RESEARCH EFFORTS ON INTELLIGENT TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM IN NIGERIA: DEVELOPMENT OF TRIP PLANNING MODELS

The critical situation of unwelcome frustration experienced by urban trip makers and roadside dwellers alike, calls for a very strong push by all stakeholders in the transportation sector to enhance the service performance of transportation facilities using Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS). Needed strategies for successful ITS implementation in both developed and developing nations, include but not limited to policy formulation and planning, funding of ITS projects, development and deployment of research products, system performance measurement, optimization of the performance of existing infrastructure, capacity building, etc. which could be much promoted with research efforts. Advanced Public Transportation System (APTS) and Advanced Traveller Information System (ATIS) categories as products of research on ITS were developed with data derived from urban trip makers on captive corridors, both in Ilorin, Kwara State and Minna, Niger State, Nigeria. The fundamental basis and status of the research activities targeted at developing and deploying the ITS in Nigeria are highlighted in the paper. http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/njt.v35i3.

Issues Related to the Emergence of the Information Superhighway and California Societal Changes, IISTPS Report 96-4

The Norman Y. Mineta International Institute for Surface Transportation Policy Studies (IISTPS) at San José State University (SJSU) conducted this project to review the continuing development of the Internet and the Information Superhighway. Emphasis was placed on an examination of the impact on commuting and working patterns in California, and an analysis of how public transportation agencies, including Caltrans, might take advantage of the new communications technologies. The document reviews the technology underlying the current Internet “structure” and examines anticipated developments. It is important to note that much of the research for this limited-scope project was conducted during 1995, and the topic is so rapidly evolving that some information is almost automatically “dated.” The report also examines how transportation agencies are basically similar in structure and function to other business entities, and how they can continue to utilize the emerging technologies to improve internal and external communications. As part of a detailed discussion of specific transportation agency functions, it is noted that the concept of a “Roundtable Forum,” growing out of developments in Concurrent Engineering, can provide an opportunity for representatives from multiple jurisdictions to utilize the Internet for more coordinated decision-making. The report also included an extensive analysis of demographic trends in California in recent years, such as commute and recreational activities, and identifies how the emerging technologies may impact future changes

The Social World(s) of The Scooter: Two-Wheeled Mobilities in Cairo and Alexandria

My research project looks at the scooter as a particular type of two-wheeled motorcycle, which has shot into prominence as a specific mode of transportation used by middle class women and men in the past few years and has been notably visible in prominent Egyptian cities. This research is based on a multi-sited ethnography in Alexandria and Cairo, tracing the scooter through the urban landscape in time and space, addressing first questions related to navigating the city in times of pandemic and what kind of theory could be produced from these ordinary cities in such an extraordinary time. This research looks at the material trajectories of the scooter by writing a possible social biography of it, reading it in the context of the larger navigational urban grammar of both Cairo and Alexandria: engaging with questions of relationality with other modes of transportation prominent in the Egyptian context, private and public modes of transportation. As it follows, this research looks also into the different figures driving these vehicles, where the “Youthful” character of the scooter’s rider allows a particular narrative and the consolidation of a sub-culture, which builds networks, markets, and a vocabulary both in the material and virtual worlds. The variety of activities around the scooter allows to shed light on the laboring practices around it. These practices have taken different shapes and have been motivated and actualized by an array of formal policies, informal agreements, personal histories, and collective imaginaries in the face of economic and social precarity, accentuated in time of pandemic. The activities surrounding the scooter also extend the gender element in this experience, in an attempt to understand how women navigate the scooter on two-wheels motorcycle, and what kind of gender politics are present when on the move, looking at the different discussions, compromises, maneuvers to see and be seen on the road, and how that then femineity and masculinity is performed on the go. Finally, using both participant observation and autoethnography, this research looks at the body and its rhythms in the city: unpacking the always-present (and even probable) possibility of an accident while riding a scooter as an inherent and organic affective urban presence, and how this mentality of near-miss lends itself to other form of risk-taking, allowing the experience of riding the scooter to be lived as a form of urban play, and as such, reshaping the subject’s affective relationship to the city by having their bodies in & out of rhythms

