Research project CP/41 (Research action CP)
Context
This project relies on data collected during the first national survey on mobility behaviour of Belgian households (MOBEL), co-ordinated by the GRT and funded by the OSTC (PADD I) but also, at regional or local level, on the data collected in Flanders and, locally, in Antwerp, Ghent and Hasselt. Links will also be established with another PADD II project "Determinants of modal choice in trip chains" also studying the same set of data.
Project description
Objectives
This project aims to study the mobility demand for Belgium using the activity chains concepts and especially their spatial dimensions. The purpose of SAMBA is to build a synthetic population that can be used later for creating Origin/destination matrices. In view of achieving this goal, we also have to add a spatial dimension to the activity chains, up to now, only studied through their temporal component.
Briefly, the main goals of this project are:
- the spatialisation of data from the national survey and also from other (regional and local) surveys;
- the spatial-temporal modelling of activity chains;
- the analysis of barriers effects on activity chains;
- the study of the advantages of fuzzy logic for the description of decision schemes of the households setting up their activity chains;
- the building of synthetic population(s).
Methodology
After a necessary geocoding of the travel data collected during the national survey and other regional and local ones, these data would be used to describe the household activity chains focusing especially on their spatial dimension. From this description a synthetic model for the population mobility will then be drawn up. During this phase, an analysis of barriers effects will also be undertaken as well as a study of what the fuzzy logic could bring up for describing the decision schemes of the households when setting up their activity chains. Finally, based on these models, a synthetic population will be built.
Interactions between the different partners
A. Initial phase: study of the state of the art and of the literature
All the partners (FUNDP-GRT, UCL, UFSIA and RUG) will participate in this phase
B. Data spatialisation
The geocoding of data from the surveys will be the core of this task. After a standardisation work, achieved by all the partners, GRT and UCL will be more especially responsible for data from the national survey while UFSIA and RUG will undertake the geocoding for data from regional (Flanders) and local (Antwerp, Ghent and Hasselt) surveys.
C. Modelling activity chains
In this phase, GRT will be in charge of extending activity chains models taking into account their spatial-temporal dimensions.
Based on journeys and, more particularly on their spatial dimension, a description of the spatial-temporal chaining of activities by households has to be drawn up.
At the end of this step, we will have a descriptive analysis of activity chains based on spatial- temporal dimensions and highlighting the most significant variables for their organisation.
C1 Study of the barrier effects
UCL will focus on the study of barrier effects on the mobility behaviours. More especially, the research team from UCL will study how the barrier phenomena (as the linguistic barrier) could affect how the activity chains are set up in their spatial component.
C2 Possible contribution from fuzzy logic
RUG will study which could be the contribution of fuzzy logic in the description of decision schemes that the households set up when building their activity chains
D. Building a synthetic population
GRT will co-ordinate this task. Teams from UFSIA and RUG will be rather involved in the aspects related to regional and local data.
In this phase, the purpose is to go from the sample to the population. Based on the descriptive analysis of activity chains for surveyed households, we will have to build a synthetic population, statistically representative of the mobility behaviours of the actual population.
Expected results
Besides the results (among others on barriers effects or spatial-temporal models for activity chains) which could bring an academic added value through papers or conference presentations, the main contribution of this project will be the building of a synthetic population which could, in the future, be used for evaluating origin/destination matrices for all travel purposes at Belgian level.
Partners
Activities
FUNDP-GRT
The Transportation Research Group of the University of Namur shares its activities between different research streams:
- Modelling;
- Data surveys and analysis;
- Software and technologies;
- Learning, training.
UCL
The "Centre for Spatial and Urban Analysis" works in areas like
- Sustainable mobility;
- Location-allocation models;
- Human and economic geography.
UFSIA
The "Vakgroep Transport en Ruimtelijke Economie" deals with several aspects of transport economy and is particularly interested in maritime transport as well in freight transport.
RUG
In the research unit "Social and Economic Geography", five fields of research are pursued
- Population geography;
- Location theoretic research;
- Urban geography and urban policy;
- Transport geography;
- Spatial data collection and modelling.
Contact Information
Promoter
Eric Cornelis
Facultés Universitaires Notre-Dame de la Paix de Namur (FUNDP)
Groupe de Recherche sur les Transports (GRT)
8, rempart de la Vierge, B-5000 Namen
Tel: +32 (0)81 72 49 22; Fax: +32 (0)81 72 49 14
eric.cornelis@math.fundp.ac.be
http://www.grt.be
Partners
Isabelle Thomas
Université Catholique de Louvain (UCL)
Département de géologie et de géographie
3, place Louis Pasteur, B-1348 Louvain-la-Neuve
Tel: +32 (0)10 47 21 36; Fax: +32 (0)10 4728 77
Isabelle@geog.ucl.ac.be
http://www.geo.ucl.ac.be
Ann Verhetsel
Universitaire Faculteiten St.-Ignatius Antwerpen (UFSIA)
Vakgroep Transport en Ruimtelijke Economie
Prinsstraat 13, B-2000 Antwerpen
Tel: +32 (0)3 220 42 21; Fax: +32 (0)3 220 47 99
ann.verhetsel@ufsia.ac.be
http://www.tew.ua.ac.be/index.php?bid=11
Frank Witlox
Universiteit Gent (RUG)
Departement Geografie
Krijgslaan 281 (S8), B-9000 Gent
Tel: +32 (0)9 264 45 53; Fax +32 (0)9 264 49 85
frank.witlox@rug.ac.be
http://aivwww.rug.ac.be/Onderzoeksbeleid/techno2002/EN/WE/I-WE12V10.htm
Spatial analysis and modelling based on activities (SAMBA) : final report
Brussels : Federal Science Policy, 2007 (SP1734)
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