Estimating Path Choice Models through Floating Car Data

The path choice models play a key role in transportation engineering, especially when coupled with an assignment procedure allowing link flows to be obtained. Their implementation could be complex and resource-consuming. In particular, such a task consists of several stages, including (1) the collection of a large set of data from surveys to infer users’ path choices and (2) the definition of a model able to reproduce users’ choice behaviors. Nowadays, stage (1) can be improved using floating car data (FCD), which allow one to obtain a reliable dataset of paths. In relation to stage (2), different structures of models are available; however, a compromise has to be found between the model’s ability to reproduce the observed paths (including the ability to forecast the future path choices) and its applicability in real contexts (in addition to guaranteeing the robustness of the assignment procedure). Therefore, the aim of this paper is to explore the opportunities offered by FCD to calibrate a path/route choice model to be included in a general procedure for scenario assessment. The proposed methodology is applied to passenger and freight transport case studies. Significant results are obtained showing the opportunities offered by FCD in supporting path choice simulation. Moreover, the characteristics of the model make it easily applicable and exportable to other contexts

Training of Crisis Mappers and Map Production from Multi-sensor Data: Vernazza Case Study (Cinque Terre National Park, Italy)

This aim of paper is to presents the development of a multidisciplinary project carried out by the cooperation between Politecnico di Torino and ITHACA (Information Technology for Humanitarian Assistance, Cooperation and Action). The goal of the project was the training in geospatial data acquiring and processing for students attending Architecture and Engineering Courses, in order to start up a team of "volunteer mappers". Indeed, the project is aimed to document the environmental and built heritage subject to disaster; the purpose is to improve the capabilities of the actors involved in the activities connected in geospatial data collection, integration and sharing. The proposed area for testing the training activities is the Cinque Terre National Park, registered in the World Heritage List since 1997. The area was affected by flood on the 25th of October 2011. According to other international experiences, the group is expected to be active after emergencies in order to upgrade maps, using data acquired by typical geomatic methods and techniques such as terrestrial and aerial Lidar, close-range and aerial photogrammetry, topographic and GNSS instruments etc.; or by non conventional systems and instruments such us UAV, mobile mapping etc. The ultimate goal is to implement a WebGIS platform to share all the data collected with local authorities and the Civil Protectio

Induction, complexity, and economic methodology

This paper focuses on induction, because the supposed weaknesses of that process are the main reason for favouring falsificationism, which plays an important part in scientific methodology generally; the paper is part of a wider study of economic methodology. The standard objections to, and paradoxes of, induction are reviewed, and this leads to the conclusion that the supposed ‘problem’ or ‘riddle’ of induction is a false one. It is an artefact of two assumptions: that the classic two-valued logic (CL) is appropriate for the contexts in which induction is relevant; and that it is the touchstone of rational thought. The status accorded to CL is the result of historical and cultural factors. The material we need to reason about falls into four distinct domains; these are explored in turn, while progressively relaxing the restrictions that are essential to the valid application of CL. The restrictions include the requirement for a pre-existing, independently-guaranteed classification, into which we can fit all new cases with certainty; and non-ambiguous relationships between antecedents and consequents. Natural kinds, determined by the existence of complex entities whose characteristics cannot be unbundled and altered in a piecemeal, arbitrary fashion, play an important part in the review; so also does fuzzy logic (FL). These are used to resolve two famous paradoxes about induction (the grue and raven paradoxes); and the case for believing that conventional logic is a subset of fuzzy logic is outlined. The latter disposes of all questions of justifying induction deductively. The concept of problem structure is used as the basis for a structured concept of rationality that is appropriate to all four of the domains mentioned above. The rehabilitation of induction supports an alternative definition of science: that it is the business of developing networks of contrastive, constitutive explanations of reproducible, inter-subjective (‘objective’) data. Social and psychological obstacles ensure the progress of science is slow and convoluted; however, the relativist arguments against such a project are rejected.induction; economics; methodology; complexity

Decision making theory with geographic information systems support

Decisions are made with varying degrees of effectiveness and efficiency and are influenced by a myriad of internal and external forces. Decision Support Systems (DSS) software can effectively aid decision making through processing the facts and producing meaningful outputs for use by the person or team in making the final choice. Geographic Information Systems (GIS), a form of DSS, are very effective when locational data are present. This thesis talks about using GIS software in decision making procedures

A process view on managing quality during the creation of technical innovations : lessons from field research.

