Citation

Goulias K, Kim TG. Transp. Traffic Theory 2005; 16: 467-486.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2005, Publisher varies)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The unique event of the rapid advance and growing adoption and popularity of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) offers an unprecedented opportunity to study behavioral dynamics. This is unique for activity and travel behavior analysis because of the many claimed relationships between telecommunication and transportation. For example, using telecommunication as a source of information to reach locations and procure goods we can alter our traditional limitations of accessibility and virtually eliminate spatial separation. In addition, we may experience increases in schedule flexibility that may change our activity and travel patterns but may also alter our activity planning, location choice, and variety seeking behavior. On one hand, these developments may increase variability of travel demand potentially decreasing regularity and predictability. On the other hand, they also enable us to perform more interesting studies of travel behavior dynamics that may lead to better policy actions. These claimed substantial impacts of ICT motivate the need for research on the present and future impacts of telecommunication on activity and travel behavior by studying change of behavior. However, studying behavioral dynamics and change requires specific types of data such as panel survey data (i.e., repeated observation of essentially the same persons over time) and specific types of data analysis methods.