MODELLING PERCEIVED QUALITY FOR URBAN TRANSPORT SYSTEMS USING WEIGHTED VARIABLES AND RANDOM PARAMETERS

[EN] In this article, an Ordered Logit model is proposed considering systematic and random variations in tastes. The methodology followed for the creation of this model consisted, in first place, in obtaining data using a revelled preferences survey. In the survey, each user had to evaluate, following a qualitative scale, each one of the attributes of the analysed transport system. The variables evaluated in the survey had been grouped into six groups, and for each group, users had to order the attributes belonging to the group, using a ranking based method, from the most important to de least important, and, in the same way, with the groups itself. Once the database is formed, a generic model have been created, establishing this model as a comparative base for the rest. Next, two more models have been estimated one considering systematic users variations and the other one combining the systematic variations with weighted variables. Additionally, three new models have been calculated as an evolution of the previous ones using random variables as representation of systematic and random variations in user’s tastes. The results shows that as model’s complexity increase, an improvement in model fit is achieved.Echaniz Beneitez, E.; Dell'olio, L.; Ibeas Portilla, A. (2016). MODELLING PERCEIVED QUALITY FOR URBAN TRANSPORT SYSTEMS USING WEIGHTED VARIABLES AND RANDOM PARAMETERS. En XII Congreso de ingeniería del transporte. 7, 8 y 9 de Junio, Valencia (España). Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 955-974. https://doi.org/10.4995/CIT2016.2015.4072OCS95597

Considerations about the Analysis of ITS Data of Bicycle Sharing Systems.

Handling and managing data automatically collected by Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) is a major opportunity and challenge for transport professionals nowadays. This study guides the management of smartcard data from public bikes by providing criteria to detect travel patterns that describe the specific use of bike-share systems and which cannot be encountered in other transport modes. The guidelines have been put into practice with data from the TusBic system in Santander, Spain.The major discovery that has resulted from the analysis of the data is the high number of records that describe very short trips that show the same terminal at origin and destination. An algorithm is proposed that assumes the users try and return the bike if this is not working properly, and pick a new one from the same terminal. In such cases, the records are joined to describe a unique trip by considering the origin as the pick-up instant of the first bike, and the destination, the instant at which the second bike has been returned.The indications presented in this article should be considered in future studies of demand and level of service of public bicycle systems since not only they can make a big difference in the accuracy of the results, but also they can provide interesting information regarding the management and design of the system. Therefore, they are of interest for different stakeholders such as politicians and decision makers, service planners, and agencies responsible for the operations and direct management of public bicycle systems

Modelling parking behaviour considering heterogeneity

[EN] Most of motorized trips in cities of middle and small size are made in public transport and mainly in private vehicle, this has caused a saturation in parking systems of the cities, causing important problems to society, one of the most important problems is high occupancy of public space by parking systems. Thus, is required the estimation of models that reproduce users’ behaviour when they are choosing for parking in cities, to carry out transport policies to improve transport efficiency and parking systems in the cities. The aim of this paper is the specification and estimation of models that simulate users’ behaviour when they are choosing among alternatives of parking that there are in the city: free on street parking, paid on street parking, paid on underground parking and Park and Ride (now there isn´t). For this purpose, is proposed a multinomial logit model that consider systematic and random variations in tastes. Data of users’ behaviour from the different alternatives of parking have been obtained with a stated preference surveys campaign which have been done in May 2015 in the principal parking zones of the city of Santander. In this paper, we provide a number of improvements to previously developed methodologies because of we consider much more realism to create the scenarios stated preference survey, obtaining better adjustments.Antolin San Martin, G.; Ibeas Portilla, A.; Alonso Oreña, B.; Dell´olio, L. (2016). Modelling parking behaviour considering heterogeneity. En XII Congreso de ingeniería del transporte. 7, 8 y 9 de Junio, Valencia (España). Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 2471-2484. https://doi.org/10.4995/CIT2016.2015.4071OCS2471248

Passenger preference analysis: light rail transit or bus versus car

To begin with, his article studies the user's preferences when faced with the introduction of two completely different public transport systems: the bus and the Light Rail Transit (LRT). Also, it examines how the modal distribution varies between the private car and each of the new systems, in particular. In addition, the most important variables for users when travelling in a congested corridor are individualized and a study is made on how these variables influence on the modal distribution. The results of the stated preferences of surveys are modelled using mixed logit models. Values are estimated for user's time and the demand elasticity is determined with respect to the relevant variables. Different situations are created to analyse how user's behaviour changes with the changes in the most important variables. Furthermore, this article quantifies the effects of the more relevant variables and shows that the LRT can attract more demand than a bus service, but it must guarantee a regular and frequent service, at the same time as charging competitive fares. It is also shown that for the introduction to be more successful any taken action should be accompanied by policies that chastise the use of the private car such as increased parking charges or higher fuel taxes

Plant-growth promotion by proteobacterial strains depends on the availability of phosphorus and iron in Arabidopsis thaliana plants

