Integrating Transportation Data to Address Representation and Measurement Limitations in Travel Behavior and Demand Analysis

Expanding transportation data availability is creating new opportunities for a richer, potentially more representative, and broader data landscape to support the measurement and modeling of evolving travel behaviors and outcomes. This project addresses the need for clearer guidance on when, where, and how multiple data sources can be integrated to overcome common data limitations in travel behavior and demand research. The proposed work will develop an accessible taxonomy and application framework organized by stage of analysis – survey design, data preparation, analysis and modeling, validation, and calibration – and by the specific limitation being addressed: insufficient sample size, lack of population representativeness, unobserved key variables, and measurement error. By linking data limitations to appropriate integration strategies and transportation applications, this work will help move the field beyond isolated, ad hoc uses of data fusion toward a more systematic and transferable practice. The expected outcome is practical guidance that supports more credible, representative, and policy-relevant travel behavior and demand analysis in an increasingly complex data environment.

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Active
• Funding: $148,409.00
• Contract Numbers:

  69A3552344815

  69A3552348320

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology

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

  University of Texas at Austin

  Austin, TX  United States  78712
• Performing Organizations:

  University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute

  2901 Baxter Road
  Ann Arbor, Michigan  United States  48109
• Principal Investigators:

  Shaw, Atiyya

• Start Date: 20260601
• Expected Completion Date: 20270531
• Actual Completion Date: 0
• USDOT Program: University Transportation Centers

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Data analysis; Data fusion; Travel behavior; Travel demand
• Subject Areas: Data and Information Technology; Planning and Forecasting; Transportation (General);

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 02002866
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Center for Understanding Future of Travel Behavior and Demand
• Contract Numbers: 69A3552344815, 69A3552348320
• Files: UTC, RIP
• Created Date: Sep 18 2026 10:14AM