Analysis of global positioning system-based data collection methods for capturing multistop trip-chaining behavior

An evaluation is presented of the effectiveness of Global Positioning System (GPS) data in capturing complex travel patterns characterized by multistop trip chains. This evaluation is made by analyzing trip-chaining patterns for a sample of individuals from whom travel data were collected using an innovative GPS device that was fitted to one of their household vehicles. By tracking the movements of household vehicles and automatically recording their locations, it is potentially possible to capture short, intermediate, and infrequent trips that would have been missed in a traditional travel diary survey. The primary objective of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of GPS in capturing such trips. A secondary objective was to examine whether GPS trip data are suitable for analyzing trip-chaining behavior in the context of typical activities that people pursue outside the home. Descriptive statistical analysis techniques are used to explore trip-chaining patterns of individuals and model the propensity of linking various typical out-of-home activities in home-based chains. The results indicated that GPS data collection is more effective in capturing activity-linking behavior but merits some refinement to minimize the amount of missing data.