Edinburgh Napier University

  The aim of this paper is to present the results of a project undertaken to identify key areas in which shortcomings in the collection, processing and dissemination of travel behavioural data have held back needed research and, building on this, to define how best, in the light of current trends in data collection methods, these limitations can be addressed. The specific objectives of this work are listed below. To consult widely with the relevant professional communities (e.g., government, research, operational) to establish the existence and nature of gaps and shortcomings in existing data sources and methods. To assess the areas where research gaps can best be addressed by a coordinated 'model' data set collection programme. To report on the outcome of the review and consultation process and to make specific recommendations regarding the locations and types of data collection and integration that might most usefully take place. A brief overview of the historical development of behavioural transport data methods and sources, from simple traffic counts to detailed travel diary and stated preference exercises, is presented. In the second section, some of the current policy drivers and directions that are shaping the development of transport data needs are highlighted and the potential impact of a number of new technologies (from positioning technologies, to XML-based data definition to data warehousing), throughout the data-lifecycle are discussed. The third section identifies and discusses the key data-related barriers that can inhibit effective research and practice. The fourth section presents the results of a user consultation exercise held in the UK during the spring and summer of 2003, with relevant sectors of the transport research and practitioner communities and with users of transport data from cognate fields, including social policy and land use planning. These consultations took place both telematically (through a web questionnaire and forum) and through the medium of a series of regional meetings with key individuals. The objective of the consultation exercise was to assess professional opinion regarding the salience of different data-related barriers and to explore views regarding the desirability and potential focus of one or more model dataset exercises in the UK.