Building Capacity for Data-Driven Urban Mobility
Keynote for the ITF-Eurostat Conference on Promoting Data-Driven Decision-Making
Professor Robin Lovelace 
Institute for Transport Studies, University of Leeds
November 4, 2025
Introduction
- Who am I? Professor of Transport Data Science at the University of Leeds.
- My focus: Building open, reproducible, and policy-relevant transport planning tools.
- Today’s topic: Building capacity for data-driven decision-making in urban mobility.
- Why it matters for Southeast Europe: Supporting sustainable mobility goals and the path to EU collaboration.
The Challenge: The Data-to-Policy Gap
We have more data than ever before, but are we using it effectively?
Common Barriers:
- Data Access: Data is often siloed, proprietary, or not in a usable format.
- Skills & Tools: Lack of training and accessible tools to analyse the data.
- Institutional Culture: Resistance to new methods and a disconnect between analysts and decision-makers.
- Procurement: Over-reliance on ‘black box’ commercial solutions.
A Solution: Open & Reproducible Workflows
Openness builds trust and empowers collaboration.
- Open Source: The code is free to use, modify, and share.
- Open Data: Public data is accessible to everyone.
- Open Methods: Methodologies are transparent and documented.
- Open Access: Research and educational materials are freely available.
- Community of Practice.
Example community of practice: QGIS
Why is QGIS so strong?
Aside: Geographic distribution of QGIS interest
Pillar 1: Open Data & Standards
Good analysis starts with good data.
- Data Standards are Key:
- GTFS for public transport schedules.
- GBFS for shared micro-mobility (bikes, scooters).
- OpenStreetMap for detailed street network data.
- National Data Portals: A vital resource for official statistics and geographic data.
- Example: Sourcing road network data from OpenStreetMap for a whole country.
Pillar 2: Open Source Tools
Powerful, free, and adaptable tools for transport analysis.
- The R & Python Ecosystems: Mature, extensive libraries for data science, statistics, and visualisation.
- Example (R): The
stplanrpackage for transport planning and modelling. - Example (Python):
geopandasandpandanafor network analysis. - These tools can be adapted to local needs and data sources.
Pillar 3: Communities of Practice
Capacity building is not just about tools, it’s about people.
- A ‘Community of Practice’ is a group of people who “share a concern or a passion for something they do and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly” (Wenger 1998).
- Open source projects naturally foster these communities.
- Examples: rOpenSci, rOpenSpain, QGIS user groups.
- They provide support, share best practices, and drive innovation.
- Key takeaway: To build capacity, invest in building communities.
Case Study 1: National-Scale Planning (UK)
From local data to national strategy with plan.activetravelengland.gov.uk.
- Purpose: Prioritise billions of £ in investment for walking and cycling.
- How it works:
- Integrates dozens of open datasets (e.g., census, road safety, network data).
- Uses a transparent, open-source model (
pctR package). - Provides a web interface for planners across the country.
- Impact: A consistent, evidence-based approach to national transport planning.
Active Travel England Tool: plan.activetravelengland.gov.uk
Case Study 2: Regional Planning (Scotland)
The Network Planning Tool (npt.scot).
- Purpose: Help regional and local authorities design and prioritise active travel networks.
- Features:
- Open data and transparent methods.
- Estimates of cycling potential and Level of Service.
- Web UI for planners and the public.
- Lesson: A powerful tool can be developed and deployed for a specific region, and can serve as a model for others.
Network Planning Tool for Scotland: npt.scot
Case Study 3: National OD data in Spain
- The
spanishoddatapackage provides access to Spain’s national origin-destination mobility survey. - It’s a community-driven project, adopted by rOpenSpain, ensuring long-term maintenance and quality.
- The tool is used by researchers and public bodies, including the Spanish Ministry of Transport, for evidence-based planning.
- This demonstrates a successful model of collaboration between government, academia, and the open-source community.
Mobility analysis with spanishoddata
Making it Happen in Southeast Europe
How can you apply these principles?
- Start with a Data Audit: What data do you have? What format is it in? What can be opened?
- Run a Pilot Project: Choose a specific problem (e.g., mapping cycling potential in one city) and solve it with open tools.
- Invest in Training: Build skills in R or Python for spatial data analysis within your statistical offices and transport authorities.
- Foster Regional Collaboration: Share data, code, and experiences with neighbouring countries facing similar challenges.
Future Directions: New Data & New Challenges
The landscape is always changing.
- New Data Sources: Mobile phone data, GPS tracks, sensor data offer huge potential.
- Companies can be paid or mandated to share anonymised data for public good, e.g. mobile network operators.
- New Challenges:
- Quality & Bias: Are these new datasets representative?
- Privacy & Ethics: How do we use sensitive data responsibly?
- Governance: Who owns the data and the insights?
- New tools provide new ways to add value to existing datasets
Jittering Method for Privacy Preservation
Source: Kotov, Lovelace, and Vidal-Tortosa (2024)
Demo: Mapping Southeast Europe with Open Tools
Results created with the eurostat and giscoR packages to download and map official geospatial data for the region.
Southeast Europe Map
Thank you
- Key message: Sustainable capacity is built on open data, open tools, and an open community.
- Slides and code:
github.com/robinlovelace/presentations - Contact:
r.lovelace@leeds.ac.uk
References
Kotov, Egor, Robin Lovelace, and Eugeni Vidal-Tortosa. 2024. Spanishoddata. https://doi.org/10.32614/CRAN.package.spanishoddata.
Wenger, Etienne. 1998. Communities of Practice: Learning, Meaning, and Identity. Cambridge University Press.
Building Capacity for Data-Driven Urban Mobility Keynote for the ITF-Eurostat Conference on Promoting Data-Driven Decision-Making Professor Robin Lovelace r.lovelace@leeds.ac.uk Institute for Transport Studies, University of Leeds November 4, 2025