Built Environment Characteristics, Daily Travel, and Biometric Readings: Creation of an Experimental Tool based on a Smartwatch Platform

The utilisation of travel surveys can uncover layers of information regarding travel behaviour, travel needs, and more. The collected information is utilised to make strategic planning choices when reorganising or planning new built environments. Over the years, the methods for conducting travel surveys have changed from manual interviews and paper forms to automated travel diaries which are monitoring the trips made by the survey participants. With the fast progression of technological advancements, new possibilities for operationalising said types of automated travel diaries can be changed from utilising mobile devices to wearable devices. Wearable devices are often equipped with sensors which can collect continuous biometric data from sources which are not reachable from standard mobile devices such as smartphones. The biometric data that can be collected through wearable devices ranging from heart rate and blood pressure to temperature and perspiration, given the proper sensors. This advancement opens for new possible layers of information in the collection of travel data. Such biometric data can be used to derive psychophysiological conditions related to cognitive load, which can uncover more in-depth knowledge regarding stress and emotions, given the right variables and sample rate. This paper aims to explore the possibilities in terms of data analysis on a data set collected through a software combining traditional travel survey data, such as position and time, with biometric data, in this case; heartrate, to gain knowledge of the implications of such collected data. The knowledge about the implications of spatial configurations can be used in the planning phase of new areas, in order to create more accessible environments, as the information could be used to make neutral, or even encouraging, environments for travellers.
This work is currently not under review but is intended to be submitted to the “International Conference on Transport Survey Methods” once the call for submissions is opened.QCR 20191022