Data Collection for Understanding Urban Goods Movement - Sustainable Urban Logistics: Concepts, Methods and Information Systems - page 83

The potential use of urban freight data collected by new technologies also raises
issues about the extent of co-operation and agreement needed between the public
and private sector to share this data. At present, satellite tracking data is the
property of private companies. Public organisations need to work closely with
these private companies to overcome issues concerned with funding and confi-
dentiality in order to obtain access to it.
Large-scale national freight surveys in European countries are likely to con-
tinue to be of assistance in providing some insight into urban freight operations.
These surveys usually have a well-developed and refined methodology and sam-
pling approach. However, the level of insight they provide is determined by the
ease with which urban freight data can be disaggregated from the total data.
Therefore efforts to ease the disaggregation process should be encouraged. This is
likely to include reconsideration of the level of geographical detail provided in the
data collected and also in terms of the ways in which the data is coded.
However, there is little indication that the level of large-scale national freight
surveys in many of the European countries studied is likely to increase in the
coming years. Therefore urban freight data collection initiatives will be required to
be carried out at an urban level and this is likely to require support and resources
from urban/municipal authorities.
There is a need for greater standardisation in data collection methods and in
analysis and reporting of this data. There is also a need for joint efforts between
those working with urban freight data in different European countries to work
jointly in establishing suitable urban freight transport methodologies and analyses
(including indicators) so that data are more comparable. Also mechanisms should
be established to encourage the sharing of data collection methodologies and
actual freight data between projects, cities and countries.
Issues concerning the availability and reliability of the data required for urban
freight modelling (together with the lack of resources available to develop such
models in the first place) mean that, with a few exceptions, relatively little has
taken place in urban freight modelling to date. This situation may improve as
national, regional and urban authorities realise the importance of urban freight.
However, major increases in resources to collect urban freight data are likely to be
necessary in order to meet the data requirements of urban freight modelling
exercises.
9 Addressing Gaps in Urban Freight Data Collection
A wide range of urban freight data gaps have been identified by the freight experts
participating in this study. The most commonly mentioned data gaps include:
• data about light goods vehicle activity
• data about the supply chain as a whole