Optimizing vehicle profile speed settings based on historic data

This work presents several methods for optimising speed profiles that minimise the traveltime devitations compared to historical traffic data. Defining optimisation models based at different level of detail of the reference data (segment traveltime or total trip traveltime)

An approach based on simulation and optimisation for the intermodal dispatching of public transport and ride-pooling services

This paper provides a simulation and optimisation-based system to combine public transport (PT) with ride-pooling services (RP). According to the International Transport Forum (ITF), the RP could be established as a feeder of PT and included as the first or last leg of the journey with the option of transferring to/from PT in between. The system contains a dispatching core that uses an optimisation model with heuristic parameters to quickly analyse the potential permutations for each request. This topic is frequently based on simplistic modelling in the literature, and it has not been extensively tested in major urban regions. The whole metropolitan region of Barcelona is employed in this study, with a large realistic simulation model encompassing a 20 × 15 km area with a PT network of about 3000 stations and 300 route lines and nearly 114,000 traffic links. This enables for a more accurate evaluation of system performance and trip quality computation.This research was funded by an Industrial PhD by the Generalitat de Catalunya and the company PTV-AG under Grant DI-071 2019; and a research project of the Spanish R+D Programs under Grant PID2020-112967GB-C31.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

An intermodal dispatcher for the assignment of public transport and ride pooling services

© 2022 Elsevier. This manuscript version is made available under the CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/This paper describes the components of an intermodal dispatcher of ride pooling requests to integrate these urban mobility systems with the public transport network in an urban area, thus making possible a new intermodal system. The intermodal dispatcher makes use of a prior dispatcher, developed exclusively for conventional ride pooling systems and a method that filters out the requests that have few possibilities of being served using the public transport system, leaving them to be served directly by ride pooling vehicles. The assignments of customers to vehicles of the ride pooling system are finally determined by an integer programming model of reduced dimensions, so that it can be solved efficiently by conventional solvers as shown in the preliminary computational results included in the paper. © 2022 The Author(s).This research was funded by PTV Group, by the TRA2016-76914-C3-1-P research project of the Spanish R+D Programs, by the Secretaria d’Universitats i Recerca Generalitat de Catalunya 2017-SGR-1749, and by the Industrial PhD Program 2019-DI-071 also funded by the Generalitat de Catalunya.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

An approach based on simulation and optimization to integrate ride-pooling with public transport for a cooperative approach

Mobility as a Service (MaaS), appeared as a tool to provide more efficient solutions in large urban areas, but, it hasn’t always been the case. The International Union of Public Transport (UITP) and the International Transport Forum (ITF) proposed policies to use such services as feeders for public transport, raising the challenge of how to integrate them. Ride-pooling, a type of Demand Responsive Transport, coordinated with public transport could be a solution. This paper explores how to model such intermodal system by an agent-based intermodal simulator that manages service requests while accounting for vehicle capabilities, transit schedules, and time constraints, integrated with an intermodal dispatcher defined by an optimization model, which proposes the best-combined solution.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Effects of gut microbiota–derived extracellular vesicles on obesity and diabetes and their potential modulation through diet

Obesity and diabetes incidence rates are increasing dramatically, reaching pandemic proportions. Therefore, there is an urgent need to unravel the mechanisms underlying their pathophysiology. Of particular interest is the close interconnection between gut microbiota dysbiosis and obesity and diabetes progression. Hence, microbiota manipulation through diet has been postulated as a promising therapeutic target. In this regard, secretion of gut microbiota–derived extracellular vesicles is gaining special attention, standing out as key factors that could mediate gut microbiota-host communication. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) derived from gut microbiota and probiotic bacteria allow to encapsulate a wide range of bioactive molecules (such as/or including proteins and nucleic acids) that could travel short and long distances to modulate important biological functions with the overall impact on the host health. EV-derived from specific bacteria induce differential physiological responses. For example, a high-fat diet–induced increase of the proteobacterium Pseudomonas panacis–derived EV is closely associated with the progression of metabolic dysfunction in mice. In contrast, Akkermansia muciniphila EV are linked with the alleviation of high-fat diet–induced obesity and diabetes in mice. Here, we review the newest pieces of evidence concerning the potential role of gut microbiota and probiotic-derived EV on obesity and diabetes onset, progression, and management, through the modulation of inflammation, metabolism, and gut permeability. In addition, we discuss the role of certain dietary patterns on gut microbiota–derived EV profile and the clinical implication that dietary habits could have on metabolic diseases progression through the shaping of gut microbiota–derived EV

