Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives (Sep 2021)
The architecture of complexity in the relationships between information and communication technologies and travel: A review of empirical studies
Abstract
The use of information and communication technologies (ICT) has become an integral part of people’s lives, having complex interactions with different facets of human activity participation and travel behaviour. Studies over decades have tried to understand the relationships between ICT and travel. However, the fast evolution of ICT systems and the complex nature of these relationships have resulted in a limited understanding of the overall architecture, the sub-components, and their interactions. This study aims to achieve two objectives. First, we update the current state of knowledge on ICT-travel relationships by conducting an extensive literature review. Second, based on the findings of the review, we propose a conceptual model that identifies sub-components and their interrelationships that need to be better understood to accurately grasp the impacts of ICT on transportation. We summarized 186 empirical studies from the perspectives of survey methods, ICT devices, services, applications, direct relationships with travel behaviour related variables and higher-order or indirect impacts on other parameters such as emissions and congestion. It was observed that the nature of empirical results would depend on assumptions, objectives and type of data used. The findings of the review were then used to classify architecture in the relationship between ICT and travel into four distinct types. The merits, demerits, and challenges associated with the analysis across types were then illustrated. We then develop a conceptual model that highlighted and discussed the possible interactions between 1) ICT systems, 2) travel-related factors and 3) higher-order variables.
