Urban Travel Route and Activity Choice Survey (UTRACS): An Internet-Based Prompted Recall Activity Travel Survey using GPS Data

“Urban Travel Route and Activity Choice Survey (UTRACS): An Internet-Based Prompted Recall Activity Travel Survey using GPS Data” by Martina Z. Frignani, Joshua Auld, Abolfazl Mohammadian, Chad Williams, and Peter Nelson. In Proceedings of 89th Annual Meeting of the Transportation Research Board, (Washington D.C.), Jan. 2010.

Abstract

This paper presents the results of an internet-based prompted recall activity-travel survey using GPS data collection combined with a short activity preplanning and scheduling survey. Besides collecting traditional activity-travel diary data, this survey also collects basic information about activity planning and the scheduling process. Forty two households comprising 51 individuals have been surveyed . Since aging is a growing concern among transportation planners, this survey has a special focus on the elderly population with half of the survey sample consisting of elderly households. Respondents carried a portable GPS device for 14 consecutive days and at the end of each day uploaded the collected data to a website where the activity-travel survey questionnaires were answered. Results indicate that the quality of the data collected is good and that the response rates were satisfactory considering the commitment involved in participation. The results reinforce previous findings that GPS surveys have an improved ability to capture trips which are frequently under-reported and provide valuable data about the activity planning and scheduling process itself. Respondents' feedback on their participation experience and fatigue and conditioning analysis reveal that this type of survey has a great potential for survey periods longer than two weeks.

Keywords: {GPS}, survey methods, learning algorithms, travel survey, travel behavior, prompted recall, activity-based

BibTeX entry:

@inproceedings{FAMWN10,
   author = {Martina Z. Frignani and Joshua Auld and Abolfazl Mohammadian
	and Chad Williams and Peter Nelson},
   title = {Urban Travel Route and Activity Choice Survey (UTRACS): An
	Internet-Based Prompted Recall Activity Travel Survey using {GPS}
	Data},
   booktitle = {To appear in Proceedings of 89th Annual Meeting of the
	Transportation Research Board},
   address = {Washington D.C.},
   month = jan,
   year = {2010},
   url = {http://www.trb.org/AnnualMeeting2010/Public/AnnualMeeting2010.aspx}
}