Presentation giselle ramos tu delft

14-03-13

Challenge the future

DelftUniversity ofTechnology

Masterclass: Writing a report

My own PhD research and experience in writing a report

Giselle Ramos

2Master class: Writing a report | 13

My PhD research

• Growth in mobility impacting network performance

• The role of ICT solutions• Optimize the use of available road capacity• Substitute for physical trips

• The relationship between traffic information and travellers’ behaviour: accuracy, consistency and compliance aspects

Background and objectiveBackground and objective


Travellers’ behaviour Route choice behaviour

route A

route B

Origin Destination

• Assess network dynamics taking into account the impact of travel information on travellers’ behaviour

My PhD researchBackground and objectiveBackground and objective

route C


• How to investigate travellers’ behaviour?• Possibilities to investigate how travellers would react in a specific

context: data collection

• How to model travellers’ behaviour?• Which theory to use?

My PhD researchChallengesChallenges

Revealed preference data

Modelling framework based on Utility Theory


My PhD research

• GPS devices (actual route choices)• Real-time traffic information via TomTom• Traffic condition of network (actual traffic situation)• Travel diaries & interviews (travelers’ perception)

Participants equipped with GPS devices to be used during their commute trips and with personalized traffic information

A travel diary had to be filled in after each trip (reaction toward information, perceptions about the trip made and expectations about the next trip)

Research approach: data collectionResearch approach: data collection


My PhD research

• 32 commuters in the Netherlands• 9 weeks of data collection (May 9th to July 12th, 2011)• 44% women and 56% men• Age between 23 and 60 years old (41% between 35 and 45)• Commute frequencies between 2 and 5 days/week (61%

commuting 5 days/week)

Data collection setupData collection setup

Period Treatment

No info (or public info sources)

Info (free info sources + TomTom)

Initial 3 weeks 100% (32 participants) 0% (0 participants) Last 6 weeks 20% (6 participants) 80% (26 participants)

1


My PhD research

• Available public sources of information (radio, VMS, TV, etc.) and via TomTom (personalized real time traffic information)

• No info treatment: public sources of travel information. To be in accordance to reality

• Info treatment: public sources + personalized travel information

• The personalized real time traffic information consisted of a recommendation regarding the fastest route and estimated arrival time and delay given the indicated departure time

• Possibility to plan the departure time• Possibility of compare the travel times between suggested and

alternative route

Data collection setup: Traffic informationData collection setup: Traffic information


My PhD researchData collection setupData collection setup: : Traffic informationTraffic information


My PhD research

• The travel diary consisted of 5 sections related to:i. general information such as date of the trip, origin and destination

ii. behavior and reaction towards pre-trip information such as whether they had received pre-trip information, sources of information provision, how they had reacted to it, etc.

iii. behavior and reaction towards en-route information

iv. feedback about the trip just made such as actual travel time, whether in hindsight the same route and departure time would have been chosen, etc.

v. expectations about the next trip with respect to their intended route choice, expected travel time, flexibility regarding arrival times, etc.

Data collection setup: Travel diaryData collection setup: Travel diary


My PhD research

• Travelers were interviewed in 3 occasions:i. Beginning of the experiment: questions regarding perceptions of

routes’ characteristics, routes’ preferences, usual departure times, use of pre-route and en-route information and willingness to pay to use traffic information

ii. After 5 weeks of data collection: questions about reaction to information such as how often the route suggested by TomTom matched expectations, how often they chose the suggested route, satisfaction with the information and opinion about its reliability

iii. End of experiment: combination of the questions presented at the beginning and in the middle of the experiment

Data collection setup: InterviewsData collection setup: Interviews


My PhD research

• Sample size (Consider only valid trips only: trips in which both the origin and destination of the GPS trace is within 1.5 km distance from home and work)

• Travel diaries and GPS traces: sample size of 897 trips• Interviews: sample size of 32 interviews

• Descriptive analysis• Comparisons between the valid GPS traces, travel diaries, interviews

and network data

• Modelling: in progress (GPS data and network data)• Dynamic discrete choice modelling• Attributes: travel time for informed and non-informed travellers, road

type and information provision

OutcomesOutcomes


Writing a report

• Write while you read/decide:• For literature review: Read paper and write about it (AND) add

references to EndNote.• Data collection: write the reasoning/why you chose something – you will

forget it later.

• Schedule regular appointments with supervisor (if cancelations happen, there will be a new appointment soon)

• Reminder about deadlines/What to discuss in the next meetings (?)

• Set a clear deadline when you waiting for a feedback

• Discuss what your plans are and ask for feedback while you are working – do not wait to finish the whole report

What worked?


Writing a report

• Make a table of contents: it helps structuring/remembering what you were planning to write

• Write more or less structured paragraphs. Revise the whole chapter at the end.

What worked?


Writing a report

• Ask for feedback without specifying date: could take longer or come when you do not need anymore

• Problems scheduling appointments: always in my agenda, but not necessarily in the supervisor

• Set strict/tight deadlines for me (varies from person to person, but I do not work under pressure)

• Revise the same chapter several times one after the other: after the 2nd revision I was so familiar with the text that could not find anything strange/wrong anymore

What did not work


(… and good luck)

Questions?

([email protected])

Presentation giselle ramos tu delft

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