What is a traffic volume survey? We explain its purpose, challenges, and the benefits of using people flow data.

Traffic volume surveys measure the number of people and vehicles passing through specific sidewalks or roads, and conduct surveys to understand their flow patterns as well as attributes such as age and vehicle type.

While traffic volume surveys are sometimes used to refer primarily to the flow and characteristics of people, and vehicle volume surveys to refer primarily to the flow and characteristics of vehicles, they are also sometimes treated as synonyms.

Traffic volume surveys typically involve not only counting numbers but also measuring traffic by time of day and day of the week, and collecting attribute information such as gender, age, and vehicle type. This resulting pedestrian and vehicle people flow data, including physical movement and attributes, is used as core data to support various applications, such as verifying the validity of store opening plans, measuring the economic impact of urban development, and optimizing public infrastructure.

The purposes of traffic volume surveys can be broadly divided into three categories. Let's look at each of them in detail.

Applications in urban planning and road development

Government agencies and local authorities utilize traffic volume surveys for urban planning, road development planning, and even for evaluating the effectiveness of completed projects.

Traffic volume surveys make it possible to identify areas prone to congestion and roads that require priority for improvement. For example, they can help identify high-traffic roads when it's difficult to improve all roads, and they can also help identify dangerous roads such as roads with high traffic volume but no sidewalks, or intersections with poor visibility.

As described above, traffic volume surveys are widely used as a means to support improvements to transportation infrastructure, such as measures to alleviate congestion, prevent traffic accidents, install new traffic lights, and design new road networks. Furthermore, by conducting surveys again at the same locations after improvements have been made, it is possible to quantitatively verify the degree of congestion reduction and changes in accident rates.

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Application to location evaluation and market area analysis in store development

For private companies in the retail and food service industries, pedestrian traffic surveys are a crucial factor in planning store locations. Since pedestrian traffic at potential locations directly impacts sales forecasts, understanding how many people regularly pass through that area is one of the factors that can determine the success or failure of a store opening.

Furthermore, traffic volume surveys are also used to understand the impact of traffic restrictions associated with construction work and the impact on surrounding roads during events held by government and private organizations. They are useful for proactive risk management and coordination with stakeholders.

Selecting effective locations for outdoor advertising

Private companies, such as advertising agencies, sometimes utilize pedestrian traffic surveys to select locations for outdoor advertising. By identifying locations with high pedestrian traffic and excellent visibility, it becomes possible to place advertisements that reach a larger audience.

Furthermore, when measuring advertising effectiveness, using "programmatic OOH advertising," which utilizes people flow data including people's movement information and attribute information such as age and gender, makes it possible to measure the effectiveness of offline advertising, which was previously difficult to measure.

Next, let's look at some typical methods for traffic volume surveys. Here are three methods:

< Typical methods for traffic volume surveys >

• Manual visual inspection
• Mechanical measurement using traffic counters
• Investigation using video camera footage and AI image analysis

Manual visual inspection

Manual visual surveys involve surveyors staying in a specific location for a set period of time and using a counter to count people and vehicles passing by. While it is common to sit on a folding chair or similar to take measurements, manual visual surveys tend to incur high labor costs if conducted for extended periods, and there is a possibility of inconsistency in data accuracy.

Against the backdrop of increasing labor costs, inconsistencies in data accuracy, and labor shortages, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism is recommending the use of machine observation, such as the introduction of AI analysis of surveillance cameras, in its traffic volume surveys, and has announced a policy to abolish, in principle, human observation in sections directly managed by the government.

Mechanical measurement using traffic counters

A traffic counter is a specialized device that automatically measures the volume of people and vehicles passing through a given area. Because it can continuously acquire data simply by installing the device at the survey point, it is suitable for long-term, fixed-point observation.

On the other hand, while information such as driving speed and vehicle size can be obtained, some traffic counters may have difficulty obtaining detailed information such as vehicle attributes.

Investigation using video camera footage and AI image analysis

Another survey method involves using AI image analysis on video footage to measure traffic volume. Because the analysis is based on video data, it can often obtain attribute information such as age and vehicle type, which is difficult to capture with traffic counters.

However, in adverse weather conditions such as rain or fog, the image quality may deteriorate, potentially affecting the accuracy of the analysis, so care must be taken when choosing the installation location.

The conventional traffic volume surveys mentioned above have several drawbacks. The main drawbacks are as follows:

< Main challenges of conventional traffic volume survey methods >

• Data accuracy is easily affected by the circumstances.
• There are limitations to the scope of the survey; costs increase if the scope is wide.
• Securing investigators is difficult, and labor costs are soaring.
• The preparation involved, such as applying to the police station in advance, is quite burdensome.

First, there is the issue of data accuracy. With visual surveys and surveys using video cameras, the accuracy of measurements can decrease due to environmental conditions such as bad weather or nighttime, and the accuracy of acquired data is easily affected by the situation.

Next, there are limitations to the scope of the survey. Surveys conducted manually or with specialized equipment are limited to specific locations and periods, making it difficult to comprehensively grasp the flow of people and vehicles over a wide area. Expanding the target area tends to increase labor costs and equipment costs, resulting in a greater cost burden.

