Built Environment Characteristics, Daily Travel, and Biometric Readings : Creation of an Experimental Tool Based on a Smartwatch Platform

Travel surveys can uncover information regarding travel behaviour, needs, and more. Collected information is utilised to make choices when reorganising or planning built environments. Over the years, methods for conducting travel surveys have changed from interviews and forms to automated travel diaries in order to monitor trips made by travellers. With the fast progression of technological advancements, new possibilities for operationalising such travel diaries can be implemented, changing from utilising mobile to wearable devices. Wearable devices are often equipped with sensors which collect continuous biometric data from sources that are not reachable from standard mobile devices. Data collected through wearable devices range from heart rate and blood pressure to temperature and perspiration. This advancement opens new possible layers of information in the collection of travel data. Such biometric data can be used to derive psychophysiological conditions related to cognitive load, which can uncover in-depth knowledge regarding stress and emotions. This paper aims to explore the possibilities of data analysis on the data collected through a software combining travel survey data, such as position and time, with heartrate, to gain knowledge of the implications of such data. The knowledge about the implications of spatial configurations can be used to create more accessible environments.QC 20211005