Impact on Network Performance of Probe Vehicle Data Usage: An Experimental Design for Simulation Assessment

Probe-based technologies are proliferating as a means of inferring traffic states. Technological companies are interested in traffic data for computing the best routes in a traffic-aware manner and they also provide real-time traffic information with certain temporal accuracy. This paper analyses and evaluates how data provided by a fleet of probe cars can be used to develop a navigation service and how the penetration rate of this service affects a set of city-scale KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) and driver KPIs. The case study adopts a model-driven approach in which microscopic simulation emulates real-size fleets of probe vehicles that provide positions and speed data. What is noteworthy about the modelling behaviour is that drivers are segmented according to their knowledge of network conditions for selected trips: experts, regular drivers, and tourists. The paper presents and discusses the modelling approach and the results obtained from an experimental Barcelona CBD model designed to evaluate the penetration rates of probe vehicles and route guidance. An analysis of the simulation experiments reveals remarkable links among city-scale KPIs, which—from a multivariate point of view—is a novelty. A simulation-based framework for results analysis and visualization is also introduced in order to simplify the simulation results analysis and easily visualize OD paths for driver segments.Throughout this work, the authors have benefited from the support of inLab FIB team at UPC and the suggestions of Jaume Barceló (Emeritus Professor at UPC). This research was funded by Spanish R+D Programs, TRA2016-76914-C3-1-P, and by Secretaria d’Universitats-i-Recerca-Generalitat de Catalunya, 2017-SGR-1749.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Barcelona Virtual Mobility Lab: the multimodal transport simulation testbed for emerging mobility concepts evaluation

New sustainable mobility concepts and smart resilient ideas are arising every day. However, there is not an easy way to bring these ideas into reality, or to test how good they are as mobility solutions. Virtual Mobility Lab offers the opportunity to evaluate the impact of new mobility concepts before taking them to the real world. In this work, a multimodal macroscopic traffic simulation model of the Barcelona Metropolitan Area is developed, including both public and private transport network. This paper explains the remarkable features developed for this model, such as the network hierarchy and the multimodal public network interchangers, allowing demand to exchange between public transportation modes along their origin-destination paths.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Las TIC: Instrumento de colaboración entre la UPM y Universidades Latinoamericanas

El Espacio Europeo de Educación Superior concede especial atención al logro de un sistema de calidad universitario que incluye la utilización de las nuevas Tecnologías de la Información y Comunicación (TIC). En este contexto, se presentan muy encaminados los cambios introducidos para el uso de las TIC, en combinación con las nuevas metodologías docentes y de evaluación, que se vienen realizando en la ETSI en Topografía, Geodesia y Cartografía de la Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM). Estos cambios, que centran el aprendizaje en el trabajo del alumno y el uso habitual de las TIC, representan una importante contribución a la enseñanza presencial y a la elaboración de propuestas basadas en las modalidades de enseñanza b-learning y e-learning, propuestas que están facilitando y promoviendo la realización de Proyectos de Investigación Educativa en colaboración con Universidades Latinoamericanas

Innovación Educativa en la E.T.S.I. en Topografía, Geodesia y Cartografía de Madrid.

El Plan de Convergencia Europeo con el acuerdo de la puesta en marcha del Espacio Europeo de Educación Superior para 2010, ha implicado a las Universidades españolas, y en particular a la UPM, en el desarrollo de planes estratégicos conducentes a la adecuación de sus enseñanzas y metodologías docentes a las directrices de dicho plan. Desde 2005 la UPM está realizando convocatorias de Proyectos de Innovación Educativa y ha aprobado la normativa para la creación de Grupos de Innovación Educativa (GIE). La ETSITGC de Madrid, con el apoyo de las direcciones del Departamento y Escuela, ha participado activamente desde el primer momento en estas iniciativas y cuenta en la actualidad con el grupo INNGEO (GIE consolidado). Hasta el curso actual se vienen desarrollando numerosos Proyectos de Innovación e Investigación Educativa tanto en el ámbito del Centro como en colaboración con otras iniciativas de la UPM y Universidades Latinoamericana