Improving A Priori Demand Estimates Transport Models using Mobile Phone Data: A Rotterdam-Region Case

Mobile phone data are a rich source to infer all kinds of mobility related information. In this research we present an approach where mobile phone data is used and analysed for enriching the transport model of the region of Rotterdam. In our research we used Call Detail Records (CDR) from one of the 3 mobile phone providers in the Netherlands, facilitating between 30-40% of the Dutch mobile phone usage. This means, by accessing these data we have travel information of about one third of the total Dutch population. No other data source is known that gives travel information at a national scale at this high level. The raw data of one month is processed into basic information which is subsequently translated into OD-information (Origin-Destination) based on several decision rules. This OD information is compared with the traditionally estimated a-priori OD matrix of an operational transport model in the Netherlands and the Dutch yearly national household travel survey. Based on
the analysis and assignment results an approach is developed to combine the mobile phone OD information and a-priori OD matrix using the best of both worlds. Results show a better match of the assignment results of this matrix with the counts indicating a better quality of the matrix.