Comprehensive Freight Demand Data Collection Framework for Large Urban Areas - Sustainable Urban Logistics: Concepts, Methods and Information Systems - page 88

Comprehensive Freight Demand Data
Collection Framework for Large Urban
Areas

José Holguín-Veras and Miguel Jaller

Abstract The chapter analyses characteristics and unique features of the freight
system, data requirements of different modeling techniques, and the roles of
various data collection procedures. The analyses produce a set of findings of
relevance to the design of comprehensive freight data collection frameworks for
mid-size and large urban areas. Building on these findings, the chapter identifies a
modular data collection framework that would enable transportation agencies to
mix and match data collection efforts depending on their needs and constraints.

1 Introduction

The freight transportation system could be understood as a physical manifestation
of the economy, where monetary transactions create a flow of commodities from a
set of origins to destinations. For that reason, the study of the movement of these
flows or freight transportation system is of extreme importance. Among other
things it will lead to a better understanding of the economic impacts of trans-
portation investments which will enhance economic competitiveness. This point
was emphasized two decades ago with the promulgation of the Intermodal Surface
Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 and the 1998 Transportation Equity Act for
the twenty-first Century (National Cooperative Highway Research Program