System and method for transportation demand management

• US 10,121,212 B1
• Filed: 06/10/2016
• Issued: 11/06/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: University of South Florida (State University System of Florida)
• Original Assignee: University of South Florida (State University System of Florida)
• Inventors: Barbeau, Sean J., Banguero, Edgar, Winters, Philip L., Perez, Rafael, Labrador, Miguel, Kerrigan, Kevin
• Primary Examiner(s): Gart, Matthew S
• Assistant Examiner(s): Swartz, Stephen S
• Application Number:
  US15/179,541
• Time in Patent Office: 879 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/14 Travel agencies
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/40 Business processes related to the transportation industry shipping G06Q10/083

Abstract

Accuracy of data collected from comprehensive travel surveys is a key to studying and analyzing human travel behavior. Better understanding of travel behavior enhances the ability of transportation professionals to utilize resources available in designing appropriate solutions to existing problems. In the past, this data has been obtained through paper or phone-based surveys of individuals and households. These surveys are subject to problems, including inaccurate data due to user error, apathy, and intentional or unintentional omissions, and must often be limited to one or two days due to the amount of effort required from the participant. The present invention describes a system and method that improves both quality and quantity of data gathered on individual travel behavior across multiple modes of transportation, including non-motorized travel, and submits the data from any location. By combining Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) and Global Positioning System (GPS) devices the proposed system automates the collection of much of the data needed to measure individual travel behavior.

Claims

1. A computer system adapted to collect real-time multi-modal travel behavior data from a user, the system comprising:

a processor;

a user interface coupled to the processor;

a global positioning system receiver coupled to the processor; and

a tangible memory storage coupled to the processor, the tangible memory storage including software instructions that cause the computer system, upon initiation of a user trip at a starting location, to perform;

prompting the user, through the user interface, to indicate an expected trip purpose for the trip;

acquiring global positioning system coordinates from the global positioning system receiver for the starting location of the user;

identifying a starting location description from a database of location descriptions based upon the global positioning system coordinates of the starting location of the user, and if the database of location descriptions does not include a starting location description based upon the global positioning system coordinates of the starting location of the user, prompting the user to provide the starting location description through the user interface;

acquiring global positioning system coordinates of the user from the global positioning system receiver at predetermined intervals during a duration of the user trip;

prompting the user, through the user interface, to indicate that the user trip has ended or that the user is making a stop;

if the user indicates that the user is making a stop, prompting the user, through the user interface, to select their current location;

acquiring global positioning system coordinates of the user from the global positioning system receiver for a stopping location of the user trip upon receiving the indication that the user is making a stop;

determining a stopping location description from the database of location descriptions based upon the global positioning system coordinates of the stopping location, and if the database of location descriptions does not include a stopping location description based upon the global positioning system coordinates of the stopping location, prompting the user to provide the stopping location description through the user interface;

displaying, through the user interface, the expected trip purpose and prompting the user to adjust the expected trip purpose to indicate a trip purpose associated with the stopping location description;

determining a mode of transportation of the user between the starting location and the stopping location based upon the acquired global positioning system coordinates of the starting location and the global positioning system coordinates of the stopping location; and

storing a first trip link data, wherein the first trip link data comprises the global positioning system coordinates of the starting location, the starting location description, the global positioning system coordinates of the stopping location, the global positioning system coordinates acquired prior to the stopping location, the stopping location description, the trip purpose associated with the stopping location description and the mode of transportation used between the starting location and the stopping location;

if the user indicates that the user trip has ended, prompting the user, through the user interface, to select their current location;

acquiring global positioning system coordinates of the user from the global positioning system receiver for an ending location of the user trip upon receiving the indication that the user trip has ended;

determining an ending location description from the database of location descriptions based upon the global positioning system coordinates of the ending location, and if the database of location descriptions does not include an ending location description based upon the global positioning system coordinates of the ending location, prompting the user to provide the ending location description through the user interface;

displaying, through the user interface, the expected trip purpose and prompting the user to adjust the expected trip purpose to indicate a trip purpose associated with the ending location description;

determining a mode of transportation of the user between the stopping location and the ending location based upon the acquired global positioning system coordinates for the stopping location and the global positioning system coordinates for the ending location;

