Campus Origin-Destination Study Utilizing Mobile Bluetooth Addresses

Faculty Sponsor

Jay Grossman

College

Engineering

Discipline(s)

Civil Engineering

Presentation Type

Poster Presentation

Symposium Date

Spring 4-29-2021

Abstract

Many locations have a large volume of foot traffic: one being universities due to the high density of walking on campus, composed of concentrated patterns of walking to classes, dining halls, and residential buildings from students, faculty, and visitors. A small-scale origin-destination survey was conducted to analyze these movements on the Valparaiso University campus using Bluetooth device addresses. The purpose of the study was to determine the most popular origin-destination pairs on campus and plot the most trafficked routes. Transportation designers use these studies to plan new paths and roads to improve traffic flow, reduce travel time, and prioritize improvements. This research provided feedback on university paths and highlighted potential improvements for accessibility in student movements between buildings in a timely and efficient manner. Multiple Bluetooth receivers were placed throughout campus to collect origin-destination data using ESP32s chips that record and read the MAC address of nearby Bluetooth devices, primarily phones, watches, and headphones. The data from the receivers was uploaded to a database to allow for the determination of the primary origin and destination pairs on campus.

Biographical Information about Author(s)

Mary Busby is a sophomore civil engineering major from Arlington Heights, IL. She has been involved in undergraduate research for two years.

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