PhD defense Jorge Rodríguez
(27-10-2025) We are delighted to announce that our researcher Jorge Iván Rodríguez Echeverría has succesfully publicly defended his PhD on "Crowdsourced Data-Driven Methods for Assessing Transport and Mobility Behaviour" on 23-10-2025 at Ghent University.
Congratulations to our Dr. Jorge Rodriguez for successfully defending his doctorate on "Crowdsourced Data-Driven Methods for Assessing Transport and Mobility Behaviour" at the UGent Faculty of Engineering and Architecture.
The jury consisted of the supervisors Prof. Sidharta Gautama of Ghent University and Prof. Daniel Erick Ochoa Donoso, and the examination board members Prof. Dieter Claeys of Ghent University, Joost de Kruijf of Dutch Cycling Intelligence from The Netherlands, Prof. Guy De Tré from Ghent University, Maarten Houbraken from TomTom Belgium and Prof. Ivana Semanjski from Ghent University.
We are very delighted to share that Jorge will continue working with us as a researcher!
Get involved on this news on LinkedIn or read more about the research below.
The aim of Jorge's work is to investigate whether and how such data source can be useful for decision makers and researchers. Jorge develops methods to discover patterns in this data, such as detecting public transport (e.g., train) trips, grouping different types of travelers, and identifying potential Points of Interests. At the same time, I also examine the limitations, such as data quality and whether the information is representative of the whole population.
This research contributes to a better understanding of both the opportunities and the challenges of using crowdsourced mobility data to support future mobility policy and tourism management.
The jury consisted of the supervisors Prof. Sidharta Gautama of Ghent University and Prof. Daniel Erick Ochoa Donoso, and the examination board members Prof. Dieter Claeys of Ghent University, Joost de Kruijf of Dutch Cycling Intelligence from The Netherlands, Prof. Guy De Tré from Ghent University, Maarten Houbraken from TomTom Belgium and Prof. Ivana Semanjski from Ghent University.
We are very delighted to share that Jorge will continue working with us as a researcher!
Get involved on this news on LinkedIn or read more about the research below.
Crowdsourced Data-Driven Methods for Assessing Transport and Mobility Behaviour
Understanding how people travel – when, where, and why - is essential for planning good and sustainable mobility systems. Traditionally, this knowledge is collected through traffic counters and/or paper-based surveys. These methods are often expensive, time-consuming, and provide only a limited picture. In my research, Jorge explores the added value of information that is passively collected through smartphones in the transport and mobility context. These data can reveal how people actually move, for example by train, bus, bike, or on foot, and how tourists behave in cities.The aim of Jorge's work is to investigate whether and how such data source can be useful for decision makers and researchers. Jorge develops methods to discover patterns in this data, such as detecting public transport (e.g., train) trips, grouping different types of travelers, and identifying potential Points of Interests. At the same time, I also examine the limitations, such as data quality and whether the information is representative of the whole population.
This research contributes to a better understanding of both the opportunities and the challenges of using crowdsourced mobility data to support future mobility policy and tourism management.