GIS-based episode reconstruction toolkit (GERT): A transferable, modular, and scalable framework for automated extraction of activity episodes from GPS data

About 26,000 episodes were automatically reconstructed using GERT from 47.3 million GPS points. A comparison of the episode and duration distributions reveal similar patterns between time-use diary and GPS episodes, a similarity that confirms that GERT's modules work properly in reconstructing episodes from GPS data. GERT's overall performance suggests potential because of its scalability - GERT can scale up to large GPS data; modularity - GERT has a complete set of tools to support activity analyses and route choice model estimations; and transferability - GERT's reliance on generic variables (latitude, longitude, time) makes it applicable to other places. Overall, GERT's modules provide transportation researchers with rich datasets (stop and travel episodes, activity locations, travel segments, route choice sets, route attributes) for improving the understanding of activity/travel patterns in general and route choice decisions in particular.