How can GPS/GNSS tracking data be used to improve our understanding of informal transport? A discussion based on a feasibility study from Dar es Salaam

Informal transport is an important factor for people's daily mobility in most developing countries, in urban as well as in rural areas. It has grown rapidly in recent years and influences cities' appearances all around the world. But little is known about its operation, as informal transpo...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of transport geography 2020-10, Vol.88, p.102305, Article 102305
Main Authors: Goletz, Mirko, Ehebrecht, Daniel
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Developing countries
Feasibility studies
Global positioning systems
GPS
LDCs
Mobility
Rural areas
Tracking
Transportation systems
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Informal transport is an important factor for people's daily mobility in most developing countries, in urban as well as in rural areas. It has grown rapidly in recent years and influences cities' appearances all around the world. But little is known about its operation, as informal transport is highly dynamic and its operation mostly unregulated by the state. This paper discusses how informal transport can be better understood by using GPS tracking data. The methodology is exemplified using results from a feasibility study from Dar es Salaam. The results show that GPS tracking has great potential to provide insights into the functionality of informal transport, such as its role as a feeder mode in the transport system, as well as into the comparative advantages and disadvantages of different modes of transport. Moreover, by delivering spatially locatable information on mobility developments, it can deliver important information for integrated planning with regard to better coordinating the interwoven developments of urban settlements, growing mobility demand, and transport supply.
ISSN:0966-6923
1873-1236
DOI:10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2018.08.015