The purpose of the Household Travel Survey app is to use automation to facilitate household travel surveys for public agencies. Participation in each survey is by invitation only. Every participant is part of a randomly selected household that has agreed to take part in the survey. ETC Institute is the app author and the Consultant conducting the travel survey. A local, regional, or statewide public agency such as the Department of Transportation is the ultimate data owner. The name of the data owner is stated inside the app and is revealed in advance communications with each participating household.

Household members (who are 18 and older, or 13 and older with adult permission) participating in the survey are asked to download the app, install it, and log in with a PIN that uniquely represents their household. The household member then selects their provided nickname or name from a list of household members in order to assign the trips appropriately. Prior to downloading the app, household members have provided contact information via an online or over-the-phone survey which allows ETC Institute staff to contact them with any questions or clarifications to update the User’s trip diary during or after the collection period. After login, the app begins to automatically detect and record stops that the User makes during a prescribed period, usually 24 hours. The User is asked to review the stops and answer a few questions about each stop before finishing/submitting the completed trip diary directly from the app.