Network data - The basis for systemic assessment of mobility infrastructure

Suggested by: Christian Werner, Martin Loidl

Short description: Digital representations of real-world transportation networks are essential to analysis of human mobility. Besides regional or national authoritative data sets such as the GIP (Graphenintegrations-Plattform) in Austria and proprietary networks, crowd-sourced data is available e.g. by OpenStreetMap. While OpenStreetMap data has global coverage, can easily be edited and updated, and is provided at no direct cost, quality and completeness of mapped information may largely vary depending on the area of interest. While general assessments of network data quality in crowd-sourced projects have been conducted previously, several aspects that are of interest within current mobility research remain unanswered.

Research for this master thesis should address one or more of the following topics (but is not limited to):

• Comparison of network data quality for Austria: OpenStreetMap vs. GIP
• Assessment of the impact different network data sets have on derived network indices such as bikeability and walkability (suitability of each segment for cycling or walking)
• Quality assessment of input data regarding derived network indices (bikeability and walkability) and how to maintain transparency on data quality throughout a larger processing workflow 

References, suggested reading:

• Loidl, M., & Zagel, B. (2014). Assessing Bicycle Safety in Multiple Networks with Different Data Models. GI-Forum, Salzburg, 144–154.
• http://www.gip.gv.at/
• https://www.openstreetmap.org/
• https://github.com/plus-mobilitylab/netascore
• Ferster, C., Fischer, J., Manaugh, K., Nelson, T., & Winters, M. (2020). Using OpenStreetMap to inventory bicycle infrastructure: A comparison with open data from cities. International Journal of Sustainable Transportation, 14(1), 64–73.  https://doi.org/10.1080/15568318.2018.1519746

Related to projects: several projects, depends on individual focus 

Start/finish: anytime

Prerequisites/qualifications: Interest in mobility research, data assessment and scripting. Depending on individual topic: database, spatial analytics (network analysis) and (geo)visualization skills.
Depending on interest and availability, this master thesis project could be linked to a study assistent position.