TRACKING PERSONAL TRAVEL BEHAVIOR WITH GPS: AN INEXPENSIVE WAY TO COLLECT HOUSEHOLD AUTOMOBILE USAGE INFORMATION

To calibrate and validate a regional travel-forecasting model, it is important to obtain information on household travel patterns. These data requirements include the purpose, time, distance, mode, and route of each trip as well as the sequencing of trips within the travel day or travel period. Collecting these data is a complex and expensive process. In addition, the reliance on survey respondents to provide all the trip information required is burdensome and seriously jeopardizes the quality of the resulting data. Technological advancements provide new opportunities to develop innovative procedures for collecting household travel data. In this paper, the authors will present the results of a proof-of-concept study conducted in Lafayette, Louisiana during the summer of 1999. The study used a low-cost technological device that combines the capabilities of global positioning systems (GPS) with an electronic means for recording and downloading vehicle travel information - the information collected included the temporal and spatial distribution of household daily trips in addition to the trip purpose. The study showed that the device offered the major advantages of being able to passively collect household auto usage data and (previously unknown) route choice information with minimal respondent intervention.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/isbn/0935403620
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Conference proceedings available on CD-ROM only.
• Corporate Authors:

  Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE)

  Washington, DC  United States 
• Authors:
  • Sun, X Q
  • GREAVES, S
  • Zhang, Jianping
• Conference:
  • ITE 2001 Annual Meeting and Exhibit
  • Location: Chicago, Illinois, USA
  • Date: 2001-8-19 to 2001-8-22
• Publication Date: 2001-8

Language

• English

Media Info

• Pagination: 10p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Automobile travel; Data collection; Forecasting; Global Positioning System; Households; Route choice; Transportation modes; Travel behavior; Travel patterns; Travel time; Trip purpose
• Subject Areas: Highways; Planning and Forecasting; Society; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00921870
• Record Type: Publication
• ISBN: 0935403620
• Report/Paper Numbers: CD-013
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Mar 26 2002 12:00AM