storing a second trip link data, wherein the second trip link data comprises the global positioning system coordinates of the stopping location, the stopping location description, the global positioning system coordinates of the ending location, the global positioning system coordinates acquired between the stopping location and the ending location, the ending location description, the trip purpose associated with the ending location description and the mode of transportation used between the stopping location and the ending location;

analyzing the first link trip data including the trip purpose associated with the stopping location description and the mode of transportation used between the starting location and the stopping location;

analyzing the second link trip data including the trip purpose associated with the ending location and the mode of transportation used between the stopping location and the ending location; and

providing recommendations to the user for changing the user trip or the mode of transportation of the user between the starting location and the stopping location or between the stopping location and the ending location based upon the analysis of the first link trip data and the second link trip data.

2. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the tangible memory storage further includes software instructions that cause the computer system to perform:

determining the starting location description from a database of historical locations of the user if the global positioning system coordinates of the starting location are not available.

3. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the tangible memory storage further includes software instructions that cause the computer system to perform:

determining the ending location description from a database of historical locations of the user if the global positioning system coordinates of the ending location are not available.

4. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the tangible memory storage further includes software instructions that cause the computer system to perform:

determining the mode of transportation from the user if the global positioning system coordinates of the user between the starting location and the stopping location or the global positioning system coordinates of the user between the stopping location and the ending location are not available.

5. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the tangible memory storage further includes software instructions that cause the computer system to perform:

receiving a previous mode of transportation for the trip if the mode of transportation of the user changes; and

storing the previous mode of transportation with the first link trip data or the second link trip data.

6. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the tangible memory storage further includes software instructions that cause the computer system to perform:

acquiring a starting time associated with the starting location from the global positioning system receiver;

acquiring a stopping time associated with the stopping location from the global positioning system receiver;

acquiring an ending time associated with the ending location from the global positioning system receiver;

storing the starting time and the stopping time with the first link trip data; and

storing the stopping time and the ending time with the second link trip data.

7. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the tangible memory storage further includes software instructions that cause the computer system to perform:

acquiring a starting time associated with the starting location from the global positioning system receiver;

acquiring a stopping time associated with the stopping location from the global positioning system receiver;

acquiring an ending time associated with the ending location from the global positioning system receiver;

calculating a first speed of the first link of the trip based on the starting location, the starting time, the stopping location and the stopping time;

calculating a second speed of the second link of the trip based on the stopping location, the stopping time, the ending location and the ending time;

storing the first speed of the first link of the trip with the first link trip data; and

storing the second speed of the second link of the trip with the second link trip data.

8. The computer system of claim 1, further comprising a wireless connectivity module for transmitting the first link trip data and the second link trip data to a central database using the wireless connectivity module.

9. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the computer system is a hand-held computer system.

10. A mobile, hand-held device for collecting real-time multi-modal travel behavior data from a user, the mobile, hand-held device comprising:

a wireless connectivity module;

a global positioning system receiver;

a user interface;

a processor communicatively coupled to the wireless connectivity module, the global positioning system receiver and the user interface; and

a tangible memory storage coupled to the processor, the tangible memory storage including software instructions that cause the mobile, hand-held device, upon initiation of a user trip at a starting location, to perform;

prompting the user, through the user interface, to indicate an expected trip purpose for the user trip;

acquiring global positioning system coordinates from the global positioning receiver for the starting location of the user,

identifying a starting location description from a database of location descriptions based upon the global positioning system coordinates of the starting location of the user, and if the database of location descriptions does not include a starting location description based upon the global positioning system coordinates of the starting location of the user, prompting the user to provide the starting location description through the user interface;

acquiring global positioning system coordinates of the user from the global positioning system receiver at predetermined intervals during a duration of the user trip;

receiving an indication from the user through the user interface of an intermediate stop in the user trip after the trip has been initiated;

acquiring global positioning system coordinates of the user from the global positioning system receiver for the intermediate stop location upon receiving the indication of an intermediate stop in the user trip;

identifying an intermediate stop location description from a database of location descriptions based upon the global positioning system coordinates of the intermediate stop location, and if the database of location descriptions does not include an intermediate stop location description based upon the global positioning system coordinates of the intermediate stop location, the system prompts the user to provide the intermediate stop location description through the user interface;

