Using GPS in transport research

Description of the possibilities of GPS-based survey methods in transport research

Using GPS-data for the development of location based services is already well established in different ways. A future application area is seen in the development of a satellite-based instrument for the collection of traffic data. Thereby, the exact coverage of all needed information e.g. duration and length of a trip, the average speed, and even acceleration, provides additional values compared to traditional research methods, like interviews, travel diaries and similar. These research methods are inadequate for some reasons:

• Interviews are focused on recently passed time periods. Therefore, statements which are trying to reconstruct past mobility behaviour are often imprecise and not reliable
  
  
• Decreasing motivation and distortions biases data based on travel diaries: short trips tend to be forgotten or overemphasised, tours (chains of trips) are recorded incorrectly. With the duration of the survey these effects usually become increasingly significant.
  
  

To address such weaknesses, the InnoZ is developing a concept for handheld GPS-based travel surveys. The concept includes a test of acquirable GPS-trackers, but the main focus is on the further methodical development of GPS-based travel surveys and the conceptual framework considering data preparation, analysing, and interpretation. Furthermore, the possibilities of GPS-based surveys using mobile phones (especially smartphones) will be explored.

For more information please contact Marc Schelewsky

Email Marc Schelewsky