Applications of Geospatial and Social Media Data to Transport Modeling and Planning

Dear Colleagues,

Technological advances in data collection that relate to spatial characteristics such as location, infrastructure networks, trip generation or attraction sites, and so on now make it possible to collect vast amounts of location related data which can provide a most valuable basis for the analysis of (person) mobility and (freight) transport characteristics and supply networks. Geospatial data, or geodata, are now routinely collected by many agencies, but their full use and exploitation remains elusive. At the same time, the extensive use of social media (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.) is now providing transport researchers with new opportunities for information and data collection that can be used as input for mobility-related modeling and planning purposes. They can offer valuable information for a wide range of applications, from researching the attitudes and perceptions of the general public concerning their travel habits and preferences, to collecting information on emerging incidents as they happen. At the same time, several noteworthy software applications have been developed that facilitate the use of social media for information and data collection and even, in some Twitter applications for example, for direct connections between these data and statistical software (like R).

The aim of this Special Issue is to focus, magnify, and disseminate current practices, results, and methodologies for the exploitation of these new data forms and sources, primarily for the modeling and planning of transport and mobility services and supply networks in urban and interurban areas. Furthermore, potential uses of such data for other fields, such as highway maintenance, accident analysis, or environmental assessment of transport projects, are also of interest. The invited papers are expected to provide data collection and analysis methodologies, examples of relevant applications in the abovementioned or other relevant fields, as well as relevant experiences on how to achieve harmonization in managing and accessing geospatial and/or social media data by several agencies, process partners or stakeholders, how they can be used to support transport sector collaboration and decision making, how validation and cross-referencing of such data can be achieved, etc. Papers that deal with the combination of social media and geospatial technology applications in all the above areas would be of great interest.

I am writing to invite you to contribute to this Special Issue on “Applications of Geospatial and Social Media Data to Transport Modeling and Planning” that I am guest-editing for Sustsainability. The aim of this Special Issue is to provide a close and authoritative look at current practices, results, and methodologies for the exploitation of geospatial and social media data for the modeling and planning of transport and mobility services (and/or supply networks) in urban and interurban areas.

The invited papers are expected to provide data collection and analysis methodologies, examples of relevant applications, as well as relevant experiences on how to achieve harmonization in managing and accessing geospatial and/or social media data by several agencies, process partners, or stakeholders. Additionally, papers focusing on how such data can be used to support transport sector collaboration and decision making and how validation and cross-referencing can be achieved effectively are welcome. Papers that deal with the combination of social media and geospatial technologies applications in all the above areas would be of great interest.

In our records, it seems that in addition to your own possible interest and affiliation with these fields, you lead multi-member research teams that work in these or related areas. We would therefore be grateful if you could disseminate the above to all your colleagues and collaborators that might be interested.

Prof. Dr. George A. Giannopoulos
Guest Editor

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