Transportation and Mobility Management Commons^™

Reducing Food Scarcity: The Benefits Of Urban Farming, S.A. Claudell, Emilio Mejia

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

Urban farming can enhance the lives of communities and help reduce food scarcity. This paper presents a conceptual prototype of an efficient urban farming community that can be scaled for a single apartment building or an entire community across all global geoeconomics regions, including densely populated cities and rural, developing towns and communities. When deployed in coordination with smart crop choices, local farm support, and efficient transportation then the result isn’t just sustainability, but also increasing fresh produce accessibility, optimizing nutritional value, eliminating the use of ‘forever chemicals’, reducing transportation costs, and fostering global environmental benefits.

Imagine Doris, who is …

Examining The Impact Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On Older Adults' Activity Participation And Mode Usage In A Rural State: A Case Study Of Arkansas, Arna Nishita Nithila

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The objective of the study was to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the activity participation and mode usage of older adults residing in Arkansas, a predominantly rural state. Leveraging primary data collected from 1,017 older adult participants, the study employed Latent Class Analysis (LCA) to capture older adults’ heterogeneity in travel behavior and found three distinct classes: Frequent Traveler, Moderate Traveler, and Non-Traveler, based on their activity participation, mode usage during the pandemic and the pandemic’s impact on their trips. Subsequently, a Multinomial Logit Model (MNL) was employed to examine how socio-demographic attributes, residential locations, and health …

Six-Degree-Of-Freedom Optimal Feedback Control Of Pinpoint Landing Using Deep Neural Networks, Omkar S. Mulekar, Hancheol Cho, Riccardo Bevilacqua

Student Works

Machine learning regression techniques have shown success at feedback control to perform near-optimal pinpoint landings for low fidelity formulations (e.g. 3 degree-of-freedom). Trajectories from these low-fidelity landing formulations have been used in imitation learning techniques to train deep neural network policies to replicate these optimal landings in closed loop. This study details the development of a near-optimal, neural network feedback controller for a 6 degree-of-freedom pinpoint landing system. To model disturbances, the problem is cast as either a multi-phase optimal control problem or a triple single-phase optimal control problem to generate examples of optimal control through the presence of disturbances. …

Stability Of Deep Neural Networks For Feedback-Optimal Pinpoint Landings, Omkar S. Mulekar, Hancheol Cho, Riccardo Bevilacqua

Student Works

The ability to certify systems driven by neural networks is crucial for future rollouts of machine learning technologies in aerospace applications. In this study, the neural networks are used to represent a fuel-optimal feedback controller for two different 3-degree-of-freedom pinpoint landing problems. It is shown that the standard sum-ofsquares Lyapunov candidate is too restrictive to assess the stability of systems with fuel-optimal control profiles. Instead, a parametric Lyapunov candidate (i.e. a neural network) can be trained to sufficiently evaluate the closed-loop stability of fuel-optimal control profiles. Then, a stability-constrained imitation learning method is applied, which simultaneously trains a neural network …

Metropolitan Transportation Commission Discretionary Transit Funding Methods Evaluation, Christopher E. Ferrell, John M. Eells, David Reinke, Richard Lee

Mineta Transportation Institute

In 2021, the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) approached the Mineta Transportation Institute (MTI) with a proposal to have MTI provide an evaluation of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission’s (MTC’s) operational discretionary funding allocation policies and methods for Bay Area transit operators. The research was done in two parts. Part 1 investigated MTC’s past and current allocation methods for discretionary operational transit funding programs; Part 2 involved the evaluation of outcomes if MTC employed alternative allocation methods. After the Part 1 review of MTC’s various transit funding programs, the federal pandemic relief funds and the Transportation Development Act/State Transit Assistance …

High-Speed Rail In The U.S. – Mode Choice Decision And Impact Of Covid-19, Jing Yu Pan

