NEXt generation activity and travel behavioUr modelS: Bringing together choice modelling, data science and ubiquitous computing (NEXUS)

Start date: 15 October 2020
End date: 14 October 2024
Funder: UK Research and Innovation
Value: £1.3 Million
Partners and collaborators: Alan Turing Institute; University of California Berkeley, Department for Transport, Asian Development Bank, Citi Logik, PTV
Primary investigator: Professor Charisma Choudhury
Co-investigators: He Wang, Faisal Mushtaq

We are currently living in an era of unprecedented changes in the mobility landscape: technological advances are leading to self-driving cars, flying taxis, etc.; societal changes are leading to a more multi-ethnic and diverse set of travellers; and finally, disruptive changes like the current pandemic are leading to fundamental changes in the way we work, move and think. The traditional data and travel behaviour models are unable to deal with such increased complexities and radical changes.

This motivates my fellowship where I will focus on developing next-generation mathematical models of travel behaviour that can better predict the decisions made by travellers in the changing landscape. This will be achieved by developing new frameworks that bring together Choice Modelling, Ubiquitous Computing and Machine Learning techniques.

The developed methodologies will enable better utilization of passively generated mobility traces (from GPS, mobile phone, etc.), neurophysiological signals and virtual reality to capture decision making in a wide range of future scenarios. The developed models will be implemented in an agent-based microsimulation tool to test alternative policy scenarios in a more robust manner.

Publications and outputs

The outputs will thus enable planners and policymakers, both in the UK and in developing countries, to meet the new mobility challenges of the 21st century. The world leading facilities at the Choice Modelling Centre (CMC) and Institute for Transport Studies, Leeds Institute of Data Analytics (LIDA), Virtuocity and Centre for Immersive Technologies (CfIT) make University of Leeds the ideal place to conduct this transformative research. Collaborations will Co-Is from Psychology (Dr Faisal Mushtaq, UoL) and Computing (Dr He Wang, UoL) and partnerships with UC Berkeley and Alan Turing Institute will enable cross-fertilization of ideas with other disciplines and maximise the academic impact. Partnerships with Citilogik, PTV, Department of Transport and Asian Development Bank will help in the transition of the research to practice.