David W. Eby
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FAST-TRAC: An ITS Operational Field Test of User
Perceptions and Behaviors
Principal Investigator: David W. Eby
Co-principal Investigators: Lidia P. Kostyniuk, Fredrick M. Streff
Sponsor: Road Commission for Oakland County, Federal Highway Administration
12-95 to 11-97
Introduction
FAST-TRAC is an ITS application in Troy, Michigan that integrates advanced traffic
management and advanced driver information systems consisting of an area-wide traffic signal
control, video image processing for traffic detection, and vehicle navigation systems for route
guidance. The Social and Behavioral Analysis (SBA) Division of the University of Michigan
Transportation Research Institute's (UMTRI) part of this project is an overall evaluation of the
effectiveness of FAST-TRAC, and is specifically concerned with the evaluation of user
perceptions and behaviors toward the in-vehicle navigation systems. Results from other
components of FAST-TRAC can be found at the University of Michigan ITS Laboratory.
The In-Vehicle Navigation Systems:
The in-vehicle navigation systems used in the FAST-TRAC project were both made by the
Siemens Automotive Corporation. They were:
and
Tetrastar
The Experiments
As part of our evaluation we are conducting four experiments designed to assess how people use
and what they think about both Ali-Scout and Tetrastar. All of the experiments take place in the
Southeastern part of Oakland County, Michigan.
Pilot Study
Prior to beginning any experiments, a detailed pilot-study was conducted to assess the
test-instruments. Complete results of this study can be found here:
Eby, D.W., Streff, F.M., Wallace, R.R., Kostyniuk, L.P., Hopp, M.L. & Underwood, S.E. (1996).
An Evaluation of User Perceptions and Behaviors of FAST-TRAC: Pilot Study Results. (Report
UMTRI-96-14). Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute.
Experiment 1: Natural Use Study in Personal Vehicles (Ali-Scout)
In this experiment, hundreds of subjects were recruited from the Oakland County, Michigan
Study Area. Subjects volunteered to have an Ali-Scout unit installed in their vehicle for a period
of one year. During that time the subject drove normally and used the Ali-Scout device for
navigation assistance. In order to assess use and preferences, the subject was surveyed during
their participation. The written survey contained items related to their driving and commuting
behaviors, their perceptions of the Ali-Scout operation and displays, their thoughts about the
Ali-Scout system as a whole, their use of the Ali-Scout system, and their willingness to pay for a
system like Ali-Scout.
A complete description of the study can be found in:
Eby, D.W., Kostyniuk, L.P., Streff, F.M., Hopp, M.L. (1997). Evaluating the Perceptions and
Behaviors of Ali-Scout Users in a Naturalistic Setting. (Report No. UMTRI- 97-08). Ann Arbor,
MI: University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute.
Experiment 2: Natural Use Study, Leased Vehicles (Ali-Scout)
In order to have greater control over the vehicle and subject selection factors than was possible in
Experiment 1, the project leased several identical test-vehicles and installed Ali-Scout devices in
them. Subjects were then recruited from Secretary of State (DMV) offices in the Oakland
County area. Subjects were catagorized by three age groups (young, middle-age, old) and
gender. The subject used one of the test vehicles in their everyday driving for a one-month
period. During their participation, the subect was asked to keep a log of daily trips including
their use of Ali-Scout. During the third week of participation, the subject was given the same
survey as subjects in Experiment 1 to complete.
A complete description of the study and results can be found in:
Kostyniuk, L.P., Eby, D.W., Christoff, C., Hopp, M.L. (1997). The FAST-TRAC Natural Use
Leased-Car Study: An Evaluation of User Perceptions and Behaviors of Ali- Scout by Age and
Gender. ( Report No. UMTRI-97-09). Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Transportation
Research Institute.
Experiment 3: Natural Use Study, Leased Vehicles (Tetrastar)
In this experiment, we did the same thing as in experiment 2, except the Ali-Scout devices were
removed from the vehicles and a Tetrastar device was installed. As in the previous experiment,
subjects drove for a one-month period while keeping track of their driving and use of Tetrastar in
a log. The drivers also filled out a Tetrastar-specific survey. So that we could assess opinions of
Tetrastar relative to Ali-Scout, all subjects in this experiment had already participated in
Experiment 2.