Center for Advanced Transportation Mobility

While high-speed rail (HSR) has achieved success in major cities in Europe and Asia, it is a new phenomenon in the US, and few studies on HSR in the US are available, especially from the users’ perspective. This study aims to fill the research gap by investigating the mode choice behavior in the Los Angeles and San Francisco corridor, where HSR may soon become a feasible option. The impact of COVID-19 was examined regarding how people view modes of domestic travel and how their views may change. The geographic locations of travelers and the possible HSR characteristics in the US …

A Literary Survey On The U.S. Airline Maintenance Outsourcing: Technology, Economics, And Politics Perspectives, Linfeng Jin, Chien-Ting Lu

Publications

This study examines the U.S. airline maintenance outsourcing- a common business phenomenon in the post-1978 deregulated airline industry. Over the years, there have been several fatal accidents in the U.S. linked to airline maintenance outsourcing, and it has caught the attention of the government and general public. This paper went over the complex airline maintenance outsourcing factors from technology, economics, and political tripartite perspectives. And suggestions for the airlines, the regulators and the legislators are made in the end

Pilots’ Desire To Become Future Space Tourism Pilots: Polynomial Regression Using Response Surface Analysis, Robert A. Goehlich, Ralf Bebenroth

Publications

In this study, we investigated the impact of pilots’ motivation on their desire to be space tourism pilots or to remain in their current occupation (adherence). We analyzed the feedback obtained from a survey questionnaire on a sample consisting of 106 pilots with flying experience. In particular, we compared the pilots’ intrinsic and extrinsic motivations to investigate two outcomes: the desire to become future space pilots or to remain as air pilots. Applying the self-determination theory, we found that intrinsic motivation mattered more than extrinsic motivation. Furthermore, by applying response surface analysis as our statistical tool, it was revealed that …

Predicting Dynamic Fragmentation Characteristics From High-Impact Energy Events Utilizing Terrestrial Static Arena Test Data And Machine Learning, Katharine Larsen, Riccardo Bevilacqua, Omkar S. Mulekar, Elisabetta L. Jerome, Thomas J. Hatch-Aguilar

Student Works

To continue space operations with the increasing space debris, accurate characterization of fragment fly-out properties from hypervelocity impacts is essential. However, with limited realistic experimentation and the need for data, available static arena test data, collected utilizing a novel stereoscopic imaging technique, is the primary dataset for this paper. This research leverages machine learning methodologies to predict fragmentation characteristics using combined data from this imaging technique and simulations, produced considering dynamic impact conditions. Gaussian mixture models (GMMs), fit via expectation maximization (EM), are used to model fragment track intersections on a defined surface of intersection. After modeling the fragment distributions, …

Sharing Economy Last Mile Delivery: Three Essays Addressing Operational Challenges, Customer Expectations, And Supply Uncertainty, Nicolò Masorgo

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Last mile delivery has become a critical competitive dimension facing retail supply chains. At the same time, the emergence of sharing economy platforms has introduced unique operational challenges and benefits that enable and inhibit retailers’ last mile delivery goals. This dissertation investigates key challenges faced by crowdshipping platforms used in last mile delivery related to crowdsourced delivery drivers, driver-customer interaction, and customer expectations. We investigate the research questions of this dissertation through a multi-method design approach, complementing a rich archival dataset comprised of several million orders retrieved from a Fortune 100 retail crowdshipping platform, with scenario-based experiments. Specifically, the first …

Economic Evaluation Of Route Choice Characteristics For Company Truck Drivers And Owner-Operator Truck Drivers In Southern California Freeways, Joseph J. Kim, Jose Alejandro Arroyo Turcios

Mineta Transportation Institute

To contribute to the understanding of freeway capacity and financing options, this study evaluates the demand for truck-only toll lanes on Southern California freeways. The study implemented surveys to both company truck drivers and owner-operator truck drivers to estimate the value they place on time, reliability, and safety measures. The research team met face-to-face with both types of truck drivers near the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach to understand the drivers’ perspectives regarding truck-only toll lanes on Southern California freeways. A data set containing 45 surveys out of 62 survey responses were used for statistical analysis. The results …

