Influence of the COVID pandemic on the data of the System for Continuous Monitoring of Traffic Flow Dynamics on the Road Network of the Czech Republic

Abstract

Floating car data (FCD) is a beneficial consequence of the modern telematics technologies in the logistics and automotive industry, and can thus be an additional source of transportation data about current traffic flows on the road network. There is a state-provided free source of this data available in the Czech Republic, which is relatively new and gradually being introduced for use by the public and private sectors. This data source appears to be very promising for nationwide coverage; however, due to its novelty, it is necessary and advisable to investigate its qualitative parameters and assess whether it actually adequately characterizes vehicle traffic flows. The present paper deals with the characteristics and quality of processed FCD outputs before and during the covid-19 pandemic, for the possibility of capturing and comparing significant changes in the behaviour of road users. The paper describes the impact of the associated pandemic measures on traffic in the country in general, which can be detected during FCD processing, as well as the impact on the quality of FCDs as such. It also tests the hypothesis that although the quality of the data has been reduced as a result of the pandemic, the data still have sufficient predictive value. The paper describes the specifics of the data in the spatial and temporal domain analyzed and makes recommendations for future work for use in models and predictions.