A complete description of the study and results can be found in:
Kostyniuk, L.P., Eby, D.W., Christoff, C., Hopp, M.L. (1997). An Evaluation of Driver
Response to the TetraStar Navigation Assistance System by Age and Sex. (Report No.
UMTRI-97-33). Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute.
Experiment 4: Troika Study
This experiment was designed as a head-to-head comparison of driver behavior when subjects,
with different types of navigation assistance available, are driving to the same place at the same
time. The three types of navigation assistance studied were Ali-Scout, Tetrastar, and Written
Directions. Thus, for each trial, a triplet of subjects were run--one subject in the triplet had a test
vehicle with Ali-Scout, one had a test vehicle with Tetrastar, and one had a test vehicle with only
a map and written instructions available. Triplets were run during both peak and nonpeak traffic
conditions and all subjects within a triplet were either familiar or unfamiliar with the road
network in the FAST-TRAC study area.
Prior to beginning a trial each subject was trained on the operation and use of the navigation
assistance (written instuction subjects simply reviewed the instructions). Subjects were then
placed in their vehicle, shown the operation of the unit and cellular phone (in case they needed to
contact the researchers), and shown on a map where they were located (the origin) and where
they were being asked to drive (the destination). Subjects were instructed to drive to the
destination as quickly and as safely as possible, without breaking any traffic laws. The Ali-Scout
and Tetrastar subjects already had the device configured for the destination.
Using a laptop installed with a Global Positioning System and differential corrections, we
tracked and recorded the exact location of each vehicle during the trip. From this GPS log,
several independent measures were calculated such as the number of turns, time spent at zero
velocity, route taken, etc. At the completion of the experiment, subjects filled out a survey that
asked about their trip, their reliance on the navigation assistance, and other items about their
wayfinding preferences.
A complete description of the study and results can be found in the following:
Eby, D.W., Kostyniuk, L.P., Christoff, C., Hopp, M.L., Streff, F.M. (1997). An On-the- Road
Comparison of In-Vehicle Navigation Assistance Systems: The FAST- TRAC Troika Study.
(Report No. UMTRI-97-05). Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Transportation Research
Institute.
Eby, D.W. & Kostyniuk, L.P. (1997). An on-the-road comparison of in-vehicle navigation
assistance technologies: The FAST-TRAC troika study. In Proceedings of the 4th World
Congress on Intelligent Transportation Systems, Berlin, Germany (on CD-ROM).
Eby, D.W. & Kostyniuk, L.P. (1999). An on-the-road comparison of in-vehicle navigation
assistance systems. Human Factors, 41, 295-311.
Experiment 5: The Older Driver and ITS
This experiment was designed to gain a better understanding of how drivers 65 years of age or
older navigate and how ITS might be able to facilitate their navigation abilities. Several older
drivers who had participated in experiments 2 and 3 were invited to come to a group interview
and discuss their uses of ITS, general navigation ability, and ITS training issues. Since many of
these drivers in previous experiments mentioned navigating with the help of a spousal co-pilot,
the spouses of the drivers were invited to participate in the interview. We found that nearly all
drivers had experienced degradation in their ability to navigate. primary reasons for this
degredation were, in order, decreases in perceptual, cognitive, and motoric function. Nearly all
drivers reported using a spouse as a co-pilot who could compensate for the deficits experienced
by drivers. Drivers commented that ITS devices can also compensate, but to a lesser degree than
the co-pilot. However, they noted that current devices are not tailored to the special cognitive
and perceptual needs of the older driver. They also commented that both a co-pilot and ITS
device would be their preferred way to navigate.
A complete description of the study and results can be found in:
Kostyniuk, L.P., Streff, F.M., & Eby, D.W. (1997). The Older Driver and Navigation Assistance
Technologies. (Report No. UMTRI-97-47). Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan
Transportation Research Institute.
Personnel
The FAST-TRAC User Perceptions and Behaviors Evaluation Group included:
David W. Eby, Ph.D.,
Lidia P. Kostyniuk, Ph.D.,
Fredrick M. Streff, Ph.D.
Carl Christoff, M.S.E., M.S.W.,
Michelle L. Hopp, M.A.,
and several field staff.
All photography on this page © 1996, Carl Christoff. All rights are reserved.
