Scipedia: Documents published in 2014

Load curve impact of large electric vehicles fleet in the Paris Ile-de-France region

Scipedia content — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 19:37:51 +0100

The EV-STEP project was carried out within the ERANET+ Electromobility framework. Funding for the research work presented in this paper by the French Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy is gratefully acknowledged. Complementary support was provided by the Chair Modeling for sustainable development, driven by MINES ParisTech, Ecole des Ponts ParisTech, and AgroParisTech; supported by ADEME, EDF, GRTgaz, Schneider Electric and the Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy.; Pure and Plug-in-Hybrid electric vehicles are promoted in several countries because they can provide an appropriate technological answer to EU's energy and environmental goals. But quantifying their benefit is complex since electromobility poses specific challenges in terms of time scale, sectors coordination and infrastructure. The overall objective of the EV-STEP project was to quantify some of the technical and economic conditions of the development of electrified mobility in Europe by 2030 and beyond. In complement to the EU scale evaluation based on the TIMES pan EU and IMACLIM-P models additional case studies were defined in the EV-STEP project’s methodology to investigate dedicated local issues with a higher level of technical detail. The EV-CAP model developed within EV-STEP is described in the first part, the second part reports insights on the potential load curve impact drawn from the local case study of the Paris Ile de France Region.

Update on the Economic Impact of the 2014-2015 Ebola Epidemic on Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea

Scipedia content — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 19:36:34 +0100

year after the onset of Ebola, the estimated GDP losses for the three countries through 2015 total US$2.2 billion (US$240 million for Liberia, US$535 million for Guinea and US$1.4 billion for Sierra Leone). This is the result of the severe impact of the epidemic which has been exacerbated by the large decline in the world price of iron ore and severe corporate governance issues in mining in Sierra Leone. Important differences among the three countries are emerging. Liberia is gradually returning to normalcy, Guineas economy is stagnating, and Sierra Leone is suffering a severe recession. This update presents the World Banks most recent analysis of the economic and fiscal effects of the Ebola epidemic on the three countries. In relation to our January 2015 report it contains: 1) an updated status for the economies of Liberia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone; and 2) a brief description of these countries Economic Recovery Plans with indicative estimates of their potential impact on growth. As of April 2015, the Ebola epidemic has been largely contained but the negative effects on the economies of Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone loom large amidst continued uncertainty about the timing of complete eradication. The crisis continues to adversely affect these economies, so pace of recovery in these countries will depend heavily on adequate financing and effective implementation of the recovery plans. Ultimately, Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone will need the strong support from the development community over the next years to both make up for the losses incurred during the Ebola crisis and make these economies less vulnerable for the future.

From effective accounting and reporting to efficient outsourcing

Scipedia content — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 19:32:01 +0100

"jats:p" This study aims to identify an effective management accounting and reporting concept for efficient outsourcing performance in sustainable organizations. Existing reporting norms of the “Systemanalyse und Programmentwicklung (SAP)” platform, used in JSC "Russian Railways" (further Russian Railways) were analysed. Thereby, in the paper a method of the formation of internal management accounting and reporting on the costs of outsourcing were developed. Currently, the analysis of the reports and effectiveness of outsourcing is based on the technique comparison “costs on outsourcing should be less than the cost of own units”. Effective analysis should include not one, but several factors and be based on multi-criteria approach. The main influence on the variation of such determinants as cost, productivity and staff members outsourcing has when the volume of production and prices are constant. According to the features of railway transport enterprises, existing method has been completed with statistical. It shows how outsourcing changed the performance of the company and by what factors - the average cost, or productivity, or staffing or due to variations of all three factors simultaneously. Further, the results of quantitative data analysis will be used to identify an effective management accounting in sustainable organizations while supporting the development of outsourcing.

Document type: Article

Overview ITRACT project Smart mobility

Scipedia content — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 19:27:44 +0100

The objective of the ITRACT2 project is to create attractive transport options for regions with low population densities including rural areas. A basic assumption of the ITRACT project is that information and communication technology can be used to build IT services that allow for more adaptive transport services and that these adaptive transport services create a better match between supply (transport schedules) and demand (traveller needs) and therefore a more viable business case.

DIVERCITIES. Governance arrangements and initiatives in Milan, Italy

Scipedia content — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 19:27:31 +0100

This report aims at assessing initiatives, actions and organisations focussing on diversity in Milan (Italy), and their governance arrangements.

Flood Risk in Road Networks

Scipedia content — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 19:23:12 +0100

Road networks are essential for economic, social, environmental, and security reasons. Road networks are therefore considered critical networks according to the consequences of their disruptions (Tacnet and Mermet 2012). Flooding poses an important threat to roads, and can lead to massive obstruction of traffic and damage to road structures, with possible long-term effects (Buren and Buma 2012). Flooding leads to significant repair costs for road control authorities, access difficulties for emergency services (Versini, Gaume, and Andrieu 2010a), and disruption for road users and the community at large. The consequences for businesses and the economy in general can be very significant (Brabhaharan, Wiles, and Frietag 2006). Because of the time and costs required for rebuilding, sustainable and long-term planning is crucial; therefore, the consideration of flood risk constitutes an important input for decision making in planning this type of infrastructure. Flood risk analysis for road networks allows plans to be carried out in an appropriate manner, allocating resources for prevention, mitigation, and restoration (Balijepalli and Oppong 2014; Jenelius and Mattsson 2014). This report summarizes the main concepts and methodologies that are used to assess flood risk for road networks. The report presents references and examples, and is intended to be a starting point for practitioners in the field.

Microsimulation framework for urban price-taker markets

Scipedia content — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 19:14:24 +0100

In the context of integrated transportation and other urban engineering infrastructure systems, there are many examples of markets, where consumers exhibit price-taking behaviour. While this behaviour is ubiquitous, the underlying mechanism can be captured in a single framework. Here, we present a microsimulation framework of a price-taker market that recognizes this generality and develop efficient algorithms for the associated market clearing problem. By abstracting the problem as a specific graph theoretic problem (i.e. maximum weighted bipartite graph), first we are able to exploit algorithms that are developed in graph theory. We then explore their appropriateness in terms of large-scale integrated urban microsimulations. Based on which, we further develop a generic and efficient clearing algorithm that takes advantage of the features specific to urban price-taker markets. This clearing solution is then used to operationalize two price-taker markets, from two different contexts, within a microsimulation of urban systems. The initial validation of results against the observed data generally shows a close match.

A sustainable transport solution for a Slovenia town

Scipedia content — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 19:12:09 +0100

uthorities in Slovenia and other EU member states are confronted with problems of city transportation. Fossil-fuel-based transport poses two chief problems—local and global pollution, and dwindling supplies and ever-increasing costs. An elegant solution is to gradually replace the present automobile fleet with electric vehicles (EVs). This article explores the economics and practical viability of the provision of solar electricity for the charging of EVs by installation of economical available Photovoltaic modules. A steep decline in the module, inverter and installation costs is reported herein. Present estimates indicate that for the prevailing solar climate of Celje—a medium-sized Slovenian town—the cost would be only 2 euros and 11 cents per kWh of generated solar electricity.

Document type: Article

Trade Facilitation for Global and Regional Value Chains in SACU

Scipedia content — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 19:09:05 +0100

In this context, this note summarizes the findings of a recent World Bank, SACU Secretariat assessment of regional trade facilitation based on the Trade and Transport Facilitation Assessment (TTFA) methodology. The assessment looks at regional trade facilitation through the lens of value chains, with the objective to understand how the region’s trade and transport environment could be improved to facilitate more extensive and deeply integrated regional trade, linked to competitive participation in global value chains. The remainder of this note is structured as follows: section two provides a brief overview of regional trade and freight flows. This is followed in section three by a brief review of the trade and transport environment (including infrastructure and policy) across each SACU member state. Section four summarizes the findings of the detailed analysis, from a trade facilitation perspective, of the regional value chains in four key industry sectors: agro-processing; agro-processing; automotive; beef; and textiles/apparel. Section five then focuses on identifying potential solutions to three key trade and transport facilitation challenges identified through the value chain assessments. Finally, section six concludes.

High volume transport: Rapid assessment of research gaps in road engineering and technical aspects

Scipedia content — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 19:08:34 +0100

Vertical Marketing Systems, Supply Chains and the New Indicators of Retailing’s Significance

Scipedia content — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 19:05:23 +0100

"jats:p" In modern vertical marketing systems (i.e., in grocery sector), the greatest power is demonstrated by retail chains, and producers depend thereupon. This paper analyzes vertical marketing systems and the role of retailing therein. Specially analyzed is the power of retail chains’ demand with regard to the entire supply chains they head, as well as the present-day new competition in retailing and modern business concepts related to the vertical marketing systems. Additionally, analyzed are also select indicators to examine the significance of retailing in an individual national economy. The purpose of this paper is to emphasize the new indicators of significance of retailing in economy with regard to the realized GDP, as a component of value chains. These indicators complement the usual retailing significance analyses from the point of view of its share in the number of employees and the number of companies. "/jats:p" "jats:p"From the conducted analysis, one may conclude that the vertical marketing systems become increasingly important, and retailing assumes a new role in economy in that sense. Thus, new indicators of retailing significance might also be necessary.

Document type: Article

Republic of Sudan Diagnostic Trade Integration Study Update : Reducing Trade Costs to Increase Competitiveness and Rresilience

Scipedia content — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 19:03:09 +0100

The Diagnostic Trade Integration Study (DTIS) update identifies priority actions in support of the Government of Sudan (GOS) commitment to increase trade and diversify the economy. The current study builds on the earlier 2008 DTIS by identifying the major factors holding back the increase of agricultural exports and economic diversification. The report identifies a package of measures that will support Sudan to more effectively realize its economic potential. The DTIS Update presents an updated action matrix that summarizes the recommended policy reforms. This matrix was validated with a wide variety of stakeholders in Khartoum in September 2014. Together, the action points will contribute to reducing trade costs, thereby enabling Sudanese enterprises and farmers to compete more successfully in regional and global markets and realize the GOS objectives of expanding and diversifying exports for increased economic growth. The recommendations accept that any changes in tariff schedules should be ‘revenue neutral,’ given the existing challenging fiscal situation.

Subways, Strikes, and Slowdowns: The Impacts of Public Transit on Traffic Congestion

Scipedia content — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 19:02:20 +0100

Public transit accounts for only 1% of U.S. passenger miles traveled but nevertheless attracts strong public support. Using a simple choice model, we predict that transit riders are likely to be individuals who commute along routes with the most severe roadway delays. These individuals' choices thus have very high marginal impacts on congestion. We test this prediction with data from a sudden strike in 2003 by Los Angeles transit workers. Estimating a regression discontinuity design, we find that average highway delay increases 47% when transit service ceases. This effect is consistent with our model's predictions and many times larger than earlier estimates, which have generally concluded that public transit provides minimal congestion relief. We find that the net benefits of transit systems appear to be much larger than previously believed.

City-HUB D4.1 Integrated management of efficient urban interchanges

Scipedia content — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 18:56:16 +0100

The focus of Work Package 4 is on the integrated management of interchanges. Based on case studies, stakeholder interviews, and literature, this work package analysed the organisation and operation of interchanges in terms of planning, operational functionality, management, practicalities, services and efficiency."br/"The research has shown that currently there are few examples of regulations or guidance that cover the design, construction, management and operation of interchanges as a whole. The interchange facility itself and the interchange zone are often considered to be ‘grey areas’ in transport planning; and the roles and responsibilities of those interested in the interchange are often dominated by the regulations of each mode. The design, construction and management of interchanges would benefit from closer interaction between the public and private sectors as there are opportunities for commercially successful utilisation of the space available in the terminals for services provided by the private sector, and thus make the interchanges economically more viable. In addition, partnerships with private sector can introduce business models which can complement the skills of the public sector. Public consultation should be carried out for the integration of the opinions and concerns of relevant stakeholders in the decision-making process in order to make the process more transparent, to gather more input on which to base decisions, and to create support for the decisions that are made. The positive impacts of an interchange on local economy are more likely to occur if there is an integrated development plan linking the transport function with the urban and economic functions. However, as the interchanges are typically located in the town centre, it is difficult to assess whether new developments in retail, housing or offices were direct results of the interchanges or if they would have been developed within town centre development context anyway."br/"Clear information systems are essential for making a public transport journey easy, efficient and stress-free. It is proposed that information between different operators and modes should be integrated to provide relevant information to all in a centralised and harmonised manner. Integrated, smart ticketing makes transferring easier for the traveller and thus promotes the use of public transport. It is a matter that needs to be addressed by the regional authorities and all stakeholders. Sustainable interchange design and energy efficiency are not only relevant for environmental purposes, but can also have positive impact on both social and economic elements. None of the present rating systems to assess energy efficiency are specifically developed for terminals or interchanges, but many of the tools can be applied successfully. For the end user, i.e. the traveller, however, the main point is neither the energy efficiency nor the carbon footprint of the interchange, but the functionality of the interchange for her/his needs, good air quality and comfortable atmosphere, and appropriate services."br

Regulating Bidder Participation in Auctions

Scipedia content — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 18:53:08 +0100

Regulating bidder participation in auctions can potentially increase efficiency compared to standard auction formats with free entry. We show that the relative performance of two such mechanisms, a standard first-price auction with free entry and an entry rights auction, depends non-monotonically on the precision of information that bidders have about their costs prior to deciding whether to participate in a mechanism. As an empirical application, we estimate parameters from first-price auctions with free entry for bridge-building contracts in Oklahoma and Texas and predict that an entry rights auction increases efficiency and reduces procurement costs significantly.

Governance arrangements and initiatives in Budapest, Hungary

Scipedia content — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 18:49:59 +0100

nalysis of local governance arrangements and initiatives in Budapest, Hungary that target social cohesion, social mobility and economic performance.

Urban Policies on Diversity in Leipzig, Germany

Scipedia content — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 18:43:28 +0100

Critical analysis of existing urban policy programmes and discourses in Leipzig, Germany. Includes overview of political systems and governance structures, key shifts in national discourses, and approaches to policy over migration, citizenship, and diversity.

Technical Assessment of Romania's National GHG Inventory : Analysis and Recommendations

Scipedia content — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 18:39:42 +0100

The main objective of the report is to analyze the current greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions inventory process in Romania, and provide recommendations for improving the system in order to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of inventory development in compliance with United Nations framework convention on climate change (UNFCCC) and European Union (EU) requirements, including emissions forecasting provisions. This report describes the GHG inventory process and its history, analyzes the legal framework, documents and information provisions, and flows related to making the inventory together with identifying the potential adjustments for improvement, assess reporting entities and correlation mechanisms to economic dynamics, in terms of completeness, coherence, response time constant to changes in the number of companies' impact on data reporting, and provides recommendations on the possibility to improve the inventory-making process in order to meet the requirements of emission projections. The report is organized into seven sections as follows: section one provides a general introduction to GHG inventories. Section two examines the processes and procedures used in the present GHG inventory system in Romania and the alignment of this system with international frameworks including the framework for the development of environmental statistics (FDES) and the intergovernmental panel on climate change (IPCC) schematic framework. Section three elaborates the challenges with the existing greenhouse inventory process including data gaps and weaknesses in the statistical infrastructure. Section four looks at the international and national legal requirements for greenhouse gas inventories. Section five provides analysis on the flow of information and the specific verification points to ensure data consistency and coherence. Section six provides a number of recommendations and concludes in section seven with a summary of key recommendations.

Accessibility-Based Transportation Planning: Literature and Applications for Shrinking Cities

Scipedia content — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 18:30:50 +0100

For 15 years, scholars have claimed that accessibility-based transportation planning was at the brink of becoming a new paradigm, and yet this hope remains unrealized. Its implementation may lag due to vague definitions when compared to mobility, or because those who would benefit from accessibility-based planning lack political power to rally its support. Possibly, the lag in implementation reflects the missing linkages between theory and application for many contexts. This literature review synthesizes knowledge regarding the applications for accessibility-based transportation planning for shrinking cities along the themes of environmental, social, and economic sustainability. While residents in shrinking cities might especially benefit from such applications, context-specific challenges will require attention.

Policy Brief 3: Governance Arrangements and Initiatives: Utilising Urban Diversity to create Positive Outcomes

Scipedia content — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 18:25:52 +0100

variety of local governance arrangements and initiatives exist in urban neighbourhoods that use diversity in a positive way and aim to improve the social and economic conditions for its residents. This policy brief focuses on such arrangements. It calls for an increase in sustainable and flexible support for bottom-up arrangements that fill the gap between official urban policies and the needs of the population.

Moral Hazard, Incentive Contracts, and Risk: Evidence from Procurement

Scipedia content — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 18:22:22 +0100

Deadlines and late penalties are widely used to incentivize effort. Tighter deadlines and higher penalties induce higher effort, but increase the agent's risk. We model how these contract terms affect the work rate and time-to-completion in a procurement setting, characterizing the efficient contract design. Using new micro-level data on Minnesota highway construction contracts that includes day-by-day information on work plans, hours worked and delays, we find evidence of ex post moral hazard: contractors adjust their effort level during the course of the contract in response to unanticipated productivity shocks, in a way that is consistent with our theoretical predictions. We next build an econometric model that endogenizes the completion time as a function of the contract terms and the productivity shocks, and simulate how commuter welfare and contractor costs vary across different terms and shocks. Accounting for the traffic delays caused by construction, switching to a more efficient contract design would increase welfare by 22.5% of the contract value while increasing the standard deviation of contractor costs—a measure of risk—by less than 1% of the contract value.

The Metro Manila Greenprint 2030 : Building a Vision

Scipedia content — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 18:22:11 +0100

The Greenprint 2030 is a resolute attempt on the part of MMDA to engage all stakeholders in a process to create a common vision for the region’s future. For the first time, all 16 cities and one municipality comprising Metro Manila are linked under one vision that sets developmental priorities for the region and provides direction to achieve those priorities. The vision is formulated within the wider Mega Manila context, considering the shared challenges and opportunities with adjacent provinces. Like other metropolitan plans, Greenprint 2030 starts with a vision. However, it differs from the comprehensive metropolitan planning exercises in that it focuses on developing strategic areas of opportunity. Through the vision process, connectivity, inclusiveness, and resilience emerged as the key entry points for strategic engagement. Based on the vision the Greenprint 2030 will provide metropolitan wide spatial guidance, demonstrate coordination mechanisms, and identify areas for catalytic investments. The green in Greenprint goes beyond trees and open spaces green is efficient transportation, affordable housing, and more resilient infrastructure. It emphasizes sustainable urban development as the underlying principle across the three themes of inclusivity, connectivity, and resiliency. These sectors work together to enable more efficient use of resources and to create a livable urban environment. The Greenprint 2030 offers the strategic direction which informs comprehensive spatial and development plans prepared by national and local government agencies, related to Metro and Mega Manila. Through this process, more options for metropolitan governance will also be examined. The aim is to equip the metropolitan area to compete globally and to provide its citizens a safe, resilient, and green environment.

Philippine Transport Infrastructure Development Roadmap Framework Plan : Executive Summary

Scipedia content — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 18:21:46 +0100

Various transport-related agencies and local governments develop their respective transport plans or strategies to address bottlenecks and improve outcomes in the transport sector. However, to be able to bring a more focused or targeted intervention that is more inclusive, these various strategies need to focus on establishing interconnectivity between key urban growth centers and between lagging and fast-growing regions, and creating supporting institutions that promote greater integration. Upon the request of the National Economic and Development Authority, a framework plan was developed to provide policy-makers with a strategic framework to help identify the transport needs of the Philippines and guide in implementing an integrated, more coordinated approach to establishing stronger transport infrastructure linkages to support the country’s inclusive growth agenda. The framework plan was developed under the guidance of a vision and goals developed by stakeholders across the Philippines. This comprehensive vision can be summarized as ‘Bringing us all closer together for prosperity.’ The geographic focus of the Framework Plan includes all of the Philippines outside of Metro Manila. This Framework Plan does not replicate the work being done by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for Metro Manila (the JICA study covers Metro Manila with an approximate radius of 100 kilometers and is being conducted to evaluate specific transport infrastructure projects for the Metro Manila area). Future improvements and needs of transportation infrastructure to meet the demand for long-distance transport to and from Metro Manila and to other urban/economic centers in the Philippines are considered; nevertheless, national-level strategies recommended in this study affect all areas of the Philippines.

DIVERCITIES - Urban Policies on Diversity in Milan, Italy Work package 4: Assessment of Urban Policies

Scipedia content — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 18:18:58 +0100

This report aims at assessing the role of diversity in urban policy in Italy, with a focus on the case of Milan. Even though we will provide a general overview of diversity discourses mentioning a number of different groups and targets, our focus will be mostly on in-migrant diversity. This is due mainly to the fact that – as interviews and policy documents analysis will show – there is no wide-scope, cross-sectoral, general and strategic discourse on diversity and its promotion in the Italian policy and public agenda. Instead, there is a plurality of fragmented discourses concerning specific groups and categories (e.g. in-migrants, Roma and in the Italian case also the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, young people, women) that is reflected in an institutional fragmentation. The resulting fragmented policy practice is reinforced by a weak inter-institutional coordination at the horizontal level between departments and policy-specific organizations, usually reffered to as "departmentalism" or "silo-culture"

Policy Options for Liberalizing Philippine Maritime Cabotage Restrictions

Scipedia content — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 18:06:31 +0100

The purpose of this policy note is to present reform options on cabotage liberalization. The goal of cabotage liberalization is to help i) foster more competition in the domestic shipping industry, ii) reduce shipping cost, and iii) improve efficiency, maritime services, and safety standards. These, together with complementary reforms in domestic shipping and ports, can help enhance consumer and producer welfare through lower consumer prices, higher household real income, timely delivery of goods, and ultimately, job creation and poverty reduction through greater market access. This policy note on cabotage is organized as follows. Part one provides an overview of the domestic shipping industry and discusses the key issues that it faces. Part two discusses the underlying reasons for the industry’s inefficiency. Part three discusses the concept of cabotage, the cost and benefit of cabotage liberalization, and the cabotage regimes of the Philippines and of selected countries. Part four closes with a discussion of reform options.

Identifying Strategies to Improve Lane Use Management in Indiana

Scipedia content — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 17:58:17 +0100

The limited funding available for roadway capacity expansion and the growing funding gap, in conjunction with the increasing congestion, creates a critical need for innovative lane use management options for Indiana. Various cost-effective lane use management strategies have been implemented in the U.S. and worldwide to address these challenges. However, all the strategies have their own costs, operational characteristics, and additional requirements for field deployment. Hence there is a need for systematic simulation-based methodology to perform a comprehensive study to identify congested corridors and the specific set of lane use management strategies that are effective in Indiana. A systematic simulation-based methodology is proposed for evaluating lane use management strategies. A 10-mile stretch of the I-65 corridor south of downtown Indianapolis was selected as the study corridor using traffic analysis. The demand volumes for the study area were determined using subarea analysis. Its performance was evaluated using a microsimulation-based analysis in the context of alleviating congestion for three strategies: reversible lanes, high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes and ramp metering. Furthermore, an economic evaluation of these strategies was performed to determine the financial feasibility of their implementation. Results from this analysis indicated that reversible lanes and the ramp metering strategies improved traffic conditions on the freeway in the major flow direction. Implementation of the HOV lane strategy resulted in improved traffic flow conditions on the HOV lanes but aggravated congestion on the general purpose (GP) lanes. The HOV lane strategy was found to be economically infeasible due to low HOV volume on these lanes. The reversible lane and ramp metering strategies were found to be economically feasible with positive net present values (NPV), with the NPV for the reversible lane strategy being the highest.

EU Air Transport Liberalisation Process, Impacts and Future Considerations

Scipedia content — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 17:51:05 +0100

The stepwise liberalisation of the EU internal aviation market resulted in 1993 in an open internal market that generated a series of supply side responses, which are partly comparable with the changes demonstrated in the deregulated US domestic air transport market. However, the starting point was quite different between these two markets. For example, until the deregulation in 1978, US legacy carriers operated a domestic crisscross network whereas the two flag carriers, Pan Am and TWA operated at various US gateways in stand-alone international networks based on the bilateral air service agreements concluded between the US and other states. After the deregulation, domestic major carriers transformed their crisscross domestic networks into radial hub and spoke networks (except the Delta hub at Atlanta that already existed before the deregulation). The domestic hubs in these networks also became the launching platforms for international operations when these domestic major carriers started to use their domestic feed for international operations. All in all, the former domestic major carriers became the new flag carriers in international markets, whereas the former two flag carriers went bankrupt due to the lack of domestic feed in order to adequately compete with these new internationally operating airlines.

Valuation of Urban Rail Service

Scipedia content — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 17:49:22 +0100

Promoting public transportation, which includes rail, metro, bus rapid transit, and bus services is one of the most popular urban transportation policies among transportation authorities in many countries. This popularity may reflect the social requirement to pursue a sustainable transportation system by motivating people to use an environmentally friendly transportation mode. In particular, the modal shift from the automobile to public transportation is highlighted in urban transportation planning because many cities have suffered from serious traffic congestion, which has caused economic losses as well as negative impacts on local, regional, and global environments. In order to attract individuals to use public transportation, the improvement of service is critical. This includes increasing service frequency, decreasing travel time, upgrading station facilities, and introducing higher-capacity vehicles.

Optimizing IGP Link Weights for Energy-efficiency in a Changing World

Scipedia content — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 17:42:25 +0100

Recently, saving energy for backbone networks has raised an increasing concern for network operators. Since traffic load has a small influence on power consumption, the most common approach is to put unused links into sleep mode to save energy. To guarantee QoS, all traffic demands should be routed without violating capacity constraints. In this work, we consider to save energy with Open Shortest Path First (OSPF) protocol. From the perspective of traffic engineering, we argue that stability in routing configuration also plays an important role in QoS. In details, frequent changes in network configuration (link weights, slept and activated links) to adapt with traffic fluctuation in daily time cause network oscillation. We propose a novel optimization method of link weight so as to limit the changes in network configurations in multi-period traffic matrices. We formally define the problem and model it as Mixed Integer Linear Program (MILP). We then propose efficient heuristic algorithm that is suitable for large networks. Simulation results with real traffic traces on three different networks show that our approach achieves high energy savings and less pain for QoS (in term of less changes in network configuration).

Air capacity for Sydney

Scipedia content — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 17:40:35 +0100

Sydney has one major airport, and it faces growing air transport demand – the airport is now becoming subject to excess demand, and this will be a major problem in the future. Investment in additional capacity will be required, and several options for a second airport are being considered. Unlike airports in Europe and North America, hub issues are not very important. In the short to medium term, additional demand can be handled using a number of options, such as more use of secondary airports and greater use of existing capacity at Sydney. One issue which will be present is how excess demand will be rationed ? by prices, slots or congestion? Australia’s light-handed regulation may mean that prices may be used. Another issue is whether the stakeholders will have a strong incentive to invest when it is economic to do so if airlines and the airport both gain from a situation of inadequate capacity, they may have little incentive to invest. A recently completed Joint Study by the Federal and State Governments explored the questions of whether and when a new airport should be built. It did this using both Cost Benefit Analysis and Computable General Equilibrium modelling (a technique which has distinct advantages for evaluating investments such as airports) however this study treated the two techniques as quite separate, and did not take advantage of the potential complementarities from combining the two.

Investigation of an Electrostatic Discharge Protective Biodegradable Packaging Foam in the Logistic Chain

Scipedia content — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 17:36:39 +0100

"jats:p" Since the beginning of the 20th century, logistics has undergone a huge technological development, which has, however, resulted in many negative effects as well. The industry, particularly in the packaging industry has been a massive waste producer, although recently it has forced the use of new materials and it started to focus on environmentally friendly technologies. During the transportation of finished and semi-finished Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) sensitive products, the product packaging system has a vital role. These kind of packaging materials must be suitable to both logistic (protection against mechanical and environmental stresses) and special ESD protection requirements. During the transportation of printed-circuit electronic products, ESD defense is then of primary significance. However there is a huge disadvantage for the use of various shield bags. Namely, this kind of associated packaging is particularly pollutant, it causes a lot of inconvenience in the form of waste. In order to rule out these materials from the packaging system, new innovative solutions have to be found. The investigated TPS (thermoplastic starch biodegradable foam) is subjected to a validation, a long process to certify that this material unites properties of two types of packaging materials at the same time. On the one hand, this packaging foam has to meet the requirements product defense. On the other hand, the material must be anti-static under the logistic stress effects. In case it is found suitable, it can be an alternative of the conventional materials. In this article, we investigate the ESD characteristic of TPS foam. As this material sensitive for environmental parameters during transportation, we make the relevant Surface Resistance (Rs) tests on different temperature and humidity conditions. Based on result, the decision of the application can be done, as an ESD packaging material.

Document type: Article

Planning and designing transport systems to ensure safe travel for women

Scipedia content — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 17:33:37 +0100

Safe travel for all road users is a prerequisite for ensuring sustainable and inclusive cities. Providing safe transport system is an objective for sustainable transport, because risk of injuries and deaths from traffic crashes has become a major public health concern worldwide (WHO, 2011). At the same time safety of pedestrians, bicyclists and public transport users also has an impact on the choice of these modes. Risk to pedestrians, bicyclists and public transport users can be reduced by appropriate street designs and neighbourhood environment. Safer pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure results in increased use of these environment friendly modes (Tiwari & Jain, 2012). Safe travel options for women in general and specifically low income women are important for addressing livelihood and poverty issues for a significant proportion of urban population in low income countries like India. In this paper we present data from two Indian cities- Vishakhapattanam( a city in south India with a population of 1.7 million persons) and Delhi the capital city of India having 16.4 million residents to compare the travel patterns of women and men. The household survey in Delhi focused on low income settlements since poverty adds another dimension to gender bias. The survey repeated after ten years shows that the travel patterns remain unchanged. Women travel shorter distances, are dependent on lower cost modes-walking and public transport and perform multi-purpose linked trips. In view of the sustainability requirements, lower mobility of women must be addressed by ensuring safe accessibility to employment opportunities by walking, bicycles and public transport. The paper concludes with possible interventions required to ensure safe and secure travel of women at land use planning level and street design level.

Urban Rail Development in Tokyo from 2000 to 2010

Scipedia content — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 17:32:04 +0100

Tokyo is well known as a rail-oriented city where the huge traffic demand generated from the megacity is well supported by a sophisticated urban rail system. The results of the 2008 Person Trip Survey show that rail’s modal share was 30% as of 2008; the economy of Tokyo is highly dependent on an efficient urban rail network. As shown in Kato (2014), Tokyo’s urban rail market has unique characteristics: private rail companies provide many of the rail services, the rail network was developed under the guidance of the central government, rail users suffered from chronic traffic congestion for many years, and the rail market has recently been significantly influenced by a rapidly aging demographic. In spite of its uniqueness, the experiences of urban rail development in Tokyo could be useful for other OECD member countries.

Urban policies on Diversity in Athens, Greece

Scipedia content — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 17:29:12 +0100

Critical analysis of existing urban policy programmes and discourses in Athens, Greece. Includes overview of political systems and governance structures, key shifts in national discourses, and approaches to policy over migration, citizenship, and diversity.

Contemporary Airport Demand Forecasting

Scipedia content — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 17:10:26 +0100

This paper describes the econometric system approach developed by MKmetric to perform short and long-term air transport demand forecasts while considering various determinants such as socio-economy, policy, infrastructure and land use. The necessities for modelling air transport evoking from a transport system point of view and the changes of the aviation world occurred during the last decade are investigated. Based on these findings the mathematical framework is outlined considering shortfalls of traditional models used in aviation forecasting and restrictions caused by classical functional forms. The increasing gap of information for modelling is described and alternative data sources used for the development of the system approach are listed. As all models are imperfect describing just a part of real life, it sheds a light on the necessity to validate models and the prerequisite of complexity needed to cope with multi-sector scenario simulations for strategic, tactical and operational developments as well as political decisions. Finally some analysis examples demonstrate the power of the approach used focusing on the choice modelling reflecting consumers’ behaviour.

Social Impact Assessment of Croatian Railway Reforms

Scipedia content — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 17:09:35 +0100

In Croatia, initial steps to reform the railway sector date back to the middle of the first decade of the 2000s, with the formation of Croatian railways as a holding company. To help with further reforms of the Croatian railway sector, over the period 2011-2013, the World Bank was engaged in dialogue with the Croatian Government and the Croatian railway companies which resulted in a Croatian railway policy note. The poverty and social impact analysis (PSIA) is an analysis of the intended and unintended consequences of policy reforms on the wellbeing or welfare of different social groups, with particular focus on the poor and vulnerable. PSIA offers a set of analytical and process tools that: (a) determine distributional impacts to improve the analytical underpinnings of policy making; and (b) engage appropriate stakeholders in the policy-making process. The report is divided into following sections: first section gives executive summary. The introduction provides information on the economic situation in Croatia, including unemployment rates and pensions, the situation of the railway sector, and data on the restructuring process of the Croatian railways companies in second section. The third section contains the results obtained from the group discussions and in-depth interviews which are divided into four parts: the circumstances upon leaving the railway companies, after leaving, transferring to a new workplace, and the broader impacts on the community, including the impacts of closed and reduced lines. The last part of the section contains recommendations based on the obtained results.

Bullwhip Effect in the Information Flow of a Supply Chain: A Role of Culture

Scipedia content — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 17:08:09 +0100

"jats:p" The main goal of our research is to analyze and display causes of a bullwhip effect formation within a supply chain, as well as to provide the appropriate solutions to limit the occurrence of the bullwhip effect by using the proper information flow and partners’ cooperation within the supply chain. The bullwhip effect is one of the most important issues in the supply chain management and it is present in many companies. It preserves a character of invisibility because there are lots of causes for its formation and they are usually difficult to discern. The bullwhip effect is a phenomenon of an increase in the order variability within a supply chain. The higher we are within the supply chain, the higher is the order variability. The company encountered with the whip effect can successfully reduce its impact by improving the information flow, as well as improving partners’ cooperation within the supply chain. In this way the company can limit its negative repercussions and increase the profit. The article focuses on the overview of the bullwhip effect within a distribution chain, from its causes to suggestions and measures how to ease its negative repercussions on the organisation. Part of the causes could be found in the market demand variability and in the lack of communication about the actual marked demand within the supply chain. The rest of the causes are related to obstacles that emerge among different partners within the supply chain (role of culture). A qualitative analysis is applied on the basis of the selected cognitions from the supply chain management. The quantitative analysis is based on the theoretical research of the effective flow of information among the participants and its contribution to the reduction of the bullwhip impact. The article discusses two research questions: 1) The correct information flow within the supply chain and the improvement of the communication among partners can lead to the bullwhip effect reduction, and 2) A reduction of the bullwhip influence can lead to the increase of cooperation among partners. The results of the analysis can be used for further research.

Document type: Article

An improved 1D model for liquid slugs travelling in pipelines

Scipedia content — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 17:06:26 +0100

n improved one-dimensional (1D) model — compared to previous work by the authors — is proposed which is able to predict the acceleration and shortening of a single liquid slug propagating in a straight pipe with a downstream bend. The model includes holdup at the slug’s tail and flow separation at the bend. The obtained analytical and numerical results are validated against experimental data. The effects of the improvement and of holdup are examined in a parameter variation study.Copyright © 2014 by ASME

ADRIPLAN Data Policy

Scipedia content — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 17:05:41 +0100

This document sets the policy for accessing data and information gathered by ADRIPLAN and will ensure that data are handled in a consistent and transparent manner. The policy aims to strike a balance between the rights of investigators and the need for widespread access through the free and unrestricted sharing and exchange of ADRIPLAN data, meta-data and data products. In agreeing to share, data providers need to have assurance that their data are properly handled, disseminated and acknowledged following similar principles and rules across countries and stakeholders."br" This policy covers data, metadata and products on maritime uses, environmental conditions and planning documents which are acquired, processed and disseminated in the framework of ADRIPLAN."br" ADRIPLAN doesn't collect any new data so the information it uses depends on the contribution from partners, according to their role in the project and the provisions of the Grant Agreement and the Partnership Agreement, and on data acquired from external sources. Part of the source data are provided directly by ADRIPLAN partners and a large part of data are made available by other organizations. Independent data policies associated to datasets and databases merged in the framework of ADRIPLAN will be included and correct citations will be assured. From source data, added value data products are created as part of ADRIPLAN’s duties."br" The main goals of this data policy are: to allow ADRIPLAN's partners to discover, access, process and use as many data as possible to develop valuable MSP plans proposals, through the ADRIPLAN Data Portal to provide partners with pertinent, sound, updated, and accurate information to capitalize knowledge, efforts and investments from existing projects and national and international experiences to ensure acknowledgement to owners and producers of the data and information they will provide to ADRIPLAN to ensure that the conditions that are applied to the provided data will be documented and respected in the ADRIPLAN Data Portal to promote the widest possible dissemination and reuse of ADRIPLAN's products and outputs, not only to partners in the project but also to stakeholders, public administrations and citizens to adopt and promote the best and the most open international rules and licenses for sharing and reuse of d

Quick appraisal of major project application Instalaciones de ensayos y experimentación asociadas al centro de tecnologias ferroviarias de Málaga anillo ferroviario, fase 1 - Study

Scipedia content — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 17:04:25 +0100

Results Frameworks in Country Strategies : Lessons from Evaluations

Scipedia content — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 16:59:49 +0100

In 2005, the World Bank Group (WBG) formally introduced the results framework in the country assistant strategy (CASs) as a key tool for improving the quality of the WBG's strategy in borrowing member countries, maximizing the development effectiveness of WBG assistance, and demonstrating measurable results of international aid in fostering growth and reducing poverty. These results matrices define the outcome indicators and milestones for tracking WBG program progress and mid-course corrective actions, fulfilling important accountability as well as learning objectives. The results-based CAS approach has brought several benefits including the focus on results, better alignment between the WBG country engagement and national priorities, and flexibility in instruments to accommodate programming for the increasingly diverse set of Bank clients, including International Development Association (IDA), International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), and fragile countries. The matrix system at work and RAP 2013, have demonstrated that a weak CAS results framework is a key determinant of unsatisfactory outcome performance at the country program level. The objective of this note is to provide suggestions for improvement in results frameworks for country strategies based on an independent evaluation group (IEG) analysis of WBG's country strategies approved during FY2008-14 and the CAS completion report (CASCRs) prepared by country teams during FY2012-14.

Cambodia Rice Sector Review : Turning Cambodian Rice into White Gold

Scipedia content — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 16:55:59 +0100

Cambodia’s rice harvests have been rising significantly since 2005, powered by improved and expanded irrigation and attractive farm gate prices. In 2010, the Cambodian government announced an export target of 1.0 million tons of milled rice by 2015. This analysis, which updates reports prepared in 2009 and 2011, seeks to identify short-term policy measures that can assist Cambodian exporters in boosting exports in the near term. This report examines new and expected investments in the larger rice mills and polishing factories, export trends, recent changes in milling costs, and provides a look at logistical costs and some alternatives. Additionally, import trends are examined in two current markets - the European Union (EU) and Russia, and in three other key markets - Indonesia, the Philippines, and China. Finally, an analysis is provided of the current Thai rice policy which impacts on local prices and investment interests by Thai rice exporters.

Hydrogen Embrittlement of Structural Steels

Scipedia content — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 16:54:30 +0100

Carbon-manganese steels are candidates for the structural materials in hydrogen gas pipelines; however, it is well known that these steels are susceptible to hydrogen embrittlement. Decades of research and industrial experience have established that hydrogen embrittlement compromises the structural integrity of steel components. This experience has also helped identify the failure modes that can operate in hydrogen containment structures. As a result, there are tangible ideas for managing hydrogen embrittlement in steels and quantifying safety margins for steel hydrogen containment structures. For example, fatigue crack growth aided by hydrogen embrittlement is a well-established failure mode for steel hydrogen containment structures subjected to pressure cycling. This pressure cycling represents one of the key differences in operating conditions between current hydrogen pipelines and those anticipated in a hydrogen delivery infrastructure. Applying structural integrity models in design codes coupled with measurement of relevant material properties allows quantification of the reliability/integrity of steel hydrogen pipelines subjected to pressure cycling. Furthermore, application of these structural integrity models is aided by the development of physics-based predictive models, which provide important insights such as the effects of microstructure on hydrogen-assisted fatigue crack growth. Successful implementation of these structural integrity and physics-based models enhances confidence in the designmore » codes and enables decisions about materials selection and operating conditions for reliable and efficient steel hydrogen pipelines.« le

Real-world fuel economy and CO2 emissions of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles

Scipedia content — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 16:42:51 +0100

Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) combine electric propulsion with an internal combustion engine. Their potential to reduce transport related green-house gas emissions highly depends on their actual usage and electricity provision. Various studies underline their environmental and economic advantages, but are based on standardised driving cycles, simulations or small PHEV fleets. Here, we analyse real-world fuel economy of PHEV and the factors influencing it based on about 2,000 actual PHEV that have been observed over more than a year in the U.S. and Germany. We find that real-world fuel economy of PHEV differ widely among users. The main factors explaining this variation are the annual mileage, the regularity of daily driving, and the likelihood of long-distance trips. Current test cycle fuel economy ratings neglect these factors. Despite the broad range of PHEV fuel economies, the test cycle fuel economy ratings can be close to empiric PHEV fleet averages if the average annual mile-age is about 17,000 km. For the largest group of PHEV in our data, the Chevrolet Volt, we find the average fuel economy to be 1.45 litres/100 km at an average electric driving share of 78%. The resulting real-world tank-to-wheel CO2 emissions of these PHEV are 42 gCO2/km and the annual CO2 savings in the U.S. amount to about 50 Mt. In conclusion, the variance of empirical PHEV fuel economy is considerably higher than of conventional vehicles. This should be taken into account by future test cycles and high electric driving shares should be incentivised.

An Assessment of Quiet Vehicles and Pedestrian and Bicyclist Safety

Scipedia content — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 16:41:39 +0100

The primary intent of this report is to provide a comprehensive and concise overview of the apparent safety issues presented to pedestrians and pedalcyclists by the operation of quiet vehicles on roadways. The report provides background information to establish how this issue became the focus of safety research in the United States and elsewhere. It presents the findings of a literature review of notable major research and a review of related pending and established regulations. The report also describes implemented and proposed countermeasure methods in addition to opportunities for future potential research to address knowledge gaps and improve overall understanding of the issues. National Surface Transportation Safety Center for Excellence

Urban Policies on Diversity in Tallinn, Estonia

Scipedia content — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 15:05:23 +0100

Critical analysis of existing urban policy programmes and discourses in Tallinn, Estonia. Includes overview of political systems and governance structures, key shifts in national discourses, and approaches to policy over migration, citizenship, and diversity.

Governance arrangements and initiatives in Antwerp, Belgium

Scipedia content — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 14:58:32 +0100

Analysis of local governance arrangements and initiatives in Antwerp, Belgium that target social cohesion, social mobility and economic performance.

The electric vehicle routing problem with partial charging and nonlinear charging function

Scipedia content — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 14:58:02 +0100

SDO; "p"Electric vehicle routing problems (eVRPs) extend classical routing problems to consider the limited driving range of electric vehicles. In general, this limitation is overcome by introducing planned detours to battery charging stations. Most existing eVRP models rely on one (or both) of the following assumptions: (i) the vehicles fully charge their batteries every time they reach a charging station, and (ii) the battery charge level is a linear function of the charging time. In practical situations, however, the amount of charge is a decision variable, and the battery charge level is a concave function of the charging time.In this paper we extend current eVRP models to consider partial charging and nonlinear charging functions. We present a computational study comparing our assumptions with those commonly made in the literature. Our results suggest that neglecting partial and nonlinear charging may lead to infeasible or overly expensive solutions.

Electricity Transmission, Pipelines, and National Trails: An Analysis of Current and Potential Intersections on Federal Lands in the Eastern United States, Alaska, and Hawaii

Scipedia content — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 14:54:58 +0100

Improving Trade and Transport for Landlocked Developing Countries : A Ten-Year Review

Scipedia content — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 14:53:52 +0100

Landlocked developing countries (LLDCs) are completely dependent on their transit neighbors infrastructure and administrative procedures to transport their goods to port. This publication provides a comprehensive ten-year review in order to assess the progress made in improving access of LLDCs to global markets, identify the remaining challenges faced by LLDCs, and present improved and innovative ways to overcome them. This publication is based on the practical knowledge from implementing the Almaty Program policies, shared by both of our institutions. It provides a snapshot of the economic trends in LLDCs, with regard to trade costs, connectivity constraints and trade diversification. It reviews the key access policies in the Almaty Program of Action framework that include infrastructure, transport and logistics services, regional integration, trade and transit facilitation. It combines data and substantial feedback from implemented projects and policy changes. The focus of the document is general in scope and does not include detailed economic or policy analysis of all the potential components of reforms. The publication is organized as follows: Chapter1: Economics of Landlockedness; Chapter 2: Connectivity Constraints; Chapter 3: Hinterland Connections; Chapter 4: Transit and Trade Facilitation, Regional Integration; Chapter 5: Physical Connectivity, Corridors. This document is based primarily on the experience of project implementation by the World Bank, and on analytical work on trade corridors and LLDCs, including reports and presentations on progress in implementing the Almaty Program of Action.

Governance arrangements and initiatives in Warsaw, Poland

Scipedia content — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 14:52:54 +0100

Analysis of local governance arrangements and initiatives in Warsaw, Poland that target social cohesion, social mobility and economic performance.

Developing a Comprehensive Risk Assessment Framework for Geological Storage CO"sub"2"/sub"

Scipedia content — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 14:51:35 +0100

The operational risks for CCS projects include: risks of capturing, compressing, transporting and injecting COâ; risks of well blowouts; risk that COâ will leak into shallow aquifers and contaminate potable water; and risk that sequestered COâ will leak into the atmosphere. This report examines these risks by using information on the risks associated with analogue activities such as CO2 based enhanced oil recovery (CO2-EOR), natural gas storage and acid gas disposal. We have developed a new analysis of pipeline risk based on Bayesian statistical analysis. Bayesian theory probabilities may describe states of partial knowledge, even perhaps those related to non-repeatable events. The Bayesian approach enables both utilizing existing data and at the same time having the capability to adsorb new information thus to lower uncertainty in our understanding of complex systems. Incident rates for both natural gas and CO2 pipelines have been widely used in papers and reports on risk of CO2 pipelines as proxies for the individual risk created by such pipelines. Published risk studies of CO2 pipelines suggest that the individual risk associated with CO2 pipelines is between 10-3 and 10-4, which reflects risk levels approaching those of mountain climbing, which many would find unacceptably high. This reportmoreÂ Â» concludes, based on a careful analysis of natural gas pipeline failures, suggests that the individual risk of CO2 pipelines is likely in the range of 10-6 to 10-7, a risk range considered in the acceptable to negligible range in most countries. If, as is commonly thought, pipelines represent the highest risk component of CCS outside of the capture plant, then this conclusion suggests that most (if not all) previous quantitative- risk assessments of components of CCS may be orders of magnitude to high. The potential lethality of unexpected CO2 releases from pipelines or wells are arguably the highest risk aspects of CO2 enhanced oil recovery (CO2-EOR), carbon capture, and storage (CCS). Assertions in the CCS literature, that CO2 levels of 10% for ten minutes, or 20 to 30% for a few minutes are lethal to humans, are not supported by the available evidence. The results of published experiments with animals exposed to CO2, from mice to monkeys, at both normal and depleted oxygen levels, suggest that lethal levels of CO2 toxicity are in the range 50 to 60%. These experiments demonstrate that CO2 does not kill by asphyxia, but rather is toxic at high concentrations. It is concluded that quantitative risk assessments of CCS have overestimated the risk of fatalities by using values of lethality a factor two to six lower than the values estimated in this paper. In many dispersion models of CO2 releases from pipelines, no fatalities would be predicted if appropriate levels of lethality for CO2 had been used in the analysis.Â«Â le

Assessment of the Economic Impact of Cruise Ships to Vanuatu

Scipedia content — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 14:50:21 +0100

The World Bank Group, DFAT-Australia, and Carnival Australia have partnered to conduct this study of the economic impact of cruise ship tourism in Vanuatu. Data gathering and analysis for this study was carried out by Net Balance Management Group. Over the past 10 years, Vanuatuâs cruise arrivals have grown by 15 percent per year. Cruising to Vanuatu has been buoyed by an advantageous location within a few daysâ sail of Australia, a varied destination offering centered on Port Vila, and consistently positive passenger feedback. In 2013, more than 240,000 people arrived in Vanuatu by cruise ship. This translates into 490,000 passenger days. The goal of this study is to quantify the economic impacts of cruising, and to provide data on the cruise sectorâs effect on economic activity. The study then identifies a set of investment opportunities that can help to increase the economic benefits of cruise tourism in Vanuatu. This report therefore seeks to provide a platform that can be used by government, the private sector and donor partners to support further strategic, targeted development of cruising. Data on tourism, and by extension on cruise tourism, is not readily available in Vanuatu. This report is an attempt to capture initial economic information about the cruise industry and to provide a point of departure for additional research into the economic, social and environmental impacts of the cruise sector.

A Multidimensional Decisions Modelling Framework for Built Space Supply

Scipedia content — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 14:48:56 +0100

The spatial and temporal distribution of built space supply plays an important role in shaping urban form and thus the general travel pattern in an urban area. Within an integrated framework, we are interested in modeling the decisions of a builder in terms of when, where, what type, and how much built-space to build. We present a multidimensional discrete-continuous model formulation for the built space supply decisions that are based on expected profit maximization. The framework is applied to estimate a model for supply of new office space in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) for the duration of 1986 to 2006. To our knowledge, this work is the first that models the where, when, how much, and what type of office space to supply in a single econometric framework at a fairly disaggregate spatial zoning system. The results indicate a risk taker behaviour on the builders part, while market conditions and supply of resources (labour, construction cost etc.) are also found to be important factors in decision making.

Enhancing Competition Conditions and Competitiveness of Philippine Domestic Shipping

Scipedia content — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 14:39:36 +0100

For the economy to attain its full potential, the Philippines requires an efficient water transport system. However, this is presently not the case. The domestic shipping industry is characterized by high costs, low quality of service, and a poor safety record. Logistics cost accounts for 24-53 percent of wholesale price, while shipping and port handling cost around 8 percent of wholesale price and 5 percent of retail price. Philippine domestic shipping is generally more expensive than in Malaysia or Indonesia, 2 other archipelagos. Moreover, it is more expensive to transport goods between 2 Philippine ports than between 2 Philippine ports via an international port. In the East Asia region, the Philippines trails behind its neighbors in various logistics performance and connectivity indices. For instance, in liner shipping connectivity, the Philippines ranked 66th out of 157 countries in 2013, and performs the worst among a group of East Asian comparators. Delays in shipment, slow cargo handling, and frequent accidents are the top complaints of businesses. In the East Asia Region, the Philippines has the highest absolute casualty rate and this is 40 percent higher than the second ranked country, Indonesia. On average, there are 228 ships involved in accidents and 303 casualties per year in the Philippines. In seeking to enhance competition in the delivery of domestic shipping services, this assessment has therefore focused particularly on measures that would increase the opportunities and incentives for new players to enter the market, and for existing operators to expand or vary the services they offer.

SNIPS: A Software-Defined Approach for Scaling Intrusion Prevention Systems via Offloading

Scipedia content — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 12:30:49 +0100

Growing traffic volumes and the increasing complexity of attacks pose a constant scaling challenge for network intrusion prevention systems (NIPS). In this respect, offloading NIPS processing to compute clusters offers an immediately deployable alternative to expensive hardware upgrades. In practice, however, NIPS offloading is challenging on three fronts in contrast to passive network security functions: (1) NIPS offloading can impact other traffic engineering objectives; (2) NIPS offloading impacts user perceived latency; and (3) NIPS actively change traffic volumes by dropping unwanted traffic. To address these challenges, we present the SNIPS system. We design a formal optimization framework that captures tradeoffs across scalability, network load, and latency. We provide a practical implementation using recent advances in software-defined networking without requiring modifications to NIPS hardware. Our evaluations on realistic topologies show that SNIPS can reduce the maximum load by up to 10Ã while only increasing the latency by 2%.

Governance Arrangements and Initiatives in Rotterdam, the Netherlands

Scipedia content — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 12:25:50 +0100

Analysis of local governance arrangements and initiatives in Rotterdam, Netherlands that target social cohesion, social mobility and economic performance.

Inferring the Scale of OpenStreetMap Features

Scipedia content — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 12:20:50 +0100

International audience; Traditionally, national mapping agencies produced datasets and map products for a low number of specified and internally consistent scales, i.e. at a common level of detail (LoD). With the advent of projects like OpenStreetMap, data users are increasingly confronted with the task of dealing with heterogeneously detailed and scaled geodata. Knowing the scale of geodata is very important for mapping processes such as for generalization of label placement or land-cover studies for instance. In the following chapter, we review and compare two concurrent approaches at automatically assigning scale to OSM objects. The first approach is based on a multi-criteria decision making model, with a rationalist approach for defining and parameterizing the respective criteria, yielding five broad LoD classes. The second approach attempts to identify a single metric from an analysis process, which is then used to interpolate a scale equivalence. Both approaches are combined and tested against well-known Corine data, resulting in an improvement of the scale inference process. The chapter closes with a presentation of the most pressing open problem

Pilot Testing of SHRP 2 Reliability Data and Analytical Products: Washington

Scipedia content — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 12:05:32 +0100

The regionalization of maritime networks: Evidence from a comparative analysis of maritime basins

Scipedia content — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 12:04:17 +0100

International audience

Governance arrangements and initiatives in Copenhagen, Denmark

Scipedia content — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 12:03:45 +0100

Analysis of local governance arrangements and initiatives in Copenhagen, Denmark that target social cohesion, social mobility and economic performance.

Towards initiating OpenLandMap founded on citizens’ science: The current status of land use features of OpenStreetMap in Europe

Scipedia content — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 11:49:41 +0100

Ponencias, comunicaciones y pÃ³sters presentados en el 17th AGILE Conference on Geographic Information Science "Connecting a Digital Europe through Location and Place", celebrado en la Universitat Jaume I del 3 al 6 de junio de 2014. Land use inventories are important information sources for scholarly research, policy-makers, practitioners, and developers. A considerable amount of effort and monetary resources have been used to generate global/regional/local land use datasets. While remote sensing images and techniques as well as field surveying have been the main sources of determining land use features, in-field measurements of ground truth data collection for attributing those features has been always a challenging step in terms of time, money, as well as information reliability. In recent years, Web 2.0 technologies and GPS-enabled devices have advanced citizen science (CS) projects and made them user-friendly for volunteered citizens to collect and share their knowledge about geographical objects to these projects. Surprisingly, one of the leading CS projects i.e., OpenStreetMap (OSM) collects and provides land use features. The collaboratively collected land use features from multiple citizens could greatly support the challenging component of land use mapping which is in-field data collection. Hence, the main objective of this study is to calculate the completeness of land use features to OSM across Europe. The empirical findings reveal that the completeness index varies widely ranging from almost 2% for Iceland to 96% for Bosnia and Herzegovina. More precisely, more than 50% of land use features of eight European countries are mapped. This shows that CS can play a role in land use mapping as an alternative data source, which can partially contribute to the existing inventories for updating purposes.

Maritime shifts in the world economy: evidence from the Lloyd's List corpus, eighteenth to twenty-first centuries

Scipedia content — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 11:43:28 +0100

International audience

Explaining international trade flows with shipping-based distances

Scipedia content — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 11:32:04 +0100

International audience

Simulation of Mutualized Urban Logistics Systems with Real-time Management

Scipedia content — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 11:25:05 +0100

Abstract This work aims at proposing a new organization of urban merchandize distribution based on mutualized and optimized resources. In this context, our contribution is twofold. On one hand, we develop a set of models to manage merchandize distribution. We develop a new reservation system that enables customers to request a merchandize transportation service (delivery and collect) or to book a vehicle for self-service purposes. Requests are processed by two main decision modules (1) an online module that immediately searches for a feasible solution for a request, and decides to accept or reject it, and (2) an offline module that looks for optimized solutions starting from the feasible schedule defined by the online module. On the other hand, we develop a new discrete event simulator, called MODUMS which integrates the proposed models, implements such a logistic system and evaluates its economic and environmental impact. MODUMS takes as inputs realistic information about the transportation means, geographic data and demand information requests that are generated according to some probability distributions. It gives as outputs indicators on the impact of mutualization on the quality of urban logistics in terms of, for example, number of delayed or rejected requests, filling rate of vehicles, total distance and quantity of CO2.

Evolution of E-Mobility in Carsharing Business Models

Scipedia content — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 11:17:37 +0100

Carsharing continues to grow worldwide as a powerful strategy to provide an alternative to solo driving. The viability of electric vehicles, or EVs, has been exam-ined in various carsharing business models. Moreover, new technologies have given rise to electromobility, or e-mobility, systems. This paper discusses the evolution of e-mobility in carsharing business models and the challenges and opportunities that EVs present to carsharing operators around the world. Operators are now anticipating in-creased EV proliferation into vehicle fleets over the next 5-10 years as technology, infrastructure, and public policy shift toward support of e-mobility systems. Thus, re-search is still needed to quantify impacts of EVs in changing travel behavior toward more sustainable transport.

CityMobil2: Challenges and Opportunities of Fully Automated Mobility

Scipedia content — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 11:15:31 +0100

The main benefits of road automation will be obtained when cars will drive themselves with or without passengers on-board and on any kind of roads, especially in urban areas. This will allow the creation of new transport servicesâforms of shared mobility, which will enable seamless mobility from door to door without the need of owning a vehicle. To enable this vision, vehicles will not just need to become âautonomousâ when automated; they will need to become part of an Automated Road Transport System (ARTS). The CityMobil2 EC project mission is progressing toward this vision defining and demonstrating the legal and technical frameworks necessary to enable ARTS on the roads. After a thorough revision of the literature which allows us to state that automation will perform its best when it will be full-automation and vehicles will be allowed to circulate in urban environments, the paper identifies where these transport systems perform their best, with medium size vehicle as on-demand transport services feeding conventional mass transits in the suburbs of large cities, on radial corridors as complementary mass transits with large busses and platoons of them and as main public transport for small cities with personal vehicles; then defines the infrastructural requirements to insert safely automated vehicles and transport systems in urban areas. Finally it defines the vehicle technical requirements to do so.

Translation of Aviation Safety Principles to Patient Safety in Surgery

Scipedia content — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 11:14:31 +0100

The aviation industry functions as a high-reliability organization that has used a variety of practices to maintain an enviable safety record, despite the inherent risks of flying. The inherent risks associated with air transport, the team structure of its aircrews, and the importance of a methodical approach in completing critical tasks, makes it in many ways similar to the perioperative setting. Using simulator training, line-oriented safety audits, check airmen, crew resource management, checklists, incident reporting, root cause analysis, and various communication strategies, the aviation industry has established itself as a leader in safety protocols to ensure high reliability. However, the safety record of surgery as a whole has not been so enviable.

Further Development of the Safety and Congestion Relationship for Urban Freeways

Scipedia content — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 11:10:29 +0100

Strategic Highway Research Program 2 (SHRP 2) Reliability Project L07, Identification and Evaluation of the Cost-Effectiveness of Highway Design Features to Reduce Nonrecurrent Congestion, provided (1) general guidance on the range of design elements that could be used by transportation agencies to improve travel time reliability and reduce nonrecurrent congestion on urban freeways and (2) the Analysis Tool for measuring operational and safety effectiveness and calculating a life-cycle benefitâcost value. This value can be used to support decision making about the possible use of individual treatments to address actual nonrecurrent traffic conditions. The tool is a Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) interface overlaying a Microsoft-based Excel 2007 spreadsheet. Analysts can input data about a highway such as geometrics, volumes, and crash totals, and the tool computes delay and reliability indicators resulting from various design treatments and translates those results into life-cycle costs and benefits. For the safety-effectiveness analysis, a new relationship between safety and congestion was explored, and a mathematical model was developed to quantify crash frequency at various levels of traffic density. This supplemental report presents the research findings on the effort to further develop and refine the original safety and congestion relationship model using two additional independent freeway data sets. The results of this additional research confirmed the graphical relationship between crash frequency and traffic density developed in the original research. The crash rate on urban freeways varies with traffic density in a U-shaped curve. The lowest crash rates occurred at medium traffic densities, with slightly higher crash rates (single-vehicle- dominant) recorded at lower traffic densities and much higher crash rates recorded at higher traffic densities (multiple-vehicle-dominant). Therefore, if a design treatment is effective in reducing nonrecurrent congestion conditions at higher levels of service, it should also be effective in reducing crashes, resulting in a safety benefit.

Marxist Resistance at Bicycle Speed : Screening the Critical Mass Movenement

Scipedia content — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 11:08:47 +0100

The chapter discusses a certain type of activism and cinema associated with it, which cannot be described as strictly âMarxistâ, but which might appeal to Marxist viewers: the Critical Mass movement. This movement, which started in the early 1990s, consists of groups of bicyclists riding through inner cities in numerous countries. The Critical Massmovement can be assessed in two basic ways: either as a means of combating capitalism by challenging the domination of a private car in the cities and advocating living in a more sustainable and greener way, or as a one-issue activismthat diverts attention from the crucial problem of capitalism, which is that of class. The chapter also discusses the films that represent and advocate bikeactivism and living according to the âbike ethosâ in terms of their production, textual characteristics and distribution. It draws attention to the fact that cinema is crucial for bike activism and the internet is indispensable for Mass Movement cinema.

LESY-ECO: Learning system for eco-driving based on the imitation

Scipedia content — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 10:57:23 +0100

Proceedings of 2014 International Conference on Connected Vehicles and Expo (ICCVE,IEEE), took place 2014, November, 03-07, in Viena (Austria). In this paper, we propose a learning method for eco-driving based on imitation. The system uses Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) in order to calculate the driving efficiency from the point of view of the fuel consumption. The input and output parameters have been selected taking into account the Longitudinal Vehicle Dynamics Model. This technique allows us to notify the user about who is the most efficient driver close to him or her and to suggest the imitation of the behavior of such driver. The proposed method promotes learning by observation and imitation of efficient drivers in a practical rather than theoretical way such as attending eco-driving lessons. The DEA algorithm does not depend on the definition of a preconceived form of the data in order to calculate the efficiency. The DEA algorithm estimates the inefficiency of a particular DMU by comparing it to similar DMUs considered as efficient. This is very important due to the dynamic nature of the traffic. A validation experiment has been conducted with 10 participants who made 500 driving tests in Spain. The results show that combining eco-driving lessons with the proposed learning system, drivers achieve a very significant improvement on fuel saving (15.82%) The research leading to these results has received funding from the âHERMES-SMART DRIVERâ project TIN2013-46801-C4-2-R within the Spanish "Plan Nacional de I+D+I" under the Spanish Ministerio de EconomÃa y Competitividad and from the Spanish Ministerio de EconomÃa y Competitividad funded projects (co-financed by the Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER)) IRENE (PT-2012-1036-370000), COMINN (IPT-2012-0883-430000) and REMEDISS (IPT-2012-0882-430000) within the INNPACTO program. Publicado

Cycling Futures

Scipedia content — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 10:55:45 +0100

Australasian researchers, practitioners, policy makers and community members are engaged in a global discussion on the role of cycling in addressing these concerns. Contributors to this book report on and extend this discussion as they explore the insights generated locally and internationally on the past, present and future of cycling. The focus of the first half of the book is largely on the current engagement with cycling, challenges faced by existing and would-be cyclists and the issues cycling might address. The second half of the book is concerned with strategies and processes of change. Contributors working from different ontological positions reflect on changing socio-spatial relations to enable the broadest possible participation in cycling.'

Enhancing inland navigation by model predictive control of water levels: The Cuinchy-Fontinettes case

Scipedia content — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 10:46:40 +0100

Navigation canals are used for transport purposes. In order to allow safe navigation the water level should be kept in a certain range around the Normal Navigation Level (NNL). The water level is disturbed by known and unknown inputs, like tributaries, municipal water flows, rain, etc. Some of these inputs can be used to control the water level. If the geometry requires it, canal reaches are connected by locks. The operation of these locks sometimes can disturb the water level, if the difference between the upstream and downstream water level is large. The objective is to minimize the disturbances caused by these lock operations on the water level in order to maintain the NNL. In this work the global management of the canal reach is discussed and an option to maintain the NNL by active control is introduced. Some inputs to the system, such as other confluences or gates on the side of the locks, can be controlled automatically to react to the disturbances caused by the lock operations using model predictive control to maintain the desired water level.

Maritime flows and networks in a multidisciplinary perspective

Scipedia content — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 10:24:20 +0100

International audience

An Evolutionary Algorithm to Generate Real Urban Traffic Flows

Scipedia content — Thu, 21 Jan 2021 15:43:16 +0100

In this article we present a strategy based on an evolutionary algorithm to calculate the real vehicle ows in cities according to data from sensors placed in the streets. We have worked with a map imported from OpenStreetMap into the SUMO traffic simulator so that the resulting scenarios can be used to perform different optimizations with the confidence of being able to work with a traffic distribution close to reality. We have compared the results of our algorithm to other competitors and achieved results that replicate the real traffic distribution with a precision higher than 90%. Universidad de MÃ¡laga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional AndalucÃa Tech. This research has been partially funded by project number 8.06/5.47.4142 in collaboration with the VSB-Technical University of Ostrava and Universidad de MÃ¡laga UMA/FEDER FC14-TIC36, programa de fortalecimiento de las capacidades de I+D+i en las universidades 2014-2015, de la ConsejerÃa de EconomÃa, InnovaciÃ³n, Ciencia y Empleo, cofinanciado por el fondo europeo de desarrollo regional (FEDER). Also, partially funded by the Spanish MINECO project TIN2014-57341-R (http://moveon.lcc.uma.es). The authors would like to thank the FEDER of European Union for financial support via project Movilidad Inteligente: Wi-Fi, Rutas y ContaminaciÃ³n (maxCT) of the "Programa Operativo FEDER de AndalucÃa 2014-2020. We also thank all Agency of Public Works of Andalusia Regional Government staff and researchers for their dedication and professionalism. Daniel H. Stolfi is supported by a FPU grant (FPU13/00954) from the Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports.

Probabilistic Grid-based Collision Risk Prediction for Driving Application

Scipedia content — Thu, 21 Jan 2021 15:29:07 +0100

International audience; In the recent years, more and more modern cars have been equipped with perception capabilities. One of the key applications of such perception systems is the estimation of a risk of collision. This is necessary for both Advanced Driver Assistance Systems and Autonomous Navigation. Most approach for risk estimation propose to detect and track the dynamic objects in the scene. Then the risk is estimated as a Time To Collision (TTC) by projecting the object's trajectory in the future. In this paper, we propose a new grid-based approach for collision risk prediction, based on the Hybrid-Sampling Bayesian Occupancy Filter framework. The idea is to compute an estimation of the TTC for each cell of the grid, instead of reasoning on objects. This strategy avoids to solve the difficult problem of multi-objects detection and tracking and provides a probabilistic estimation of the risk associated to each TTC value. After promising initial results, we propose in this paper to evaluate the relevance of the method for real on-road applications, by using a real-time implementation of our method in an experimental vehicle.

From freight trains to cold chains : Building China's new supply chains for fresh food

Scipedia content — Thu, 21 Jan 2021 15:27:20 +0100

Co-evolutionary dynamics of ports and cities in the global maritime network, 1950-90

Scipedia content — Thu, 21 Jan 2021 15:23:15 +0100

International audience

Fieldwork Inhabitants. Rotterdam, the Netherlands

Scipedia content — Thu, 21 Jan 2021 15:14:51 +0100

Retrieving points of interest from human systematic movements

Scipedia content — Thu, 21 Jan 2021 15:14:06 +0100

Human mobility analysis is emerging as a more and more fundamental task to deeply understand human behavior. In the last decade these kind of studies have become feasible thanks to the massive increase in availability of mobility data. A crucial point, for many mobility applications and analysis, is to extract interesting locations for people. In this paper, we propose a novel methodology to retrieve efficiently significant places of interest from movement data. Using car driversâ systematic movements we mine everyday interesting locations, that is, places around which people life gravitates. The outcomes show the empirical evidence that these places capture nearly the whole mobility even though generated only from systematic movements abstractions.

Design for energy-aware IP over WDM networks with hibernation mode and group-node techniques

Scipedia content — Thu, 21 Jan 2021 15:13:38 +0100

The focus of the paper is an investigation and evaluation of energy efficient solutions in IP over WDM core networks using as a foundation, a hierarchy of hibernation modes implementing different degrees of node groupings and fibre links establishment that support a sleep state. It seeks to embed this groups-nodes strategy into an intelligent control plane implementing routing schemes targeting energy consumption, adaptive signalling and traffic engineering. A Group-Nodes mechanism is proposed as a function of topology and node distribution based on a fixed (or geographical) and random (or ownership) principle. The impact of the proposed technique on energy saving and network performance is assessed; results are presented and evaluated for various scenarios. Evaluation of this methodology indicates potential reduction in power consumption from 7 % up to 15 % at the expense of reduced network performance.

Inter-urban road freight

Scipedia content — Thu, 21 Jan 2021 15:06:55 +0100

This book concerns the regulation of transport within a European context, covering air, inland waterways, rail, road passenger and freight, urban public transport, and short sea shipping. All these sectors have experienced substantial changes over the last two decades, in terms of ownership, competition and liberalisation, and the book explores the main transformations and their impacts. The authors address these issues, with a specific focus on the effects of the organisation and regulation of transport systems on their performance. They also provide timely policy recommendations, including possible European future policy initiatives.

Logistics and supply chain innovation: Bridging the gap between theory and practice

Scipedia content — Thu, 21 Jan 2021 14:57:54 +0100

Design Guide for Addressing Nonrecurrent Congestion

Scipedia content — Thu, 21 Jan 2021 14:45:00 +0100

Nonrecurring traffic congestion, which comprises the majority of total congestion, results from random incidents that cause unexpected delays, such as crashes, weather, and work zones. Road users are frustrated by unexpected delays that can make for unreliable arrival times at their destinations. The delivery of travel time reliability is becoming an emerging business activity and performance measure for transportation agencies to meet the increasing expectations of the public and freight industry. The purpose of this guide is to give transportation engineers, designers, planners, and decision makers an understanding and technical reference on how different high-way geometric design elements can be deployed, in new designs or site retrofit actions, to contribute specifically to the reduction of nonrecurring congestion and travel time reliability improvement on both urban and rural freeways. The guide introduces the nonrecurring and travel time reliability topics and metrics, a catalogue of design elements, and a process for selecting candidate design elements to evaluate for a specific site. For individual design elements, example content includes a description of that element, advantages and disadvantages, factors to consider when selecting the element, applicability to nonrecurring congestion, design criteria and practices, safety effectiveness, typical applications, and costs. In addition, there is an evaluation procedure that allows practitioners to compare alternative design treatments and select the best treatment solution for a specific site.

Spatiotemporal Studies of Traffic Phenomenon on Freeways with Limited-access Special Lanes

Scipedia content — Thu, 21 Jan 2021 14:44:05 +0100

Most special-use freeway lanes in the US, whether reserved for carpools, toll-paying commuters or both, are physically separated from the adjacent regular-use lanes by some form of barrier. Vehicle movements in and out of a special lane of this type are permitted only at select access points along the route. The barrier at each select point might open for a distance of 400 m or so. Limiting access in this way is said to reduce the Ã¢â¬ÅturbulenceÃ¢â¬ that might otherwise occur were the special lane not to have a buffer, such that vehicles could instead enter or exit that lane anywhere along its length. Yet, real freeway traffic studied in spatiotemporal fashion shows that access points are prone to become bottlenecks. The problem occurs when traffic in the regular lanes becomes dense, as commonly happens during a rush. Drivers then seek refuge in the special lane in greater numbers. Since the vehicular maneuvers through the access point are focused within a limited physical space, they can become disruptive and further degrade traffic. Degradation can occur both in the special lane and in the adjacent regular ones. The damage can be worse than what occurs when barrier are not used to limit special-lane ingress and egress. Policy implications are discussed.

The global air transport industry: a comparative analysis of network structures in major continental regions

Scipedia content — Thu, 21 Jan 2021 14:43:27 +0100

This unique Handbook examines the impacts on, and responses to, economic geography explicitly from the perspective of the behaviour, mechanics, systems and experiences of different firms in various types of industries. The industry studies approach allows the authors to explain why the economic geography of these different industries exhibits such particular and diverse characteristics.

Logistics Service Providers Going Green : A Framework for Developing Green Service Offerings

Scipedia content — Thu, 21 Jan 2021 14:25:17 +0100

Environmental impact has increasingly become a âbuzzwordâ and an important topic. This topic has been integrated into the agenda of many companies worldwide, and this dissertation focuses on the transportation and logistics industry. Environmental concerns have gained increased attention among many logistic service providers (LSPs) due to the environmental impact from their operations, and they have been identified of having a significant role in reducing the environmental burden in the supply chain. An environmental approach of the LSPs' business has also been identified as a way to achieve competitive advantage and provide market opportunities where the development and marketing of new products and services associated with green issues are suggested as important aspects for future growth. However, considering the scarcity of research regarding this topic, a study that reveals potential aspects in the development of green service offerings can bridge the knowledge gap and provide opportunities for further research within this field. The purpose of this dissertation is therefore to develop and explain a framework for LSPsâ development of green service offerings. The purpose is addressed by first investigating LSPs' service development from a general perspective in order to, in a second stage, reach a better understanding of the implications when integrating green aspects in LSPs' service development efforts. Theoretically, this dissertation departed from service marketing literature or more specifically new service development (NSD) research. This resulted in a conceptual framework including key dimensions and aspects regarding a companyâs NSD efforts and activities. From this foundation, the theoretical framework was developed further based on research regarding LSPs' service development and innovation management. Finally the framework was extended with green logistics literature as well as research regarding LSPs' green development and influences on their service offerings. Empirically, this research is mainly based on qualitative data from an in-depth case study on a large LSP active on the Swedish market. In addition, empirical data from a multiple case study and a questionnaire survey conducted for the Licentiate thesis were used in order to enrich the analysis regarding the LSPs' development of green service offerings. The analysis followed a stepwise approach where literature and empirical data were analysed. One of the main results in this dissertation is the framework for LSPs' new service development, consisting of five dimensions: NSD culture, NSD strategy, NSD process focus, IT use and expertise and NSD knowledge and skills. The NSD framework presents a holistic view of the LSPsâ NSD efforts by revealing different dimensions, their roles and relations to each other as well as the pre-requisites to take into consideration in the development of new services. Thus, the different NSD dimensions should not solely be viewed as isolated dimensions; instead, there is a need for LSPs to have a holistic view and understanding of the NSD activitiesâ reciprocity. Another main result concerns the adaption of the NSD framework to green service development. The results reveal some pre-requisites relevant for LSPs to consider in their efforts to develop green service offerings and are summarised in the following main dimensions: Creating green awareness in the NSD culture â encourage participation regarding green initiatives within the organisation, defining a âcommon pictureâ in order to facilitate collaboration efforts and knowledge exchange concerning green expertise. The support from top management was also identified of having an influencing impact. Defining the strategic approach of green service offerings â integrate a green concern in the overall business strategy and to define the strategic role and incentives for developing green service offerings. The results also suggest LSPs to adapt green NSD efforts to different business contexts and market possibilities to match existing resources and skills with customersâ green requirements, and to perform a segmentation of customersâ environmental work and ambitions to increase the understanding of customersâ green attitudes and requirements. Create processes and routines to facilitate spreading of green knowledge â highlights the relevance of a process focus for spreading green knowledge both from an external and internal perspective. It involves e.g. adoption of certifications, procedures for environmental calculations and documentation as well as routines to spread and integrate green knowledge among employees as well as identification of customersâ green requirements. Improve green internal knowledge and build green collaborations â provide training and education to increase the level of green awareness and knowledge among employees as well as customers and strive for collaboration efforts both internally and externally to utilise each otherâs knowledge and resources towards the development of green service offerings. Increase transparency of green information both internally and externally â improve green information transparency to build both internal and external trust and increase possibilities to effectively use other actorsâ knowledge and resources to develop environmental improvements in the supply chain. Integration of IT expertise and synchronisations of IT systems to facilitate and support environmental work and development of green service offerings.

Towards the Formal Reliability Analysis of Oil and Gas Pipelines

Scipedia content — Thu, 21 Jan 2021 14:21:19 +0100

It is customary to assess the reliability of underground oil and gas pipelines in the presence of excessive loading and corrosion effects to ensure a leak-free transport of hazardous materials. The main idea behind this reliability analysis is to model the given pipeline system as a Reliability Block Diagram (RBD) of segments such that the reliability of an individual pipeline segment can be represented by a random variable. Traditionally, computer simulation is used to perform this reliability analysis but it provides approximate results and requires an enormous amount of CPU time for attaining reasonable estimates. Due to its approximate nature, simulation is not very suitable for analyzing safety-critical systems like oil and gas pipelines, where even minor analysis flaws may result in catastrophic consequences. As an accurate alternative, we propose to use a higher-order-logic theorem prover (HOL) for the reliability analysis of pipelines. As a first step towards this idea, this paper provides a higher-order-logic formalization of reliability and the series RBD using the HOL theorem prover. For illustration, we present the formal analysis of a simple pipeline that can be modeled as a series RBD of segments with exponentially distributed failure times.

Travelling right is great, travelling free is greater : Municipal planners’ images of sustainable mobility

Scipedia content — Thu, 21 Jan 2021 14:15:41 +0100

Minskning av transporters negativa miljÃ¶pÃ¥verkan, eller en Ã¶kning av hÃ¥llbara resor, har blivit en allt viktigare frÃ¥ga fÃ¶r lokala aktÃ¶rer. Genom samhÃ¤lls- och trafikplanering ska dagens ohÃ¥llbara transportsystem bli mer hÃ¥llbart. Det gÃ¶r hur planerare i Helsingborg planerar fÃ¶r hÃ¥llbara resor intressant att studera. Avhandlingen undersÃ¶ker hur planerare fÃ¶restÃ¤ller sig vad hÃ¥llbart resande Ã¤r, vilka resenÃ¤rer det Ã¤r som bÃ¶r resa mer hÃ¥llbart samt hur en hÃ¥llbar stad kan se ut. Teoretiskt kombinerar avhandlingen ett intersektionellt ramverk med feministisk planeringsteori samt teorier frÃ¥n STS (teknik- och vetenskapsstudier). Det empiriska materialet bestÃ¥r av djupintervjuer med sexton planerare, en fokusgruppsintervju samt bildanalys av de planeringsdokument som Helsingborgs stad anvÃ¤nder sig av i planeringen fÃ¶r hÃ¥llbara resor. FramfÃ¶rallt visar avhandlingen att planerare inte betraktar resors negativa miljÃ¶pÃ¥verkan som ett argument som kan fÃ¥ mÃ¤nniskor att resa mer hÃ¥llbart. IstÃ¤llet Ã¤r det mÃ¶jligheten att framstÃ¤lla hÃ¥llbara resor som roliga, hÃ¤lsosamma, lustfyllda och praktiska som planerare tror kan fÃ¥ helsingborgarna att cykla eller Ã¥ka mer buss. Men det Ã¤r bara vissa resenÃ¤rer som antas kunna ta del av de hÃ¥llbara resornas positiva vÃ¤rden. Planerarnas fÃ¶restÃ¤llningar om bland annat kÃ¶n, etnicitet och klass Ã¤r avgÃ¶rande fÃ¶r hur de fÃ¶rstÃ¥r hÃ¥llbara resor. Planerarna menar sammanfattningsvis att det Ã¤r stort att resa rÃ¤tt av miljÃ¶skÃ¤l, men stÃ¶rre att fritt vÃ¤lja det mest attraktiva fÃ¤rdsÃ¤ttet. Demands for sustainable mobility have become an increasingly important issue for local actors. Through city and traffic planning, the current unsustainable transport systems are going to become more sustainable. However, how to define sustainable mobility is disputed. Therefore, how planners in the Swedish municipality of Helsingborg define sustainable mobility makes an interesting case. This thesis examines how planners imagine sustainable mobility, who the sustainable traveler is, and what a sustainable city might look like. Theoretically the thesis combines an intersectional framework with a feminist planning theory and theories from Science and Technology Studies. The empirical material is based on in-depth interviews with sixteen planners, a focus group interview, and visual analyses of the planning documents the city of Helsingborg uses in planning for sustainable mobility. The analyses show that planners do not see the negative environmental impact of traveling as an argument which will persuade people to travel more sustainably. Instead, it is the possibility to construct sustainable mobility as fun, healthy, pleasurable, and practical that planners believe will persuade the inhabitants of Helsingborg to cycle or travel by bus more often. But not all travelers are likely to benefit from the positive values of sustainable mobility. To conclude, when planners imagine sustainable mobility, they imagine that it is good to travel the correct way for environmental reasons, but it is even greater to make independent travel choices, based on what modes of transport attract the most people. "p"I denna elektroniska version av avhandlingen Ã¤r bilderna i bilaga 2 uteslutna pÃ¥ grund av upphovsrÃ¤ttsliga skÃ¤l.

Urban Policies on Diversity in Rotterdam, The Netherlands

Scipedia content — Thu, 21 Jan 2021 13:51:19 +0100

This report examines the current approaches in policies with respect to diversity for the city of Rotterdam, the Netherlands. As a background, we first provide an overview of the national political system and the governance structure for diversity in Rotterdam. We examine which actors - both governmental and non-governmental and at multiple levels of scale - are involved in the governance of diversity in Rotterdam. In addition, we give a short outline of key shifts in national policy discourses on diversity, citizenship and in-migration since the 1980s. Second, we analyse dominant governmental discourses on urban policy and diversity. Therefore, we examine how diversity is addressed in the most significant documents that deal with diversity in Rotterdam. On the basis of qualitative interviews, we also examine how governmental policy actors in the city understand the policies. Third, we also examine non-governmental views on diversity policy. Amongst others, we identify the importance of diversity as a policy issue, and the meaning, objectives and targets of the relevant policies, in different important fields, such as integration, housing, education, and work.

Maritime transport, shipping and ports

Scipedia content — Thu, 21 Jan 2021 13:48:15 +0100

Road Condition Estimation Based on Spatio-Temporal Reflection Models

Scipedia content — Thu, 21 Jan 2021 13:36:28 +0100

Automated road condition estimation is a crucial basis for Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and even more for highly and fully automated driving functions in future. In order to improve vehicle safety relevant vehicle dynamics parameters, e.g. last-point-to-brake (LPB), last-point-to-steer (LPS), or vehicle curve speed should be adapted depending on the current weather-related road surface conditions. As vision-based systems are already integrated in many of todayâs vehicles they constitute a beneficial resource for such a task. As a first contribution, we present a novel approach for reflection modeling which is a reliable and robust indicator for wet road surface conditions. We then extend our method by texture description features since local structures enable for the distinction of snow-covered and bare road surfaces. Based on a large real-life dataset we evaluate the performance of our approach and achieve results which clearly outperform other established vision-based methods while ensuring real-time capability.

Towards an Ontology-Based Approach to Safety Management in Cooperative Intelligent Transportation Systems

Scipedia content — Thu, 21 Jan 2021 13:35:11 +0100

The expected increase in transports of people and goods across Europe will aggravate the problems related to traffic congestion, accidents and pollution. As new road infrastructure alone would not solve such problems, Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) has been considered as new initiatives. Due to the complexity of behaviors, novel methods and tools for the requirements engineering, correct-by-construction design, dependability, product variability and lifecycle management become also necessary. This chapter presents an ontology-based approach to safety management in Cooperative ITS (C-ITS), primarily in an automotive context. This approach is supposed to lay the way for all aspects of ITS safety management, from simulation and design, over run-time risk assessment and diagnostics. It provides the support for ontology driven ITS development and its formal information model. Results of approach validation inÂ CarMakerÂ are also given in this Chapter. The approach is a result of research activities made in the framework of Swedish research initiative, referred to as SARMITS (Systematic Approach to Risk Management in ITS Context). "p"QC 20150911

V2X solutions for real-time video collection

Scipedia content — Thu, 21 Jan 2021 13:34:18 +0100

Â© 2014 IEEE. Personal use of this material is permitted. Permission from IEEE must be obtained for all other uses, in any current or future media, including reprinting/republishing this material for advertising or promotional purposes, creating new collective works, for resale or redistribution to servers or lists, or reuse of any copyrighted component of this work in other works. [EN] Quickly identifying the severity of highway acci-dents, as well as the resources required to assist the people involved in those accidents, is a basic requirement for future intelligent transportation systems. In this context, vehicular communication technologies currently being standardized are able to provide novel solutions to address this problem. In this work we study the feasibility of combining vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communications to deliver a video stream from the place of the accident to the traffic authorities. Our approach relies on vehicles as data relays, thus having the additional advantage of providing drivers with a clear view about the accident, thereby helping to reduce stress and improving traffic flow. An experimental analysis comparing different traffic flooding mechanisms for wireless networks show that the proposed system is viable for highways with moderate/high amounts of traffic, although highlighting the need for more efficient mechanisms specifically addressing broadcast propagation in highway envi-ronments. This work was partially supported by the Ministerio de EconomÃa y Competitividad, Spain, under Grant TIN2011- 27543-C03-01, by the Ministerio de EducaciÃ³n, Spain, under the FPU program, AP2009-2415, and by the National Institute of Informatics International Internship Program. Torres Cortes, A.; Ji, Y.; Tavares De Araujo Cesariny Calafate, CM.; Cano EscribÃ¡, JC.; Manzoni, P. (2014). V2X solutions for real-time video collection. En Wireless On-demand Network Systems and Services (WONS), 2014 11th Annual Conference on. IEEE. 116-121. doi:10.1109/WONS.2014.6814731 S 116 121

The distribution functions of vessel calls and port connectivity in the global cargo ship network

Scipedia content — Thu, 21 Jan 2021 13:21:56 +0100

International audience

A Rôle for Mereology in Domain Science and Engineering: To Every Mereology There Corresponds a λ–Expression

Scipedia content — Thu, 21 Jan 2021 13:18:45 +0100

We give an abstract model of parts and part-hood relations of software application domains such as the financial service industry, railway systems, road transport systems, health-care, oil pipelines, secure [IT] systems, etcetera. We relate this model to axiom systems for mereology, showing satisfiability, and show that for every mereology there corresponds a class of Communicating Sequential Processes.

Toward Real-time Multi-criteria Decision Making for Bus Service Reliability Optimisation

Scipedia content — Thu, 21 Jan 2021 13:17:20 +0100

This paper addresses issues associated with the real-time control of public transit operations to minimize passenger wait time: namely vehicle headway, maintenance of passenger comfort, and reducing the impact of control strategies. The randomness of passenger arrivals at bus stops and external factors (such as traffic congestion and bad weather) in high frequency transit operations often cause irregular headway that can result in decreased service reliability. The approach proposed in this paper, which has the capability of handling the uncertainty of transit operations based on Multi-objective evolutionary algorithm using a dynamic Bayesian network, applies preventive strategies to forestall bus unreliability and, where unreliability is evident, restore reliability using corrective strategies. âHoldingâ, âexpressingâ, âshort-turningâ and âdeadheadingâ are the corrective strategies considered in this paper.

Why Is Road Safety in the U.S. Not on Par with Sweden, the U.K., and the Netherlands?:Lessons to be Learned

Scipedia content — Thu, 21 Jan 2021 13:16:02 +0100

Purpose: This study compared road safety and related factors in the U.S. with those in Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands (which are among the best-performing countries), in order to identify actions most likely to produce casualty reductions in the U.S. Method: The reviewed topics were basic country statistics, road fatalities and various fatality rates, and selected road-safety issues. Results: The main differences concerned structural and cultural factors (such as vehicle distance driven), and procedural factors (such as alcohol-impaired driving, exceeding speed limits, and use of seat belts). Conclusions: The main recommendations for improving road safety in the U.S. are as follows: (1) lower states' BAC limits, and encourage the use of alcohol ignition interlocks (2) reexamine the current speed-limit policies and improve speed enforcement, (3) implement primary seat-belt-wearing laws in each state that would cover both front and rear occupants, and reward vehicle manufacturers for installation of advanced seat-belt reminders, and (4) reconsider road-safety target setting so that the focus is on reducing fatalities and not on reducing fatality rate per distance driven, and (5) consider new strategies to reduce vehicle distance driven.

Document type: Article

Guide for Communicating Emergency Response Information for Natural Gas and Hazardous Liquids Pipelines

Scipedia content — Thu, 21 Jan 2021 13:14:59 +0100

This report provides pipeline operators and emergency responders with guidance on how to share appropriate information in advance of a pipeline emergency so that the response plan can be quickly and effectively put into operation with the assurance that the best steps are taken in correct sequence to bring optimum resolution to the pipeline emergency. The guide focuses on the appropriate emergency response content that pipeline operators should provide to emergency responders, effective means of disseminating this guidance by pipeline operators to recipient emergency response organizations and by those emergency response organizations to sub-units, and strategies for implementing and exercising emergency response plans.

Short sea shipping in Europe: issues, policies and challenges

Scipedia content — Thu, 21 Jan 2021 13:13:16 +0100