Framework de Tomada de Decisão para Last-Mile Sustentável

The e-commerce growth, propelled by factors like globalization, urbanization, or the COVID-19 pandemic, has been raising the demand for logistic activities. This affects the entire supply chain, especially the last-mile, as it is considered the most ineffective part of the supply chain and a source of negative externalities. Although various solutions promise to alleviate these problems, understanding them and selecting the best has proven to be difficult due to conflicting criteria, multiple perspectives, and trade-offs. The vicissitudes of complex and sensitive urban contexts like historic centers also contribute to this difficulty. This work contributes an integrated framework that may assist the involved stakeholders in decision-making. To this end, this work is based on a three-part methodology. The extensive systematic literature review developed provided an integrated overview of this fragmented research area. This review confirmed the multidisciplinary nature of the topic, as there is an increasing number of studies conducted under very different perspectives. Furthermore, it was found that the economic dimension is the most considered; the most polluting countries contributed little to the research; and the solutions involve trade-offs. The literature review supported the definition of the hierarchical model that structures last-mile operations in historic centers. This model was evaluated by interviewing a group of experts. After integrating the experts’ feedback, the model was quantified by the same experts according to an AHP-TOPSIS approach. This quantification had as a case study the historic center of Porto, Portugal. The experts considered the three sustainability dimensions identically important. Air pollution was the most valued sub-criterion whereas Visual pollution was the least. All last-mile solutions considered in the model achieved similar results, therefore suggesting a combined distribution strategy. Nevertheless, the use of parcel lockers is the most favorable solution and seems adequate in Porto’s historic center.O crescimento do e-commerce, impulsionado por fatores como a globalização, a urbanização ou a pandemia de COVID-19, tem aumentado a procura por atividades logísticas. Isto afeta toda a cadeia de abastecimento, principalmente a última-milha, por ser considerada a parte mais ineficaz da cadeia de abastecimento e uma fonte de externalidades negativas. Embora existam várias soluções que prometem aliviar estes problemas, entendêlas e selecionar a melhor tem se provado difícil devido a critérios conflituosos, múltiplas perspetivas e trade-offs. As vicissitudes de contextos urbanos complexos e sensíveis como os centros históricos também contribuem para essa dificuldade. Este trabalho contribui um framework integrado que pode auxiliar os stakeholders envolvidos na tomada de decisão. Para este fim, este trabalho é baseado numa metodologia composta por três partes. A extensa revisão sistemática da literatura desenvolvida forneceu uma visão integrada desta área de investigação fragmentada. Esta revisão confirmou o caráter multidisciplinar do tema, pois há um número crescente de estudos conduzidos sob perspetivas muito diferentes. Além disso, verificou-se que a dimensão económica é a mais considerada; os países mais poluentes contribuíram pouco para a pesquisa; e as soluções envolvem trade-offs. A revisão da literatura suportou a definição do modelo hierárquico que estrutura as operações de última-milha em centros históricos. Este modelo foi avaliado entrevistando um grupo de experts. Após a integração do feedback dos experts, o modelo foi quantificado pelos mesmos de acordo com uma abordagem AHP-TOPSIS. Esta quantificação teve como caso de estudo o centro histórico do Porto, Portugal. Os experts consideraram as três dimensões da sustentabilidade identicamente importantes. O subcritério relativo à poluição atmosférica foi o mais valorizado, enquanto o menos foi o relativo à poluição visual. Todas as soluções de últimamilha consideradas no modelo alcançaram resultados semelhantes, sugerindo uma estratégia de distribuição combinada. No entanto, o uso de parcel lockers é a solução mais favorável e é aparentemente adequada para o centro histórico do Porto

A service-oriented cloud modeling method and process

The transition of software development from web to cloud has been accelerated. The development of cloud services requires a modeling method that reflects the characteristics of cloud including personalized service, resource sharing service, grouped and distributed services, and cross-platform operability. This study aimed to suggest a method of developing UML-based cloud services suitable for the characteristics of cloud services. A cloud service metamodel was defined using cloud applications’ characteristic modeling elements, and after that, how these cloud modeling elements are expressed into UML modeling elements was defined with an integrated metamodel between cloud and UML. By applying this hierarchical cloud metamodel, an MDA and MVC-based service-oriented cloud modeling process was established. By doing so, it will be possible to easily design services (applications) and solutions that are suitable for cloud computing environments, and in particular, to create hierarchical reuse models by the level of the abstraction of model-driven development

