Towards More Worthwhile Rail Journeys: Exploring the Role of Personal Data in Augmenting Rail Travellers' Use of Travel Time
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Nottingham
Department Name: Faculty of Engineering
Abstract
Recent advances in ICTs have given individuals the power and tools to creatively tackle everyday challenges they face. This is particularly true with the case smartphones and ubiquitous Internet access, which have become a part of our daily lives. This has led to an explosion in the data generated by individuals each day across various facets of society. The transport industry is no exception, as travellers are increasingly connected on the move. For their part, transport authorities have responded to an increase in demand for public transport with increased spending over the years. In 2014/15, £20.6 billion was spent on public transport in the UK, representing a 29% increase compared to 10 years ago (2004/05) - about half of this spending going towards railways (37%) and local public transport (14%).
In the face of increasing ubiquity of devices and technologies, one area that travellers are equipped to take advantage of, though usually poorly supported, is in the use of their travel time. With a smartphone penetration at 72% of the population - 54% deeming it necessary to their travel experience - it is no wonder that over half of UK travellers always look for ways to optimize their journey. Unfortunately, transport studies and policies have until recently framed this time as 'wasted' time in between 'real' activities and sought to minimise it. However, there is qualitative proof that travel time has a positive utility, with over three quarters of rail passengers not considering the use of their travel time as a waste and a large majority equipping themselves to utilise this time through a combination of objects such as mobile technologies, work-related or leisure reading material and infrastructural design or facilities.
Research Statement
This PhD will attempt to contribute to challenging the current orthodoxy on the disutility of travel time use, and advocate its potential benefits to both policy makers and passengers. In particular, it will explore ways in which operators can augment the travel time behaviour of passengers. This could be in the form of frameworks that incorporate individual or collective personal data to commercialise or optimize the technology infrastructure that underpins the use of travel time or through the design of interventions based on personal data insights that can aid transport staff in supporting traveller activity. The research will be undertaken in collaboration with Thales UK.
Research Questions
Aim
The overarching research aim of the project will be to understand how personal data fits into the discourse on rail passenger's travel time use, particularly how it can be harnessed to support their travel time needs.
Objectives
In-depth analysis of personal data generated by passengers during journeys and what that can reveal about passenger travel time use.
Evaluation of technologies and infrastructure available to capture passenger data on travel time use
Analysis of frameworks and infrastructure that can be employed to optimize service provision using personal data of passengers.
Understand whether existing non-mobility datasets can be combined with passenger personal data to provide more useful insights on travel time behaviour.
In the face of increasing ubiquity of devices and technologies, one area that travellers are equipped to take advantage of, though usually poorly supported, is in the use of their travel time. With a smartphone penetration at 72% of the population - 54% deeming it necessary to their travel experience - it is no wonder that over half of UK travellers always look for ways to optimize their journey. Unfortunately, transport studies and policies have until recently framed this time as 'wasted' time in between 'real' activities and sought to minimise it. However, there is qualitative proof that travel time has a positive utility, with over three quarters of rail passengers not considering the use of their travel time as a waste and a large majority equipping themselves to utilise this time through a combination of objects such as mobile technologies, work-related or leisure reading material and infrastructural design or facilities.
Research Statement
This PhD will attempt to contribute to challenging the current orthodoxy on the disutility of travel time use, and advocate its potential benefits to both policy makers and passengers. In particular, it will explore ways in which operators can augment the travel time behaviour of passengers. This could be in the form of frameworks that incorporate individual or collective personal data to commercialise or optimize the technology infrastructure that underpins the use of travel time or through the design of interventions based on personal data insights that can aid transport staff in supporting traveller activity. The research will be undertaken in collaboration with Thales UK.
Research Questions
Aim
The overarching research aim of the project will be to understand how personal data fits into the discourse on rail passenger's travel time use, particularly how it can be harnessed to support their travel time needs.
Objectives
In-depth analysis of personal data generated by passengers during journeys and what that can reveal about passenger travel time use.
Evaluation of technologies and infrastructure available to capture passenger data on travel time use
Analysis of frameworks and infrastructure that can be employed to optimize service provision using personal data of passengers.
Understand whether existing non-mobility datasets can be combined with passenger personal data to provide more useful insights on travel time behaviour.
Studentship Projects
| Project Reference | Relationship | Related To | Start | End | Student Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EP/P510592/1 | 01/10/2016 | 23/12/2021 | |||
| 1802130 | Studentship | EP/P510592/1 | 01/10/2016 | 30/12/2020 | Christian Tamakloe |
| Description | Digital Economy Network (DEN) Summer School hosted by Bournemouth University, 1-3 July 2018 |
| Organisation | RCUK Digital Economy Theme (DET) |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | I attended a two and a half-day summer school organised by the Digital Economy Network, during which I participated in workshops on Project Managing a PhD and leveraging the Kaggle data analytics platform for research. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Organised by the DEN, the summer school was hosted by Bournemouth University and saw over 100 Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT) delegates from across 10 UK universities in attendance. |
| Impact | N/A |
| Start Year | 2018 |
| Description | Digital Economy Network (DEN) Summer School hosted by Loughborough University in London, 3-6 July 2017 |
| Organisation | RCUK Digital Economy Theme (DET) |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | I attended a 3-day summer school organised by the Digital Economy Network, during which I participated in the following insightful workshops: 1) Robots For All: First hands on experience with simple Lego® Robots 2) The beautiful science of data visualisation 3) Making an impact with posters |
| Collaborator Contribution | The summer school was successfully organised by Digital Economy Network (DEN) and hosted by Loughborough University in London from the 3 - 6 July, 2017. |
| Impact | N/A |
| Start Year | 2017 |
| Description | Academic Showcase (Thales UK) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | The first Thales UK Academic Showcase was held at their UK Headquarters in Reading on the 28 of November, 2018, to shed light on the wide portfolio of academic research partnerships sponsored by the company. In attendance were partners from 22 UK universities as well as over 40 PhD doctoral students currently sponsored by Thales, Thales senior management and technical experts. In addition to giving a talk on my current research, I had the opportunity to network with the Thales academic community as well as better understanding the company's long-term academic plans and goals. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| URL | https://www.thalesgroup.com/en/united-kingdom/news/showcase-collaboration-between-business-and-acade... |