Tracking individual travel behaviour using mobile phones without information from base stations

Data collection methods that use mobile phones have been developed for tracking, monitoring, and analyzing travel behaviour. Previous methods using a Personal Handy Phone System (PHS) assumed that the location data of base stations were known. This paper shows a positioning method for a mobile object when base station location data are unavailable. Instead of base stations, signal strength vectors (reference vectors) are observed at many places in a target area. Mobile objects also observe a signal strength vector (target vector). A similarity index of reference and target vectors is used to calculate the location of a mobile object. This method tracked the ambulatory behaviour of tourists in an urban setting.     

Estimation of origin-destination matrices from link traffic counts on congested networks

Conventional methods for estimating origin-destination (O-D) trip matrices from link traffic counts assume that route choice proportions are given constants. In a network with realistic congestion levels, this assumption does not hold. This paper shows how existing methods such as the generalized least squares technique can be integrated with an equilibrium traffic assignment in the form of a convex bilevel optimization problem. The presence of measurement errors and time variations in the observed link flows are explicitly considered. The feasibility of the model is always guaranteed without a requirement for estimating consistent link flows from counts. A solution algorithm is provided and numerical simulation experiments are implemented in investigating the model's properties. Some related problems concerning O-D matrix estimation are also discussed.     

Evaluation of network reliability using stochastic user equilibrium

When we evaluate the performance reliability of a network, it is necessary to describe user's behaviour in a partially degraded network. This paper shows that the Stochastic User Equilibrium (SUE) model assuming user's route choice behaviour under uncertain network conditions can be incorporated in the performance reliability model. The effects of providing information are analyzed using the SUE model with two different groups of route choice; informed drivers and non informed drivers. It is found that providing information generally increases network performance reliability. This depends, however, on the probability distribution of the network states.     

Estimation method for railway passengers’ train choice behavior with smart card transaction data

Smart card systems have become the predominant method of collecting public transport fares in Japan. Transaction data obtained through smart cards have resulted in a large amount of archived information on how passengers use public transportation. The data have the potential to be used for modeling passenger behavior and demand for public transportation. This study focused on train choices made by railway passengers. If each passenger’s train choice can be identified over a long period of time, this information would be useful for improving the customer relationship management of the railway company and for improving train timetables. The aim of this study was to develop a methodology for estimating which train is boarded by each smart card holder. This paper presents a methodology and an algorithm for estimation using long-term transaction data. To validate the computation time and accuracy of the estimation, an empirical analysis is carried out using actual transaction data provided by a railway company in Japan. The results show that the proposed method is capable of estimating passenger usage patterns from smart card transaction data collected over a long time period.     

Effect of variable message signs on driver speed behavior on a section of expressway under adverse fog conditions—A driving simulator approach

Variable message signs (VMS) are used to provide dynamic information and one current application is to show different speed limits under different conditions. As speed is an important contributor to road accidents and also affects driver speed behavior, the present study focuses on how effective traffic advisory information is when helping drivers to divert from potentially dangerous conditions. Graphical representation of an Expressway section made it easy to isolate the effects of speed etc. by drivers with information provided through VMS under adverse fog conditions. Understanding and reacting to the VMS system by drivers is essential for its success. If drivers do not react by changing speed behavior then the VMS system will fail and further implementation may cease. In this paper an Analysis of Variance model, which is appropriate to the proposed experimental conditions, is used to study how subjects (drivers) will perceive provided information and also to find the effect of VMS on driver speed behavior on the simulated Expressway section.     

Behavioral monitoring of public transport users through a mobile communication system

There are various activities now taking place in ITS research and development in Japan. Advanced information and communication technologies have been applied to improve public transport systems, as well as automated highway systems. In the first part of this paper, we show three examples of public transport systems recently developed in ITS environment. These transport systems are operated in local cities and towns in Japan: the travel information system for tram users in Hiroshima, the demand responsive bus system in Nakamura and the co‐operative use of electric vehicle in Ebina. In the second part of the paper, we explain how we have monitored individual passenger on public transport using cellular phones for location positioning. Location positioning technology for mobile object is essential for the operation and management of ITS supported public transport systems. Furthermore, such accurate and detailed positioning data can be utilized for travel behaviour analysis in demand modeling. The mobile instrument and monitoring systems shown in this paper can be combined with any of the case studies of ITS application to public transport systems.     

Anti-seismic reinforcement strategy for an urban road network

This paper provides a novel practical method for analyzing an anti-seismic reinforcement (ASR) problem involving hundreds of transportation facilities on an urban road network subject to multiple earthquake risks. The relevant properties of the present method are: (i) it evaluates the performance of an ASR strategy, taking into account traffic congestion and travelers’ trip-making or route-choice behavior; (ii) it estimates the realistic damage patterns on the road network and their occurrence probabilities on the basis of recent advances in structural and earthquake engineering; (iii) it has clear, sensible logic and includes neither a black-box nor a “lottery” in the necessary procedures. We examine the computational efficiency and whether the present method is reasonable by applying it to a test scenario of the Kobe urban and suburban area.     

Origin-destination matrices estimation model using automatic vehicle identification data and its application to the Han-Shin expressway network

The Automatic Vehicle Identification (AVI) system was recently installed in expressway networks in Japan. License plate numbers of passing vehicles are monitored through roadside AVI cameras and then recognized. This paper shows the formulation of origin and destination (OD) matrices estimation model using the observed data with the AVI system. The results of license plate matching between a pair of AVI cameras are involved as the input variables. The formulated model is a least squares model and yields to the linear transformation of the partly observed OD matrices. The model is applied to the Kobe corridor line in the Han-Shin expressway network. It is found that the estimated OD matrix is consistent with the one using the previous mail survey. The proposed estimation method is expected to investigate the day-to-day fluctuations of OD patterns in the expressway network.