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Exploring the potential of open big data from ticketing websites to characterize travel patterns within the Chinese high-speed rail system

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  • Sheng Wei
  • Jinfu Yuan
  • Yanning Qiu
  • Xiali Luan
  • Shanrui Han
  • Wen Zhou
  • Chi Xu

Abstract

Big data have contributed to deepen our understanding in regards to many human systems, particularly human mobility patterns and the structure and functioning of transportation systems. Resonating the recent call for ‘open big data,’ big data from various sources on a range of scales have become increasingly accessible to the public. However, open big data relevant to travelers within public transit tools remain scarce, hindering any further in-depth study on human mobility patterns. Here, we explore ticketing-website derived data that are publically available but have been largely neglected. We demonstrate the power, potential and limitations of this open big data, using the Chinese high-speed rail (HSR) system as an example. Using an application programming interface, we automatically collected the data on the remaining tickets (RTD) for scheduled trains at the last second before departure in order to retrieve information on unused transit capacity, occupancy rate of trains, and passenger flux at stations. We show that this information is highly useful in characterizing the spatiotemporal patterns of traveling behaviors on the Chinese HSR, such as weekend traveling behavior, imbalanced commuting behavior, and station functionality. Our work facilitates the understanding of human traveling patterns along the Chinese HSR, and the functionality of the largest HSR system in the world. We expect our work to attract attention regarding this unique open big data source for the study of analogous transportation systems.

Suggested Citation

  • Sheng Wei & Jinfu Yuan & Yanning Qiu & Xiali Luan & Shanrui Han & Wen Zhou & Chi Xu, 2017. "Exploring the potential of open big data from ticketing websites to characterize travel patterns within the Chinese high-speed rail system," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 12(6), pages 1-13, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0178023
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0178023
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Huang, Yan & Zong, Huiming, 2022. "The intercity railway connections in China: A comparative analysis of high-speed train and conventional train services," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 120(C), pages 89-103.
    2. Sheng Wei & Lei Wang, 2020. "Examining the population flow network in China and its implications for epidemic control based on Baidu migration data," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 7(1), pages 1-10, December.
    3. Haonan Chen & Tianqi Zhu & Lijuan Zhao, 2024. "High-Speed Railway Opening, Industrial Symbiotic Agglomeration and Green Sustainable Development—Empirical Evidence from China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(5), pages 1-20, March.
    4. Weichen Liu & Jiaying Guo & Wei Wu & Youhui Cao, 2022. "The evolution of regional spatial structure influenced by passenger rail service: A case study of the Yangtze River Delta," Growth and Change, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 53(2), pages 651-679, June.

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