IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/jotrge/v49y2015icp39-51.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The digital matatu project: Using cell phones to create an open source data for Nairobi's semi-formal bus system

Author

Listed:
  • Williams, Sarah
  • White, Adam
  • Waiganjo, Peter
  • Orwa, Daniel
  • Klopp, Jacqueline

Abstract

In many of the world's growing cities, semi-formal buses form the basis of public transit systems. However, little open and standardized data exist on these systems. The Digital Matatus project in Nairobi, Kenya set out to test whether the geo-locative capabilities of mobile technology could be used to collect data on a semi-formal transit system and whether that data could be translated into the General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS) data standard for wider use. The results of this work show that mobile technologies, particularly mobile phones, which are increasingly prevalent in developing countries, can indeed be used effectively to collect and deliver data in a modified GTFS format for semi-formal transit. Perhaps more importantly, through our work in Nairobi, we were able to identify the benefits and technical needs for developing data on semi-formal transit. Overall, the work illustrates (1) how the GTFS can be adapted to semi-formal systems and used by other cities with such transit systems, (2) that there is demand from technologists as well as transport communities for comprehensive data on semi-formal transit, (3) that releasing the data openly in the GTFS standard format can help to encourage the development of transportation applications, and (4) that including the entire transit community during the data development can create a community of users and mechanisms for institutionalizing a process of data updating and sharing. The engagement strategies our research team developed around the data collection process in Nairobi became just as important as the resulting data it produced.

