Developing Future Smart Parking Solutions for Hangzhou\u27s IoT Town

With help from the Smart Cities Research Center of Zhejiang Province, this project aimed to assess and improve current smart parking solutions in Hangzhou, China. The team consulted industry experts and research students to gauge the direction of smart technology applicable to future parking solutions. The team analyzed results from interviews, customer surveys, and observations to infer needs for improved user experience. Research performed on future technologies allowed the team to offer a system framework recommendation with modern smart parking features for a characteristic town in Hangzhou. The project team discovered that a future smart parking system could integrate 5G, High-Frequency RFID, and non-contact payment methods to address the shortcomings of current smart parking systems

A Study on Recent Developments and Issues with Obstacle Detection Systems for Automated Vehicles

This paper reviews current developments and discusses some critical issues with obstacle detection systems for automated vehicles. The concept of autonomous driving is the driver towards future mobility. Obstacle detection systems play a crucial role in implementing and deploying autonomous driving on our roads and city streets. The current review looks at technology and existing systems for obstacle detection. Specifically, we look at the performance of LIDAR, RADAR, vision cameras, ultrasonic sensors, and IR and review their capabilities and behaviour in a number of different situations: during daytime, at night, in extreme weather conditions, in urban areas, in the presence of smooths surfaces, in situations where emergency service vehicles need to be detected and recognised, and in situations where potholes need to be observed and measured. It is suggested that combining different technologies for obstacle detection gives a more accurate representation of the driving environment. In particular, when looking at technological solutions for obstacle detection in extreme weather conditions (rain, snow, fog), and in some specific situations in urban areas (shadows, reflections, potholes, insufficient illumination), although already quite advanced, the current developments appear to be not sophisticated enough to guarantee 100% precision and accuracy, hence further valiant effort is needed

Promoting Intermodal Connectivity at California’s High Speed Rail Stations

High-speed rail (HSR) has emerged as one of the most revolutionary and transformative transportation technologies, having a profound impact on urban-regional accessibility and inter-city travel across Europe, Japan, and more recently China and other Asian countries. One of HSR’s biggest advantages over air travel is that it offers passengers a one-seat ride into the center of major cities, eliminating time-consuming airport transfers and wait times, and providing ample opportunities for intermodal transfers at these locales. Thus, HSR passengers are typically able to arrive at stations that are only a short walk away from central business districts and major tourist attractions, without experiencing any of the stress that car drivers often experience in negotiating such highly congested environments. Such an approach requires a high level of coordination and planning of the infrastructural and spatial aspects of the HSR service, and a high degree of intermodal connectivity. But what key elements can help the US high-speed rail system blend successfully with other existing rail and transit services? That question is critically important now that high-speed rail is under construction in California. The study seeks to understand the requirements for high levels of connectivity and spatial and operational integration of HSR stations and offer recommendations for seamless, and convenient integrated service in California intercity rail/HSR stations. The study draws data from a review of the literature on the connectivity, intermodality, and spatial and operational integration of transit systems; a survey of 26 high-speed rail experts from six different European countries; and an in-depth look of the German and Spanish HSR systems and some of their stations, which are deemed as exemplary models of station connectivity. The study offers recommendations on how to enhance both the spatial and the operational connectivity of high-speed rail systems giving emphasis on four spatial zones: the station, the station neighborhood, the municipality at large, and the region

Application of Geomatic techniques in Infomobility and Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS)

During last years, we assisted to an increment of mobility demand, implying the need of adequate infrastructure and efficient public transport. The deployment of informative services and Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) assumed a fundamental importance to address mobility demand, strictly correlated to the territory characteristics. At the same time, mature Geomatic technologies, especially related to GPS differential positioning (both in real time and in post processing), mobile mapping systems (MMS), remotely sensed imageries (aerial, satellite and UAV platforms), archiving and management systems (Spatial Data Infrastructure - SDI) will play a crucial role. These applications to infomobility and ITS are described in this paper

Choosing the Right Building Method for Parking Garages under Apartments: An AHP-Based Evaluation with a Lean Construction Perspective

