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Use of global positioning system technology to track subject's location during environmental exposure sampling

Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology volume 11, pages 207–215 (2001)Cite this article

Abstract

Global positioning system (GPS) data recorders were worn by subjects in the Oklahoma Urban Air Toxics Study (OUATS) for automatic logging of their location as they went about their normal daily activities. The location information obtained by the GPS units had an uncertainty of about 10–20 m, which was sufficiently precise to track subjects' movements on trips outside the immediate vicinity of their homes. Due to instrument problems, primarily related to reduced battery life, the units operated for only about 30% of the total monitoring time attempted in 25 trials. The GPS data were compared to time–activity diaries kept by the subjects. In almost all cases, the GPS data confirmed all travel events reported in the subjects' diaries. Additionally, in five out of five trials in which the logging period covered most or all of the subjects' daytime activities, at least one travel event that was not recorded in the diary was detected by GPS. Notwithstanding the limitations of present technology, GPS was found to be a promising means for tracking of research subjects in community-based exposure assessment studies.

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Acknowledgements

This research was funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency National Center for Environmental Research and Quality Assurance under Agreement No. R82-6786-010. Rod Clinkenbeard, Aaron Gibson, and David Altom assisted with data collection and software manipulation. The authors thank the study participants for their cooperation. This work was the subject of a platform presentation at the American Industrial Hygiene Conference and Exposition in Orlando, Florida on May 24, 2000.

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  1. Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, 801 Northeast Thirteenth Street, Oklahoma City, 73104, Oklahoma, USA

    MARGARET L PHILLIPS, THOMAS A HALL, NURTAN A ESMEN, ROBERT LYNCH & DAVID L JOHNSON

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  1. MARGARET L PHILLIPS
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  2. THOMAS A HALL
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  3. NURTAN A ESMEN
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  4. ROBERT LYNCH
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  5. DAVID L JOHNSON
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Correspondence to MARGARET L PHILLIPS.

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PHILLIPS, M., HALL, T., ESMEN, N. et al. Use of global positioning system technology to track subject's location during environmental exposure sampling. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol 11, 207–215 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.jea.7500161

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