Travel simulators for data collection on driver behaviour in the presence of information

Understanding traveler response to potential ATIS services is critical for designing such services and evaluating their effectiveness. Extensive data is required for developing the models necessary to provide this understanding. In this paper the authors examine one source of such data: traveler simulators. They make a distinction between travel simulators, used to study the travelers response to information acquisition, and driving simulators, which are elaborate tools used mainly for human factors research. Traveler simulators have the potential to provide a wealth of data collected relatively inexpensively under controlled conditions. However the data may suffer from biases introduced because of the laboratory nature of travel simulators. The authors examine various existing simulators and comment on their advantages and disadvantages. They make recommendations for simulator design characteristics that increase the reliability of the data collected and suggest enhancements so that current simulators can be used for the collection of data related to assess the acquisition of ATIS products as well. The authors conclude the paper with recommendations for future research in the area.