This thesis is written in collaboration with Total Betong AS, a turnkey contractor in Norway, who has a vision to build better underground parking spaces under apartment buildings at a lower cost. It is also a governmental goal as the need for parking spaces under new apartment buildings is constantly increasing and the value of a parking space is quite significant ranging from NOK 200 000 - NOK 700 000 (Marschhäuser, 2020). The challenge at hand is to obtain an additional parking space by selecting a building method that ensures efficient space utilization while adhering to schedule and budget constraints. There are several construction methods when building a concrete structure, but in this study, we focus on cast-in-place concrete, prefabricated concrete, and a combination of both. Castin-place concrete involves creating formwork shapes with reinforcement and subsequently filling them with fresh concrete on-site. On the other hand, prefabricated concrete refers to elements produced in a factory under controlled conditions. These elements are then transported to the construction site for Just-in-Time delivery and installation. In addition to the quantitative factors of time and cost, there are various qualitative factors that influence the choice of building method. Hence, it has been useful to use an analysis method that combines both qualitative and quantitative factors. The Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) is a multicriteria decision-making process that attempts to select a building method based on input from experienced stakeholders with relevant knowledge of such projects. Questionnaires were sent to experts to select critical factors for the choice of building method, and further assign them a degree of importance in relation to each other. This way, we also get an objective answer based on subjective opinions. Research shows that productivity levels are lower in the construction industry than in other industries, while costs and conflict levels are increasing. For these reasons, interest in Lean techniques and tools has increased to promote collaboration, communication, creativity, and risk reduction. This thesis therefore explores how these techniques can identify dependencies throughout a construction project. Lean tools such as the Last Planner System (LPS) and Pull-Planning techniques are effective when discussing criteria that determine the choice of execution methods. This can reveal that some factors are more important than others, which can immediately rule out a building method. 4 The study primarily employs qualitative research methods, including an extensive literature review and a case study involving three reference projects. Two of the reference projects have been completed, while the third project is ongoing and has been utilized for the AHP analysis. The case study incorporates various data sources, such as project documents, tenders, semi-structured interviews, and site visits, to gather comprehensive information. From the AHP analysis, it emerges that prefabricated concrete is the preferred choice of the design team for the latest reference project, Bykronen. HSE, quality, and operational flexibility dominate the choice of construction method compared to the usual factors such as cost and time. From the interviews and case studies, it emerges that column-free spans and large wall and roof elements are desirable as they allow for more parking spaces and better parking utilization. It is therefore concluded that parking basements are particularly well suited for construction with prefabricated elements as it has a great potential for improvements in all construction phases while reducing the indirect costs that can be significant in traditional construction with casting. Every decision should be grounded on project-specific considerations; however, valuable insights and lessons can often be transferred from one project to another

The City of Oil & Water: The Rise and Fall of an American Landscape

TB

Center for urban ecological dialectics at Mill Street: A living building in Geneva, New York

Protecting drinking water and emphasizing a need to understand historical watersheds benefits urban ecologies. Geneva, a City in New York State (USA) is to invest in its economic future - especially regarding water for greater public use. To this end, an educational and experiential center in Geneva shall inform the public of a creek’s valuable sub-sources and its own important municipal hydro-geological features. Focusing on the city’s Castle Creek topography, a comprehensive design is developed adjacent to the creek’s urban density combined with a goal towards preservation. Existing watershed education programs, socio-ecological connectivity, and public recreation are the stimuli informing ecological behavior around the creek as a means for better treatment of connected public stormwater systems within its parks, and public-use spaces. This thesis makes the recommendation for the case of opening up urban natural water-spaces (river daylighting) and establishing a center of ecological education, interpreting daylighting, for greater public dialogue between academic scientists and laymen. Considering all urban environments, a built center of excellence (Center for Urban Ecological Dialectics, or CUED) shall be developed to address these needs. Abstract (Spanish) Proteger el agua potable y enfatizar la necesidad de comprender las cuencas hidrográficas históricas beneficia a las ecologías urbanas. Ginebra, una ciudad del estado de Nueva York (EE. UU.) Invertirá en su futuro económico, especialmente en lo que respecta al agua para un mayor uso público. Con este fin, un centro educativo y experimental en Ginebra informará al público sobre las valiosas fuentes secundarias de un arroyo y sus propias características hidrogeológicas municipales importantes. Centrándose en la topografía de Castle Creek de la ciudad, se desarrolla un diseño integral adyacente a la densidad urbana del arroyo combinado con un objetivo hacia la preservación. Los programas educativos existentes sobre cuencas hidrográficas, la conectividad socioecológica y la recreación pública son los estímulos que informan el comportamiento ecológico alrededor del arroyo como un medio para un mejor tratamiento de los sistemas públicos de aguas pluviales conectados dentro de sus parques y espacios de uso público. Esta tesis hace la recomendación para el caso de abrir espacios naturales urbanos de agua (iluminación natural de los ríos) y establecer un centro de educación ecológica, interpretando la iluminación natural, para un mayor diálogo público entre científicos académicos y laicos. Teniendo en cuenta todos los entornos urbanos, se desarrollará un centro de excelencia construido (Centro de Dialéctica Ecológica Urbana, o CUED) para abordar estas necesidades

