.
This chapter addresses two issues related to tracking people through mobile technologies and spatial planning decisions. The first major part deals with the question of how knowledge developed through the use of new tracking technologies can impact the spatial planning process. We argue that global positioning system (GPS) data are valuable – if not vital – for the improvement of travel demand forecasts by means of an activity-based transportation model when assessing travel demand management (TDM) policies such as spatial planning strategies.
Based on a brief historical outline with regard to planning policies and an overview of various travel demand models, the need for advanced data and their use in modelling practice is shown. In the next section, the other topic of this chapter discusses what kind of spatial interventions can be expected due to the use of new tracking technologies. Here, four application areas related to travel demand modelling are identified and...
This chapter addresses two issues related to tracking people through mobile technologies and spatial planning decisions. The first major part deals with the question of how knowledge developed through the use of new tracking technologies can impact the spatial planning process. We argue that...
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In this chapter, we intend to present the map making state-of-the-art and discuss current and future prospects for the development of an automated methodology for map aggregation that takes into account the need for integration of mobility data and the social networking trend, which we believe will eventually become the main source of geographical maps. This will allow us to abstract a general architecture for a Collaborative Map Generation System and discuss in some detail the technical challenges for each module (and its current solutions).
In doing so, we hope to show that as a very relevant and desirable ‘side effect’, a set of algorithms must be developed that will help with regard to those Transport and Urban management tasks referred to above. We address filtering, map matching, update and aggregation, steps for the construction of the maps, and some efficient algorithms and data structures that are used to compress, process and query the map once generated.
In this chapter, we intend to present the map making state-of-the-art and discuss current and future prospects for the development of an automated methodology for map aggregation that takes into account the need for integration of mobility data and the social networking trend, which we believe will eventually become the main source of geographical maps. This will allow us to abstract a general architecture for a Collaborative Map Generation System and discuss in some detail the technical challenges for each module (and its current solutions).
In doing so, we hope to show that as a very relevant and desirable ‘side effect’, a set of algorithms must be developed that will help with regard to those Transport and Urban management tasks referred to above. We address filtering, map matching, update and aggregation, steps for the construction of the maps, and some efficient algorithms and data structures that are used to compress, process and query the map once generated.
In this chapter, we intend to present the map making state-of-the-art and discuss current and future prospects for the development of an automated methodology for map aggregation that takes into account the need for integration of mobility data and the social networking trend, which we believe...
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Van Schaick analyses the assumptions underlying the application of tracking technologies. On the basis of his findings and the results of the expert meeting Urbanism on track, he synthesises an agenda for the application of tracking research in the context of urban design and planning.
Van Schaick analyses the assumptions underlying the application of tracking technologies. On the basis of his findings and the results of the expert meeting Urbanism on track, he synthesises an agenda for the application of tracking research in the context of urban design and planning.
Van Schaick analyses the assumptions underlying the application of tracking technologies. On the basis of his findings and the results of the expert meeting Urbanism on...