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Understanding and Using New Data Sources to Address Urban and Metropolitan Freight Challenges

National Cooperative Freight Research Program (NCFRP) Project 49

  • Urban and Metropolitan Challenges
    • Congestion
    • Last-Mile Access
    • Final 50-feet Access
    • Land Use
    • Truck Parking
    • Case Studies
  • Emerging Data Sources
    • GNSS/GPS
    • Radar
    • Wireless Address Matching
    • Administrative Records
    • Cellular/GSM
    • Induction Loops
    • LIDAR
    • Computer Vision
  • Analytical Approaches
    • Speed
    • Location
    • Re-identification
    • Classification
  • Stewardship Principles
    • Transparency and Openness
    • Purpose Specification
    • Data Minimization
    • Data Quality and Accuracy
    • Accountability
    • Security
    • Data Management
  • Resources
    • Source Use Concept Map
    • Case Studies
    • Previous NCFRP Projects
    • Glossary
    • Sources Cited

Main Content

Understanding and Using New Data Sources to Address Urban and Metropolitan Freight Challenges

National Cooperative Freight Research Program (NCFRP) Project 49
Transportation Research Board (TRB)

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The Research Problem - Truck Observability
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Defining and Describing New Data Sources
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Data Sharing and Partnerships

The rapid explosion of new freight data sources is creating significant opportunities for more effective and well-targeted planning and operation of roadways, particularly in urban and metropolitan areas. This research explored how new sources of freight data, including “big data” from smart cities initiatives, crowd-sourcing (e.g., via smartphones, vehicle fleet tracking), sensors (e.g., vehicle-to-infrastructure, vehicle-to-vehicle), and cameras are being or could be used to address urban and metropolitan freight challenges.

The specific objectives of this research were four-fold:

  1. Problem: Understand persistent urban and metropolitan freight challenges facing transportation agencies
  2. Opportunity: Identify and assess new and emerging freight data sources
  3. Applications: Assess the analytical approaches and techniques that could employ these new data sources to address freight challenges
  4. Value Proposition: Recommend how agencies can leverage new data sources and analytics while overcoming practical and institutional challenges
Why You Should Read This Guide

Executive Summaries

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Case Studies

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