Towards the Internet of Behaviors in Smart Cities through a Fog-To-Cloud Approach

Recent advances in the Internet of Things (IoT) and the rise of the Internet of Behavior (IoB) have made it possible to develop real-time improved traveler assistance tools for mobile phones, assisted by cloud-based machine learning and using fog computing in between the IoT and the Cloud. Within the Horizon2020-funded mF2C project, an Android app has been developed exploiting the proximity marketing concept and covers the essential path through the airport onto the flight, from the least busy security queue through to the time to walk to the gate, gate changes, and other obstacles that airports tend to entertain travelers with. It gives travelers a chance to discover the facilities of the airport, aided by a recommender system using machine learning that can make recommendations and offer vouchers based on the traveler’s preferences or on similarities to other travelers. The system provides obvious benefits to airport planners, not only people tracking in the shops area, but also aggregated and anonymized view, like heat maps that can highlight bottlenecks in the infrastructure, or suggest situations that require intervention, such as emergencies. With the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, the tool could be adapted to help in social distancing to guarantee safety. The use of the fog-to-cloud platform and the fulfillment of all centricity and privacy requirements of the IoB give evidence of the impact of the solution. Doi: 10.28991/HIJ-2021-02-04-01 Full Text: PD

United States Air Force Applications of Unmanned Aerial Systems: Modernizing Airfield Damage Assessment

Modernizing airfield damage assessment has long been a priority mission at the Air Force Civil Engineer Center (AFCEC). Previously, AFCEC has made advances to expedite unexploded ordnance (UXO) neutralization and pavement repair. Missing from these initiatives is the initial assessment component. This thesis expands the idea of using Small Unmanned Aerial Systems (SUAS), applies it to the Air Force mission, and provides SUAS vehicle configuration and sensor recommendations. In this study, 25 civil engineer officers reviewed airfield imagery gathered using two small air vehicles. For the first review, participants attempted to identify UXOs and foreign object debris (FOD) in a computer interface that leverages images collected by a fixed-wing air vehicle. The second review uses a two-dimensional map created using a hex-rotor. The results of both systems were then compared to the status quo. Resulting statistics indicate that, irrespective of image resolution, additional analysis time does not result in greater object detection or correct identification. Overall, this thesis concludes that SUAS use for afield damage assessment shows promise. Moreover, they can provide the Air Force improved precision for locating UXOs and FOD, as well as estimate dimensions of damage. Dedicating resources to developing this technology will also assist with improving object detection and manpower efficiency. Further research is required for optimal image characterization requisite for reducing and/or eliminating the occurrence of false negative events

A bottom-up interdisciplinary research approach for thermal sensitive urban design in an era of climate change - the case of Lisbon

