Abstract

In this paper, we analyze the applicability of blockchain in the transport and mobility sector. To begin with, the paper surveys identified and potential application ideas from publicly available information sources. Secondly, we examine an in-depth stakeholder workshop held to analyze selected transportation and mobility applications and ideas. Thirdly, we present a conducted PESTEL analysis to understand the utility and societal impact of blockchains as well as to provide an overall view on this issue for aiding governance."br" Identified blockchain application areas are multiple, and include mobility services, such as a peer-to-peer car sharing, carpooling, ride-sharing, smart insurance contracts as well as logistics and supply chains with full transparency, proven authenticity, digitized shipping documents, and automated customs clearance. The current state of blockchain applications for transport is mostly at a proof-of-concept level, with specific cases recently moving towards commercial implementations. A visionary future scenario includes autonomous vehicles that operate as independent service providers earning their own fares, selecting their charging and service stations, paying their costs, obtaining their own auto insurance, and even negotiating liability in collisions. Clearly, the applicability of blockchain is under broad exploration, and the results of this study illustrate the status and directions of exploration. Finally, the paper gives ideas and future recommendations for utilizing and governing blockchain in the European transport sector.

Abstract

Concrete is the main material used in the construction industry not only for the ability to produce infinite variety of shapes for precast forms and for its characteristics of high resistance to compression, but primarily for their low manufacturing cost. Nonetheless, the production by mixing cement, fine aggregate, coarse aggregate and water, using natural raw materials such as stone, sand and water, despite being plentiful, represent the consumption of millions of tons of natural resources. Thus, the continuous search for new solutions is fundamental in order to not only further lower the manufacturing costs of this essential component in construction, but also to seek alternative materials, those of origin in processes of sustainability

Abstract

Nowadays, city streets are populated not only by private vehicles but also by public transport, fleets of workers, and deliveries. Since each vehicle class has a maximum cargo capacity, we study in this article how authorities could improve the road traffic by endorsing long term policies to change the different vehicle proportions: sedans, minivans, full size vans, trucks, and motorbikes, without losing the ability of moving cargo throughout the city. We have performed our study in a realistic scenario (map, road traffic characteristics, and number of vehicles) of the city of Malaga and captured the many details into the SUMO microsimulator. After analyzing the relationship between travel times, emissions, and fuel consumption, we have defined a multiobjective optimization problem to be solved, so as to minimize these city metrics. Our results provide a scientific evidence that we can improve the delivery of goods in the city by reducing the number of heavy duty vehicles and fostering the use of vans instead. Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech. This research has been partially funded by the Spanish MINECO and FEDER projects TIN2014-57341-R, TIN2016-81766-REDT, and TIN2017-88213-R. University of Malaga, Andalucia TECH. Daniel H. Stolfi is supported by a FPU grant (FPU13/00954) from the Spanish MECD. Christian Cintrano is supported by a FPI grant (BES-2015-074805) from Spanish MINECO. Document type: Part of book or chapter of book

Abstract

GPS navigators are now present in most vehicles and smartphones. The usual goal of these navigators is to take the user in less time or distance to a destination. However, the global use of navigators in a given city could lead to traffic jams as they have a highly biased preference for some streets. From a general point of view, spreading the traffic throughout the city could be a way of preventing jams and making a better use of public resources. We propose a way of calculating alternative routes to be assigned by these devices in order to foster a better use of the streets. Our experimentation involves maps from OpenStreetMap, real road traffic, and the microsimulator SUMO. We contribute to reducing travel times, greenhouse gas emissions, and fuel consumption. To analyze the sociological aspect of any innovation, we analyze the penetration (acceptance) rate which shows that our proposal is competitive even when just 10% of the drivers are using it. Spanish MINECO project TIN2014-57341-R (http://moveon.lcc.uma.es). FPU grant (FPU13/00954) from the Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports. University of Malaga. International Campus of Excellence Andalucia TECH.