On February 1st, a webinar took place on cycle data organised by ITS.be. Speaking at this webinar on behalf of MegaBITS was Evelien Marlier, Project Manager at imec. During her presentation, she highlighted the current issues when it comes to cycle data, namely, that cycle data isn’t gathered in a consistent way.
Information is shared in different formats, the terms of use vary, and even simple definitions, such as what is considered as a bicycle, vary from country to country. Apart from a lack of standardisation, there are also problems with data gathering and data cleaning: these processes are often repeated multiple times because processed data and results are not shared. This is a problem that needs to be tackled.
One solution to this mentioned by Evelien Marlier is the creation of a Bike Data Space. A data space makes it easier to share and find data. It can facilitate data value creation, through data usage accounting and data discovery, and makes it possible to provide extra services such as linking datasets, building visualizations, or analysing historical data.
Another topic raised was ‘Floating Bike Data’ (FBD). Modelled off the automotive equivalent ‘Floating Car Data’, FBD has the potential to give much greater insight into cycling trips. MegaBITS partners are currently mapping use-cases of FBD and research is being conducted to see how we can work towards an EU-standard and a mutual definition on FBD. In the last couple of weeks, several experts and suppliers have been interviewed to give their input on the topic. The outcomes will be shared in April in a report.
Evelien ended her presentation by saying that although significant efforts around cycling data have occurred in the last year, additional investments are needed to get much more out of this crucial source of transport data. After all, better cycling data can provide better insights that can support cycling policy, increasing safety, comfort and convenience for cyclists.
Access Evelien Marlier presentation “The Current Status of Bike Data/Data Space” below.
Evelien Marlier, Project Manager and Domain Lead Urban Mobility and Logistics, IMEC