Routing Battery-Constrained Delivery Drones In A Depot Network: A Business Model And Its Optimization-Simulation Assessment, Yanchao Liu

Industrial and Systems Engineering Faculty Research Publications

This paper proposes a novel business model for on-demand package shipment services using drones, and evaluates different modeling and solution approaches for the drone routing problem that underpins the service operation. In the proposed service, customers’ shipment orders of arbitrary origins and destinations, payload weights and bid values are collected every five minutes, and available drones from multiple depots are then dispatched to fulfill a subset of these orders in a way to maximize profit. A drone path starts from a depot, serves one or more customer orders in sequence, and ends at a depot for battery recharging, which incurs …

Estimating The Economic And Health Benefits Of Bicycling In Northwest Arkansas, Mervin Jebaraj

Publications and Presentations

Over the past year, the Center for Business and Economic Research in the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas conducted an analysis of the economic and health benefits of bicycling in Northwest Arkansas. The study was commissioned by the Walton Family Foundation and built on a previous study completed in 2018. The data and analysis presented in this study will inform regional and state policymakers, funders, and other community stakeholders about the overall return-on-investment from the significant investments in the bicycling ecosystem in Northwest Arkansas.

Connecting Eastern And Western Massachusetts With High Speed Rail, Mary Piecewicz, An Pham

School of Professional Studies

No abstract provided.

Investigating The Effect Of Knowledge Of Environmental Implications On Generation Z Vehicle Choice In Last Mile Delivery Service, Mitchelle Atungulu

Supply Chain Management Undergraduate Honors Theses

Consumer knowledge has a significant impact on consumer behavior and choice, where specific types of knowledge influences consumer shopping and purchasing decisions. As concerns about the environment and businesses operations’ effect on the environment grows, there has been various calls for facilitating increased consumer awareness on environmental issues; with the intent of this knowledge serving to influence consumer decision making in a manner that is viewed as favorable for environmental sustainability. With the substantial growth of ecommerce, one of the decisions that consumers more frequently make is that of delivery service choice as they make online purchase transactions. Various aspects …

Union Pacific Strategic Audit, Maureen O'Hara

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Union Pacific is the largest domestic railroad in the United States, responsible for nearly all of the rail-based shipping in the 23 states making up the Western two-thirds of the country. The company provides a crucial link in the global supply chain. By utilizing internal and external analysis tools, this report seeks to understand how Union Pacific’s business model and strategies have led them to create and sustain competitive advantages against other big competitors in the transportation industry. The analysis utilizes tools such as PESTLE, Porter’s Five Forces, and SWOT analyses. Following the application of the analysis, strategic recommendations are …

Assessing The Impacts Of Northeast Alliance Between American Airlines And Jetblue Airways, Li Zhou, Chunyan Yu, Daniel Friedenzohn

Publications

This paper investigates the impacts of Northeast Alliance (NEA) between American Airlines and JetBlue Airways on market concentration and airfares on routes to and from the four pertinent airports in Boston and New York regions. Using panel data covering quarterly domestic flight schedules and airfares for 11 U.S. airlines during the 2019-2021 period, we apply difference-in-difference method and find evidence for positive and significant NEA effect on market concentration on routes out of BOS, and negative and significant effect on routes out of EWR, but no significant effect for routes out of JFK and LGA. The overall NEA effects, including …

Single Pilot Operations And Public Acceptance: A Mixed Methods Study Conducted In Greece, Panagiotis Kioulepoglou, Ilias Makris

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

The airline industry is moving towards Single Pilot Operations (SPO), as a result of the increased training and salary cost of pilots, and also as a remedy to the impending pilot shortage which is estimated to manifest itself in the years to follow. The main objective of this study was to explore whether the Greek public is willing to accept only one pilot onboard, what are the factors that affect this decision, and which is the preferred method of replacing the second pilot by choosing between an array of alternative options proposed by the industry.

