‘Our Voice Was Heard’: Cyclists’ Movement Wins Support In Crucial EU Transport Infrastructure Vote

Cycling and EuroVelo has been included in a crucial EU infrastructure vote on funding rules, opening the door to billions of euros of investment; read more at ECF - European Cycling Federation.

2011 CENSUS CONTENT AND ACCESS WEBINAR: UPDATE FOR ACADEMIC USERS

Looking forward to 2011 Census content and access webinar today Friday December 7 2012 from 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM GMT

BBC: Cycling and walking should be the norm for all short journeys, experts say.

Well written Nick Triggle! Cycling and walking should be the norm for all short journeys, health experts say, without which, addressing "silent epidemic" inactivity which appears to threatening health situation in England might not be achievable.

This experts' declaration confirms Sir Liam Donaldson's "miracle cure" statement recently;  ‘The potential benefits of physical activity to health are huge. If a medication existed which had a similar effect, it would be regarded as a “wonder drug” or “miracle cure”.’ - Sir Liam Donaldson – Chief Medical Officer (Annual Report of the Chief Medical Officer 2009) (Source: here). Already, economically, it is known that cycling is contributing around £2.9 billion to the UK economy (Source: here).

Normalisation of cycling and walking is long overdue in England; particularly in the North East of England given the health outlook w.r.t. obesity and attitudes towards cyclists as well as issues surrounding cycleway networks and infrastructure.

The consensus on the benefits of cycling is in no doubt a positive one. The emphasis on how cycling updated could be realized is the emerging but pressing issue; my PhD research contributes in this regard albeit a relatively not too big a scope.

Slides: Finding survey data for your research: An introductory webinar

The slides for today’s webinar are now available on the event web page at http://www.ccsr.ac.uk/esds/events/2012-11-27/, should you wish to print them off before the webinar or probably use them later. I just participated so please send any concern to the convenors mentioned below.

Thanks to Sarah King‐Hele and Jen Buckley from UK Data Service! Fantastic and educative Webinar today!

"Copenhagenization!"; Two weeks experience in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Entry: 5th - 18th November 2012

At first thought, I said to myself: "This is not a dream, this is truly copenhagenization!" praising myself that I had just coined a new word in history but the word "copenhagenization" do have a definition. Copenhagenization is a design strategy for urban planning and design centered around making a city more accessible to bicyclists and pedestrians, and less car dependent. (Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cycling_advocacy#cite_note-4).

My own observations during my visit suggest:

1. Space matters!:
It was clear to see that all road space users have been catered for in terms of transport planning: well thought out spaces for pedestrians, cars, buses, cyclists etc. Perhaps I am being bias due to my interest in urban spaces for various types of cyclists. (to be updated)

2. Infrastructure matters!: (to be updated)

3. Mutual respect matters!:
All road/land/track users seamlessly adjust to each other in their urban space movement transactions. (to be updated)

4. Attitude to behaviour change matters! (to be updated)

5. Research matters! (to be updated)
Despite the immense investment into cycling infrastructure in Copenhagen, there are still research (e.g., the bikeability project: http://www.bikeability.dk/) around cycling transportation aiming to optimize urban space design, planning and usage. It appears it is more important for cities aiming to "copenhagenize" their urban spaces leave sufficient space/right-of-way for pedestrians, cyclists, cars, buses, trams among others when designing road corridors. Although most cities, at least for now, find it difficult to implement, or even think of plans for other road users, leaving such spaces will make it easier for future design considerations for other road users such as cyclists. (to be updated)

As a way of ending, based on my own research around Tyneside conurbation, allow me to shout aloud: CYCLING TRANSPORTATION IN TYNESIDE CONURBATION MATTERS!!! WILL THERE EVER BE NEW WORDS FROM THE NORTH EAST OF ENGLAND?:  NEWCASTLIZATION?? TYNESIDATION?? PERHAPS TYNEWEARISM?? TYNEBIKES??

1st joint PhD CONFERENCE of DGG and F&L - University of Copenhagen, Denmark

1st joint PhD CONFERENCE of DGG and F&L - University of Copenhagen, Denmark

It was nice meeting other PhD colleagues in the University of Copenhagen during their first PhD conference organized by PhD students. The ideas behind the event which are to encourage PhD students to share their knowledge, exchange ideas and widen their social and academic network must be recommended.

Exploring Agent-Based Modelling technique for cycle track modelling

This work received grant from EU MOVE-COST project and undertaken as part of a Short Term Scientific Mission (STSM) at the University of Copenhagen. The overview of the findings can be assessed at MOVE-COST Project website under the 2012 STMS listings; Click THIS LINK.

