Tom van Vuren is a chartered transport planning professional with a long career in transport planning, modelling and data analytics.  His strength lies in connecting theoretical robustness and practical pragmatism. He calls himself a pracademic and has worked across the globe.

Tom is a strong believer in sharing best practice through journal articles, conference papers and press contributions; and increasingly uses social media to the same ends. Through practical R&D he has contributed to original TAG strategic modelling advice and continues to do so as a member of the UK Department for Transport’s Joint Analysis Development Panel (which he currently co-chairs).

In 2004 Tom was appointed as a Visiting Professor by the Institute for Transport Studies at the University of Leeds. He has chaired since 2006 the annual Modelling World conference. He is a sought-after critical friend for strategic model development and application and is currently supporting a number of authorities in their updates of modelling tools. He is a former Board Director of the Transport Planning Society and in 2024, he was awarded an MBE for services to transport.

The Webinar:

Transport planners rely on movement data to understand who travels, when, where, why and how. This evidence helps determine whether transport interventions are needed, what form they should take, and who is likely to benefit. It also supports assessment of wider outcomes, such as changes in travel behaviour, equity impacts, and improvements to public health and accessibility.

Over the past decade, mobile network data has transformed transport planning by providing far larger samples than traditional household or telephone surveys. However, while it offers broad insights into travel patterns, it remains limited in its ability to accurately identify travel modes, trip purposes and traveller characteristics due to anonymisation and the inferential nature of the data.

As transport planners we cry out for movement data, understanding who travels when, where, why and how. We use this to identify if transport improvements are required, and what type – for example if we should build a bypass, or improve bus services. Or if Heathrow expansion is necessary; and if we should build HS2. Just as important is who will benefit? Who are the winners and losers? Will the project lead to a shift in the modes used, in the right or wrong direction? How to improve the health outcomes, particularly for those that currently suffer poor transport and health conditions?

This presentation introduces SANDI, a tool developed by Amey to enrich anonymised mobile network data. Using artificial intelligence, Census data and the National Travel Survey, SANDI produces more detailed estimates of travel modes, trip purposes and socio-demographic characteristics. Using Cardiff as a case study, we demonstrate how the approach works and show how it can be applied to mobile network data from any provider.

Who should attend?

This webinar will be of interest to infrastructure planners, civil, highway and transport engineers, local highway authorities, project sponsors, digital construction professionals, digital twin practitioners, transport planners, transport modellers, data analysts and anyone interested in the role of AI and digital innovation in infrastructure planning, investment and delivery.

The session demonstrates how enriched mobility data can provide a stronger evidence base for transport and infrastructure projects, helping organisations make better-informed decisions about future investment, accessibility, sustainability and community outcomes.

Join us on September 15 at 12pm