Based on the qualitative findings …

Integrated Dynamic Airline Route And Schedule Optimization, Bayan Begaliyeva

Student Works

By harnessing real-time and historical data in conjunction with advanced AI technologies, this project revolutionizes route and schedule planning, leading to enhanced efficiency, cost reduction, and an improved passenger experience.

An Assessment Of "Long-Thin" Airline Routes: Network Structure And Emissions Implications For Environmental Policy, Porter Burns

All Master's Theses

The purpose of this research was to define, map, and quantify the network and environmental implications of “long-thin” routes (LTRs) – a route structure that has been discussed in the aviation industry but not formally studied in literature. LTRs were defined through the use of global OAG scheduling data from 1998 to 2018 to identify trends in air traffic growth and network dynamics. Flights were separated into seven aircraft class sizes (e.g., 75–150 seats, 150–225 seats) to measure LTRs at multiple scales. Routes were considered “long” if the stage length was at or above the 75^th percentile in each …

Policy Innovation As The Cornerstone Of Energy Transition: An Analysis Of Energy Policy In The Shipping Economy And Operations, Peyman Ghaforian Masodzadeh

World Maritime University Ph.D. Dissertations

Despite being excluded from most climate change treaties, the maritime sector is expected to manage and reduce carbon emissions in line with global decarbonization goals. Although the IMO's effort has been evident by the adoption of energy regulations and the GHG strategy during the past decade, however, the effectiveness and adequacy of the adopted energy policy remain questionable. This thesis aims to identify problems associated with energy policy in the shipping industry and propose appropriate solutions. Initially, this study was premised on the hypothesis that “energy policy in the shipping industry involves problems associated with policy design, policy implementation, and …

Asia Pacific Perspectives Vol. 18 No 1. 2023, University Of San Francisco

Asia Pacific Perspectives

Contents:

Articles

Urban Youth on the Margins: Inequality in China’s Sent Down Youth Movement by Sanjiao Tang

Chinese Firms in the Belt and Road Initiative: A Cross-Sectoral Study of BRI Activities in Kenya by Yabo Wu

Book Review

W. Puck Brecher. Animal Care in Japanese Tradition: A Short History by James Stone Lunde

Improving Safety Service Patrol Performance, Mecit Cetin, Hong Yang, Kun Xie, Sherif Ishak, Guocong Zhai, Junqing Wang, Giridhar Kattepogu

Civil & Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Safety Service Patrols (SSPs) provide motorists with assistance free of charge on most freeways and some key primary roads in Virginia. This research project is focused on developing a tool to help the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) optimize SSP routes and schedules (hereafter called SSP-OPT). The computational tool, SSP-OPT, takes readily available data (e.g., corridor and segment lengths, turnaround points, average annual daily traffic) and outputs potential SSP configurations that meet the desired criteria and produce the best possible performance metrics for a given corridor. At a high level, the main components of the developed tool include capabilities to: …

A Hybrid Deep Learning Approach For Crude Oil Price Prediction, Hind Aldabagh, Xianrong Zheng, Ravi Mukkamala

Computer Science Faculty Publications

Crude oil is one of the world’s most important commodities. Its price can affect the global economy, as well as the economies of importing and exporting countries. As a result, forecasting the price of crude oil is essential for investors. However, crude oil price tends to fluctuate considerably during significant world events, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and geopolitical conflicts. In this paper, we propose a deep learning model for forecasting the crude oil price of one-step and multi-step ahead. The model extracts important features that impact crude oil prices and uses them to predict future prices. The prediction model …

Urban Expansion Of Energiewende In Germany: A Systematic Bibliometric Analysis And Literature Study, Peter Yang

