Virtual audit

A method of assessing the physical environment for accessibility features and barriers using street-level imagery such as Google Street View, rather than conducting in-person site visits. Virtual audits allow researchers and practitioners to evaluate conditions like sidewalk quality, curb cuts, bus stop landmarks, and pedestrian infrastructure remotely and at scale. Research has demonstrated high concordance between virtual and physical audit data for features like bus stop shelters, benches, and signage, making virtual audits a cost-effective complement to on-the-ground assessments, though they can be limited by image age, camera angles, occlusion, and lighting conditions.