Voice-controlled in-vehicle infotainment system

Abstract. Speech is a form of a human to human communication that can convey information in a context-rich way that is natural to humans. The naturalness enables us to speak while doing other things, such as driving a vehicle. With the advancement of computing technologies, more and more personal services are introduced for the in-vehicle environment. A limiting factor for these advancements is the impact they cause towards driver distraction with the increased cognitive stress load. This has led to developing in-vehicle devices and applications with a heightened focus on lessening distraction. Amazon Alexa is a natural language processing system that enables its users to receive information and operate smart devices with their voices. This Master’s thesis aims to demonstrate how Alexa could be utilized when operating the in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) systems. This research was conducted by utilizing the design science research methodology. The feasibility of voice-based interaction was assessed by implementing the system as a demonstrable use-case in collaboration with the APPSTACLE project. Prior research was gathered by conducting a literature review on voice-based interaction and its integration to the vehicular domain. The system was designed by applying existing theories together with the requirements of the application domain. The designed system utilized the Amazon Alexa ecosystem and AWS services to provide the vehicular environment with new functionalities. Access to cloud-based speech processing and decision-making makes it possible to design an extendable speech interface where the driver can carry out secondary tasks by using their voice, such as requesting navigation information. The evaluation was done by comparing the system’s performance against the derived requirements. With the results of the evaluation process, the feasibility of the system could be assessed against the objectives of the study: The resulting artefact enables the user to operate the in-vehicle infotainment system while focusing on a separate task. The research proved that speech interfaces with modern technology can improve the handling of secondary tasks while driving, and the resulting system was operable without introducing additional distractions to the driver. The resulting artefact can be integrated into similar systems and used as a base tool for future research on voice-controlled interfaces

Rancang Bangun Sistem Pengendalian Pintu Garasi Otomatis Dengan Indikator RFID Dan Alarm Berbasis Mikrokontroler

Kriminalitas yang tinggi seiring perkembangan teknologi dan zaman sekarang ini menyebabkan sistem keamanan menjadi kebutuhan mutlak untuk diterapkan, guna melindungi aset dan privasi yang dimiliki. Diharapkan dengan penerapan sistem keamanan tersebut, dapat memberi rasa aman dan nyaman, serta menekan angka kriminalitas yang terjadi di masyarakat khususnya tindak kejahatan pencurian. Tindak kejahatan pencurian banyak terjadi di sekitar rumah, seperti pencurian di dalam garasi dengan cara membobol pintu garasi. Disamping keamanan manusia juga menginginkan sistem yang lebih praktis dan mudah dalam penggunaan pintu garasi. Karena sebagian orang malas untuk membuka dan menutup pintu garasi apalagi jika keadaan hujan. Pengoperasian alat ini dapat dimulai dengan pendeteksian tag RFID ke reader RFID sebagai input, sehingga nantinya akan mengaktifkan sebuah motor servo. Sensor Ping berfungsi sebagai pendeteksi jarak mobil untuk membuka dan menutup pintu garasi secara otomatis. Jarak pada sensor ping dapat diatur sesuai dengan kebutuhan. Setelah dilakukannya pengujian tag RFID hanya dapat dibaca oleh reader RFID dari jarak 1 cm – 3 cm. Pada alat ini menggunakan buzzer sebagai alarm jika kartu RFID salah dan pintu garasi digetarkan

Analysis of automatic guided vehicles and self-guided vehicles for hospital foodservice

This thesis analyzes the relative merits of Automatic Guided Vehicles (AGVs) and Self Guided Vehicles (SGVs) in the area of hospital foodservice; Data is derived from the bids of Apogee Robotics for their Orbiter{dollar}\sp{\rm TM}{dollar} system (AGV) and Transitions Research Corp for the HelpMate{dollar}\sp{\rm TM}{dollar} self guided robot, to Humana Hospital Sunrise. The major difference between the two systems is that the AGV can carry a full Dietary cart with thirty trays but is limited to a pre-laid track system. Conversely HelpMate has a map of the facility programmed in its memory and can roam anywhere, but is only able to carry four trays; Final system recommendations are based on these bids and other data and a conclusion is made to lease/purchase the Helpmate self guided vehicle. A social history of the confrontation between men and machines is included

Fort Point Channel: Maglev Transit Hub and South Station Expansion Master Plan

This project entails the design of a Magnetic Levitation (or ‘maglev’) transportation hub that interacts with the urban environment of Boston, becoming a modern terminal for this new form of travel as well as a threshold into the heart of the city. Included is the focus on the junction of many scales of transportation (i.e., maglev, train, metro, bus, pedestrian…) currently present at South Station, while stimulating a community with many levels of commercial development and social interventions