Traditionally time use is measured by filling out a survey. This is very costly. It seems this is why time use surveys are carried out very rarely.
Given all the technology that is currently available, are there no more modern ways of measuring time use (through telephones with GPS for example)?
Hi Rutger, can you provide more context on what type of time use you are talking about?
There are some modern way to track a product's usage time, for example, a sensore can detect and update the time a product has been used. Moreover, warranty or maintenance related datalog also can provided the usage time and that is readily availabe and cheap compared to the surveyes. I don't know what exactly is your case but this are some idea may be useful.
Thanks shah and joao,
I am referring to time use by people. In its most simple form it would be time working, leisure time and sleep. This is usually measured by letting people fill in a time use diary. Very time consuming and costly.
Have you considered the Day Reconstruction Method, see the link below. This method comes forward to the time consumingness and high costs of traditional methods. Since it was introduced a bit more than 10 years ago, a number of papers has been published based on this method.
Article A Survey Method for Characterizing Daily Life Experience: Th...
Thanks Tineke,
I knew the DRM (and like it) but to me it is still a survey method which is not using the full potential of current technology. I was browsing around the internet and found out that there is a project that seems to have some of these elements:
http://www.sociology.ox.ac.uk/department/6-million-research-grants-for-time-use-research-in-oxford.html
In terms of innovation it says:
It funds innovations in time-use data collection, using miniature cameras continuously recording the activities of experimental volunteer diarists, as well as the use of accelerometers, GPS devices and ‘smart’ energy use meters in homes, to validate and calibrate the diary records.
These are the kinds of ideas I was thinking of. It seems to be that a smartphone, with GPS tracking "on" can tell you an whole lot about what people are doing.
It turns out the professor of the project has a RG profile.
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Jonathan_Gershuny
And that they already have a paper on time use and camera's
Article Developing a Method to Test the Validity of 24 Hour Time Use...
Update:
This project also has innovation in time use measurement using smartphones.
http://www.timeuselab.umd.edu/research.html
It says that the project started in 2013 but I see no results however.
Doe anybody know this group or know of any results?
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