Furthermore, the increasing difficulty in securing investigators, coupled with rising personnel costs, is another factor contributing to the rising investigation costs. In addition, prior application to the police station is often required for the deployment of investigators and the installation of equipment, which adds time and effort to the preparation process.

In addition, handling of video camera footage requires strict management from a personal information protection standpoint. This will necessitate limiting the purpose of use and establishing appropriate operational systems.

In recent years, the use of "people flow data" has attracted attention as a means of solving the problems inherent in conventional traffic volume surveys. people flow data includes not only movement information such as when, where, how much, and how people moved at a specific location, but also attribute information such as age and gender.

In recent years, data collection has become possible through smartphone GPS and Wi-Fi hotspot connection information, and the use of people flow data is expanding in various fields, including traffic volume surveys.

Traffic volume surveys that utilize people flow data offer several advantages, primarily as follows:

< people flow: Key Benefits of Utilizing Data>

• It is possible to track people's movements in real time and historically.
• It enables the collection of data over a wide area and over a long period of time.
• Unaffected by environmental factors such as weather and time of day
• No need to arrange for investigators, set up equipment, or apply for prior approval from the police station.

By utilizing people flow data, it is possible to understand people's movements in real time and to perform trend analysis by comparing them with accumulated historical data. Furthermore, unlike conventional surveys that are limited to specific locations and periods, it is possible to collect data over a wide area and over a long period.

Furthermore, accuracy is not affected by weather or time of day, and no prior preparation such as arranging surveyors or setting up equipment is required. The ability to broadly address the challenges of conventional survey methods is a major advantage of traffic volume surveys utilizing people flow data.

Furthermore, people flow data provided by GeoTechnologies, Inc. includes attribute data such as gender and age, allowing for analysis beyond simply tracking who passed through. Qualitative analysis, such as "why people are in that area," which is not visible through quantitative traffic volume surveys alone, can also be obtained through GeoTechnologies, Inc.' web-based survey service, "Geo-Research Geo-Research."

When opening a new store, a misjudgment in location selection can lead to losses of tens of millions of yen. To mitigate such risks, it is crucial to eliminate as much uncertainty in decision-making as possible and minimize investment risk.

Regardless of the method used, traffic volume surveys incur certain costs, but when compared to the potential losses resulting from poor location selection, they can be seen as "an insurance premium to avoid making a mistake in judgment."

In particular, traffic volume surveys utilizing highly accurate people flow data are an effective means of minimizing investment risk, as they enable decisions based on objective and comprehensive data.

When evaluating the return on investment (ROI) of traffic volume surveys, it is important to consider not only the cost reduction effect but also the value in terms of risk avoidance, such as avoiding judgment errors and improving the probability of success.

GeoTechnologies, Inc. offers "Road Traffic Cloud," a cloud service that can estimate traffic volume for each road based on more than one billion people flow data points per day. "Road Traffic Cloud" is available as an optional feature of the map cloud service "MapFan API."

While most general people flow data is obtained by analyzing areas in mesh (district) units, the "Road Traffic Cloud" allows for data acquisition at the road level. This enables focused analysis, such as analyzing roads adjacent to potential store locations or roads connecting to specific intersections. Another major feature is the ability to track pedestrian and vehicular traffic separately.

Furthermore, because it allows for the continuous collection of data over a wide range of periods, it enables the acquisition of highly comprehensive information at a lower cost compared to traditional manual surveys. This service strongly supports data-driven decision-making in the retail industry, such as store opening and closing plans and demand forecasting.

Traffic volume surveys are essential for decision-making regarding road improvements and store opening plans. In particular, misselecting a store location can lead to significant losses, so surveys utilizing highly accurate people flow data are invaluable.

GeoTechnologies, Inc. supports data utilization in a wide range of business scenarios, including store opening plans and road maintenance, through its "Road Traffic Cloud," which is based on over 1 billion people flow data points per day. If you are considering using people flow data for traffic volume surveys, please contact GeoTechnologies, Inc..

What is a traffic volume survey?

Traffic volume surveys involve measuring the number of people and vehicles passing on sidewalks and roads to understand their flow patterns. These surveys often go beyond simple counting; they typically include measurements for different times of day and days of the week, and also collect attribute information such as gender, age, and vehicle type.

How are traffic volume surveys conducted?

Traffic volume surveys primarily involve manual visual inspections, mechanical measurements using traffic counters, and surveys combining video camera footage with AI image analysis. In recent years, technological advancements have led to traffic volume surveys that utilize people flow data, including information on people's movements and attribute information such as age and gender.

How can we improve the accuracy of traffic volume surveys?

To improve the accuracy of traffic volume surveys, methods utilizing people flow data are effective. Traditional survey methods have drawbacks such as results being easily influenced by conditions like weather and time of day, and the inability to obtain sufficient detailed data necessary for decision-making. On the other hand, traffic volume surveys utilizing people flow data can obtain data over a wide area and for long periods, as well as real-time and historical data. Furthermore, there is no need to arrange for surveyors or prepare in advance by applying for permits.