Phd Dissertation

The Tractability and Performance of Microsimulating Human Activity for Transportation Systems Analysis

Publication Date

November 30, 2003

Associated Project

UCTC Fellowships (TEA-21)

Author(s)

Craig Rindt

Areas of Expertise

Travel Behavior, Land Use, & the Built Environment

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Abstract

The activity-based approach to travel demand analysis recognizes that human activities dictate travel. Microsimulation of household activity patterns has gained significant attention as a method for modeling this activity participation. Existing approaches, however, focus on modeling how households solve the activity scheduling problem—how and when each household member should engage in particular activities to meet the needs of the household. This is a top-down approach that recognizes inherent causal links between members of a household but sacrifices modeling flexibility that is necessary for complex policy analysis. This dissertation synthesizes dominant activity analysis theories with concepts from the social simulation and complex systems analysis literature to demonstrate that the motivation and constraints that shape activities are more directly embodied in the activity execution problem—how individuals interact with other entities in their environment to engage in activity. The scheduling problem is re-cast as the adaptive internal process that an individual uses to navigate through this interactive environment to achieve environmentally-derived payoffs. Based on this theory, a microsimulation is described that focuses on the activity execution process. Such a bottom-up approach presents a problem of tractability. This dissertation solves this problem by describing activity execution using a model of negotiated interaction derived from the Contract Net Protocol for distributed computation. This model is shown to be tractable in terms of the number of negotiating individuals, given reasonable limitations on the negotiation process. Then, a complete agent-based model of an urban activity system is described based on this activity execution kernel. This general model is shown to be tractable in terms of the population size, given assumptions on how negotiations are initiated. Finally, results from experiments using candidate adaptive learning algorithms for agents operating in the microsimulation are presented to demonstrate the utility of the microsimulation approach.

Suggested Citation

Craig Rindt (2003) The Tractability and Performance of Microsimulating Human Activity for Transportation Systems Analysis. PhD Dissertation. UC Irvine. Available at: https://uci.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01CDL_IRV_INST/17uq3m8/alma991014363709704701.

published journal article

Put a park on it: How freeway caps are reconnecting and greening divided cities

Cities (London, England)

Publication Date

February 1, 2019

Author(s)

Doug Houston, Michelle Zuniga

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Abstract

The international green infrastructure literature has examined rails-to-trails and freeway-to-boulevard conversions, but these strategies can be impractical or politically unfeasible. An understudied movement among United States cities has demonstrated a strategy for greening freeways that remain in service: freeway cap parks, or decks with parks built in the air space directly above below-grade freeway sections that can help reintegrate communities, conceal traffic, reduce air pollution, and provide green space. We provide the first assessment of the design, function, and placement of freeway cap parks and assess the emerging sustainability discourse of cap park planning. We examine 18 completed and 9 proposed cap parks in 24 U.S. cities to identify four cap park development models that can be adapted worldwide to green below-grade freeway segments and reconnect communities. Given historic disparities in freeway placement, we examined the distribution of cap parks and found they are located in areas that could help address disparities in park access in freeways corridors. Our detailed case studies stress the struggle within the cap park sustainability discourse to balance economic, environmental, and equity concerns. Dallas’ Klyde Warren Park is an economic success story, but illustrates how developers use cap parks to sideline equity concerns. Denver’s proposed I-70 cap park illustrates strategies to mitigate environmental justice impacts of freeway expansion projects, but equity concerns remain given continuing impacts of the expanded freeway system. Cap parks should be embraced as a vital component of green infrastructure that reconnects and greens cities divided by freeway construction, but planners should take strong steps to address housing affordability and gentrification concerns for adjacent communities.

