How reliable is the Bluetooth-based origin-destination data

Aerial photograph of road

Abstract

The Origin-Destination data have always been considered as the core information in transport modelling and planning as they make it possible to understand the movement patterns in a particular area of interest, during a particular period of time.
Advancements in wireless communications, in particular Bluetooth technology, made it possible for transport engineers to utilise this technology for traffic data collection. Recording the unique Media Access Control number, assigned individually to each Bluetooth device, at critical locations can provide valuable information about the traffic patterns such as Origin-Destination data.
This  paper investigates the reliability of  Origin-Destination data obtained from  the Bluetooth-Based data collection system in Adelaide for the data collected in the years 2014 and 2015. Twenty eight through movements for ten randomly selected sites were studied. The percentages of through movements calculated based on the data obtained from the Bluetooth-based traffic data collection system were compared against the percentages of through movements calculated based on the data obtained from Manual Turning Movement Surveys.
This research has found that further improvements are required before Bluetooth-based Origin-Destination data can be reliably used at a large scale.

Reference

POURHASSAN, K. (2016). How reliable is the Bluetooth-based origin-destination data? Paper presented at CAITR 2016 (34th Conference of Australian Institutes of Transport Research), Brisbane, Australia.

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