Browsing by Subject "Smartphones"
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Item COVID-19 Implications on Public Transportation: Understanding Post-Pandemic Transportation Needs, Behaviors, and Experiences(Center for Transportation Studies, University of Minnesota, 2022-11) Fan, Yingling; Becker, Andrew; Ryan, Galen; Wolfson, JulianThe COVID-19 pandemic and widespread social distancing measures have dramatically reduced public transit ridership, leaving transit agencies with massive revenue shortfalls, and it is still unclear how long it will take for transit to recover and whether transit will emerge fundamentally transformed for better or worse after the pandemic. This research collected first-hand data on people's post-pandemic travel behavior decision-making process in the Twin Cities metropolitan region between March and June 2021. Participants were recruited through various forms of digital marketing tools such as a website, social media, emails, and online videos. Of the 339 participants who were enrolled in the study, 154 (45%) used a smartphone app to capture daily transportation needs, behaviors, and experiences for two consecutive weeks. The data provided insights into how the COVID-19 pandemic has shaped people?s attitudes, perceptions, and decisions toward various transportation services, including public transportation, and how the mobility impacts of COVID-19 differ by individual socio-demographics and trip environments. Results from this research will help transportation planners identify innovative and sensible ways to effectively promote the use of public transportation in the post-pandemic era.Item Development of a Navigation System Using Smartphone and Bluetooth Technologies to Help the Visually Impaired Navigate Work Zones Safely(Minnesota Department of Transportation, 2014-02) Liao, Chen-FuAccording to statistics from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), each year approximately 17% of all work zone fatalities are pedestrians. People who are visually impaired often encounter physical and information barriers that limit their accessibility and mobility. A survey was conducted among 10 visually impaired participants as a starting point to understand their challenges and what types of information are helpful in providing bypass or routing instructions to them around work zones. The survey results were incorporated into development of guiding documents in determining information elements that are essential and useful for providing routing instructions to the visually impaired around work zones. Building on our previous efforts to provide geometry and signal timing to the visually impaired at signalized intersections, a smartphone-based navigation system was developed and integrated with navigational audible information to alert pedestrians at decision points prior to their arrival at a work zone. The recommended message elements from survey results were implemented in a smartphone app that uses GPS and Bluetooth technologies to determine a user’s location. When a work zone is detected, the smartphone will vibrate to alert users and the app will then announce a corresponding audible message to users. The visually impaired users can perform a single tap on the smartphone to repeat the messages, if needed. Functionality testing and system validation of the smartphone app were performed by attaching four Bluetooth beacons to light posts near a construction site in St. Paul, MN. Additional research is needed to conduct experiments with visually impaired users and evaluate system reliability and usefulness.Item Development of Mobile Accessible Pedestrian Signals (MAPS) for Blind Pedestrians at Signalized Intersections(Center for Transportation Studies, 2011-06) Liao, Chen-fu; Rakauskas, Michael; Rayankula, AvanishPeople with vision impairment have different perception and spatial cognition as compared to the sighted people. Blind pedestrians primarily rely on auditory, olfactory, or tactile feedback to determine spatial location and find their way. They generally have difficulty crossing intersections due to lack of traffic information at intersections. Among the intersection crossing sub-tasks, locating crosswalk, determining when to cross and maintaining alignment to crosswalk while crossing are the most difficult tasks for the blind and visually impaired. To understand how the blind pedestrians make safe crossing decisions, ten blind and low-vision individuals were interviewed. The purpose of these interviews was to understand the types of information they use while making safe intersection crossings and identify new information types that could assist them. A Mobile Accessible Pedestrian Signals (MAPS) prototype was developed to support decision making at signalized intersections. The MAPS integrates sensors on a Smartphone, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth technologies, and traffic signal controllers were developed to provide intersection geometry information and Signal Phasing and Timing (SPaT) to pedestrians who are blind at signalized intersections. A single-tap command on the Smartphone screen allows users to request for intersection geometry information, such as street name, direction and number of lanes at a corner of an intersection. A double-tap input while pointing toward desired direction of crossing will confirm the crossing direction, request for pedestrian phase, and the Smartphone application will then wirelessly request for signal timing and phasing information from traffic signal controller.Item Feasibility of Using GPS to Track Bicycle Lane Positioning(Intelligent Transportation Systems Institute, Center for Transportation Studies, University of Minnesota, 2013-03) Lindsey, Greg; Hankey, Steve; Wang, Xize; Chen, Junzhou; Gorjestani, AlecResearchers have shown that GPS units in smartphones can be used to identify routes taken by cyclists, including whether cyclists deviate from shortest paths to use bike lanes and other facilities. Researchers previously have not reported whether GPS tracking can be used to monitor whether and how bicyclists actually use lanes on streets, where these lanes have been provided, or other types of facilities. The objective of this research was to determine whether smartphone GPS units or enhanced