Data Analytics

As both people and 'things' become increasingly connected to the internet, the quantity and speed of datasets being collected and made available for transport planning purposes are growing exponentially. 

A key outcome of real-time data collection and storage is that conventional spreadsheet tools are unable to handle the scale of datasets that ITP is increasingly using to generate analysis and insight.

Pople On Phones

We have developed a team of transport data specialists with the ability to use computational analysis techniques and programming languages to make sense of Big Data that we otherwise could not handle or analyse. Increasingly this involves creating new data analysis tools or custom scripts in Python or R. 

We have applied these skills to projects as diverse as major public transport network optimisation reviews in Kyiv and Nairobi, and detailed trip-matching analysis of demand-responsive travel services in Lincolnshire. In doing so we have coupled raw outputs with our data visualisation capabilities to bring our findings to life.

Capabilities

  • Computational analytics using SQL and Python
  • Application of Big Data relevant to transport
  • Algorithm design and implementation
  • Data science research and application

Collideoscope - cycle incident web-application

Drawing inspiration from the aviation industry, we worked with partners at mySociety to develop Collidescope – a public cycle incident and near-miss reporting tool that works in all web browsers. This not-for-profit project was boosted by funding from Barts and The Royal London NHS Trust’s charitable arm, and the Department for Transport. 

Anonymised reports collected through the Collideoscope website are published, alongside DfT’s STATS19 reports, as open data. The Bespoke Study, which is researching cyclist injuries and recovery, as well as a growing number of UK local authorities, is using the data to better understand patterns of cycle incidents and near-misses. By analysing near-miss reports and comparing them with official KSI statistics, we were able to demonstrate the data being collected by Collideoscope complement, rather than replicate, the incidents recorded in STATS19 police reports.

Collideoscope 1
Efficientcy Reviews Lincolnshire

Lincolnshire Total Transport Efficiency Review

ITP worked with Lincolnshire County Council and partners in the health and voluntary sectors to help prepare their successful bid to the UK government's Total Transport Fund. Our work to write the funding bid and focus key project concepts (on integrating transport services of different natures to optimise their provision for rural communities) unlocked £400,000 for local feasibility and pilot projects.

Subsequent work with Council Officers has helped deliver the Total Connect project, by reviewing criteria for prioritising support for local bus services to result in a model that better reflects Council objectives. We applied accessibility modelling techniques to GIS and socio-economic data to evidence potential efficiencies in how CallConnect (Lincolnshire’s Demand Responsive Transport service) and NHS non-emergency patient and wellbeing transport services could be combined. ITP evaluated a 1 month pilot of combined service delivery, which demonstrated the clear potential for patient and Call Connect users' journey requests to be integrated. This highlighted a need for shared IT systems to plan and schedule journeys if cost savings are to be fully realised. 

University of Nottingham Knowledge Transfer Partnership

We established a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) with the University of Nottingham to investigate sources of open transport data and create new tools to exploit them. This meant practically applying the University’s expertise in data science and Human Factors to develop new spatial analysis tools that were subsequently used to add value to ITP projects.

The partnership built on ITP's existing in-house knowledge, software development capabilities, and cloud server experience - producing valuable academic research that has been presented at national and international conferences. Dr Mark Dimond joined our team at the end of the KTP and the transport data tools he helped create are now central to the collection and manipulation of data for many ITP projects.

Ktp