Resilience Assignment Framework using System Dynamics and Fuzzy Logic.

This paper is concerned with the development of a conceptual framework that measures the resilience of the transport network under climate change related events. However, the conceptual framework could be adapted and quantified to suit each disruption’s unique impacts. The proposed resilience framework evaluates the changes in transport network performance in multi-stage processes; pre, during and after the disruption. The framework will be of use to decision makers in understanding the dynamic nature of resilience under various events. Furthermore, it could be used as an evaluation tool to gauge transport network performance and highlight weaknesses in the network. In this paper, the system dynamics approach and fuzzy logic theory are integrated and employed to study three characteristics of network resilience. The proposed methodology has been selected to overcome two dominant problems in transport modelling, namely complexity and uncertainty. The system dynamics approach is intended to overcome the double counting effect of extreme events on various resilience characteristics because of its ability to model the feedback process and time delay. On the other hand, fuzzy logic is used to model the relationships among different variables that are difficult to express in numerical form such as redundancy and mobility

A network mobility indicator using a fuzzy logic approach

This paper introduces a methodology to assess the mobility of a road transport network from the 3 network perspective. In this research, the mobility of the road transport network is defined as the 4 ability of the road transport network to connect all the origin-destination pairs within the network with 5 an acceptable level of service. Two mobility attributes are therefore introduced to assess the physical 6 connectivity and the road transport network level of service. Furthermore, a simple technique based 7 on a fuzzy logic approach is used to combine mobility attributes into a single mobility indicator in 8 order to measure the impact of disruptive events on road transport network functionality. 9 The application of the proposed methodology on a hypothetical Delft city network shows the ability of the technique to estimate variation in the level of mobility under different scenarios. The method allows the study of demand and supply side variations on overall network mobility, providing a new tool for decision makers in understanding the dynamic nature of mobility under various events. The method can also be used as an evaluation tool to gauge the highway network mobility level, and to highlight weaknesses in the network

Competitiveness of Arabian gulf ports from shipping lines’ perspectives: Case of Sohar port in Oman

Purpose: The purpose of this article is to investigate the factors that encourage shipping lines to use port of Sohar, in Oman. Some selected factors were used to assess to what extent it affects the port choice from shipping lines companies’ perspective. These factors include infrastructure, hinterland, connectivity and port’s dues. Design/methodology/approach: for this study both quantitative and qualitative methodologies were used. Self-administered questionnaire used for collecting quantitative data while interviews were used to collect qualitative data. Secondary data was collected by reviewing academic literature and recent relevant articles and reports. Findings: Port of Sohar has a better opportunity to be the gateway of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) States and all Cargo could have dropped in the port and transferred to other GCC States by road, rail and other transportation modes. This opportunity is gained by the strategic location of Sohar Port outside of the Strait of Hormuz. It can be concluded that port competitiveness can be improved through strategic location, improved hinterland conditions, port facilities, services cost, volume of cargo, connectivity to other ports and dwell time factor. Research limitations: The research was limited mainly by conducting it only at the port of Sohar because surrounding ports are too far away and it should involve more ports to gain comparative results. Limited number of stakeholders as Port Authority, Oman International Container Terminal (OICT) and shipping lines companies and agents is another limitation. Practical implications: The port can improve its competitive advantages and focus on the investigated factors. The government can also continue in working in the three big infrastructural projects; the new express roads, Sohar Airport and rail network connections with other GCC networks. Originality/value: the study used specific factors that expected to contribute to the shipping lines companies’ selection of ports in the gulf region. This could help the port to identify their competitive advantage and how they can use these competencies to improve their competitiveness in relation to other ports in the region.Peer Reviewe

A decision support system to improve service quality in multimodal rapid rail systems: A bayesian perspective

Copyright @ 2011 International Conference on Computers and Industrial EngineeringIn this study, the accessibility of the rail transit stations in a multimodal network formed by a trunk line and its feeder lines are defined. Connectivity between lines and the accessibility of the nodes identify the overall spatial structure of the network. The factors influencing the access choices of rail transit stations and satisfaction of transit travelers in rapid rail transit systems are investigated in order to gain insights into the factors and their interrelationships. The quantitative indications of the relationships are produced and the complexity of evaluating the performance of transit services is exhibited. As the interrelationships are mainly stochastic, the problem on hand is treated as a Bayesian Belief Network (BBN). A BBN approach that presents a learning mechanism is employed and is used as an alternative decision making tool to analyze the rapid rail transit services and identify policies to improve the traveler’s level of service

How to monitor sustainable mobility in cities? Literature review in the frame of creating a set of sustainable mobility indicators

The role of sustainable mobility and its impact on society and the environment is evident and recognized worldwide. Nevertheless, although there is a growing number of measures and projects that deal with sustainable mobility issues, it is not so easy to compare their results and, so far, there is no globally applicable set of tools and indicators that ensure holistic evaluation and facilitate replicability of the best practices. In this paper, based on the extensive literature review, we give a systematic overview of relevant and scientifically sound indicators that cover different aspects of sustainable mobility that are applicable in different social and economic contexts around the world. Overall, 22 sustainable mobility indicators have been selected and an overview of the applied measures described across the literature review has been presented