displaying, through the user interface, the expected trip purpose and prompting the user to adjust the expected trip purpose to indicate an intermediate stop purpose associated with the intermediate stop location description;

determining a mode of transportation for the user trip based upon the acquired global positioning system coordinates for the user trip;

storing a first trip data, wherein the first trip data comprises the global positioning system coordinates of the starting location, the starting location description, the global positioning system coordinates acquired during the trip, the global positioning system coordinates of the intermediate stop location, the intermediate stop location description, the intermediate stop purpose and the mode of transportation between the starting location and the intermediate stop location;

receiving an indication from the user through the user interface that the user trip has ended;

acquiring global positioning system coordinates of the user from the global positioning system receiver for an ending location of the user trip upon receiving the indication that the user trip has ended;

determining an ending location description from the database of location descriptions based upon the global positioning system coordinates of the ending location, and if the database of location descriptions does not include an ending location description based upon the global positioning system coordinates of the ending location, prompting the user to provide the ending location description through the user interface;

displaying, through the user interface, the expected trip purpose and prompting the user to adjust the expected trip purpose to indicate a trip purpose associated with the ending location description;

storing a second trip data, wherein the second trip data comprises the global positioning system coordinates of the intermediate stop location, the intermediate stop location description, the global positioning system coordinates of the ending location, the ending location description, and the trip purpose associated with the ending location description and the mode of transportation used between the intermediate stop location and the ending location;

analyzing the first trip data including the intermediate stop purpose and the mode of transportation used between the starting location and the intermediate stop location;

analyzing the second trip data including the trip purpose associated with the ending location description and the mode of transportation used between the intermediate stop location and the ending location; and

providing recommendations to the user for changing the user trip or the mode of transportation of the user between the starting location and the intermediate stop location or between the intermediate stop location and the ending location based upon the analysis of the first trip data and the second trip data.

11. The hand-held device of claim 10, wherein the tangible memory storage further includes software instructions that cause the mobile, hand-held device to perform;

verifying the starting location description through the user interface.

12. The hand-held device of claim 10, wherein the tangible memory storage further includes software instructions that cause the mobile, hand-held device to perform:

verifying the intermediate stop location description through the user interface.

13. The hand-held device of claim 10, wherein the tangible memory storage further includes software instructions that cause the mobile, hand-held device to perform:

verifying the ending location description through the user interface.

14. The hand-held device of claim 10, wherein the tangible memory storage further includes software instructions that cause the mobile, hand-held device to perform:

determining the starting location description from a database of historical locations of the user if the global positioning system coordinates of the starting location are not available.

15. The hand-held device of claim 10, wherein the tangible memory storage further includes software instructions that cause the mobile, hand-held device to perform:

determining the intermediate stop location description from a database of historical locations of the user if the global positioning system coordinates of the intermediate stop location are not available.

16. The hand-held device of claim 10, wherein the tangible memory storage further includes software instructions that cause the mobile, hand-held device to perform:

determining the ending location description from a database of historical locations of the user if the global positioning system coordinates of the ending location are not available.

17. The hand-held device of claim 10, wherein the tangible memory storage further includes software instructions that cause the mobile, hand-held device to perform:

determining the mode of transportation from the user if the global positioning system coordinates of the user during the trip are not available.

18. The hand-held device of claim 10, wherein the tangible memory storage further includes software instructions that cause the mobile, hand-held device to perform:

acquiring an intermediate stop time from the global positioning system receiver when the system receives the indication of the intermediate stop; and

storing the intermediate stop time with the first trip data and the second trip data.

19. The hand-held device of claim 10, wherein the tangible memory storage further includes software instructions that cause the computer system to perform:

acquiring an intermediate stop time from the global positioning system receiver when the system receives the indication of the intermediate stop;

calculating a first trip speed based on the starting location, the starting time, the intermediate location and the intermediate stop time; and

storing the first trip speed with the first trip data.

20. The hand-held device of claim 10, wherein the tangible memory storage further includes software instructions that cause the mobile, hand-held device to perform:

acquiring an intermediate stop time from the global positioning system receiver when the system receives the indication of the intermediate stop;

calculating a second trip speed based on the intermediate location, the intermediate stop time, the ending location and the ending time; and

storing the second trip speed with the second trip data.