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Data from: Data collection of Odometer images via WhatsApp to measure vehicle miles traveled report

Makino, Keita1; Gulhare, Siddhartha1; Roshan, Ranbir2; Circella, Giovanni31

Research facility: Institute of Transportation Studies, UC Davis
Published Nov 14, 2025 on Dryad. https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.g79cnp62m

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Nov 14, 2025 version files 57.48 KB

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Abstract

This dataset contains relevant information used in the study of collecting odometer images via WhatsApp to measure vehicle miles traveled (VMT) in California. In recent years, policymakers have increasingly suggested interventions for sustainable transportation, directly or indirectly aiming to reduce vehicle miles traveled. Researchers in transportation have used various ways to collect VMT data for their analysis, but there are pros and cons to each method. Self-reported VMTs from travel surveys are traditionally used to understand factors affecting VMT or estimate policy effects, yet such data suffer from recall error, rounding, and heaping biases in reporting numbers by which researchers derive VMT. Surveys with the latest technologies, such as a dedicated GPS device, can provide more accurate VMT but can be intrusive on participants’ privacy and too expensive to scale. Passively collected data, such as traffic counts or states’ odometer reading data, rarely capture travelers’ characteristics, limiting the capability of travel behavior analysis. In this study, we developed a new VMT data collection method using WhatsApp through three tasks: 1) a comprehensive literature review of the data collection methods for VMT-related arguments, assessing their strengths and shortcomings; 2) the development of an automation system to collect odometer images from participants via WhatsApp, and 3) a pilot deployment of a real-world study and evaluation of the results, with a discussion of circumstances that this method could provide benefits compared to other existing approaches and of limitations or challenges. The results will provide guidelines to planners, policymakers, and researchers in choosing and implementing strategies for VMT data collection, including those presented here, depending on their analysis and practical needs.