The TimeUse+ data set: 4 weeks of time use and expenditure data based on GPS tracks.

Area of Science:

• Mobility and Transport Research
• Human Activity and Time Use Studies
• Survey Methodology

Background:

• Existing research on smartphone-based activity-travel diaries informed the TimeUse+ app's design.
• Focus groups and pretests provided insights into study design and components.

Purpose of the Study:

• Introduce the TimeUse+ dataset and its collection methodologies.
• Provide comprehensive data on travel behavior, time use, and expenditure.
• Make extensive longitudinal data available for further research.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a smartphone application for passive GPS tracking and active data annotation.
• Collected data through online questionnaires and a 4-week smartphone-based diary.
• Employed comprehensive survey methodologies for data collection.

Main Results:

• Collected longitudinal data on travel mode, purpose, duration, social partners, and expenditures.
• Observed a net response rate of 2.1% despite the study's demanding nature.
• Gathered data from German-speaking Switzerland between July 2022 and February 2023.

Conclusions:

• The TimeUse+ study successfully generated a rich dataset on daily activities and travel.
• Challenges faced and lessons learned during the study are documented.
• The dataset is valuable for advancing research in transportation, time use, and expenditure patterns.