Suggested Citation

Douglas Houston and Michelle E. Zuñiga (2019) “Put a park on it: How freeway caps are reconnecting and greening divided cities”, Cities (London, England), 85, pp. 98–109. Available at: 10.1016/j.cities.2018.08.007.

working paper

The Impact of Labor-Management Relations on Urban Mass Transit Performance: Notes on Research in Progress

Publication Date

February 1, 1978

Associated Project

The Impact of Labor-Management Relations on Productivity and Efficiency in Urban Mass Transit: employee attitudes, withdrawal behavior, and bargaining unit structure

Author(s)

James Perry, Harold Angle, Mark Pittel

Working Paper

UCI-ITS-WP-78-4

Areas of Expertise

Public Transit, Shared Mobility, & Active Transportation

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Abstract

This paper reports initial impressions from a year-long study which is investigating associations between labor-management relations and organizational performance in urban mass transit. Five areas are discussed: the legal framework, labor and management organization for bargaining, relationship patterns, the collective agreement, and the performance indicators. In many cases the impressions are based upon observations at a substantial majority of 28 public transit organizations visited. In some instances the discussion draws attention to situations which, though infrequent, may merit attention from labor, management, and industry officials.

Suggested Citation

James L. Perry, Harold A. Angle and Mark Pittel (1978) The Impact of Labor-Management Relations on Urban Mass Transit Performance: Notes on Research in Progress. Working Paper UCI-ITS-WP-78-4. Institute of Transportation Studies, Irvine. Available at: https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6b44r7sw.

Related Publications

research report | Mar 1979

The Impact of Labor-Management Relations on Productivity and Efficiency in Urban Mass Transit

published journal article

A Numerical Solution of Three-Dimensional Problems in Dynamic Elasticity

Journal of Applied Mechanics

Publication Date

March 1, 1970

Author(s)

Will Recker

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Abstract

The equations governing the dynamic deformation of an elastic solid are considered as a symmetric hyperbolic system of linear first-order partial-differential equations. The characteristic properties of the system are determined and a numerical method for obtaining the solution of mixed initial and boundary-value problems in elastodynamics is presented. The method, based on approximate integral relations along bicharacteristics, is an extension of the method proposed by Clifton for plane problems in dynamic elasticity and provides a system of difference equations, with second-order accuracy, for the explicit determination of the solution. Application of the method to a problem which has a known solution provides numerical evidence of the convergence and stability of the method.

Suggested Citation

W. W. Recker (1970) “A Numerical Solution of Three-Dimensional Problems in Dynamic Elasticity”, Journal of Applied Mechanics, 37(1), pp. 116–122. Available at: 10.1115/1.3408418.

conference paper

Cvo perspectives on the usefulness of various sources of traffic information

Proceedings of the 80th annual meeting of the transportation research board

Publication Date

January 1, 2001

Author(s)

Thomas Golob, Amelia Regan

Abstract

The objective of this research is to understand how trucking companies perceive the benefits of traditional and advanced traveler information sources. There is considerable interest in identifying the appropriate public sector role for investments in real-time traveler information sources. Managers in charge of the California operations of more than 1,100 private and for-hire trucking companies were asked to evaluate the usefulness of various sources of traffic information. These evaluations were collected on ordinal scales, and nonlinear canonical correlations analysis models were computed to simultaneously link company characteristics and perceptions of the value of information sources for dispatchers and for drivers. In addition, perceptions of the benefits of a set of improved sources of accurate, up-to-the- minute traffic information were examined. The results show how segments of the trucking industry value different sources of traffic information

Suggested Citation

Thomas F. Golob and Amelia C. Regan (2001) “Cvo perspectives on the usefulness of various sources of traffic information”, in Proceedings of the 80th annual meeting of the transportation research board, p. 30 p..

working paper

Objective and Subjective Dimensions of Travel Impedance as Determinants of Commuting Stress

Publication Date

March 1, 1989

Author(s)

Raymond Novaco, Daniel Stokols, Louis Milanesi

Working Paper

UCI-ITS-WP-89-4

Areas of Expertise

Travel Behavior, Land Use, & the Built Environment

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Abstract

The stressful characteristics of commuting constraints are conceptualized in terms of both physical and perceptual conditions of travel impedance. This study develops and operationalizes the concept of subjective impedance, as a complement to our previously developed concept of impedance as a physically defined condition of commuting stress. The stress impacts of high impedance commuting were examined in a study of 79 employees of two companies in the follow-up testing of a longitudinal study. Subjective impedance was found to be overlapping but not isomorphic with physical impedance, and these two dimensions were found to have differential relationships with health and well being outcomes. The physical impedance construct received further confirmation in validational analyses and in predicted effects on various illness measures and job satisfaction. The newly constructed subjective impedance index was significantly related to evening home mood, residential satisfaction, and chest pain. Job change also was found to be influenced primarily by commuting satisfaction. The results are discussed within an ecological framework emphasizing inter-domain transfer effects and situational moderators of commuting stress.

