Data for transport planning in Africa – is floating car data the silver bullet?

Abstract

Floating car data (FCD) are a source of traffic information reported by GPS-enabled probes from within the traffic stream. FCD define speed, travel time and movement patterns, all key inputs for transport planning. FCD are readily available over the entire road network without roadside sensors and communications infrastructure, making this a particularly relevant traffic data source in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) where resource limitations restrict the expansive distribution of traffic sensors. This review article aims to investigate the applicable use-cases of FCD in LMICs, while simultaneously sensitising transport practitioners to the potential data biases that may be present in FCD. Particularly, this paper considers whether the context of sub-Saharan African countries allows for the application of FCD similarly to high-income country FCD use-cases, critically examining insights from literature. Sub-Saharan African countries typically differ from high-income nations with respect to urban form, population distribution (and segregation), modal choice, driver population, and technology penetration. To date, there has been no literature that concatenates the current practice of FCD use-cases in sub-Saharan Africa nor defines the fundamental differences between transport and land use planning in high- and low-income countries with the view to determine if these dissimilarities impact FCD collection and use. Literature revealed novel research involving the application of FCD to investigate informal public transport systems that are specific to sub-Saharan Africa, while also determining that accuracy and potential biases of FCD are not widely understood in sub-Saharan Africa. Findings show that biases are likely to occur in FCD in sub-Saharan Africa because of the representation and behaviours of the sample reporting FCD, as well as the urban form of sub-Saharan African cities. The paper concludes by developing a research agenda that will assist to further the knowledge of FCD sample bias and the applicable use-cases of FCD in sub-Saharan Africa.

Paper

Commercial floating car data application in Sub-Saharan African transport planning contexts: A critical review and research agenda (2023)

How to cite: Bruwer, M. M., Behrens, R., and Andersen, S. J.: Commercial floating car data application in Sub-Saharan African transport planning contexts: A critical review and research agenda, Scientific African, Volume 20, 2023, e01692, ISSN 2468-2276, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sciaf.2023.e01692.