Suggested Citation

  • Williams, Sarah & White, Adam & Waiganjo, Peter & Orwa, Daniel & Klopp, Jacqueline, 2015. "The digital matatu project: Using cell phones to create an open source data for Nairobi's semi-formal bus system," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 49(C), pages 39-51.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jotrge:v:49:y:2015:i:c:p:39-51
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2015.10.005
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0966692315001878
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2015.10.005?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Hadas, Yuval, 2013. "Assessing public transport systems connectivity based on Google Transit data," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 33(C), pages 105-116.
    2. Jaume Barceló & Masao Kuwahara & Marc Miska, 2010. "Traffic Data Collection and Its Standardization," International Series in Operations Research & Management Science, in: Jaume Barceló & Masao Kuwahara (ed.), Traffic Data Collection and its Standardization, chapter 0, pages 1-10, Springer.
    3. Jenny C. Aker & Isaac M. Mbiti, 2010. "Mobile Phones and Economic Development in Africa," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 24(3), pages 207-232, Summer.
    4. Salon, Deborah & Aligula, Eric M., 2012. "Urban travel in Nairobi, Kenya: analysis, insights, and opportunities," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 22(C), pages 65-76.
    5. Martin Lee-Gosselin & Ron Buliung, 2012. "The role of ICTs in the transformation and the experience of travel," Transportation, Springer, vol. 39(5), pages 873-876, September.
    6. Carlo Ratti & Dennis Frenchman & Riccardo Maria Pulselli & Sarah Williams, 2006. "Mobile Landscapes: Using Location Data from Cell Phones for Urban Analysis," Environment and Planning B, , vol. 33(5), pages 727-748, October.
    7. Isaac Mbiti & David N. Weil, 2015. "Mobile Banking: The Impact of M-Pesa in Kenya," NBER Chapters, in: African Successes, Volume III: Modernization and Development, pages 247-293, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    8. Cervero, Robert & Golub, Aaron, 2007. "Informal transport: A global perspective," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 14(6), pages 445-457, November.
    9. Marta C. González & César A. Hidalgo & Albert-László Barabási, 2009. "Understanding individual human mobility patterns," Nature, Nature, vol. 458(7235), pages 238-238, March.
    10. Erik Hersman, 2012. "Mobilizing Tech Entrepreneurs in Africa (Innovations Case Narrative: iHub)," Innovations: Technology, Governance, Globalization, MIT Press, vol. 7(4), pages 59-67, October.
    11. Tao, Sui & Rohde, David & Corcoran, Jonathan, 2014. "Examining the spatial–temporal dynamics of bus passenger travel behaviour using smart card data and the flow-comap," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 21-36.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Saiz, Albert & Salazar-Miranda, Arianna, 2023. "Understanding Urban Economies, Land Use, and Social Dynamics in the City: Big Data and Measurement," IZA Discussion Papers 16501, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    2. Falchetta, G. & Noussan, M. & Hammad, A.T., 2021. "Comparing paratransit in seven major African cities: An accessibility and network analysis," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 94(C).
    3. Arroyo Arroyo,Fatima & Fernandez Gonzalez,Marta & Matekenya,Dunstan & Espinet Alegre,Xavier, 2021. "Using Mobile Data to Understand Urban Mobility Patterns in Freetown, Sierra Leone," Policy Research Working Paper Series 9519, The World Bank.
    4. Pereira, Rafael Henrique Moreas, 2018. "Distributive Justice and Transportation Equity: Inequality in accessibility in Rio de Janeiro," Thesis Commons d2qvm, Center for Open Science.
    5. Behrens, Roger & McCormick, Dorothy & Orero, Risper & Ommeh, Marilyn, 2017. "Improving paratransit service: Lessons from inter-city matatu cooperatives in Kenya," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 53(C), pages 79-88.
    6. El Bachir Diop & Jérôme Chenal & Stéphane Cédric Koumetio Tekouabou & Rida Azmi, 2022. "Crowdsourcing Public Engagement for Urban Planning in the Global South: Methods, Challenges and Suggestions for Future Research," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(18), pages 1-21, September.
    7. Gina Porter & Jeff Turner, 2019. "Meeting Young People’s Mobility and Transport Needs: Review and Prospect," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(22), pages 1-23, November.
    8. Susan Jia Xu & Mehdi Nourinejad & Xuebo Lai & Joseph Y. J. Chow, 2018. "Network Learning via Multiagent Inverse Transportation Problems," Service Science, INFORMS, vol. 52(6), pages 1347-1364, December.
    9. Acheampong, Ransford A. & Asabere, Stephen Boahen, 2022. "Urban expansion and differential accessibility by car and public transport in the Greater Kumasi city-region, Ghana—A geospatial modelling approach," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 98(C).
    10. Nakamura, Shohei & Avner, Paolo, 2021. "Spatial distributions of job accessibility, housing rents, and poverty: The case of Nairobi," Journal of Housing Economics, Elsevier, vol. 51(C).
    11. Wessel, Nate, 2019. "Accessibility Beyond the Schedule," SocArXiv c4yvx, Center for Open Science.
    12. Kush Mohan Mittal & Marc Timme & Malte Schröder, 2024. "Efficient self-organization of informal public transport networks," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-8, December.
    13. du Preez, Dirk & Zuidgeest, Mark & Behrens, Roger, 2019. "A quantitative clustering analysis of paratransit route typology and operating attributes in Cape Town," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 80(C).
    14. Vergel-Tovar, C. Erik & Leape, Jonathan & Villegas Carrasquilla, Mónica & Peñas Arana, Maria Claudia & Toro Gonzalez, Daniel & Canon Rubiano, Leonardo & Salas Barón, Eliana & Martinez, Paulo, 2022. "Mapping the transit network of greater Cartagena with mobile phones: Coverage, accessibility, and informality," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 105(C).
