Listening to Passengers: Data-Driven Investigations of Public Perceptions at Transportation Hubs to Improve Equity and Accessibility of Underrepresented Populations

In the built environment, accessibility of people with disabilities has been improved by adopting ADA standards. For the project life cycle aspect, current efforts focused rather on the design and construction stages, but with a lack of consideration for the operation of transportation infrastructure. After the COVID 19 pandemic, citizens have been asked (or required) to change their behavior at public transportation hubs (e.g., airports). Consequently, new challenges for passengers with disabilities have arisen, demanding operational changes to ensure maintenance of equal access for all visitors. In the proposed research, the study team will identify such challenges by using a novel data mining technique on a large public perception data (64 hub airports). Then, the team will apply their research findings to current guidelines as well as operation strategies at Dallas / Fort Worth International Airport (DFW). Specifically, the study team has developed a four-phase research method. First, they will collect location-based social media data from the Google Maps platform, which is distinct from other social media, where users share their experiences about specific locations. Then, they will apply a topic modeling technique to systemically identify public opinions of airport operations with the guidance of the Open Doors Organization, which is a non-profit focused on helping traveler with disabilities. The last two tasks will involve both professional aviation architects from Corgan and the customer satisfaction team at DFW to transfer the study team's research findings toward practical implementation. The team's innovative data-driven approach will help both designers and facility managers to make transportation hubs more equitable and accessible for passengers with disabilities.

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Active
• Funding: $70000
• Contract Numbers:

  022-02

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Center for Transportation Equity, Decisions & Dollars (CTEDD)

  University of Texas at Arlington
  Arlington, TX  United States  76019

  University of Texas at Arlington

  Box 19308
  Arlington, TX  United States  76019-0308

  Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology

  University Transportation Centers Program
  Department of Transportation
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Managing Organizations:

  Center for Transportation Equity, Decisions & Dollars (CTEDD)

  University of Texas at Arlington
  Arlington, TX  United States  76019
• Performing Organizations:

  University of Texas at Arlington

  Box 19308
  Arlington, TX  United States  76019-0308
• Principal Investigators:

  Mistur, Evan

  Park, June

• Start Date: 20220515
• Expected Completion Date: 20230630
• Actual Completion Date: 0
• USDOT Program: University Transportation Centers

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Accessibility; Attitudes; Data mining; Equity; Hubs; Passengers; Perception; Persons with disabilities
• Subject Areas: Data and Information Technology; Operations and Traffic Management; Passenger Transportation; Planning and Forecasting; Policy; Society;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01854734
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Center for Transportation Equity, Decisions & Dollars (CTEDD)
• Contract Numbers: 022-02
• Files: UTC, RIP
• Created Date: Aug 16 2022 6:07PM