An Origin-Destination Matrix Estimate for Baghdad City Based on GIS

Baghdad suffers a deficiency in the application of urban transportation planning process, especially in selecting the suitable transport policies to solve transportation problems. One of the important inputs to the transportation planning process is the Origin – Destination Matrix. The O-D matrix is the travel demand between the pair of origin and destination zones and is one of the necessary goals of transportation studies. Estimation of an O-D matrix using the conventional process requires the collection of a huge amount of data. In Baghdad city, there has been no O-D matrix formulated. Accordingly, a prior O-D matrix is estimated in this study. The present research methodology is based on the estimated O-D matrix for Baghdad city in 1987 (prior matrix) and then updated to 2014 using the collected traffic count data as the basis for travel forecasting. The results of this study provide a guide to the local transportation agencies to select the right transport policies, maximize their revenue and better allocate their resources.