A travel time matrix data set for the Helsinki region 2023 that is sensitive to time, mode and interpersonal differences, and uses open data and novel open-source software

Author(s)

Christoph Fink, Elias Willberg, Robert Klein, Vuokko Heikinheimo, Tuuli Toivonen

Abstract

Travel times between different locations form the basis for most contemporary measures of spatial accessibility. Travel times allow to estimate the potential for interaction between people and places, and is therefore a vital measure for understanding the functioning, sustainability, and equity of cities. Here, we provide an open travel time matrix dataset that describes travel times between the centroids of all cells in a grid (N = 13,132) covering the metropolitan area of Helsinki, Finland. The travel times recorded in the dataset follow a door-to-door approach that provides comparable travel times for walking, cycling, public transport and car journeys, including all legs of each trip by each mode, such as the walk to a bus stop, or the search for a parking spot. We used the r5py Python package, that we developed specifically for this computation. The data are sensitive to diurnal variations and to variations between people (e.g. slow and fast walking speed). We validated the data against the Google Directions API and present use cases from a planning practice. The five key principles that guided the data set design and production – comparability, simplicity, reproducibility, transferability, and sensitivity to temporal and interpersonal variations – ensure that urban and transport planners, business and researchers alike can use the data in a wide range of applications.

Organisation(s)

Department of Social and Cultural Anthropology

External organisation(s)

University of Helsinki, Finnish Environment Institute - SYKE

Journal

Scientific Data

Volume

11

ISSN

2052-4463

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-024-03689-z

Publication date

12-2024

Peer reviewed

Yes

Austrian Fields of Science 2012

507020 Urbanism

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Statistics and Probability, Information Systems, Education, Computer Science Applications, Statistics, Probability and Uncertainty, Library and Information Sciences

Sustainable Development Goals

SDG 11 - Sustainable Cities and Communities

Portal url

https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/en/publications/a-travel-time-matrix-data-set-for-the-helsinki-region-2023-that-is-sensitive-to-time-mode-and-interpersonal-differences-and-uses-open-data-and-novel-opensource-software(6d7b8e19-dae7-4a25-a2e4-59c5fb2c12b5).html