Phosphorus (as phosphate, Pi) and iron (Fe) are critical nutrients in plants that are often poorly available in the soil and can be microbially affected. This work aimed to evaluate how plant-rhizobacteria interaction changes due to different Pi or Fe nutritional scenarios and to study the underlying molecular mechanisms of the microbial modulation of these nutrients in plants. Thus, three proteobacteria (Paraburkholderia phytofirmans PsJN, Azospirillum brasilense Sp7, and Pseudomonas putida KT2440) were used to inoculate Arabidopsis seeds. Additionally, the seeds were exposed to a nutritional factor with the following levels for each nutrient: sufficient (control) or low concentrations of a highly soluble source or sufficient concentrations of a low solubility source. Then, the effects of the combinatorial factors were assessed in plant growth, nutrition, and genetic regulation. Interestingly, some bacterial effects in plants depended on the nutrient source (e.g., increased aerial zones induced by the strains), and others (e.g., decreased primary roots induced by Sp7 or KT2440) occurred regardless of the nutritional treatment. In the short-term, PsJN had detrimental effects on plant growth in the presence of the low-solubility Fe compound, but this was not observed in later stages of plant development. A thorough regulation of the phosphorus content was detected in plants independent of the nutritional treatment. Nevertheless, inoculation with KT2440 increased P content by 29% Pi-deficiency exposed plants. Conversely, the inoculation tended to decrease the Fe content in plants, suggesting a competition for this nutrient in the rhizosphere. The P-source also affected the effects of the PsJN strain in a double mutant of the phosphate starvation response (PSR). Furthermore, depending on the nutrient source, PsJN and Sp7 strains differentially regulated PSR and IAA- associated genes, indicating a role of these pathways in the observed differential phenotypical responses. In the case of iron, PsJN and SP7 regulated iron uptake-related genes regardless of the iron source, which may explain the lower Fe content in inoculated plants. Overall, the plant responses to these proteobacteria were not only influenced by the nutrient concentrations but also by their availabilities, the elapsed time of the interaction, and the specific identities of the beneficial bacteria. (Figure presented.)Fil: Orellana, Daniela. Universidad Adolfo Ibañez; Chile. Center Of Applied Ecology And Sustainability; Chile. Millennium Science Initiative Program; ChileFil: Machuca, Daniel. Universidad Adolfo Ibañez; Chile. Center Of Applied Ecology And Sustainability; ChileFil: Ibeas, Miguel Angel. Universidad Andrés Bello; Chile. Millennium Science Initiative Program; ChileFil: Estevez, Jose Manuel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de Buenos Aires. Fundación Instituto Leloir. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de Buenos Aires; Argentina. Millennium Science Initiative Program; Chile. Universidad Andrés Bello; ChileFil: Poupin Swinburn, María Josefina. Universidad Adolfo Ibañez; Chile. Center of Applied Ecology and Sustainability; Chile. Millennium Science Initiative Program; Chil

IMPACTOS DE LA ACCESIBILIDAD MEDIANTE TRANSPORTE PÚBLICO EN LOS VALORES INMOBILIARIOS: UNA COMPARACIÓN ENTRE LAS CIUDADES DE ROMA Y SANTANDER

[ES] Existe evidencia empírica que avala la hipótesis de que incrementos en la accesibilidad a oportunidades pueden impactar positivamente en los valores inmobiliarios. Sin embargo, esta capitalización de los beneficios de la accesibilidad puede ser desigual en distintas áreas de estudio. En esta investigación se estiman modelos hedónicos y modelos hedónicos espaciales en dos áreas urbanas para comparar si existen diferencias en los impactos de la accesibilidad utilizando transporte público. Las dos áreas de estudio seleccionadas han sido una ciudad media sin grandes problemas de movilidad (Santander, España) y una gran ciudad con elevados problemas de congestión (Roma, Italia). Los modelos hedónicos estimados han considerado la posible existencia de efectos espaciales, habitualmente presentes en los datos inmobiliarios, que pueden generar dependencia en los residuos de los modelos hedónicos. La accesibilidad se ha medido utilizando dos tipos de indicadores: de accesibilidad relativa y gravitatoria. Los resultados permiten afirmar que la accesibilidad fue un factor positivo en el precio de los valores inmobiliarios de ambas ciudades, si bien en el caso de Santander únicamente de forma relativa al centro urbano. Estos resultados son relevantes de cara a implementar políticas de captura del valor que permitan financiar nuevos proyectos de transporte público.Cordera Piñera, R.; Coppola, P.; Dell'olio, L.; Ibeas, A. (2016). IMPACTOS DE LA ACCESIBILIDAD MEDIANTE TRANSPORTE PÚBLICO EN LOS VALORES INMOBILIARIOS: UNA COMPARACIÓN ENTRE LAS CIUDADES DE ROMA Y SANTANDER. En XII Congreso de ingeniería del transporte. 7, 8 y 9 de Junio, Valencia (España). Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 2315-2332. https://doi.org/10.4995/CIT2016.2015.4065OCS2315233