GPS units could be used to track and map the location of cyclists on streets. The research team modified an open-source smartphone application (CycleTracks) to integrate with a higher-quality external GPS unit. Cyclists then mounted the smartphone with route-tracking applications to bicycles and repeatedly rode four different routes. The routes for the field tests were chosen because each included a striped lane for bicycle traffic and because the routes bisected a variety of built urban environments, ranging from an open location on a bridge over the Mississippi River to a narrow urban street lined by tall, multi-story office buildings. The field tests demonstrated that neither the smartphone GPS units nor the higher-quality external GPS receiver generate data accurate enough to monitor bicyclists’ use of bike lanes or other facilities. This lack of accuracy means that researchers interested in obtaining data about the propensity of cyclists to ride in lanes, when available, must rely on other technologies to obtain data for analyses.Item The Inclusion of Environmental Education in Formal Education through the Use of Educational Technology, a Study of Project Noah(2015-07) Arthur, Augustus, JrThe purpose of this survey research is to find out the effect of the use of technological tools in the teaching of lessons in Environmental Education in the formal classroom. This study will use the example of Project Noah and will examine the learning outcomes of students by collecting quantitative data and assessing attitudes towards nature and the environment using open ended questions. Project Noah is a tool to explore and document wildlife and a platform to harness the power of citizen scientists everywhere. Project Noah seeks to go beyond the ordinary structure where web administrators provide all data and information to the crowdsourcing model where users are responsible for data that is provided.Item Investigating the Effectiveness of Using Bluetooth Low-Energy Technology to Trigger In-Vehicle Messages in Work Zones(Minnesota Department of Transportation, 2016-12) Liao, Chen-Fu; Donath, MaxIn order to reduce risky behavior around workzones, this project examines the effectiveness of using invehicle messages to heighten drivers’ awareness of safety-critical and pertinent workzone information. This investigation centers around an inexpensive technology based on Bluetooth low-energy (BLE) tags that can be deployed in or ahead of the workzone. A smartphone app was developed to trigger nondistracting, auditory-visual messages in a smartphone mounted in a vehicle within range of the BLE workzone tags. Messages associated with BLE tags around the workzone can be updated remotely in real time and as such may provide significantly improved situational awareness about dynamic conditions at workzones such as: awareness of workers on site, changing traffic conditions, or hazards in the environment. Experiment results indicate that while travelling at 70 mph (113 km/h), the smartphone app is able to successfully detect a long-range BLE tag placed over 410 feet (125 meters) away on a traffic barrel on a roadway shoulder. Additional experiments are being conducted to validate the system performance under different roadway geometry, traffic, and weather conditions.Item A Next Generation Non-Distracting In-Vehicle 511 Traveler Information Service(Center for Transportation Studies, University of Minnesota, 2014-10) Morris, Nichole L.; Ton, Alice; Cooper, Jennifer; Edwards, Chris; Donath, MaxThis study investigates the current features of state and proprietary traveler information applications, elements of good design and usability, human factors issues regarding visual and cognitive distraction, and makes recommendations for the next generation of Minnesota’s traveler information application, MN 511. Traveler information systems were created to serve drivers by providing accurate information about traffic and road conditions before drivers began their trip. The advancement of cellular telephones provided a new opportunity for drivers to access traffic and road information en-route, but introduced considerable cognitive distraction on drivers navigating the complex phone trees. The evolution of traveler information systems onto smartphone applications has eased the cognitive demand previously imposed by phone tree systems, but has shifted the demand to drivers’ visual resources. The dichotomy between state-funded 511 travel information applications and proprietary traveler information applications is primarily determined by the features each contains. The common features included in the current proprietary traveler information applications provide insight into the opportunities for future iterations of MN 511 mobile applications. The MN 511 application can continue to improve by incorporating select features from proprietary applications, such as voice commands, route guidance, saved places, and travel time estimates, while taking into account cognitive workload and visual distraction. This is important because publicly funded traveler information applications have a greater responsibility, compared to proprietary applications, to account for distraction and ensure the safety of its users.Item Older Driver Support System Field Operational Test(Center for Transportation Studies, University of Minnesota, 2019-05) Libby, David A.; Morris, Nichole L.; Craig, Curtis M.Older drivers represent the highest injury and fatality rate per 100 million miles driven. The disproportionate fatality risk is linked to several known factors, ranging from failure to yield to cognitive and visual limitations to seatbelt use abstention to fragility. Through a series of focus groups, usability tests, and a controlled field test, a universally designed smartphone app (called RoadCoach) designed to reduce risky driving behaviors, such as speeding and hard braking, was previously found to have high usability among older drivers. The current research consisted of a field operational test of the app, which examined the baseline driving behavior (3 weeks) of 28 older drivers in Minnesota and Kansas, their driving behavior with RoadCoach feedback (6 weeks), and their driving behavior during a follow-up, no-feedback period (3 weeks). The results demonstrated