Tese de Doutoramento em Urbanismo, com a especialização em Urbanismo apresentada na Faculdade de Arquitetura da Universidade de Lisboa para obtenção do grau de Doutor.Na cidade contemporânea, factores como as elevadas temperaturas e a intensidade dos efeitos da ilha de calor em meio urbano, têm vindo a revelar proeminente desconforto térmico e importantes preocupações com a saúde durante os períodos anuais de maior estímulo térmico. Para além destes riscos já existentes e inerentes ao clima urbano, as projecções das alterações climáticas apontam para uma exacerbação destes factores de risco ao longo do Séc. XXI. Muito embora as avaliações e outputs top-down tenham revelado informação de carácter imperativo relativamente a tais fenómenos, a emergência da agenda de adaptação às alterações climáticas veio também incentivar a comunidade científica internacional a maturar e a desenvolver abordagens bottom-up mais incisivas, com vista a fazer frente aos factores de risco locais. Assim sendo, a perspectiva de "localidade" tem vindo a ganhar um novo significado para disciplinas como o urbanismo e o design urbano, quando confrontados com aspectos como a segurança, o conforto térmico humano e a prosperidade do meio urbano contemporâneo. Todavia e, atendendo ao seu carácter emergente, as abordagens bottom-up ainda se encontram numa fase inicial e, consequentemente, relativamente limitadas, tendo em conta a distância existente entre a teoria e a aplicação prática. Como resposta, esta tese efectua uma abordagem bottom-up e uma reflexão acerca do modo como a união entre a climatologia urbana e o design do espaço público urbano, enquanto campos distintos, pode ser fortalecida. Tal fortalecimento visa investigar de forma directa sobre a possibilidade de "localmente", o conforto térmico humano em meio urbano exterior, ser melhorado através de práticas interdisciplinares apoiadas no conhecimento científico. Tendo em consideração o caso de Lisboa, esta investigação analisa a forma como esta abordagem pode suplantar questões como a incerteza climática/aplicacional e, consequentemente: (i) traduzir-se em linhas de orientação para o urbanismo e para o design urbano local, que poderão ser aplicadas/implementadas em múltiplas circunstâncias e contextos urbanos; visando ainda, (ii) auxiliar especialistas "não-climatólogos" a realizar levantamentos bioclimáticos (baseados em dados locais e/ou na informação obtida a partir da estação meteorológica) com o intuito de determinar/atenuar os factores de risco de stress associados ao calor e ao frio num determinado contexto exterior. Consequentemente e, focado numa abordagem bottom-up que para além disso considera outputs relevantes a partir de avaliações top-down, o design do espaço público é retratado como sendo uma ferramenta indispensável, com vista a assegurar "localmente" um meio urbano activo, confortável e seguro, tanto no presente, quanto num futuro que se afigura incerto.ABSTRACT: Within the existing city, factors such as elevated urban temperatures and intensities of urban heat island effects are already revealing prominent thermal discomfort and health concerns during annual periods of more accentuated climatic stimuli. In addition to these exiting risks upon the urban microclimate, climate change projections indicate further exacerbations of such risks factors throughout the course of the twenty-first century. Although top-down assessments and disseminations have revealed imperative information with regards to such phenomena, the emergence of the climate change adaptation agenda has also arguably propelled the scientific international community to further mature bottom-up approaches to address local risk factors. As such, the perspective of ‘locality’ has been one which has gained new meaning for disciplines such as urban planning and design when considering the climatic safety, human thermal comfort, and prosperity of the contemporary public realm. Nevertheless, and resultant of its emerging nature, bottom-up approaches are still somewhat limited in terms of its existing breadth between theory and application and practice. As a response, this thesis undertakes a bottom-up approach and discusses how the union between the individual fields of urban climatology and public space design can be fortified. Such a fortification is directly aimed at investigating how local outdoor human thermal comfort can be improved through an interdisciplinary practice which is backed by scientific know-how and practice. Considering the case of Lisbon, this research deliberates upon how such an approach can overcome issues of climatic and applicative uncertainty, and can: (i) be translated into local design and planning guidelines which can be applied within numerous different urban circumstances; and (ii) aid non-climatological experts to undertake bioclimatic surveys (based both upon site and/or meteorological station data) to determine, and attenuate, local heat and cold stress risk factors within a particular outdoor context. Accordingly, and centred upon a bottom-up approach, which moreover considers important disseminations from top-down assessments, public space design is portrayed as an imperative tool to locally ensure an active, comfortable and safe public realm, both presently, and in an uncertain future.N/

Algorithms for advance bandwidth reservation in media production networks

Media production generally requires many geographically distributed actors (e.g., production houses, broadcasters, advertisers) to exchange huge amounts of raw video and audio data. Traditional distribution techniques, such as dedicated point-to-point optical links, are highly inefficient in terms of installation time and cost. To improve efficiency, shared media production networks that connect all involved actors over a large geographical area, are currently being deployed. The traffic in such networks is often predictable, as the timing and bandwidth requirements of data transfers are generally known hours or even days in advance. As such, the use of advance bandwidth reservation (AR) can greatly increase resource utilization and cost efficiency. In this paper, we propose an Integer Linear Programming formulation of the bandwidth scheduling problem, which takes into account the specific characteristics of media production networks, is presented. Two novel optimization algorithms based on this model are thoroughly evaluated and compared by means of in-depth simulation results