    15. Sgibnev, Wladimir & Rekhviashvili, Lela, 2020. "Marschrutkas: Digitalisation, sustainability and mobility justice in a low-tech mobility sector," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 138(C), pages 342-352.
    16. David Ziegler & Sebastian Wolff & Ana-Beatrice Agu & Giorgio Cortiana & Muhammad Umair & Flore de Durfort & Esther Neumann & Georg Walther & Jakob Kristiansen & Markus Lienkamp, 2023. "How to Measure Sustainability? An Open-Data Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(4), pages 1-23, February.
    17. Campbell, Kayleigh B. & Rising, James A. & Klopp, Jacqueline M. & Mbilo, Jacinta Mwikali, 2019. "Accessibility across transport modes and residential developments in Nairobi," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 77-90.
    18. Marianne Vanderschuren & Robert Cameron & Alexandra Newlands & Herrie Schalekamp, 2021. "Geographical Modelling of Transit Deserts in Cape Town," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(2), pages 1-16, January.
    19. Lee, Hye Kyung & Jiao, Junfeng & Choi, Seung Jun, 2021. "Identifying spatiotemporal transit deserts in Seoul, South Korea," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 95(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Simplice A. Asongu, 2014. "Knowledge Economy and Financial Sector Competition in African Countries," African Development Review, African Development Bank, vol. 26(2), pages 333-346, June.
    2. Christian Lambert Nguena, 2019. "Working Paper 323- Mobile Financial and Banking Services Development in Africa," Working Paper Series 2449, African Development Bank.
    3. Simplice Asongu, 2015. "The impact of mobile phone penetration on African inequality," International Journal of Social Economics, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 42(8), pages 706-716, August.
    4. Jean-Philippe Berrou & François Combarnous & Thomas Eekhout, 2017. "Les TIC : une réponse au défi du développement des micro et petites entreprises informelles en Afrique sub-saharienne ?," Working Papers hal-02148324, HAL.
    5. Aderiana Mutheu Mbandi & Jan R. Böhnke & Dietrich Schwela & Harry Vallack & Mike R. Ashmore & Lisa Emberson, 2019. "Estimating On-Road Vehicle Fuel Economy in Africa: A Case Study Based on an Urban Transport Survey in Nairobi, Kenya," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(6), pages 1-28, March.
    6. Vergel-Tovar, C. Erik & Leape, Jonathan & Villegas Carrasquilla, Mónica & Peñas Arana, Maria Claudia & Toro Gonzalez, Daniel & Canon Rubiano, Leonardo & Salas Barón, Eliana & Martinez, Paulo, 2022. "Mapping the transit network of greater Cartagena with mobile phones: Coverage, accessibility, and informality," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 105(C).
    7. Simplice A. Asongu, 2013. "How has Mobile Phone Penetration Stimulated Financial Development in Africa?," Journal of African Business, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 14(1), pages 7-18, April.
    8. Asongu, Simplice, 2013. "Mobile banking and mobile phone penetration: which is more pro-poor in Africa?," MPRA Paper 56800, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    9. Simplice A, Asongu, 2012. "New indicators for the mobile banking nexus," MPRA Paper 38575, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    10. Graham, Carol & Nikolova, Milena, 2013. "Does access to information technology make people happier? Insights from well-being surveys from around the world," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 44(C), pages 126-139.
    11. Simplice A. Asongu, 2015. "May the Soul of the IFS Financial System Definition RIP in Developing Countries," The International Journal of Economic Behavior - IJEB, Faculty of Business and Administration, University of Bucharest, vol. 5(1), pages 15-30, December.
    12. Manuela NGABA, 2021. "How does mobile money affect the use of informal remittance channels in Sub-Saharan Africa?," Region et Developpement, Region et Developpement, LEAD, Universite du Sud - Toulon Var, vol. 53, pages 123-146.
    13. Anthea Paelo & Simon Roberts, 2022. "Competition and Regulation of Mobile Money Platforms in Africa: A Comparative Analysis of Kenya and Uganda," Review of Industrial Organization, Springer;The Industrial Organization Society, vol. 60(3), pages 463-489, May.
    14. Krone Madlen & Dannenberg Peter, 2018. "Analysing the effects of information and communication technologies (ICTs) on the integration of East African farmers in a value chain context," ZFW – Advances in Economic Geography, De Gruyter, vol. 62(1), pages 65-81, March.
    15. Eliud Dismas Moyi, 2019. "The effect of mobile technology on self-employment in Kenya," Journal of Global Entrepreneurship Research, Springer;UNESCO Chair in Entrepreneurship, vol. 9(1), pages 1-13, December.
    16. Mothobi, Onkokame & Grzybowski, Lukasz, 2017. "Infrastructure deficiencies and adoption of mobile money in Sub-Saharan Africa," Information Economics and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 40(C), pages 71-79.
    17. Beck, Thorsten & Pamuk, Haki & Ramrattan, Ravindra & Uras, Burak R., 2018. "Payment instruments, finance and development," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 133(C), pages 162-186.
    18. Serge Ky & Clovis Rugemintwari & Alain Sauviat, 2018. "Does Mobile Money Affect Saving Behaviour? Evidence from a Developing Country," Journal of African Economies, Centre for the Study of African Economies, vol. 27(3), pages 285-320.
    19. Haenssgen, Marco J., 2018. "The struggle for digital inclusion: Phones, healthcare, and marginalisation in rural India," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 104(C), pages 358-374.
    20. Simplice A, Asongu, 2012. "How has mobile banking stimulated financial development in Africa?," MPRA Paper 38576, University Library of Munich, Germany.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:jotrge:v:49:y:2015:i:c:p:39-51. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/journal-of-transport-geography .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.