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This webinar presents a novel method that utilizes location-based services for collecting public transportation data.

A NITC-funded project at the University of Oregon will be presented that focuses on the development and evaluation of a mobile application based on Bluetooth low energy technology sensors and geofencing technology for crowdsourcing data collection.

The application was employed in a case study using Lane Transit District’s express bus system in the Eugene-Springfield area in western Oregon. The results show that using these types of location-based services offers an effective approach to collecting richer data than traditional means, while requiring only minimal data on an individual's location – thus protecting the user’s locational privacy.

With further data processing and application refinement, the methods presented here have the potential for deployment in transportation agencies that operate at a variety of scales. Participants of the webinar will

1. gain an understanding of the limitations with current methods for collecting transportation data;
2. learn how location-based services can assist public transportation agencies in learning more about their riders;
3. be encouraged to consider how location based-services can be deployed in large-scale transportation networks.

Christopher Bone is an assistant professor in the Department of Geography at the University of Oregon, where he uses geospatial technologies and methods for modeling and analyzing geographical problems from forest disturbances to spatial data availability and collection. He teaches courses on geospatial data and technologies, spatial analysis and modeling, and GIS. In addition to being awarded NITC funding for assessing the collection of public transportation data, he also received NITC funding to enhance the inclusion of sustainable transportation topics in his department’s GIS curriculum.