Data Collection for Understanding Urban Goods Movement - Sustainable Urban Logistics: Concepts, Methods and Information Systems - page 80

• In some countries relatively little urban freight data is collected. In these
countries, data gaps are substantial. This lack of data is often based on a lack of
appreciation of the need for urban freight data by national, regional and local
(urban) authorities.
• Even when urban freight data is being collected, it is common for different data
collection exercises (either in the same country or in another country) to use
different data collection methodologies. This results in data gaps when com-
parisons between datasets are attempted. In addition, reporting of freight data
and analysis of data varies between studies carried out.
• The experts have identified a wide range of specific urban freight data gaps.
Common data gaps mentioned by several experts include: (i) data about light
goods vehicle activity (i.e. up to 3.5 tonnes gross weight), (ii) data about the
supply chain as a whole (i.e. the links between urban freight activity and the
freight activity upstream in the supply chain), (iii) data about freight and
logistics infrastructure to and from which urban freight activity takes place, (iv)
sectoral data about urban freight activity (i.e. much urban freight data does not
distinguish the type of supply chain involved and goods carried), (v) data about
loading and unloading operations and infrastructure for goods vehicles, (vi)
insufficient geographical detail about goods vehicle trips in urban areas, (vii)
data collection concerning the trips carried out by consumers for the purposes of
shopping (which is a form of urban freight transport but which is often not
defined as such for the purposes of urban freight data collection exercises 4 ),
(viii) insufficient freight data for non-road modes, and (ix) often relatively little
information is available about how data was collected and processed, and about
the reliability of the data.
• In thinking about data gaps it is necessary to consider the different uses of urban
freight data. It can be used in its own right by policymakers and researchers to
understand existing patterns of freight flow and vehicle activity, to monitor
freight performance and responses to policy measures. Freight data can also be
used as an input to modelling exercises.
7 Urban Freight Transport Indicators
Respondents were asked to provide details of indicators used by governments or
researchers to measure the performance of urban freight transport in their coun-
tries. They were also asked to include details of any urban freight transport
indicators that they thought would be useful even if they were not aware of the
indicator being used currently.
4 Such data are collected via personal trip surveys and traffic counts, which are not adapted to
urban goods movement characterisation.