Place Generator and Place Interpreter: a new methodology to collect data on regular mobility patterns

Abstract

When observing the temporal trajectory of an individual, there is a high probability of them visiting an already-known place due to habit and routine in human mobility behavior. To collect data and understand these routine activities, we propose the Place Generator and the Place Interpreter, a survey adapted from the Name Generator and Name Interpreter methodology of social network studies for travel behavior. In the survey, we asked the participants to name the venues they regularly visit for leisure by category. This methodology captures the characteristics of the venues and the reasons to be chosen. We tested this method in the Zurich Metropolitan Area in Switzerland, focusing on leisure activities and the social environment of the venues. Hence, we ask the individuals to describe the reasons for choosing that specific location and the sociodemographic characteristics of the other visitors. This methodology worked well when compared with earlier long-duration GPS tracking surveys. Respondents report, on average, 9.85 locations for nine types of venues, mainly supermarkets and restaurants or cafes, and respondents can describe their similarities with other visitors to that location. The survey is complemented with a survey of sociodemographic characteristics and the respondent’s ego-centric social network to get information on social connections and their impact on leisure activity.