Multi-Modal Transportation and Multi-Criteria Walking (MMT-MCW) for Wayfinding and Navigation Services

Existing wayfinding and navigation services are primarily designed to support driving and riding modes of transportation. They do not provide walking as one mode of transportation in multi-modal transportation routes. To address this gap, this dissertation introduces the concept of Multi-Modal Transportation and Multi-Criteria Walking (MMT-MCW). The premise of MMT-MCW is based on the observations that: walking can be performed for other purposes in addition to travelling to a destination, such as maintaining or improving health; and traveler’s characteristics and preferences play an important role in determining optimal route choices. MMT finds candidate routes that include walking plus other modes of transportation such as driving or riding public transit. MCW recommends a route among those suggested by MMT whose walking mode of transportation is optimal with respect to a set of criteria. An example criterion is fastest walking time, for which flat and short routes typically take priority over steep and longer routes. Another example is exercise, for which steeper and/or longer routes may take priority. Methodologies and algorithms for MMT-MCW are developed, discussed, and analyzed. A prototype wayfinding service and a simulation methodology based on MMT-MCW are described. The benefits of MMT-MCW are demonstrated through the prototype and the results of simulating various trip scenarios

A comparative analysis of routes generated by Web Mapping APIs

Web Mapping APIs (WMAs), such as Google Maps API, are widely used by researchers across different fields to develop geospatial Web applications. Among maps and map functionalities provided through WMAs, route and direction are prominent and commonly available. Given that each WMA uses a different map database and a different set of assumptions, the routes they generate, for the same pairs of origin and destination addresses, are different. Considering the current void in literature on WMAs and the routes they generate, in this paper, select common WMAs are compared and analyzed based on their routing techniques. The results of these comparisons will benefit researchers by helping them better understand the behavior of WMAs in producing routes, which in turn can be used for selecting suitable WMAs for research projects or developing applications (such as navigation and location-based services). The process in which routes are evaluated can also be used as a guideline to help researchers explore behavior of WMAs in generating routes