Travel surveys collect trip data such as origin, destination, mode, duration, distance and purpose of trips, as well as socioeconomic and demographic data for analysis. Transportation planners, policymakers, state departments of transportation, metropolitan planning organisations, industry professionals and academic researchers use survey data to better understand the current demand and performance of the transportation infrastructure, and to plan in preparation for future growth. Next-generation travel surveys will utilise global positioning systems (GPS) to collect trip data with minimal input from survey participants. Owing to their ubiquity, GPS-enabled mobile phones are developing into a promising survey tool. TRAC-IT is a mobile phone application that collects real-time GPS data and requires minimal input from the user for data such as trip purpose, mode and vehicle occupancy. To ease survey burden on participants and enable real-time, modespecific location-based services, new techniques must be explored to derive more information directly from GPS data. As part of travel survey collection, TRAC-IT is able to passively determine trip mode using GPSenabled mobile phones and neural networks. The mode detection technique presented in this article can be optimised using a critical point, pre-processing algorithm to reduce the size of required GPS datasets obtained from GPS-enabled mobile phones, thus reducing data collection costs while conserving precious mobile phone resources such as battery life.

Recent advancements in mobile technology allow global positioning system (GPS)-enabled cell phones to provide a variety of real-time location-based services. This study reports on the design, implementation and testing of such a service, the travel assistance device (TAD), that aids transit riders with special needs in using public transportation. TAD is a program that provides the rider with customised real-time audio, visual and tactile prompts for exiting the transit vehicle by announcing 'Get ready. . .' and 'Pull the cord now!' Additionally, TAD provides alerts to riders, their caretakers and travel trainers if a rider deviates from the planned route. A website allows easy access for the creation of new trip itineraries and allows authorised personnel to monitor the rider's location in real-time from any computer. While the TAD was designed to aid transit riders with special needs to increase their level of independence and their care-takers' level of security, any rider new to a transit system can use TAD for planning and executing trips with confidence and ease.

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The opinions, findings, and conclusions expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) who are responsible for the facts and accuracy of the data presented herein. The contents do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Florida Department of Transportation or the Research and Innovative Technologies Administration. This report does not constitute a standard, specification, or regulation.