Citation

Washburn S, Nihan N. Transp. Res. Rec. 1997; 1593: 41-46.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1997, Transportation Research Board, National Research Council, National Academy of Sciences USA, Publisher SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.3141/1593-06

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The use of portable computers for performing travel time studies has become commonplace with many transportation agencies. Whereas data entry has historically been done via the keyboard, a new method of data entry is being proposed that should make license plate data collection with portable computers more efficient and convenient. This new method uses voice recognition to allow the user to dictate license plate data into a microphone. These data are then directly entered into the computer and time-stamped. The authors have developed a standalone Windows program for performing license plate data collection using voice recognition. Preliminary testing has indicated that this technology has the capability to provide entry accuracy rates in excess of 95 percent, as well as to provide sample sizes comparable to or larger than those obtained through keyboard entry. Additionally, this technology has the capability to reduce personnel requirements for situations typically using two data-collecting people per station, such as those in which one person using binoculars reads the license plates aloud to another person doing the data entry. The results of this preliminary testing are definitely promising and have indicated that this method for license plate data collection is feasible at this time.

Language: en