MOVING BEYOND OBSERVED OUTCOMES: INTEGRATING GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEMS AND INTERACTIVE COMPUTER-BASED TRAVEL BEHAVIOR SURVEYS

This paper focuses on the use of the Global Positioning System (GPS) to enhance and extend travel behavior survey methods. The paper first describes the testing of a passive vehicle-based GPS tracking system in Quebec City, then describes the development of algorithms with a geographic information system (GIS) that can be used to automatically match the GPS data to road segments along a network, and identify stops along the way. While such processing results in a very detailed depiction of travel, key pieces of information are still needed to complete the pattern of travel--including in the least, trip purpose, multi-stop information, and short undetected stops. Perhaps more seriously, such data are limited to the observed patterns, which does little to explain the underlying behavioral processes that led to the observed patterns. While many researchers agree that investigation of these processes is crucial to an improved understanding of travel behavior, existing GPS-related travel surveys are limited to the replication of observed travel patterns in parallel to traditional trip/activity diary surveys, albeit with a higher level of detail. This paper attempts to explore how GPS traced routes and stops could be used as a "memory jogger" for more in-depth explorations of travel behavior in a home-based survey approach. These include exploration of more detailed spatial-temporal patterns and the decision processes that underlie route and activity-travel scheduling decisions. This paper culminates in the description of a comprehensive approach that combines GPS and GIS technologies with a recently developed computerized activity scheduling survey that has the potential to simultaneously observe detailed spatial-temporal activity-travel patterns and underlying decision processes of individuals within a household over long periods of time, while at the same time minimizing respondent burden.

• Record URL:
  http://onlinepubs.trb.org/onlinepubs/circulars/ec026/ec026.pdf
• Record URL:
  https://onlinepubs.trb.org/onlinepubs/circulars/ec026/20_youssefzadeh.pdf
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• Supplemental Notes:
  • Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved
• Corporate Authors:

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• Authors:
  • Doherty, S T
  • Noel, N
  • Gosselin, M-L
  • Sirois, C
  • Ueno, M
• Conference:
  • Personal Travel: The Long and Short of It
  • Location: Washington, D.C.
  • Date: 1999-6-28 to 1999-7-1
• Publication Date: 2001-3

Language

• English

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References;
• Pagination: p. 449-466
• Monograph Title: PERSONAL TRAVEL: THE LONG AND SHORT OF IT. CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS, JUNE 28 - JULY 1, 1999, WASHINGTON, D.C.
• Serial:
  • Transportation Research Circular
  • Issue Number: E-C026
  • Publisher: Transportation Research Board
  • ISSN: 0097-8515

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Decision making; Geographic information systems; Global Positioning System; Interactive computer systems; Scheduling; Travel behavior; Travel patterns; Travel surveys
• Geographic Terms: Quebec (Canada)
• Subject Areas: Highways; Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00812451
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: E-C026
• Files: NTL, TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Jun 11 2001 12:00AM