PhD course/workshop: Agent based simulation of human behaviour

November 5-9 2012

Hans Skov-Petersen (HSP) – hsp@life.ku.dk

Martin Rudbeck Jepsen (MRJ) - mrj@geo.ku.dk

Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management

University of Copenhagen

The aim of the course/workshop is to introduce challenges and principles of agent-based simulation of human behaviour and to provide participants with basic skills to author models using the open source toolkit Netlogo (http://ccl.northwestern.edu/netlogo/).

Participants should bring their own PC/MAC. Netlogo should be preinstalled before the workshop. To make a head start participants should go through Tutorials #1-3 athttp://ccl.northwestern.edu/netlogo/docs/ (listed in the left hand panel) before the session.

The course includes

-       generic presentations of the background of ABM’s
-       presentation of case studies where ABM’s have been applied
-       hands-on exercises
-       presentation/discussion of participants own modelling needs and ideas

For PhD students the course will include preparation of a 4-5 page manuscript relating the topics of the course to their own study project (it should include a brief, but running, Netlogo model). The manuscript should be handed in not later than 2 month after the event. For the full course – including an accepted manuscript - 5 ECTS will be granted.

Tentative programme

	Monday November 5	Tuesday November 6	Wednesday November 7	Thursday November 8	Friday November 9
Morning	Course introduction (HSP and MRJ) Introduction to ABM (MRJ) Introduction to NetLogo (MRJ) Exercise 0 (MRJ): A glimpse of NetLogo MRJ)	Simulation human behaviour in Urban settings (BIJ)	Data requirements to ABM’s of human movement (HSP) Simulation of recreational behaviour	Simulating deforestation in ancient Island (NTR) Exploring Agent-Based Modelling technique for cycle track modelling (GY) Exercise 4: Import and application of GIS data in NetLogo (HSP, NTR)	Workshop on participants own models
Afternoon	Components of an ABM (HSP) Exercise 1: The sheep/grazing model (MRJ)	Social networks (MRJ) Exercise 2: Modelling social networks (MRJ)	Exercise 3: Way finding in urban settings	Workshop on participants own models	Workshop on participants own models Course evaluation and wrap up

Additional presenters:

Nikola Trbojevic (NTR)

University of Iceland,

Reykjavík, Iceland.

Bin Jiang (BIJ)

Division of Geomatics, KTH Research School

Department of Technology and Built Environment

University of Gävle, SE-801 76 Gävle, Sweden

Godwin Yeboah (GY)

Built and Natural Environment, 
Faculty of Engineering and Environment,

Northumbria University at Newcastle,

NE1 8ST Newcastle upon Tyne,
United Kingdome

(More can be added…)

Venue:

Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management

University of Copenhagen

Rolighedsvej 23

1958 Frederiksberg

Denmark

Directions: http://maps.google.com/maps?q=rolighedsvej+23&hl=en&ll=55.684166,12.543898&spn=0.007621,0.018089&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=43.664131,74.091797&hq=rolighedsvej+23&radius=15000&t=m&z=16

Workshop on Analysis & Visualization of MOVEment: where are we now? 10th -11th October 2012, Thessaloniki, Greece

Part of this on-going work is being presented in the MOVE-COST Workshop with the theme: "Analysis & Visualization of MOVEment: where are we now?" from 10th -11th October 2012 in Thessaloniki in Greece.

Our presentation can be found here:
Seraphim Alvanides & Godwin Yeboah: Cycling in the City: Understanding Urban Cycling Behaviours and Constraints in Space-Time

Workshop website: https://sites.google.com/site/costmeetingthessaloniki/

Move-Cost website: http://www.move-cost.info/index.php

Cycling and Society Symposium 2012

My participation in the prestigious event - Cycling and Society Symposium 2012 - has no regrets whatsoever. The event was great and informative. But not only that, people I met were very knowledgeable and willing to share. Below are some useful information:

My poster:
Methodological Perspective on Understanding Cycling Behaviours of Commuters


Twitter hash-tag of event:
#CSS12

Event website: http://www.uel-smg.org.uk/cyclingandsociety2012.html

Godwin explaining his poster to Trine

Forge Summer School 2012: Time, Travel and Everyday Life

The Forge Summer School this year, 2012, offered quite an insightful and informative presentations and ideas about the concept of time in travel and everyday past/present/future. The deliberately created informal setting offered opportunities for participants, like me, to establish networks with the potential of further collaboration and future prospects and (forge) networking. I must say that I did enjoy every bit of the programme and kudos to the organizers and sponsors! Event website is here: http://www.its.leeds.ac.uk/theforge/summer-school/

Tracking and mapping cyclists’ behaviours - what GNSS can do

This poster was presented in Gfg2 First Summer School at University of Nottingham from 13th to 15th August 2012. The poster illustrates how cyclists' travel behaviour could be tracked and mapped using GNSS technology. Findings from such an approach has the potential of informing sustainable transport policies.