A review of the role of sensors in mobile context-aware recommendation systems

Recommendation systems are specialized in offering suggestions about specific items of different types (e.g., books, movies, restaurants, and hotels) that could be interesting for the user. They have attracted considerable research attention due to their benefits and also their commercial interest. Particularly, in recent years, the concept of context-aware recommendation system has appeared to emphasize the importance of considering the context of the situations in which the user is involved in order to provide more accurate recommendations. The detection of the context requires the use of sensors of different types, which measure different context variables. Despite the relevant role played by sensors in the development of context-aware recommendation systems, sensors and recommendation approaches are two fields usually studied independently. In this paper, we provide a survey on the use of sensors for recommendation systems. Our contribution can be seen from a double perspective. On the one hand, we overview existing techniques used to detect context factors that could be relevant for recommendation. On the other hand, we illustrate the interest of sensors by considering different recommendation use cases and scenarios

Application of computer vision for roller operation management

Compaction is the last and possibly the most important phase in construction of asphalt concrete (AC) pavements. Compaction densifies the loose (AC) mat, producing a stable surface with low permeability. The process strongly affects the AC performance properties. Too much compaction may cause aggregate degradation and low air void content facilitating bleeding and rutting. On the other hand too little compaction may result in higher air void content facilitating oxidation and water permeability issues, rutting due to further densification by traffic and reduced fatigue life. Therefore, compaction is a critical issue in AC pavement construction.;The common practice for compacting a mat is to establish a roller pattern that determines the number of passes and coverages needed to achieve the desired density. Once the pattern is established, the roller\u27s operator must maintain the roller pattern uniformly over the entire mat.;Despite the importance of uniform compaction to achieve the expected durability and performance of AC pavements, having the roller operator as the only mean to manage the operation can involve human errors.;With the advancement of technology in recent years, the concept of intelligent compaction (IC) was developed to assist the roller operators and improve the construction quality. Commercial IC packages for construction rollers are available from different manufacturers. They can provide precise mapping of a roller\u27s location and provide the roller operator with feedback during the compaction process.;Although, the IC packages are able to track the roller passes with impressive results, there are also major hindrances. The high cost of acquisition and potential negative impact on productivity has inhibited implementation of IC.;This study applied computer vision technology to build a versatile and affordable system to count and map roller passes. An infrared camera is mounted on top of the roller to capture the operator view. Then, in a near real-time process, image features were extracted and tracked to estimate the incremental rotation and translation of the roller. Image featured are categorized into near and distant features based on the user defined horizon. The optical flow is estimated for near features located in the region below the horizon. The change in roller\u27s heading is constantly estimated from the distant features located in the sky region. Using the roller\u27s rotation angle, the incremental translation between two frames will be calculated from the optical flow. The roller\u27s incremental rotation and translation will put together to develop a tracking map.;During system development, it was noted that in environments with thermal uniformity, the background of the IR images exhibit less featured as compared to images captured with optical cameras which are insensitive to temperature. This issue is more significant overnight, since nature elements are not able to reflect the heat energy from sun. Therefore to improve roller\u27s heading estimation where less features are available in the sky region a unique methodology that allows heading detection based on the asphalt mat edges was developed for this research. The heading measurements based on the slope of the asphalt hot edges will be added to the pool of the headings measured from sky region. The median of all heading measurements will be used as the incremental roller\u27s rotation for the tracking analysis.;The record of tracking data is used for QC/QA purposes and verifying the proper implementation of the roller pattern throughout a job constructed under the roller pass specifications.;The system developed during this research was successful in mapping roller location for few projects tested. However the system should be independently validated

Spartan Daily, January 26, 1987

Volume 88, Issue 1https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/spartandaily/7527/thumbnail.jp