What Transport for London Learned While Tracking Users for a Month in 2016

Public transit agencies don't normally get the kind of fine-grained location and navigation data made possible by tracking phones. London got temporary access to that info at the end of 2016, however.

1 minute read

February 14, 2017, 6:00 AM PST

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


London Underground

pisaphotography / Shutterstock

James O'Malley reports on the results of a pilot project conducted at the end of 2016 in London: between November 21 and December 19, Transport for London (TfL) tracked the phone on anyone with a WiFi connection enabled while navigating the London Underground.

O'Malley got the first crack at the "utterly fascinating findings that the agency has been able to make from all of our data," while acknowledging that TfL has to justify the collection of all this data.

"Perhaps the number one reason to do the trial was to better understand the journeys that people actually make on the Tube," writes O'Malley in relaying the case made by officials at TfL. The new WiFi data, combined with existing sources of data, offers new insight into route tracking, in-station tracking, and, in a potentially more controversial use for the tracking, data for advertisers.

The first two benefits of the tracking should help with site and system planning efforts in the future, and O'Malley digs into some of the data shared by TfL to get an idea of how the data might improve planning efforts in the future. 

Monday, February 13, 2017 in Gizmodo UK

Close-up of 'Red Line Subway Entry' sign with Braille below and train logo above text in Chicago, Illinois.

Chicago Red Line Extension Could Transform the South Side

The city’s transit agency is undertaking its biggest expansion ever to finally bring rail to the South Side.

November 24, 2023 - The Architect's Newspaper

stack of books

Planetizen’s Top Planning Books of 2023

The world is changing, and planning with it.

November 24, 2023 - Planetizen Team

College students walking on green lawn with neoclassical red brick domed building in background on University of Illinois campus.

Why College Campuses Make Ideal Models for Cities

College campuses serve as ideal models for cities, with their integrated infrastructure, vibrant communities, sustainability initiatives, and innovation hubs inspiring urban planning and development for a brighter future.

November 16, 2023 - Devin Partida

Makeshift shelter built by unhoused people on hillside overlooking freeway in Stockton, California.

Study: Homeless People Face Higher Mortality Risk

Unhoused adults are more than three times as likely to die in any given year as their housed counterparts, research shows.

November 27 - San Francisco Chronicle

BlueLA car share car parked in Los Angeles.

Study: Equity in Car Share Programs Requires Low Cost, Broad Coverage

Data from a Los Angeles car share program showed its impact on underserved communities was ‘limited by its small footprint.’

November 27 - Streetsblog USA

Aerial view of two sports stadiums in Arlington, Texas.

The Largest U.S. City Lacking Mass Transit

Arlington, Texas has the dubious distinction of being the largest city in the nation with no fixed-route public transit system.

November 27 - Fort Worth Report

Assistant/Associate Professor in Indigenous Planning

University of New Mexico - School of Architecture & Planning

Principal Planner

Placer County

Coastal Program Analyst III

San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC)

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.