Some pictures taken can be seen here:  http://www.gfg2.eu/summer-school-2012

Tracking and mapping cyclists’ behaviours - what GNSS can do


Pictures here:
https://plus.google.com/photos/114451028809217972861/albums/5777593298356394897?banner=pwa

GeoTime Webinar: Cycling data in Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.

Using Space-Time-Cube (STC) in GeoTime for GPS data processing/cleaning with travel diaries and secondary data - Video demonstration

Royal Geographical Society (RGS) with the Institute of British Geographer (IBG) Media Release in July 2012 about this research

Royal Geographical Society with IBG Media Office has released an article about this work entitled - "Talk to us, say North East cyclists"

Please see http://www.rgs.org/NR/rdonlyres/6A596F54-5509-421D-A596-691F8607599B/0/120705AlvanidesCycling.pdf

Winner of one of sixty poster abstract competition for GNSS for GEO (Gfg2) First Summer School.

It is gratifying to be among the winners of the poster abstract competition for GNSS for GEO (Gfg2) First Summer School. Best wishes to all the other competitors and see you in Nottingham in August!

GNSS for GEO website can be found here: http://www.gfg2.eu/events/gfg2-first-summer-school

Cycling in the city: Understanding urban cycling behaviours and constraints in space-time

Title of my presentation with Dr. Seraphim Alvanides at the recent RGS-IBG Conference 2012: "Cycling in the city: Understanding urban cycling behaviours and constraints in space-time" 

Please see/click link below for further information:

http://conference.rgs.org/conference/sessions/View.aspx?heading=Y&session=ef5af459-67ae-4018-b91d-f059b05d8214

COST-MOVE WG4 Workshop on Analysis and Visualisation of Movement data. Theme: What can the Space-Time-Cube do for you?

For the first time, I have argued and suggested during the Space Time Cube (STC) workshop that the current use of space-time cube for visualisation should be extended to handle actual processing of spatio-temporal (raw) data such as GPS data from emerging portable small size GPS enabled devices.

I suggested that my talk is seen from three perspectives: first, to answer the question which was also the theme of the workshop - what can the STC do for me as a research; second, to ask the question, is it useful to use STC as a data processing tool?, and third, to propose that STC should be considered as one of the visual approaches to gps data processing. My presentation was title "Space time cube as a data processing tool - a visual approach to GPS data processing".

For those interested in this idea, a paper on this is forth coming...! In the meantime, any critique  is invited.

Geo3 Kolloquium / Colloquium by Godwin Yeboah in Beuth University - May 24 2012

Many thanks to Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Jürgen Schweikart and team - Dipl. -Ing. Jonas Pieper and Dipl. -Ing. Stefanie Henke - for making it possible for me to do this presentation to both researchers and students during my visit to Beuth University, Berlin. I am grateful! I also thank all the interesting people I have come to know during my visit in Berlin! Hope to keep the contacts alive!!! Cheers!

Poster for Northumbria Research Conference 2012: Understanding cycling behaviours of commuters: Methodological issues

Poster_Understanding Cycling Behaviours of Commuters-Methodological Issues_Version_Final

Above poster presents part of my on-going phd work on active transport. Below is the abstract for the poster which was accepted for the prestigious Northumbria Research Conference in May 2012.


Abstract
This poster gives an illustration of methodological issues encountered during a recent Global Positioning System (GPS) based personal travel survey on everyday utility cycling is presented. Participants (i.e., Utility Cyclists) carried the GPS device for one week (7 days) while filling self-administered questionnaire forms. Utility cycling is defined as any (bi) cycling which is not done primarily for fitness, recreation such as cycle touring, or sport such as cycle racing, but simply as a means of transport. This work is, in part, a response to existing calls, from literature, for further research to incorporate the investigation and discovery of cyclist’s perception and experiences (Skinner & Rose, 2007; Forsyth & Krizek, 2011); to support urban designers as well as cycling policy interventions and transportation engineers and thereby increase cycling uptake. The results of the survey are presented. Additionally, GeoTime with ArcGIS technologies are used to map and visualised the collected data.

Keywords:
GPS, GIS, Space-time visualisation, GeoTime, everyday utility cycling, travel behaviour

References:
Forsyth, A. & Krizek, K. (2011) 'Urban Design: Is there a Distinctive View from the Bicycle?', Journal of Urban Design, 16 (4), pp. 531-549.

