Smartphone Applications Developed to Collect Mobility Data: A Review and SWOT Analysis

Abstract

Travel surveys and other traditional methods have been used for collecting mobility data since 1930s. Those surveys have been so far the most reliable approaches to understand people mobility patterns, but their high costs do not allow a high frequency collection to obtain continuously updated data. To overcome these limitations, digitalization opens the gate for renewed travel data collection and analysis methods. To this extent, this paper aims to present a review of the various smartphone applications, classifying them according to three different purposes: 1) Travel Data Collection and Analysis; 2) Travel Surveys; and 3) Promotion of Sustainable Mobility. 81 apps were retrieved and analysed in detail and evaluated according to their features and the methods used for data collection. A subsequent SWOT analysis has then been performed to understand the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of using the smartphone applications to understand mobility patterns. Finally, recommendations for future research are put forward.