Quality Management (QM) principles have left their marks on business practice for more than a decade. Amongst the many business functions that have faced the widespread introduction of QM standards and methodologies, the R&D function has been amongst the last to undergo their pervasive influence. The uncertain and ambiguous nature of the technical innovation not to introduce 'traditional' QM approaches in R&D settings. These arguments are often based on a rather rigid and mechanistic view on QM. As recent insights show, this need not to be the case. QM can offer an avenue to fundamentally scrutinise and re-think-functional interaction strategies in innovative contexts. Therefore, the process of introducing QM principles is an R&D environment deserves close attention. This paper offers a field-based insight into these fundamental organisational and managerial issues.Innovations; Knowledge;

Port competitiveness in North East Asia : an integrated fuzzy approach to expert evaluations

Despite the fact that the Northeast Asia (NEA) region, which had four of the top five and 20 of the top 30 container ports in the world in 2003, can be regarded as holding a central position in liner shipping and the handling of container cargo volumes, very little research has been done into the evaluation of its port competitiveness (EPC). For this reason, the EPC in NEA can be regarded as a problematic and urgent issue to be solved, and worthy of academic attention. From this aspect, this research set out to attempt to address the above issue by means of utilizing expert knowledge. However, the EPC contains problems of complex multipleattributes and multiple-hierarchies (CMAMH). In addition, difficulties concerning certain characteristics of evaluation such as complexity, uncertainty and ambiguity are also involved. To deal with such problems, in this research, the employment of integrated fuzzy evaluation (IFE) as a methodology was decided upon. As a result of the adaptation of the methodology, certain indications from this research to the theory and practice for container ports have emerged and are clearly identifiable. With regard to theory, this study has contributed to theoretical development significantly in four ways. First, the factors and taxonomy of port competitiveness for the container ports in NEA have been provided for the first time. Second, this is the first integrated approach for the EPC in NEA, the most competitive area in the world. Third, this research was also the first to attempt extracting critical weak points and/or influential factors affecting current port competitiveness. Finally, the adoption of IFE made it possible for the first time to uncover the interactive relationships between the competing container ports. In terms of practice, this research has also provided certain contributions of utmost importance. First of all, the study has provided a suggestion for the most recent port ranking in respect of port competitiveness. Moreover, changes in competitiveness power, which are dynamically and interactively affected by the relationship between the ports, have been successfully estimated and suggested. Thus, such changes in the competitiveness in NEA can now be easily forecasted by port actors

Game Theory Relaunched

The game is on. Do you know how to play? Game theory sets out to explore what can be said about making decisions which go beyond accepting the rules of a game. Since 1942, a well elaborated mathematical apparatus has been developed to do so; but there is more. During the last three decades game theoretic reasoning has popped up in many other fields as well - from engineering to biology and psychology. New simulation tools and network analysis have made game theory omnipresent these days. This book collects recent research papers in game theory, which come from diverse scientific communities all across the world; they combine many different fields like economics, politics, history, engineering, mathematics, physics, and psychology. All of them have as a common denominator some method of game theory. Enjoy

Multi-Stage Fuzzy Logic Controller for Expressway Traffic Control During Incidents

In this research study, a multistage fuzzy logic controller (MS-FLC) was developed for traffic control in incident management on expressways. The MS-FLC serves as the traffic operator’s decision-making support tool at the operational level. The MS-FLC gathers real-time traffic and incident data to analyze and predict traffic conditions, as well as to recommend alternative control measures to the traffic operator in the form of linguistic expressions. The MS-FLC is embedded in a traffic simulator controller (TSC) prototype, and was evaluated by comparing its performance with no control scenario and ALINEA\Q, a popular local ramp control algorithm, across several incident scenarios in a simulation environment. In general, MS-FLC outperformed ALINEA\Q with respect to global objectives. In particular, whereas the ALINEA\Q algorithm favors the mainline, the MS-FLC algorithm significantly improves mainline travel conditions while substantially reducing ramp queues. It is concluded that, if properly designed, the MS-FLC can be a robust tool for traffic control on expressways under incident conditions