AUTOMATED DATA COLLECTION FOR CONSUMER DRIVING-ACTIVITY SURVEY

Consumer driving-activity market research information may be obtained by selecting panelists to form a consumer driving-activity panel. At least one trackable motor vehicle and at least one consumer driver who has use of the vehicle are associated with each panelist of the panel. The trackable motor vehicles associated with the panel provide representatives from a varied plurality of vehicle-classification categories and the consumer drivers associated with the panel provide representatives from a varied plurality of demographic categories. For each panelist, panelist attribute data including vehicle-classification data and driver demographic data are stored in a data processing system. During trip portions of a sample group of trip portions, time-annotated vehicle-location data approximately tracking the movement of each trackable motor vehicle are generated automatically by means of automatic vehicle-location tracking gear on the vehicle. The time-annotated vehicle-location data associated with a trip portion are stored and analyzed to generate a set of vehicle-use data for the trip portion which includes data encoding the date, the time of day, the duration, the starting point and destination coordinates, the distance driven, and a representative speed. Trip-portion vehicle-use data for the sample group of trip portions driven by the vehicle are associated in the data processing system with elements of panelist attribute data concerning the panelist with which the motor vehicle is associated. To obtain the desired consumer driving-activity market research information, trip-portion vehicle-use data and associated panelist attribute data are analyzed statistically over a survey group of panelists of the consumer driving-activity panel.