In November-December 2016, STRATEC, on behalf of Brussels Mobility, conducted a pilot origin-destination survey in Brussels, using a smartphone application specifically designed for travel surveys. This pilot survey was carried out in collaboration with the American company Mobile Market Monitor, which developed the application. The objective of the pilot survey was to assess the technical feasibility of this survey method, its performance, but also its specific limitations and difficulties, and its advantages and disadvantages compared to conventional survey methods (face-to-face, by phone, online). The sample (124 people) was collected on a voluntary basis from three public organizations in the Region, without representativeness requirements. Both qualitative insights and quantitative indicators were derived from this pilot.
The initial results were presented at the big data conference organized by DGITM and ENS Saclay, in Paris, in February 2017, and at the exchange days organized by CEREMA, CNFPT, and FNAU, also in Paris, in April 2017. Despite current limitations, this pilot and other experiments of this kind in Europe and elsewhere undeniably mark the beginning of a new era for travel surveys.
