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

Global positioning system (GPS) data recorders were worn by subjects in the Oklahoma Urban Air Toxics Study (OUATS) for automatic logging of their loc ation as they went about their normal daily activities. The location inform ation 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 re lated to reduced battery life, the units operated for only about 30% of the total monitoring time attempted in 25 trials. ne GPS data were compared to time-activity diaries kept by the subjects. In almost all cases, the GPS d ata confirmed all travel events reported in the subjects' diaries. Addition ally, in five out of five trials in which die logging period covered most o r all of the subjects' daytime activities, at least one travel event that w as not recorded in the diary was detected by GPS. Notwithstanding die limit ations of present technology, GPS was found to be a promising means for tra cking of research subjects in community-based exposure assessment studies.