http://www.detmangfoldigebyrum.dk/ GPS tracking of people in urban spaces Experiences from GPS tracking of visitors in Public Parks in Denmark based on GSP technologies SPM 2008 presentation, Tartu, Estonia, February 2008 Henrik Harder, Architecture & Design, Aalborg University 1 E-mail: [email protected] 30-03-2008 http://www.detmangfoldigebyrum.dk/ Research Status A considerably part of the data we produce in the “Diverse Urban Space” research project is based on quantitative research tradition involving GPS or in the future RFID technologies. Our research fields are urban areas and buildings. By using our surveys technology it is possible to ask location and activity based and/or time based questions in real time. Questions like: Where are we? What are we doing and for how long time? And why are we doing what we do? Henrik Harder, Architecture & Design, Aalborg University, 2 E-mail: [email protected] 30-03-2008 http://www.detmangfoldigebyrum.dk/ Research Status First part (autumn 2007): Our test case: The Park Survey, GPS tracking of visitors in Public Parks in four Aalborg and the explorative case: Skanseparken (Denmark), 2007 Second part (spring 2008): Our first main case: The Aalborg Survey, GPS tracking of 300 – 400 young people in urban areas in Aalborg (Denmark), 2008 Third part (spring 2009): Our second main case (under construction) Henrik Harder, Architecture & Design, Aalborg University, 3 E-mail: [email protected] 30-03-2008 http://www.detmangfoldigebyrum.dk/ Research Status At the moment we collect our empirical data using GPS units with a direct online GPRS connection to our server/database. Supplementary data is collected qua web org paper based surveys . Case Data collection Server / database Data management GIS analyses Henrik Harder, Architecture & Design, Aalborg University, 4 E-mail: [email protected] 30-03-2008 http://www.detmangfoldigebyrum.dk/ Research Status Henrik Harder, Architecture & Design, Aalborg University, 5 E-mail: [email protected] 30-03-2008 http://www.detmangfoldigebyrum.dk/ Test case: Aalborg Helpark, autumn 2007 We have carried out four park surveys in Aalborg in August 2007 in collaboration with the municipality of Aalborg. During this project more than 20 student assistants have been employed and they spent more than 500 hours in the parks, including time used typing in the questionnaires: ‐ Mølleparken (”the first”) Wednesday the 8 th and Saturday the 11 th of August 2007, both days in the time span between 06.00 and 22.00 ‐ Søheltens Have (”the most quiet”) Thursday the 16 th and Saturday the 18 th of August 2007, both days in the time span between 07.00 and 19.00 ‐ Skanseparken (”the most cosy”) Wednesday the 22 th and Saturday the 25 th of August 2007, both days in the time span between 07.00 and 19.00 ‐ Kildeparken (”the wildest”) Wednesday the 29 th of August 2007, in the time span between 07.00 and 19.00 –not part of the following data) Henrik Harder, Architecture & Design, Aalborg University, 6 E-mail: [email protected] 30-03-2008 http://www.detmangfoldigebyrum.dk/ Test case: Aalborg Helpark, autumn 2007 We did the Aalborg Helpark survey because we wanted to: ‐ test the a large scale survey concept involving 500 + respondents (the organisational setup) ‐ test the data quality and the connection between GPS and other data (using more than .. Waypoints .. ) ‐ test the different types of spatial activity analysis it is possible to make (time, location, speed maps) Henrik Harder, Architecture & Design, Aalborg University, 7 E-mail: [email protected] 30-03-2008 http://www.detmangfoldigebyrum.dk/ Test case: Aalborg Helpark, autumn 2007 ‐Total number of visitors in the parks: 1.415 persons ‐Total number of respondents in the parks: 1.169 persons ‐ Not all respondents want to carry a GPS: 38% (yes) ‐There is general satisfaction with the maintenance of the parks ‐Generally more activity options and better lighting are wished for ‐ In general the parks are mostly used between 15.00 – 19.00 Henrik Harder, Architecture & Design, Aalborg University, 8 E-mail: [email protected] 30-03-2008 Test case: Aalborg Helpark, autumn 2007 Participation (all visitors in the survey) - 49 % of the total number of visitors participated in the survey, and 38 % of the total number of visitors participated in the GPS survey. An evaluation of the park surveys in the three parks based on feedback from the survey representatives generated a conclusion that the main reason why visitors did not wish to take part in a “more complicated” survey was because of lack of time. Age and Gender (respondents in the GPS survey) - 55 % of all respondents were men, and 45 % were women. The average age of respondents in the three parks was: 40,8 years for Mølleparken, 44,8 years for Søheltens Have and 38,9 years for Skanseparken. Average age in the municipality of Aalborg is 38,8 years and division of gender 50 %. Activities (respondents in the GPS survey) - Despite the fact that three parks are