All datasets have their strengths and weaknesses. While we'd all love to have a single, perfect dataset that enables us to make confident and accurate decisions, in practice, weaknesses are only an issue if we've used the wrong dataset for the wrong purpose.
This article provides a breakdown of common use cases and the appropriate datasets. With this knowledge, you will be able to make informed decisions beyond this list, applying the same logic.
Use Case | Recommended Dataset | Why |
I need traffic volume to inform road design | Tube counts (or similar hardware-based survey) | Tube counts provide a cost-effective way to get the count in a fixed location.
You already know the location of interest.
Crowdsourced floating vehicle data only provides a sample of the total volume, and scaling these values is difficult to do accurately. |
I want to understand where and when congestion occurs | Real-time traffic monitoring with floating vehicle data | Capture rich traffic data on journey times, delays and speeds via a floating vehicle provider like Google gives you the ability to monitor a large area constantly, unlike manual traffic surveys.
Continuous monitoring of a wider area captures information on:
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I need to understand where and when queuing is occurring around my worksite | Queue monitoring with floating vehicle data | This approach provides an accurate estimate of queue lengths and can be run 24/7 on many routes cost-effectively.
The data produced will help those who understand when, where and how significant queuing issues are.
A similar deployment with hardware is typically cost-prohibitive, as each device is likely to cost $10-20k installed and can only capture queue information for approximately 50 meters. |
I have a hard contractual queue limit as part of a content process | Queue monitoring using machine vision or hardware | In this scenario, you know the exact location that needs to be captured, and it is important to have high-fidelity data on exact queuing instances and duration.
For this use case, machine vision cameras should be used. |
I need to know volumes/journey times for a period no monitoring was set up | SCATS or other signals/count data | Where signals data like SCATS is present, it provides an effective record of volumes through a site.
Journey time data can't be collected retrospectively for periods when monitoring wasn't active, so we recommend setting up monitoring as early as possible, ideally well before works begin. |
I need to understand speeds that drivers travel through a road segment | Tube/camera surveys or live floating vehicle data | Traffic surveys can capture the individual speeds drivers travel through an area. If you need to track how average speeds change over time, for example after temporary traffic management is installed, live floating vehicle data can be used once monitoring is set up. |