Long-Distance Travel and Social Network Geography

The thesis project will advance basic knowledge of the long-distance and intercity travel behavior in order to inform more sustainable transportation planning. Long-distance travel currently accounts for few trips but many miles, including air miles in the overall system. Some estimates are as high as 30% of the miles and thus energy used in the transportation system are for intercity trips. While thought leaders have proposed that social network geography is expanding and that this relates to longer trips and travel, very limited data have been collected. Few social network researchers incorporate physical location of contacts into their work opting instead for measurement of emotional closeness and face-to-face contact frequency. Long distance travel is difficult to measure and improvements to survey methods will be pursued in this project. The overall objective of this project is to increase understanding of the relationship between social network geography and long-distance travel. “Big Data” may be used to assess annual activity spaces. On-line survey instruments may be used to collect data on social network geography and levels of travel. The survey effort builds on a pilot effort implemented in a prior NCST project.

• Record URL:
  https://ncst.ucdavis.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Howerter-Project-Info-Sheet.pdf
• 
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Thesis embargoed until July 2021

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Completed
• Funding: $60000
• Contract Numbers:

  69A3551747114

• Sponsor Organizations:

  National Center for Sustainable Transportation

  University of California, Davis
  Davis, CA  United States 

  Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology

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

  National Center for Sustainable Transportation

  University of California, Davis
  Davis, CA  United States 

  UVM Transportation Center

  University of Vermont
  210 Colchester Avenue
  Burlington, VT  United States  05405
• Project Managers:

  Iacobucci, Lauren

• Performing Organizations:

  National Center for Sustainable Transportation

  University of California, Davis
  Davis, CA  United States 

  UVM Transportation Center

  University of Vermont
  210 Colchester Avenue
  Burlington, VT  United States  05405
• Principal Investigators:

  Howerter, Sarah

• Start Date: 20170901
• Expected Completion Date: 20191031
• Actual Completion Date: 20190731
• USDOT Program: University Transportation Centers

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Geography; Intercity travel; Social factors; Transportation system management; Travel behavior; Travel surveys; Trip length
• Subject Areas: Data and Information Technology; Planning and Forecasting; Transportation (General);

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01713613
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: National Center for Sustainable Transportation
• Contract Numbers: 69A3551747114
• Files: UTC, RIP
• Created Date: Aug 8 2019 3:07PM