different in size and design the respondents on the whole report the same “purposes” for staying in the parks. The two main purposes are: “To get some fresh air” (27 % stated this) and “Experience the nature” (19 % stated this). The least essential purpose for staying in the parks was to “Meet other people” (2 % stated this) and “Retraining” (1 % stated this). Henrik Harder, Architecture & Design, Aalborg University, 9 E-mail: [email protected] 30-03-2008 http://www.detmangfoldigebyrum.dk/ Test case: Aalborg Helpark, autumn 2007 - Mølleparken Henrik Harder, Architecture & Design, Aalborg University 10 E-mail: [email protected] 30-03-2008 http://www.detmangfoldigebyrum.dk/ Test case: Aalborg Helpark, autumn 2007 - Søheltens Have Henrik Harder, Architecture & Design, Aalborg University, 11 E-mail: [email protected] 30-03-2008 http://www.detmangfoldigebyrum.dk/ Test case: Aalborg Helpark, autumn 2007 - Skanseparken Henrik Harder, Architecture & Design, Aalborg University, 12 E-mail: [email protected] 30-03-2008 http://www.detmangfoldigebyrum.dk/ Henrik Harder, Architecture & Design, Aalborg University, 13 E-mail: [email protected] 30-03-2008 http://www.detmangfoldigebyrum.dk/ The explorative case: Skanseparken – Here is the park located Henrik Harder, Architecture & Design, Aalborg University, 14 E-mail: [email protected] 30-03-2008 Taking a point of departure in joining and connecting the GPS data and questionnaire data from one of the parks, Skanseparken (N = 293) the possibilities in usin representatives from the Aalborg Municipality responsible for the design and operation of the parks. http://www.detmangfoldigebyrum.dk/ The explorative case: Skanseparken – who were the respondents in the park Taking a point of departure in joining and connecting the GPS data and questionnaire data from one of the parks, Skanseparken (N = 293) the possibilities in using different types of GPS based Arch view activity pattern analyses have been used. The activity pattern analyses have been developed in discussed with representatives from the Aalborg Municipality responsible for the design and operation of the parks. Based on interviews with two representatives from Park & Nature, the municipality of Aalborg, three types of GIS analysis were developed base on the themes: time, area and speed. Henrik Harder, Architecture & Design, Aalborg University, 15 E-mail: [email protected] 30-03-2008 http://www.detmangfoldigebyrum.dk/ The explorative case: Skanseparken – selected respondents’ behaviour in the park Denmark, Aalborg, Skanseparken Wednesday the 22nd and Saturday the 25th of August, 2007 Time span 07.00 ‐19.00, sunny and clouded, little rain. Average temp on Wednesday 17.5 ‐ 21.5°C and 17.00 ‐ 21.00°C on Saturday. The total number of visitors on the two days were 298. The total number of GPS tracked visitors 132. N = number of respondents used in the visualization = 4 T = total number of logged seconds in the visualization = 1399 S = the total number of hours the visualization covers = 0,25 Henrik Harder, Architecture & Design, Aalborg University, 16 E-mail: [email protected] 30-03-2008 http://www.detmangfoldigebyrum.dk/ The explorative case: Skanseparken – respondents’ use of different areas in the park Denmark, Aalborg, Skanseparken Wednesday the 22nd and Saturday the 25th of August, 2007 Time span 07.00 ‐19.00, sunny and clouded, little rain. Average temp on Wednesday 17.5 ‐ 21.5°C and 17.00 ‐ 21.00°C on Saturday. The total number of visitors on the two days were 298. The total number of GPS tracked visitors 132. N = number of respondents used in the visualization = 132. T = total number of logged seconds in the visualization = 83548. S = the total number of hours the visualization covers = 24. Henrik Harder, Architecture & Design, Aalborg University, 17 E-mail: [email protected] 30-03-2008 http://www.detmangfoldigebyrum.dk/ The explorative case: Skanseparken - Visualizations of different age groups’ use of the park Denmark, Aalborg, Skanseparken Wednesday the 22nd and Saturday the 25th of August, 2007 Time span 07.00 ‐19.00, sunny and clouded, little rain. Average temp on Wednesday 17.5 ‐ 21.5°C and 17.00 ‐ 21.00°C on Saturday. The total number of visitors on the two days were 298. The total number of GPS tracked visitors 132. N = number of respondents used in the visualization = 132. T = total number of logged seconds in the visualization = 83548. S = the total number of hours the visualization covers = 24. Henrik Harder, Architecture & Design, Aalborg University, 18 E-mail: [email protected] 30-03-2008 http://www.detmangfoldigebyrum.dk/ Conclusions GPS Unit ‐ In the light of a number of various deliberations a GPRS based hardware unit (Flextrack Lommy©) with a built‐in GPS was chosen to the completion of the Aalborg GPS‐park survey: firstly the design of the unit was simple, the unit was light and small (it only weighs 99 gram, and the dimensions were 74x61x23 mm), and it had only one small red on/off button.