Faculty Scholarship

Background: Despite Germany’s world leadership of Energiewende, there have been mounting challenges, such as the slowdown of German renewable energy growth since 2017, when the Merkel administration dramatically changed the German renewable energy promotion policy from feed-in tariffs to competitive auctions. These challenges pose important research questions about whether and how an emerging urban expansion of Energiewende can serve as a vital solution to counteract the challenges to the energy transition. Answering these research questions provides a unique opportunity to explore the academic and historic foundations of the energy transition and its urban expansion, the emerging events that exemplify urban …

Aviation Supply And Demand In The São Paulo And Rio De Janeiro Systems Evolution: An Exploratory Study, Leila Halawi, Bruno De Paula Balan, Renan Cipriano Da Cunha, Maria Claudia Ferreira Da Cunha

Publications

Aim/purpose – Multiple factors affect a passenger’s origin and destination airport choice. This study explores some of the leading indicators associated with performance in cities with more than one airport. Two important Multi-Airport Systems (MAS) in Brazil were the object of this study: São Paulo (Congonhas and Guarulhos) and Rio de Janeiro (Santos Dumont and Galeão), the most significant demand-generating centers in the country and the most critical distribution centers of flights from South America.

Design/methodology/approach – Using public databases presenting the evolution of supply and demand from 2013 to 2018, the evolution of flights, and the sales by airlines …

The Maritime Transportation Sector: Addressing Key Challenges Towards Sustainable Development, Rayan Dui

Center for Business Research and Development

The present business landscape expects sustainability from the most diverse organizations. However, sustainability issues in maritime transportation have taken a lower priority among its stakeholders. The different maritime stakeholders have started to become aware of their sustainability responsibility as interest in sustainable shipping has grown among retailers and their shipping vessels, leading to cost-efficiency in their operations and compliance with regulations and conventions set forth by the IMO (Lister, 2015). It must be noted that the maritime transportation sector is central to the worldwide economy as it is responsible for transporting products of all kinds and accounts for approximately ninety …

Planning And Real-Time Resource Allocation In Freight Logistics Systems Utilizing Emerging Transportation Technologies, Darshan Rajesh Chauhan

Dissertations and Theses

Transportation is a key driver of any national economy. In the United States, the transportation sector contributes $1.3 trillion to the economy, of which freight transportation represents more than 50%. Trucks alone account for more than 70% freight movements in the United States. In addition to worsening stress at ports of entry and traffic congestion in the system, freight also accounts for nearly one-third of the greenhouse gas emissions in the United States. Emerging transportation technologies like electric unmanned aerial vehicles (or drones) and electric vehicles can provide a more sustainable alternative to combat greenhouse gas emissions and reduce the …

Commercial Short-Haul Flight Or Autonomous Mobility-On-Demand: Modeling Air Passengers’ Modal Choice, Agatha Kessler Fentress

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Commercial short-haul flights (SF) are vital to airports and airlines because they account for one-third of hub traffic and have higher profit margins than the long-haul market. While U.S. commercial air passenger travel has increased steadily over the past decades, SF has been declining and was doing so before the unprecedented decrease in air travel caused by restrictions related to the COVID-19 global pandemic. Once autonomous mobility-on-demand (aMoD) is more viable than the human-driven car, demand for SF could be negatively impacted. Although there is published research on SF and aMoD, studies on factors influencing the choice between SF and …

An Assessment Of Requirements In Investments, New Technologies, And Infrastructures To Achieve The Sdgs, Peter Yang

Faculty Scholarship

Background: The implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) requires much planning and the provision of resources, especially regarding the necessary investments, technologies and infrastructures needed. Yet, it is presently unclear how available these elements are, what gaps exist, what changes have taken place in terms of their availability since the adoption of the SDGs and what their requirements will be in the future. The knowledge gap has become even more concerning because of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Using a bibliometric analysis, an assessment of the global progress of SDG implementation and requirements, identifying challenges through the development …