Skinner, D. & Rose, P. (2007) 'Hell is other Cyclist: rethinking transport and identity', in Horton, D., Rosen, P. & Cox, P. (eds.) Cycling and Society. Aldershot, UK: Ashgate Publishing Ltd, pp. 83-96.

Newcastle is not alone!!! - Berlin to demonstrate for more cycle lanes!!!

Motivation: Newcastle is not alone in the struggle!!!

Everything is in German! - but, here is a quick translation in English:

"On the third June 2012 is the 36th in Berlin and Brandenburg Bike Rally will be held. The rally under the slogan "Berlin in the wheel tracks," is the largest global bicycle demonstration!

On 19 routes - see the routes here - the cyclists from the Berlin area and via Avus motorway Südring will cycle to the Great Star. The rally ends against 14 clock during the traditional festival environment of the Green League at the Brandenburg Gate.

With this year's slogan "Berlin on the cycle lane!" We demonstrate for more cycle lanes on main roads and set them to be kept free for cyclists traffic areas provided for such use. Again and again be provided for cyclists strip - regardless of composition and labeling - misused for parking motor vehicles. For cyclists this create dangerous situations, sometimes ending fatally. Even in cases of massive parking on these tracks, the authorities rarely take action because they think they see no immediate threat of traffic."

Greetings from Berlin - here is the website for the event: http://www.adfc-berlin.de/aktionenprojekte/sternfahrt/sternfahrt-2012/1159.html

Cheers!

MODAP Clinic: ProAnVis - Processing, Analysis & Visualisation of Tracking Data

As an active MODAP member, I must say that MODAP Clinic has indeed benefited me as a Phd student and also as a young research. Below is a summary of workdone by sub-group formed to explore gps-based data.

Group 2 research focus: Exploration of LISA with Pedestrian data set – Rotterdam case study

The group research focus was derived from an impressive presentation by Arend Ligtenberg, who is an Assistant Professor in Spatial Analysis and Modelling at Wageningen University, during the MODAP Clinic workshop. Participants interested in exploring Local Index of Spatial Association (LISA) concept with pedestrian data from Rotterdam formed this group and worked with Arend.  The team members were Godwin Yeboah from Northumbria University; Steffie Vannieuland from Ghent University; Paolo Cintia from University of Pisa; Joris van den Bossche from Ghent University; and  Lorenzo Gabrielli from University of Pisa.

Using the cluster and outlier analysis too, LISA tool in ArcGIS10 software, and gps data of pedestrians from Rotterdam, spatial clusters of point features – representing pedestrian movements – with recorded speed as attribute were identified. The output from the application of the tool comprises Local Moran’s I value, a p-value, a z-score, and a cluster type of each point feature.  We concentrated on cluster type labelled LL which indicated point features with high statistical significance of spatial association and low speed values – identified stops in the data. Also, HH which indicated High speed values – identified non-stops/passes in the data were visualised together using OpenStreetMap (OSM) as a base-map. Thereafter, LISA Z Score versus Movement speed scatterplot was generated using MS Excel and interpreted. Additionally, extracted stops were further explored vis-à-vis number of trips per stop as well as median number of points per person per stop.  We also investigated the quality of the speed in the raw data by plotting calculated speed versus GPS speed using scatterplots and Boxplot – resulting in non-convergence.

As a way of concluding, the tool was very easy to use in ArcGIS10 but quite slow with large datasets – limiting the group to use only BK Parking data – WestBlaak Parking. We found the largest stop cluster around the area between Cinerama and Keerweer street with the cluster cloud covering the whole segment of Westblaak street segment; the second was in and around Lijnbaan parking area. Calclulated speed against GPS speed did not converge. The group did a twenty minutes presentation of workdone to all participants and students/team from Urbanism/Department of Architecture who collected the Rotterdam data. Kudos to MODAP Clinic organizers – we have been well diagnosed and the prescriptions are worth a good attention!

Further details of the workshop can be found here.

Note:  - Please note that the words are my opinion and do not mean any harm to anyone.

School of the Built & Natural Environment Helps Social Enterprise to Boost Cycling in the City - Northumbria University, Newcastle UK

School of the Built & Natural Environment Helps Social Enterprise to Boost Cycling in the City - Northumbria University, Newcastle UK.

Active Travel Project: Article by Jessica Lane from Sky news.

Get On Your Bike For Health and Wealth People in the city's West End are given free bikes along with help to get a job. Journalist: Jessica Lane.

My presentation at "The Forge: Transport and Well-being: Connecting Research Agendas" - Monday 30 January 2012, Politics Department, University of Sheffield, UK.

Powerpoint presentation: CLICK HERE

VIDEO DEMO: 

UNDERSTANDING CYCLING DATA USING GeoTime, ArcGIS, Excel, Bing Maps and GPS data: