Scipedia: Collection of open reports in transport research

EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF TUNNELS IN SQUEEZING GROUND CONDITIONS

Scipedia content — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 14:46:07 +0100

UTC-UTI Final Research Report 005: "EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF TUNNELS IN SQUEEZING GROUND CONDITIONS"

The Impacts of Emerging Mobility Options and Vehicle Technologies on Travel Behavior

Scipedia content — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 16:27:26 +0100

MarTREC Project Report for Effect of Permeability Variation of Expansive Yazoo Clay at the Maritime and Multimodal Transportation Infrastructure in Mississippi

Scipedia content — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 16:32:12 +0100

The existence of Yazoo clay soil in Mississippi frequently causes distress to the pavement and cause deformation at the slopes in highways and levees, which are a critical component in Maritime and multimodal transportation infrastructure. Each year, fixing the pavement requires a significant maintenance budget of MDOT. Also, the infiltration of the rainwater in the highway and levee slopes leads to landslides, which require millions of maintenance dollars each year. Due to the shrinkage and swelling behavior of the Yazoo clay, the hydraulic conductivity varies over the different seasons and has higher vertical permeability during the dry season. With high vertical permeability, the rainwater can easily percolate in the pavement subgrade and slopes, which accelerates the failure. However, a limited study is available on the change in hydraulic permeability of Yazoo clay soil. The current study investigates the change in unsaturated vertical and horizontal permeability and its effect on the maritime and multimodal infrastructures, especially on the pavement and slopes of highway embankment and levees. The details are presented in the final repor

IMAGING AHEAD OF TUNNEL BORING MACHINES WITH DC RESISTIVITY

Scipedia content — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 16:33:09 +0100

UTC-UTI Final Research Report 002: "IMAGING AHEAD OF TUNNEL BORING MACHINES WITH DC RESISTIVITY"

Demand response through decentralized optimization in residential areas with wind and photovoltaics

Scipedia content — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 16:45:26 +0100

paradigm shift has to be realized in future energy systems with high shares of renewable energy sources. The electrical demand has to react to the fluctuating electricity generation of renewable energy sources. To this end, flexible electrical loads like electric heating devices coupled with thermal storage or electric vehicles are necessary in combination with optimization approaches. In this paper, we develop a novel privacy-preserving approach for decentralized optimization to exploit load flexibility. This approach, which is based on a set of schedules, is referred to as SEPACO-IDA. The results show that our developed algorithm outperforms the other approaches for scheduling based decentralized optimization found in the literature. Furthermore, this paper clearly illustrates the suboptimal results for uncoordinated decentralized optimization and thus the strong need for coordination approaches. Another contribution of this paper is the development and evaluation of two methods for distributing a central wind power profile to the local optimization problem of distributed agents (Equal Distribution and Score-Rank-Proportional Distribution). These wind profile assignment methods are combined with different decentralized optimization approaches. The results reveal the dependency of the best wind profile assignment method on the used decentralized optimization approach.

ACTIVAGE - D9.6 Final results report & sustainability plan (I to IX)

Scipedia content — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 16:46:03 +0100

We have reached the end of a challenging and rewarding journey, after 45 months of ACTIVAGE, this is the last report that aims at providing a taste of the huge work done by the teams at the local sites. This is a testimony of the more than 45 partners that have participated in this WP. We started with 9 DS in 7 countries and we finish with 12 DS in 9 countries, having incorporated three new DS through the open call, and expanding ACTIVAGE vision and ecosystem to Portugal and Bulgaria. We have been able to reach the target of deploying AHA-IoT solutions for more than 7.200 users, we hit the mark of 7.776 and almost 97% of the expected deployments. All DS have been able to perform the evaluation, at local and global level, generating the evidence that ACTIVAGE vision is pertinent, relevant, and effective. Details are provided in the individual results and in D6.5. By the end of the project, still 80% of participants continue operation, and almost all DS have in place sustainability plans to continue providing ACTIVAGE services in one way or another. Even in the cases where no clear plans have been possible, there are opportunities for exploiting the services and the knowledge gained in the project.

Applying psychological concepts to assist the uptake of eHUBs

Scipedia content — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 16:47:08 +0100

In this note, we present ten recommendations to stimulate the uptake of eHUBs based on psychological concepts. These recommendations are translated into specific actions that cities can undertake to promote the uptake of eHUBs under car owners. In general, according to behaviour change principles1, citizens will start using the eHUBs (1) if they feel they are capable of using them, (2) if the physical and social environment is structured in such a way that they have the opportunity to use the eHUBs and (3) if they are motivated to use the HUB. The recommendations in this short note address either the capabilities, the opportunities or the motivation of citizens to use the HUBs.

Utilizing Graceful Failure As An Opportunity for Flood Mitigation Downstream to Protect Communities and Infrastructure

Scipedia content — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 16:49:37 +0100

In 2011, we observed how “graceful failure” through planned destruction of portions of the Birds Point Levee by the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) was enacted to alleviate extreme flooding on the Mississippi River. This action, while flooding thousands of acres of croplands as intended, reduced flooding and potential damage to waterway infrastructure and populated communities downstream. Recent trends and future climatic projections indicate that we will have more of these “extreme” flooding situations in our future. Therefore, this project focused on exploring the potential feasibility to utilize other locations along the inland waterway system where “graceful failure” or planned breach of levees may be used as a means of flood protection for downstream communities and infrastructure. Spatial analysis techniques were used with development of specific criteria to screen national-level data sets to identify probable locations for such mitigative approaches. The criteria were primarily focused on identifying non-urbanized, non-developed land where intentional flooding for storage of flood waters would minimize impacts. Each location that was identified as a potential candidate was further evaluated for capacity for flood water detention. A consolidated set of areas were identified that could provide some storage capacity for flood mitigation. Additional engineering and localized analysis would be necessary to vet the areas for actual storage implementation. However, this study provides an example of an unconventional approach to flood mitigation on inland waterways which could reduce the need for disaster response and assist in transportation planning during extreme flood conditions.

The EU blue economy report 2020

Scipedia content — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 16:53:11 +0100

El ISSN y el ISBN corresponden a la versión electrónica del documento The EU Blue Economy Report has become the reference to understand past developments, trends and future opportunities in the blue economy and all individual economic activities related to our seas and oceans in the EU and its Member States.

Delivering Road Safety in Nepal : Leadership Priorities and Initiatives to 2030

Scipedia content — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 16:55:50 +0100

Road crash deaths and injuries in Nepal have been on a sharp upward trajectory since the early 2000s. In fi scal year 2017–18, 2,541 road deaths were offi cially reported in Nepal, which is equivalent to a fatality rate of 8.59 per 100,000 population. In the same period, 4,144 serious injury and several minor injury victims were also offi cially reported. However, according to World Health Organization data the estimated fatality rate in 2016 was 15.9 per 100,000 population, which is nearly double the offi cial estimate. In 2016, vulnerable road users (pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcyclists) accounted for around 72 percent of all road fatality victims, among the highest levels in the region, with pedestrians accounting for half of these. Road deaths have a disproportionate impact on the young, working age population. About 40 percent of people killed on Nepal’s roads in 2017 –18 were less than 26 years old. In 2016, transport injuries were the second leading cause of death among men aged 15–49-years.

GREEN TECHNOLOGY APPROACH FOR CAPTURING POLLUTION WASHED FROM TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURES

Scipedia content — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 16:56:09 +0100

The main goal of this study was to produce and extensively examine biochar as a potential material for the "em"in-situ"/em" adsorption of typical pollutants carried by the stormwater runoff from the transportation infrastructures. Biochar, a product of controlled pyrolysis of carbon-rich waste material is the best known for its adsorption capacity as typically used for agricultural applications. The individual source of organic waste material, and parameters of pyrolysis, such as duration, temperature, limitation of oxygen, etc., would influence its final properties, which will dictate the overall efficiency of "em"in situ"/em" adsorption.Several waste biomas were used as a starting material.

Quiet Car Detectability: Impact of Artificial Noise on Ability of Pedestrians to Safely Detect Approaching Electric Vehicles

Scipedia content — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 16:58:52 +0100

Many auto manufacturers are now producing hybrid and electric vehicles with an additive noise component to signal vehicle presence in the same way that internal combustion engine vehicles signal their presence through engine noise. The Virginia Tech Transportation Institute conducted an evaluation of quiet car detectability as part of a GM-funded project in 2015–2016. The internal combustion engine benchmark significantly outperformed the other three vehicles under a 10-km/h steady approach, but these differences largely disappeared at 20 km/h due to increased tire and road noise. Trends of improved detectability offered by the additive noise signals were observed but did not demonstrate a significant advantage over an electric vehicle with no additional noise component. Since that original project, NHTSA has released their final version of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141, outlining “Minimum Sound Requirements for Hybrid and Electric Vehicles.” This project aimed to demonstrate differences in detectability by replicating the previous study but with newer FMVSS 141-compliant sounds. The proposed additive sounds examined drastically improved detectability compared to the production variants included in the first round of testing. At 10 km/h, the additive sound conditions outperformed the no-sound condition by magnitudes ranging from 3.4 to 4.6, each eliciting mean detection distances well above the NHTSA minimum detection criteria. At 20 km/h, detectability also improved dramatically over the earlier production variants, achieving a similar magnitude advantage over no-sound as observed at 10 km/h. Increasing background noise resulted in a measurable impact on mean detection distances. The average reduction across all conditions was approximately 33% and 28% for approach speeds of 10 km/h and 20 km/h, respectively. In terms of accurately recognizing a stopped vehicle in a 20 to 0 km/h scenario, all sound conditions significantly outperformed the no-sound condition across both background noise conditions.

GROUND-STRUCTURE INTERACTION OF TWIN BOARD TUNNELS AND CROSS-PASSAGES IN SOFT GROUND PRESSURE BALANCE TUNNELING

Scipedia content — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 17:01:20 +0100

UTC-UTI Final Research Report 003: "GROUND-STRUCTURE INTERACTION OF TWIN BOARD TUNNELS AND CROSS-PASSAGES IN SOFT GROUND PRESSURE BALANCE TUNNELING"

Social acceptance of electric mobility in Germany

Scipedia content — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 17:01:31 +0100

Plug In Electric Vehicles (PEVs) can contribute to the decarbonisation of the transport sector and to alleviate some of the negative local impacts of car driving. As current market shares for PEVs in Germany are still small, it is important to investigate the social acceptance of electric mobility, taking into account different actors in the innovation system. Therefore we draw a link between the social acceptance concept (socio-political, market and local acceptance) and the technological innovation systems (TIS) approach and conduct a literature review. The results show that the majority of studies deal with the demand side of electric mobility, focusing on market acceptance. For a transition towards an electric transport system a deeper systemic understanding of all actors is necessary. The paper shows where the potentials for further acceptance research on electric mobility lie and provides an approach, which can be developed further and transferred to similar technologies.

Road space re-allocation

Scipedia content — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 17:07:39 +0100

The findings reported in this deliverable reflect the state of knowledge up to their first submission date. A revised version will be submitted in August 2021 that will include more recent material. https://www.roadspace.eu/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/MORE-D2.3_WITHOUT-CONFIDENTIAL-ANNEXE.pdf; The development of new, alternative, diverse road uses challenges existing forms of allocating space on urban road networks. Different actors and stakeholders hold differing views on how space should be allocated across different transport modes and non-transport activities. These differing views are made material through the claims that are made by a wide range of stakeholders about the allocation and use of road space. What are these claims about? How are they mobilized? To what extent are these claims channelled by formal consultation processes? What similarities can be found across cities? How are these views represented at EU level? While some actors may promote the shift from roads as traffic-enabling infrastructure to a multifunctional urban asset, others resist this transformation. By purposefully using the notion of contestation, this report assumes that claims about the future of roads’ functions and uses contribute to reshaping the politics of space allocation as well as the ability of existing institutional arrangements and policy processes to accommodate such claims. It contributes to the work done in the MORE project by providing an analysis of the politics of road space allocation.

UNCERTAINTY ANALYSIS IN ROCK MASS CLASSIFICATION AND ITS APPLICATION TO RELIABILITY EVALUATION IN TUNNEL CONSTRUCTION

Scipedia content — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 17:08:20 +0100

UTC-UTI Final Research Report 004: "UNCERTAINTY ANALYSIS IN ROCK MASS CLASSIFICATION AND ITS APPLICATION TO RELIABILITY EVALUATION IN TUNNEL CONSTRUCTION"

Identification of potential off-grid municipalities with 100% renewable energy supply

Scipedia content — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 17:18:28 +0100

n increasing number of municipalities are striving for energy autonomy. This study determines in which municipalities and at what additional cost energy autonomy is feasible for a case study of Germany. An existing municipal energy system optimization model is extended to include the personal transport, industrial and commercial sectors. A machine learning approach identifies a regression model among 19 methods, which is best suited for the transfer of individual optimization results to all municipalities. The resulting levelized cost of energy (LCOE) from the optimization of 15 case studies are transferred using a stepwise linear regression model. The regression model shows a mean absolute percentage error of 12.5%. The study demonstrates that energy autonomy is technically feasible in 6,314 (56%) municipalities. Thereby, the LCOEs increase in the autonomous case on average by 0.41 €/kWh compared to the minimum cost scenario. Apart from energy demand, base-load-capable bioenergy and deep geothermal energy appear to have the greatest influence on the LCOEs. This study represents a starting point for defining possible scenarios in studies of future national energy system or transmission grid expansion planning, which for the first time consider completely energy autonomous municipalities.

HPC4Mobilty w/ UCB

Scipedia content — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 17:42:53 +0100

uthor(s): Nugent, Peter; MACFARLANE, Jane | Abstract: The purpose of this project is to examine the energy impact of urban-scale traffic for the Los Angeles Basin by developing and implementing a scalable traffic assignment model. An energy optimization function will be posed and when integrated into the optimization code for travel assignment it can be mathematically proven to converge. The energy optimization function can then be compared to the typical travel time optimization that is traditionally used in traffic assignment models. The analysis will begin with static traffic assignment models with the routing for all origin and destinations computed in parallel on high performance computing facilities. Convergence of the numerical methods rely on the solution of convex programs (or extensions of these). This step will mostly consist of demonstrating the ability to parallelize the Frank Wolfe algorithm on various platforms. This work will contribute to LBNL’s efforts to develop new processes, analytical tools, program designs, and business models to advance the state of the art in next-generation sustainable transportation solutions.

Design and analysis of control strategies for pedestrian flows

Scipedia content — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 17:49:02 +0100

Exploiting the full potential of pedestrian infrastructure is becoming critical in many environments which cannot be easily expanded to cope with the increasing pedestrian demand. This is particularly true for train stations as in many dense cities space is limited and expansion is difficult and very costly. In this paper, we investigate how to improve the level-of-service experienced by pedestrians by regulating and controlling their movements with a dynamic traffic management system. Although dynamic traffic management systems have been widely investigated in the last two decades to mitigate vehicular traffic congestion, little attention has been given in the literature to dynamic traffic management systems for pedestrian flows. The objective of this paper is to develop the concept of a dynamic traffic management system for pedestrian flows by building on the experience acquired from vehicular traffic management systems. We first propose a general framework for dynamic traffic management systems which takes into account the specificities of pedestrian traffic. The specificities of pedestrian traffic are discussed and emphasized. Then we illustrate the framework by using a control strategy designed for pedestrian flows that mitigates the issues induced by bidirectional flows. We show the effectiveness of this strategy by simulating a subpart of the train station in Lausanne (Switzerland). The results show a substantial improvement despite the relative simplicity of the method. These results emphasize the under-explored potential of pedestrian control and guidance when integrated into a dynamic pedestrian management system.

Program Progress Performance Report #3 - October 30 2018

Scipedia content — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 17:49:44 +0100

Semi-Annual "Program Progress Performance Report (PPPR)" from the US DOT Tier 1 University Transportation Center for Underground Transportation Infrastructure (UTC-UTI) covering work done during the period April 2018 to September 2018. The report summarizes the status of our research and our accomplishments in terms of student activities, outreach, leveraging US DOT funding, faculty and researchers' accomplishments, products such as publications and websites, participants and collaborators, and the impact of our work.

Shift2MaaS D5.1 Project logo and website

Scipedia content — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 17:51:20 +0100

This document describes the objectives, structure, and look and feel of the Shift2MaaS logo and the Shift2MaaS website. Both the logo and website are essential tools within the Shift2MaaS project to reach project objectives concerning communication, including strengthening the project’s identity, raising awareness and dissemination project developments to key stakeholders and external actors, and ensuring maximal exploitation of project results.

Demand Management: : New Perspectives for the Road Transport System Based on Practices in Electricity and Telecommunications

Scipedia content — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 17:53:24 +0100

The transport, electricity and telecommunication systems, also known as utilities, are under pressure from disruptive technologies, climate change and even unexpected health disasters. Questions related to demand management and safeguarding the functioning of the system are an important part of handling these pressures. In terms of road transport more specifically, the practices currently in use have been unsuccessful in flattening the demand curve or shifting the demand to more sustainable and space-efficient modes of travel. Therefore, the need for new input in the transport sector regarding demand management is higher than ever before. This report is intended to provide new insights for the transport sector based on the practices and methods for managing fluctuating demand found in other sectors, which can be translated into the following research question: What can the road transport sector learn about demand management practices from the electricity and telecom sectors? The analytical framework used for data collection and analysis is based on and combines the socio-technical theory of large technical systems (LTS) with the multi-level perspective (MLP) on sustainable transition into the infrastructure lifecycle model (ILM) introduced by Bolton and Foxon (2015). The findings are divided into three sections: road transport, electricity and telecom, and a matrix summarizing the identified practices and tools in use is provided at the end of each section. The concluding section is structured into specific learnable moments/new insights, providing an overview and discussion of all three systems in parallel with the help of the ILM. These moments include real-time monitoring and interventions, activating end users to make better-informed decisions, and public-private participation in planning and development. The report concludes with suggestions for future research. "p"QC 20200828

LIFE E-VIA - Electric Vehicle noIse control by Assessment andoptimisation of tyre/road interaction(LIFE18 ENV/IT/000201-LIFE E-VIA)

Scipedia content — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 18:04:18 +0100

The project LIFE E-VIA aims to tackle noise pollution from road traffic noise, in a future perspective involving a consistent portion of electric and hybrid vehicles. By combining knowledge of road optimization and tyre development, it will test an optimized solution for reducing noise in urban areas and Life Cycle Cost with respect to actual best practices. The project includes three preparatory actions, consisting of state-of-the-art studies on the components implicated in the issue: the electric vehicles (EVs), the quiet pavement technologies and the tyre role in the context of EVs vs. conventional vehicles. This report refers to project action A1 and provides an overview of the concern of electric vehicles and of their noise emission. It intends to highlight the key aspects to be taken into consideration in order to achieve the most effective and relevant implementation work, in the light of the latest technical and scientific knowledge. In the shift from conventional mobility to electromobility, the present study deals with: the electric vehicle fleet characteristics, the changed driving behaviours induced by the vehicle specificities, the different noise source features with a sharp focus on rolling noise, the changes in the noise perception by the citizens and the consideration of electric vehicles in the noise prediction methods.

Measuring climate and extreme weather vulnerability to inform resilience, report 2 : port decision-makers’ barriers to climate and extreme weather adaptation

Scipedia content — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 18:08:54 +0100

Shift2MaaS D5.5 Interim Stakeholders consultation report

Scipedia content — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 18:21:16 +0100

The present document constitutes the Deliverable D5.5 “Interim Stakeholders Consultation report” in the framework of the ITD 4.7, WP5, Task 5.2 of Shift2MaaS project (S2R-OC-IP4-02-2018). The Shift2MaaS consortium identifies the importance of the participation and involvement of key stakeholders during all the phases of the project. More specifically, this deliverable provides: An explicit list of the stakeholders for the Stakeholder’s group in Chapter 5; A report on the stakeholder's workshop focused on MaaS organised by Shift2MaaS and other related projects (Chapter 6); Clarifications on the formation of the stakeholder’s group on a continuous basis within the lifetime of the project (Chapter 7). The work with Shift2MaaS stakeholders will be continued until the end of the project, so the outcomes of this work will be included in D5.6 Final Stakeholders consultation report and additional use-cases.

Vehicle Information Reporting Systems

Scipedia content — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 18:31:57 +0100

The Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) standard currently tracks data elements such as manufacturing details, vehicle descriptors, vehicle security codes, and serial numbers. To date, the VIN standard does not include information on safety features or vehicle equipment. Expanding the standard to indicate the presence of automated driving systems and advanced driving assistance systems could allow the efficacy and impact of these technologies on crash avoidance and crash mitigation to be more accurately determined. The research team held a series of meetings to solicit stakeholder feedback on a expanding the VIN and a number of Vehicle Information Reporting System (VIRS) alternatives. The six alternatives involved two methods of implementing a modified VIN, barcodes, optical chips, event data recorders, and a write-in option for a “participant-specified” VIRS alternative. Qualitative data of the feedback meetings was obtained from transcriptions and was further analyzed to identify preferences for VIRS alternative options. Quantitative data was obtained using a Likert-type survey adapted from the System Usability Scale. Unfortunately, due to time and budget constraints, no original equipment manufacturers participated in this project. Thus, this feasibility study may offer an incomplete view without this feedback.

Contextual Guidance at Intersectionsfor Protected Bicycle Lanes

Scipedia content — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 18:34:58 +0100

Illinois Highway Materials Sustainability Efforts of 2016

Scipedia content — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 18:36:17 +0100

Roadspace reallocation.

Scipedia content — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 18:42:08 +0100

The findings reported in this deliverable reflect the state of knowledge up to their first submission date. A revised version will be submitted in August 2021 that will include more recent material.; This report is the third WP2 deliverable. Drawing on the work done on the organizational, institutional, regulatory and political dimensions of road space allocation, it focuses on the contestation of street space. By purposefully using the notion of contestation, it sets out to identify various views on how space should be allocated across different transport modes and non-transport activities, as well as the various ways through which they are made material. Who has an interest in contesting road space arrangements or proposed changes? What are these claims about? How are they mobilized? To what extent are these claims channelled by formal consultation and decision-making processes? What similarities can be found across cities? How are these views represented at EU level? Drawing on an original qualitative dataset, the report includes an up-to-date analysis of how the contestation of street space enfolds across five cities - London, Constanta, Malmö, Lisbon and Budapest - and at EU level. Content: An up-to-date analysis of how the contestation of street space enfolds across five cities - London, Constanta, Malmö, Lisbon and Budapest - and at EU level ; Appendices : the detailed, supporting analysis for each of the five cases (“city portraits”), two sets of recommendations produced by ECF (European Cyclists Foundation) of how existing EU and Member states legislation should be revised in order to accommodate cycling.

Impact of Ridesharing on Vehicle Miles Traveled

Scipedia content — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 18:49:48 +0100

Due to the rapid development of the ridesharing industry, there is very limited data available for researchers and practitioners to draw a comprehensive conclusion regarding resultant changes in vehicle miles traveled (VMT). Current research on ridesharing is inconclusive and conflicting. This report summarizes our findings on the impacts of ridesharing on VMT, focusing on optimization and pairing modeling, the relationship between ridesharing and public transit, induced trips, and car ownership.

Consumer Driving Automation System Education: A Learning and Retention Assessment

Scipedia content — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 19:06:25 +0100

For the potential safety benefits of driving automation systems to be fully realized, drivers must understand the capabilities and limitations of these systems. This study explored a range of materials that drivers may access when trying to learn about driving automation system safety features: owner’s manual only, owner’s manual and OEM website video or animation, and owner’s manual and MyCarDoesWhat.org videos. Three vehicles, a 2015 Infiniti Q50, a 2016 Honda CR-V, and a 2015 Chevy Tahoe, were selected to represent a range of vehicle types, sizes, technologies, and price points. Each training condition was tested with each vehicle for a total of nine possible testing scenarios. Thirty-six participants were recruited for the study, with an equal number of males and females from two age groups, 25–39 and 40–54 years old. Participants were balanced across the nine possible testing scenarios. A two-part study was conducted to assess participants’ ability to learn from existing training materials and to determine how well participants were able to retain what they learned. When taking into consideration participants’ self-reported learning styles, average scores across all technologies were fairly comparable across style, and participants were able gain at least a rudimentary understanding of the operation and purposes of driving automation system technologies. However, participants were less sure of the specifics associated with the technologies (i.e., activation, alerts or warnings, and appropriate use). Those in the multimedia testing conditions reported feeling more familiar with the technologies than those in the owner’s manual only condition. Participants found the videos to be an entertaining and easier-to-understand alternative to the manual. Several indicated that they would refer to the video first to see how the technology worked and then refer to the manual to gain a more in-depth understanding. Videos with sound and additional details were preferred to the simpler animations.

Report on the findings of the population survey

Scipedia content — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 19:06:36 +0100

The foreseeable advent of conditionally automated cars (CAC) at SAE Level 3 opens up a multitude of questions that have to be addressed for a safe adoption of the new vehicle technology. To explore the opinions of other road users affected and especially of the vulnerable road users – pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists – on CACs, a population survey of road users was conducted in the EU member states France, Germany, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden as well as in Australia and in the USA within the EU-funded project BRAVE. On the basis of 6,608 survey data sets, the study provides reliable findings on acceptance and trust in CACs from a road user’ perspective, on the use of external human-machine interfaces (HMI) as well as on ethical and legal considerations. The road users’ acceptance of CACs appears to be rather positive in principle but varies between the road user groups. At the same time, doubts in trust in CACs from the perspective of the studied groups of road users are identified. Different opinions on ethical and legal issues arise which vary also according to the respondents’ country of residence.

Supplementary material to ECOMAR: A data-driven framework for ecosystembased Maritime Spatial Planning in Danish marine waters

Scipedia content — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 19:25:52 +0100

Project manager Jesper H. Andersen This report contains, as said in the title, the supplementary material to the synthesis report from the ECOMAR project (2018- 2020). The supplementary material consists of three parts: 1) Annex A, being the data sets and layers dealing with human pressures and activities, 2) Annex B, being the data set related to ecosystem components and analogue data sets, and 3) Annex C, being additional data used for the mapping of potentially cumulative effects in Danish marine waters as well as maps of results mentioned, but not show in the synthesis report. For each data set, a specific reference to the data authoring organization as well as contact information for the Data Author. THE VELUX FOUNDATIONS

Measuring climate and extreme weather vulnerability to inform resilience, report 1 : a pilot study for North Atlantic medium- and high-use maritime freight

Scipedia content — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 19:59:10 +0100

Upcycling Plastic Waste for Rural Road Construction in India: An Alternative Solution to Technical Challenges

Scipedia content — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 20:25:03 +0100