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Title:

Evaluating the Potential To Predict Activity Types from GPS and GIS Data

Accession Number:

01047127

Language:

English

Source Data:

Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting 2007 Paper #07-3199

Abstract:

Current travel forecasting models have had limited sensitivity to policy decisions. One of the primary challenges is limitations in the primary data source, the daily travel diary (e.g., accuracy and sample size). The daily travel diary has known problems with underreporting, time inaccuracies, respondent fatigue, and other human errors. The Global Positioning System (GPS) has been recently used to supplement the daily travel diary. As GPS becomes more accurate, reliable, and cost effective, could it entirely replace the daily travel diary? GPS devices can be used to record times and locations of each activity and the trips in between. To use GPS data to replace the daily travel diary one needs to predict the activity types. The goal of this research is to test the feasibility of a model that predicts activity types based solely on: (1) GPS data from devices placed on the individual’s vehicle or person, (2) Land use data, such as location type, expressed as GIS data, and (3) Individual and household demographic data. This report summarizes models developed with surrogate geo-coded data using discriminant analysis and classification/ regression trees. The models predicted in which of 26 different activity types the individual participated. Accuracy for the best model was: (1) 63% for out of home activities (2) 79% when including the “at home” activity (3) 72% considering that GPS data may miss as much as 10% of trips Since travel diaries have known underreporting problems as high as 30%, GPS data with the model developed seems competitive.

TRIS Files:

HRIS, UMTRIS

Report Numbers:

07-3199

Media Type:

CD-ROM

Pagination:

22p

Authors:

McGowen, Patrick Tracy

Phone: 406-994-6529
Fax: 406-994-1697
patm@coe.montana.edu
Montana State University, Bozeman

McNally, Michael G

Phone: 949-824-6544
Fax: 949-824-8385
mmcnally@uci.edu
University of California, Irvine

Monograph Accession #:

01042056

Publication Date:

2007

Conference:

Transportation Research Board 86th Annual Meeting

Location: Washington DC, United States
Date: 2007/1/21 to 2007/1/25
Sponsors: Transportation Research Board

Corporate Authors:

Transportation Research Board

500 Fifth Street, NW
Washington, DC 20001 USA

Availability:

Transportation Research Board Business Office

500 Fifth Street, NW
Washington, DC 20001 USA
Order URL: http://gulliver.trb.org/news/blurb_detail.asp?id=7286

Features:

Figures (4) ; References (18) ; Tables (3)

Index Terms:

Activity choices; Activity patterns; Average daily travel rates; Daily; Data collection; Demographics; Geographic information systems; Global Positioning System; Households; Land use; Public transit; Transit operating agencies; Travel diaries

Subject Areas:

Highways; Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation; Society; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning

Last Modified:

Apr 27 2007 2:08PM