Doctor of Philosophy

dissertationThis study provides a holistic view of dust storms and transport in the eastern Great Basin, and is the first to analyze the meteorological, source, and chemical characteristics of dust production in this region. First, the climatology of dust storm events affecting Salt Lake City, Utah (SLC) was assessed, and the controls on atmospheric dust generation and transport documented. Records indicate seasonal and diurnal patterns, with dust storms typically occurring in spring months during the afternoon. Since 1930, SLC had 379 dust event days (DEDs), averaging 4.7 per year, with elevated PM10 exceeding National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) on 16 days since 1993, or 0.9 per year. Strengthening cyclonic systems are the primary producer of these dust storms. Next anthropogenically disturbed areas and barren playa surfaces were identified as the primary dust source types contributing to dust storms in the region. Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) satellite imagery during DEDs was analyzed to identify dust plumes, and assess the characteristics of dust source areas, which produce dust during the spring and fall and during drought. Most plumes originate from playas, classified as Barren land cover, with a silty clay soils; they often have anthropogenic disturbances, including military operations and water withdrawal. Disturbance is necessary to produce dust from vegetated landscapes in the region, evidenced by the new dust source active from 2008-2010 in the 2007 Milford Flat Fire scar, which underwent postfire land treatments. Finally, the elemental composition of dust in the region was characterized. Dust and surface soil samples were collected, resuspended, and analyzed with Sychrotron XRay Fluorescence (SXRF). Dust and soil from the eastern Great Basin are distinctly different, and identifiable. Within the dust and soil groups, however, large differences are not seen and individual samples cannot be identified by their elemental composition. Dust and soil from the eastern Great Basin tends to not be enriched in most major soil elements, excepting a large enrichment of Na in dust samples. Trace elements, however, show very large enrichment values for both dust and soil. The enrichment of dust samples has notable importance for ecosystem functioning and human health

Slow Violence and Movement Resistance by the Gas Peddit in Neoliberal India

The Bhopal disaster that caused at least 25,000 deaths and over 600,000 injuries, health defects, socioenvironmental destruction, and other ailments is remembered almost exclusively by the spectacle of its immediate aftermaths. Yet few are cognizant of the way in which the slow violence of biosocial and environmental destruction continues to affect marginalized people living in Bhopal, as well as their struggles for environmental justice, including clean up of toxic zones, compensation, health care, and importantly, recognition of their rights and memories. More than three decades later, children are born with mental and physical disabilities, and women and girls are plagued with reproductive health problems. To this day, many dangerous chemicals left in the abandoned factory continue to contaminate soil and groundwater, affecting more and more marginalized Bhopalis. This dissertation goes beyond the spectacle-driven understanding of the tragedy by examining both the disaster and its ongoing adverse consequences as the outcomes of political and economic dynamics that create conditions for catastrophes and render invisible the lingering devastation affecting vulnerable populations in peripheral countries. Based on 60 interviews with Bhopal gas and water sufferers (Gas Peddit) and activists, field observations, archives, and official and independent reports, this dissertation argues that a) the disaster that happened under a shrinking developmental state was the outcome of a long chain of global political economic development; b) prolonged biosocial and environmental destruction is characteristic of India’s neoliberal regime; and c) the process of marginalization of affected Bhopalis in neoliberal India has created a new kind of politics for social and environmental justice, evident in the Bhopal Movement, the longest-running social movement in postcolonial India. Findings of this dissertation suggest that Bhopal is the embodiment of ‘slow violence’ in neoliberalism, not only because the enduring consequences elude political, judicial, and medical discourse and restitution from governments and corporations, but also because neoliberal actors have tried to suppress the legitimacy of the sufferers’ crises in Bhopal