Multi-Road User Simulation: Methodological Considerations from Study Planning to Data Analysis

Since a few years, multi-road user simulators offer the possibility to investigate social interactions in virtual study environments. However, this new tool requires an own study methodology. Therefore, the aim of this chapter is an encompassing methodolo

  • PDF / 506,675 Bytes
  • 16 Pages / 476.22 x 680.315 pts Page_size
  • 90 Downloads / 169 Views

DOWNLOAD

REPORT


23

Dominik Muehlbacher, Katharina Preuk, Christian Lehsing, Sebastian Will, and Mandy Dotzauer

23.1 Introduction An aim of the UR:BAN project was to connect existing driving simulators in order to describe and analyse behaviour of several interacting road users. Multi-road user simulations allow investigating social interactions between these road users (i. e. influence on other drivers or influence of other drivers). In order to cover most of the urban road system consisting of various road users, the following multi-road user simulations were developed:    

connected driver-driver simulation (see Chap. 20), connected multi-driver simulation (see Chap. 21), connected driver-pedestrian-simulation (see Chap. 19), connected driver-motorcyclist simulation (see Chap. 22).

In the past few years, different research groups have already made first experiences with connected driving simulators. However, these experiences were made for a specific D. Muehlbacher () WIVW GmbH Veitshoechheim, Germany K. Preuk  M. Dotzauer Institute of Transportation Systems - Division Human Factors, German Aerospace Center Brunswick, Germany C. Lehsing Chair of Ergonomics, Technical University of Munich Munich, Germany S. Will Center for Traffic Sciences (IZVW), University of Wuerzburg Wuerzburg, Germany © Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden GmbH 2018 K. Bengler et al. (eds.), UR:BAN Human Factors in Traffic, ATZ/MTZ-Fachbuch, DOI 10.1007/978-3-658-15418-9_23

403

404

D. Muehlbacher et al.

type, for example, connected driver-motorcyclist simulation [1], connected driver-driver simulation [2] or connected multi-driver simulation [3]. An encompassing methodological consideration of connected simulations, however, lacks and will be reflected thoroughly in this chapter. It is obvious that using multi-road user simulations has its special demands. These requirements have to be regarded during the whole process of a scientific study: 1. Considerations are necessary concerning study planning: If social interactions between participants are the scope of a study, test scenarios need to be designed ensuring social interactions at all. These aspects are discussed in Sect. 23.2. 2. Conducting studies in multi-road user simulations implies challenges which do not occur in a single-driver simulation. These challenges concern technical aspects as well as issues regarding experimenters and/or participants. Sect. 23.3 deals with these issues. 3. Numerous options for data analysis are possible due to the simultaneous participation of several persons. Besides the analysis of single drivers, parameters to describe and investigate driver groups are needed. This issue is highlighted in Sect. 23.4. As a conclusion, in Sect. 23.5 appropriate possible applications of multi-road user simulations are discussed and also compared to single-driver simulations.

23.2 Planning Studies 23.2.1 Scenario Design Particularly, the multi-road user simulation is a tool which is used to investigate social interactions while driving. To achieve social interactions in the multi-