Forecasting inaccuracies: a result of unexpected events, optimism bias, technical problems, or strategic misrepresentation?

Based on the results from a questionnaire survey and qualitative interviews among different actors involved in traffic forecasting, this paper discusses what evidence can be found in support of competing explanations of forecasting errors. There are indications that technical problems and manipulati...

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Main Authors: Petter Naess, Jeppe Astrup Andersen, Morten Skou Nicolaisen, Arvid Strand
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: University of Minnesota Libraries Publishing 2015-08-01
Series:Journal of Transport and Land Use
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.jtlu.org/index.php/jtlu/article/view/719
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author Petter Naess
Jeppe Astrup Andersen
Morten Skou Nicolaisen
Arvid Strand
author_facet Petter Naess
Jeppe Astrup Andersen
Morten Skou Nicolaisen
Arvid Strand
author_sort Petter Naess
collection DOAJ
description Based on the results from a questionnaire survey and qualitative interviews among different actors involved in traffic forecasting, this paper discusses what evidence can be found in support of competing explanations of forecasting errors. There are indications that technical problems and manipulation, and to a lesser extent optimism bias, may be part of the explanation of observed systematic biases in forecasting. In addition, unexpected events can render the forecasts erroneous, and many respondents and interviewees consider it to be simply not possible to make precise predictions about the future. The results give rise to some critical reflections about the reliability of project evaluations based on traffic forecasts susceptible to several systematic as well as random sources of error.
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id doaj-art-04ad9481ee3b4de7aaf5bbc50d4838b5
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issn 1938-7849
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publisher University of Minnesota Libraries Publishing
record_format Article
series Journal of Transport and Land Use
spelling doaj-art-04ad9481ee3b4de7aaf5bbc50d4838b52025-08-20T03:06:10ZengUniversity of Minnesota Libraries PublishingJournal of Transport and Land Use1938-78492015-08-018310.5198/jtlu.2015.719Forecasting inaccuracies: a result of unexpected events, optimism bias, technical problems, or strategic misrepresentation?Petter Naess0Jeppe Astrup Andersen1Morten Skou Nicolaisen2Arvid Strand3Norwegian University of Life SciencesAalborg UniversityAalborg UniversityInstitute of Transport EconomicsBased on the results from a questionnaire survey and qualitative interviews among different actors involved in traffic forecasting, this paper discusses what evidence can be found in support of competing explanations of forecasting errors. There are indications that technical problems and manipulation, and to a lesser extent optimism bias, may be part of the explanation of observed systematic biases in forecasting. In addition, unexpected events can render the forecasts erroneous, and many respondents and interviewees consider it to be simply not possible to make precise predictions about the future. The results give rise to some critical reflections about the reliability of project evaluations based on traffic forecasts susceptible to several systematic as well as random sources of error.https://www.jtlu.org/index.php/jtlu/article/view/719ForecastingInaccuracyBiasModeling
spellingShingle Petter Naess
Jeppe Astrup Andersen
Morten Skou Nicolaisen
Arvid Strand
Forecasting inaccuracies: a result of unexpected events, optimism bias, technical problems, or strategic misrepresentation?
Journal of Transport and Land Use
Forecasting
Inaccuracy
Bias
Modeling
title Forecasting inaccuracies: a result of unexpected events, optimism bias, technical problems, or strategic misrepresentation?
title_full Forecasting inaccuracies: a result of unexpected events, optimism bias, technical problems, or strategic misrepresentation?
title_fullStr Forecasting inaccuracies: a result of unexpected events, optimism bias, technical problems, or strategic misrepresentation?
title_full_unstemmed Forecasting inaccuracies: a result of unexpected events, optimism bias, technical problems, or strategic misrepresentation?
title_short Forecasting inaccuracies: a result of unexpected events, optimism bias, technical problems, or strategic misrepresentation?
title_sort forecasting inaccuracies a result of unexpected events optimism bias technical problems or strategic misrepresentation
topic Forecasting
Inaccuracy
Bias
Modeling
url https://www.jtlu.org/index.php/jtlu/article/view/719
work_keys_str_mv AT petternaess forecastinginaccuraciesaresultofunexpectedeventsoptimismbiastechnicalproblemsorstrategicmisrepresentation
AT jeppeastrupandersen forecastinginaccuraciesaresultofunexpectedeventsoptimismbiastechnicalproblemsorstrategicmisrepresentation
AT mortenskounicolaisen forecastinginaccuraciesaresultofunexpectedeventsoptimismbiastechnicalproblemsorstrategicmisrepresentation
AT arvidstrand forecastinginaccuraciesaresultofunexpectedeventsoptimismbiastechnicalproblemsorstrategicmisrepresentation