Origin destination surveys collect data regarding trip patterns and can be used with other information to help transport planners to understand the needs of an area and develop appropriate transport solutions.
Many different survey methods can be used for data collection in origin destination surveys. Some ways of collecting data such as roadside interviews and telephone surveys are quite labour intensive. Roadside interviews have a high response rate but tend to cause traffic disruption. Telephone surveys do not disrupt the traffic but may have a low response rate. Mail and internet surveys are also used for origin destination studies.
ANPR technology is increasingly used to collect license plate information. This has the advantage of collecting large amounts of data and needing fewer personnel, making it a less expensive survey method with no associated traffic disruption. Using Bluetooth, WiFi and mobile phone signals can be even cheaper, but these may have lower sample rates, reduced accuracy and introduce greater privacy concerns.