Automatic data collection for detecting travel behaviour: the IPET platform

The purpose of this paper is to analyze a mobile system developed both for collecting daily trips and activities information and for promoting sustainable means of transport. Use of a technological device is a first step towards implementing tools that allow more accurate activity and travel data to be collected compared to traditional methods and communication with individuals for persuading them to choose environmentally friendly modes of transport. Nowadays such systems are essential in transport research for designing Voluntary Travel Behavior Change programs [1]. This work presents the outcome of two pilot tests conducted using the IPET platform (Individual Persuasive Eco-Travel Technology [2]), developed for managing a Personalized campaign to promote sustainable means of transport. The two tests, each conducted on a small appropriate sample, had different goals. The first was to test the App and modify/improve it on the basis of users’ suggestions, before large-scale implementation; the second to assess the efficacy of the platform in terms of data collection and travel behavior change. Test results showed that the platform is easy to use and could be effective, once implemented further, for collecting and analyzing large amounts of data on mobility.