marginal reductions in speeding behaviors while the app was functioning, but speed behaviors significantly increased after the feedback was discontinued compared to when it was active. Hard braking and stop sign violations were significantly reduced during feedback and post feedback. Finally, satisfaction and trust were high among users, with drivers reporting that the app helped improve their attention and focus on the task of driving.Item Smartphone-Based Interventions for Sustainable Travel Behavior: The University of Minnesota Parking Contract Holder Study(Center for Transportation Studies, University of Minnesota, 2020-10) Fan, Yingling; Becker, Andy; Ryan, Galen; Wolfson, Julian; Guthrie, Andrew; Liao, Chen-FuInnovative mobility apps have the power to transform the relationship between transportation networks and travelers. Capitalizing on the recent advancement in smartphone technology, this project develops a smartphone-based behavior intervention tool—named Daynamica—to provide customized, user-centered messages and graphics for promoting travel mode shifts from driving to more sustainable modes. The project tests the effectiveness of the intervention tool among University of Minnesota (UMN) parking contract holders. For each car trip made by a participant, the tool provides a mode shift plan based on the exact trip origin and destination. The tool also provides information describing the environmental impacts of the specific car trip and the personal benefits of switching to the alternative mode. The findings show that although 92 percent of participants are interested in trying alternative modes, in general, when it comes to specific trip considerations, only 36 percent of the car trips are considered reasonable alternative modes. There is ample interest among the most car-dependent population—parking contract holders—to explore alternative mode options; however, their interest is tempered by the limited alternative mode offerings in the region. Thus, it is recommended that transportation practitioners and policy makers improve these offerings. Furthermore, this research generates useful data to identify factors influencing mode shifting. Housing ownership, being male, making stops during the trip, and a late departure time for the morning commute are negatively associated with participants' receptiveness toward mode shifting. Finally, the report includes a novel analysis exploring the activity/trip chaining behaviors of the study participants.Item Smartphone-Based Travel Experience Sampling and Behavior Intervention among Young Adults(Intelligent Transportation Systems Institute, Center for Transportation Studies, University of Minnesota, 2012-05) Fan, Yingling; Chen, Qian; Liao, Chen-Fu; Douma, FrankThis research project aims to develop a data collection application that enables real-time tracking and reporting of the health-related impacts of travel behavior. Using computing, communication, and sensing capabilities of smartphones, an Android phone application—named UbiActive—was developed to collect real-time travel-related physical activity and psychological well-being data from phone users. The application was tested on multiple Android phones, among which Nexus S and HTC Magic were found to produce comparable physical activity outputs with the commercially available accelerometer. The application was further tested in a three-week field study for its viability for real-time data collection and behavior intervention against unhealthy travel behavior. Twenty-three young adults were recruited and randomized into intervention and control groups. Both groups were asked to install UbiActive on their phone and wear their phone on their right hip during all waking hours for three consecutive weeks. The intervention group was provided information on impacts of their travel behavior on physical activity and psychological well-being. No information was provided to the control group. After the field study, all participants were asked to complete a web-based exit survey that was comprised of questions about their general participation experience and specific concerns about the study design, application, compliance requirements, and privacy issues. Findings from the field study show that UbiActive has high potential in collecting travel-related physical activity and psychological experience data, but limited effectiveness in behavior intervention. Findings from the exit survey provide useful insights into potential improvement areas of the study and the UbiActive application.Item Using a Smartphone App to Assist the Visually Impaired at Signalized Intersections(Intelligent Transportation Systems Institute, Center for Transportation Studies, University of Minnesota, 2012-08) Liao, Chen-FuThe blind and Visually Impaired (VI) rely heavily on walking and public transit for their transportation needs. A major challenge for this population is safe crossing of intersections. As a result of the American with Disabilities Act (ADA), Accessible Pedestrian Signal (APS) systems at signalized intersections have improved significantly since 2000. However, these systems still have shortcomings for both users and municipalities, and new approaches are needed to adequately serve pedestrians with low vision. As part of our ongoing effort to develop a prototype Mobile Accessible Pedestrian Signal (MAPS) application for the blind and VI, we interviewed ten blind and lowvision people to better understand what types of information they use at intersection crossings and to identify information types that could assist them. With these survey results, a MAPS prototype was developed that provides signal and intersection geometry information to Smartphone users at signalized intersections. User interaction is via simple tactile input (single or double-tap) and Text-To-Speech (TTS) technology. A MAPS prototype was developed and tested to evaluate the functionalities of providing signal and orientation information to the visually impaired travelers at signalized intersections. This proposal will build upon the developed MAPS and investigate how blind and low-vision individuals gain their spatial knowledge surrounding an intersection and how the MAPS can be used to support their decision-making strategy at intersection crossings.