Decision making system for stopping high speed trains during emergency situations

The following article addresses the application of a series of stop criteria for High Speed passenger trains under emergency situations by using a multi-criteria evaluation system. The line is divided into cantons and a combination of weight assignment criteria are used depending on the local surroundings and the type of incident occurring in such a way as to indicate the suitability of stopping a High Speed train. Multi-criteria choice is used as a function of the type of incident and the characteristics of the infrastructure to determine the best available place to stop a High Speed passenger train. This model has been applied with a geographical information system (GIS) using simple data visualisation for the position of the train; the program will also support decision taking protocols for stopping all kinds of trains under emergency situations. The method can therefore be applied to an overall support system for decision making. The speed of the algorithm provides an almost instantaneous reply within seconds of an emergency situation occurring.The work described in this article was made possible thanks to the project B062 of the University of Cantabria with a grant from the Centro de Estudios y Experimentación of the Spanish Ministry of Public Works: PT-2007-030-22 I CPP

A probabilistic cellular automaton to forecast port choice decisions

The port choice problem consists in predicting the selection of a port, made by an agent who has alternatives to choose from. Most of the literature has tackled this problem assuming a discrete choice model dependent on the ports’ characteristics and agents’ attributes. However, in practice the port choice decision depends also on the choices made by other agents as well as decisions made by these agents in the past. There are only a few examples that incorporate the complexity generated by spatio-temporal interactions between agents. However, those modelling structures are rather cumbersome, precluding their use in practical cases. This article presents a new modelling framework to predict port choice decisions, based on the theory of Cellular Automaton (CA), which is simple in structure and can be quickly calibrated and applied. This framework is a probabilistic CA intended to imitate the decision processes made from multiple shippers that interact with each other. These shippers face similar alternatives of seaports for exporting their products within a certain time span. The port choice here is a dynamic decision that depends on the ports’ characteristics and attributes of each shipper at a given time, as well as the decisions made by their neighbours. The outcome of the interaction is a discrete decision that evolves in time according to the dynamics of the system as a whole. The specified CA was applied to the case of vehicle exports from Brazil and the calibration was performed through a genetic algorithm. The results show that the probabilistic CA is able to replicate the historic behaviour of the port choice decisions in the Brazilian vehicle industry, with a high degree of success. The spatial component of the CA turned out to be of major relevance in the dynamic decision process along with the attributes and geographical location of ports

The Effects of Environmental Quality on Residential Choice Location

ABSTRACT: The aim of this research is to investigate the effects of environmental conditions in a given area on the residential location and the consequences on urban sprawl and accessibility. In particular, the study focuses on the effects of environmental quality and landscaping on property values. To this aim, the paper presents some hedonic Multiple Linear Regression models (MLR) estimating the housing price in metropolitan areas as a function of real-estate, environmental and accessibility variables. The hedonic models have been estimated using data collected in the province of Taranto (South-Italy) where the biggest steel factory in Europe (namely, ILVA), and one of the most important industrial port in the Mediterranean Sea are located. The set of considered variables were carried out from a location choice survey and hedonic regression estimators are presented to verify to what extent a relationship between the accessibility conditions, environmental context and the dwelling market values does exist. The results indicate that the inclusion, in the model specification, of the environmental variables between zones fit the data significantly better

OPTIMIZATION MODEL FOR SCHOOL TRANSPORTATION DESIGN BASED ON ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL EFFICIENCY

[EN] The purpose of this paper is to design a model that allows to suggest new planning proposals on school transport, so that greater efficiency operational will be achieved. It is a multiobjective optimization problem including the minimization of the cost of busing and minimizes the total travel time of all students. The foundation of the model is the planning routes made by bus due to changes in the starting time in schools, so the buses are able to perform more than one route. The methodology is based on the School Bus Routing Problem, so that routes from different schools within a given time window are connected, and within the restrictions of the problem, the system costs are minimized. The proposed model is programmed to be applied in any generic case. This is a multi-objective problem, in which there will be several possible solutions, depending on the weight to be assigned to each of the variables involved, economic point of view versus social point of view. Therefore, the proposed model is helpful for policy planning school transportation, supporting the decision making under conditions of economic and social efficiency. The model has been applied in some schools located in an area of Cantabria (Spain), resulting in 71 possible optimal options that minimize the cost of school transport between 2,7% and 35,1% regarding to the current routes of school transport, with different school start time and minimum travel time for students.Ezquerro Eguizábal, S.; Moura Berodia, JL.; Ibeas Portilla, A.; Benavente Ponce, J. (2016). OPTIMIZATION MODEL FOR SCHOOL TRANSPORTATION DESIGN BASED ON ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL EFFICIENCY. En XII Congreso de ingeniería del transporte. 7, 8 y 9 de Junio, Valencia (España). Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 926-944. https://doi.org/10.4995/CIT2016.2015.4074OCS92694