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Selected Works

C. Jason Woodard

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Articles 1 - 6 of 6

Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

On Empirical Validation Of Compactness Measures For Electoral Redistricting And Its Significance For Application Of Models In The Social Science, Christine Chou, Steven O. Kimbrough, Frederic H. Murphy, John Sullivan-Fedock, C. Jason Woodard Apr 2015

On Empirical Validation Of Compactness Measures For Electoral Redistricting And Its Significance For Application Of Models In The Social Science, Christine Chou, Steven O. Kimbrough, Frederic H. Murphy, John Sullivan-Fedock, C. Jason Woodard

C. Jason Woodard

Use of optimization models in science and policy applications is often problematic because the best available models are very inaccurate representations of the originating problems. Such is the case with electoral districting models, for which there exist no generally accepted measures of compactness, in spite of many proposals and much analytical study. This article reports on an experimental investigation of subjective judgments of compactness for electoral districts. The experiment draws on a unique database of 116 distinct, legally valid districting plans for the Philadelphia City Council, discovered with evolutionary computation. Subjects in the experiment displayed, in the aggregate, remarkable agreement …


On Empirical Validation Of Compactness Measures For Electoral Redistricting And Its Significance For Application Of Models In The Social Sciences, Christine Chou, Steven O. Kimbrough, Frederic H. Murphy, John Sullivan-Fedock, C. Jason Woodard Jun 2014

On Empirical Validation Of Compactness Measures For Electoral Redistricting And Its Significance For Application Of Models In The Social Sciences, Christine Chou, Steven O. Kimbrough, Frederic H. Murphy, John Sullivan-Fedock, C. Jason Woodard

C. Jason Woodard

Use of optimization models in science and policy applications is often problematic because the best available models are very inaccurate representations of the originating problems. Such is the case with electoral districting models, for which there exist no generally accepted measures of compactness, in spite of many proposals and much analytical study. This article reports on an experimental investigation of subjective judgments of compactness for electoral districts. The experiment draws on a unique database of 116 distinct, legally valid districting plans for the Philadelphia City Council, discovered with evolutionary computation. Subjects in the experiment displayed, in the aggregate, remarkable agreement …


Using Interactive Evolutionary Computation (Iec) With Validated Surrogate Fitness Functions For Redistricting, Christine Chou, Steven O. Kimbrough, John Sullivan-Fedock, C. Jason Woodard, Frederic H. Murphy Apr 2013

Using Interactive Evolutionary Computation (Iec) With Validated Surrogate Fitness Functions For Redistricting, Christine Chou, Steven O. Kimbrough, John Sullivan-Fedock, C. Jason Woodard, Frederic H. Murphy

C. Jason Woodard

We describe a novel use of evolutionary computation to discover good districting plans for the Philadelphia City Council. We discovered 116 distinct, high quality, legally valid plans. These constitute a rich resource for stakeholders to base deliberation. This raises the issue of how to deal with large numbers of plans, especially with the aim of avoiding gerrymandering and promoting fairness. Interactive Evolutionary Computation (IEC) is a natural approach here, if practicable. The paper proposes development of Validated Surrogate Fitness (VSF) functions as a workable and generalizable form of IEC.


Strategyproof Mechanisms For Ad Hoc Network Formation, C. Jason Woodard, David C. Parkes Apr 2012

Strategyproof Mechanisms For Ad Hoc Network Formation, C. Jason Woodard, David C. Parkes

C. Jason Woodard

Agents in a peer-to-peer system typically have incentives to influence its network structure, either to reduce their costs or increase their ability to capture value. The problem is compounded when agents can join and leave the system dynamically. This paper proposes three economic mechanisms that offset the incentives for strategic behavior and facilitate the formation of networks with desirable global properties.


Local Coordination Under Bounded Rationality: Coase Meets Simon, Finds Hayek, C. Jason Woodard Apr 2012

Local Coordination Under Bounded Rationality: Coase Meets Simon, Finds Hayek, C. Jason Woodard

C. Jason Woodard

No abstract provided.


Spatio-Temporal Efficiency In A Taxi Dispatch System, Darshan Santani, Rajesh Krishna Balan, C. Jason Woodard Sep 2008

Spatio-Temporal Efficiency In A Taxi Dispatch System, Darshan Santani, Rajesh Krishna Balan, C. Jason Woodard

C. Jason Woodard

In this paper, we present an empirical analysis of the GPS-enabled taxi dispatch system used by the world’s second largest land transportation company. We first summarize the collective dynamics of the more than 6,000 taxicabs in this fleet. Next, we propose a simple method for evaluating the efficiency of the system over a given period of time and geographic zone. Our method yields valuable insights into system performance—in particular, revealing significant inefficiencies that should command the attention of the fleet operator. For example, despite the state of the art dispatching system employed by the company, we find imbalances in supply …