Suggested Citation

Raymond W. Novaco, Daniel Stokols and Louis Milanesi (1989) Objective and Subjective Dimensions of Travel Impedance as Determinants of Commuting Stress. Working Paper UCI-ITS-WP-89-4. Institute of Transportation Studies, Irvine. Available at: https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8xr9q9gt.

book/book chapter

Using social science to reduce violent offending

Publication Date

September 1, 2011

Author(s)

J.A. Dvoskin, J.L. Skeem, Raymond Novaco, K.S. Douglas

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Suggested Citation

J.A. Dvoskin, J.L. Skeem, R.W. Novaco and K.S. Douglas (2011) Using social science to reduce violent offending. Oxford University Press. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195384642.001.0001.

published journal article

Determining optimal sensor locations under uncertainty for a truck activity monitoring system on California freeways

Journal of Intelligent Transportation Systems

Publication Date

May 4, 2021

Author(s)

Jae Young Jung, Andre (Yeow Chern) Tok, Stephen Ritchie

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Suggested Citation

Jaeyoung Jung, Andre Tok and Stephen G. Ritchie (2021) “Determining optimal sensor locations under uncertainty for a truck activity monitoring system on California freeways”, Journal of Intelligent Transportation Systems, 25(3), pp. 221–234. Available at: 10.1080/15472450.2019.1579094.

published journal article

On the Cybersecurity of Traffic Signal Control System With Connected Vehicles

IEEE Transactions on Intelligent Transportation Systems

Publication Date

September 1, 2022

Author(s)

Yiheng Feng, Shihong Ed Huang, Wai Wong, Qi Alfred Chen, Z. Morley Mao, Henry Liu

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Abstract

Connected vehicle (CV) technology brings both opportunities and challenges to the traffic signal control (TSC) system. While safety and mobility performance could be greatly improved by adopting CV technologies, the connectivity between vehicles and transportation infrastructure may increase the risks of cyber threats. In the past few years, studies related to cybersecurity on the TSC systems were conducted. However, there still lacks a systematic investigation that provides a comprehensive analysis framework. In this study, our aim is to fill the research gap by proposing a comprehensive analysis framework for the cybersecurity problem of the TSC in the CV environment. With potential threats towards the major components of the system and their corresponding impacts on safety and efficiency analyzed, data spoofing attack is considered the most plausible and realistic attack approach. Based on this finding, different attack strategies and defense solutions are discussed. A case study is presented to show the impact of the data spoofing attacks towards a selected CV based TSC system and corresponding mitigation countermeasures. This case study is conducted on a hybrid security testing platform, with virtual traffic and a real V2X communication network. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to present a comprehensive analysis framework to the cybersecurity problem of the CV-based TSC systems.

Suggested Citation

Yiheng Feng, Shihong Ed Huang, Wai Wong, Qi Alfred Chen, Z. Morley Mao and Henry X. Liu (2022) “On the Cybersecurity of Traffic Signal Control System With Connected Vehicles”, IEEE Transactions on Intelligent Transportation Systems, 23(9), pp. 16267–16279. Available at: 10.1109/TITS.2022.3149449.

published journal article

An Empirical Assessment of Organizational Commitment and Organizational Effectiveness

Administrative Science Quarterly

Publication Date

March 1, 1981

Author(s)

Harold Angle, James Perry

View published journal article

Suggested Citation

Harold L. Angle and James L. Perry (1981) “An Empirical Assessment of Organizational Commitment and Organizational Effectiveness”, Administrative Science Quarterly, 26(1), p. 1. Available at: 10.2307/2392596.