Empowering Denver Public Schools to Optimize School Bus Operations

Denver Public Schools (DPS) serves roughly 90,000 K–12 students using a mixed bus fleet. Developing and reviewing bus-route assignments manually has been challenging and time consuming for DPS. During 2017–2018, DPS analysts reviewed and adjusted over 700 routes assigned to approximately 200 buses, considering time and capacity feasibility. We developed a decision support tool (DST) to generate feasible bus-route assignments and help inform DPS’s decisions. The DST employs optimization models to solve the bus-route assignment problem using distance data from Google Maps Application Programming Interface and various interroute reposition-time scenarios to account for the impact of potential traffic delays. The model incorporates multiple objectives related to minimizing cost, meeting demand, and maximizing “consistency”—that is, the difference between a newly created and previously implemented solution The solutions generated by the DST for the 2017–2018 school year utilized significantly fewer buses and lower reposition mileage compared with the DPS solution. Considering the convenience, efficiency, and flexibility of generating high-quality bus-route assignments using the DST, the DPS transportation team has used the DST in the route planning process since 2018.

Download Full-text

Pathways impact on OCM drug cost.

Journal of Clinical Oncology ◽

10.1200/jco.2019.37.27_suppl.109 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 37 (27_suppl) ◽

pp. 109-109

Author(s):

Valerie Pracilio Csik ◽

Jared Minetola ◽

Karen Walsh ◽

Michael J. Ramirez ◽

Mark Hurwitz

Keyword(s):

Stage Iv ◽

Decision Support Tool ◽

Healthcare Spending ◽

Clinical Decision ◽

Cancer Center ◽

Support Tool ◽

Oncology Care ◽

The Difference ◽

Stage Iv Lung Cancer ◽

The Impact

109 Background: Oncology care, including drugs, represents a significant portion of US healthcare spending. Cost of Part B drugs has increased at a rate 5.7x that of overall Medicare spending (1997-2004). As a participant in the Oncology Care Model (OCM), we found drug costs represent a majority of our total costs. To reduce treatment (Tx) variability, our NCI-designated cancer center chose to implement pathways. Pathways are a clinical decision-support tool that use evidence-based care maps accounting for efficacy, toxicity and cost. At one institution, use of pathways contributed to $15k in savings for stage IV lung cancer Tx. We hypothesized pathway driven Tx standardization would favorably impact total chemotherapy (CTx) costs at the implementation site. Methods: In July 2018, we implemented pathways in Medical and Radiation Oncology for new starts or changes in Tx. Oncologists accessed the tool through our EMR, selected and placed orders for Tx. OCM quarterly data was used to compare 2 quarters immediately pre- and post-pathway implementation. The cancer-mix-adjusted Per-Member-Per-Month (PMPM) Allowed Amounts for CTx were compared between 3 groups; patients on-pathway, patients off-pathway and patients for which the pathways tool was not used (no utilization). PMPMs were evaluated pre- and post-implementation and an ANOVA test was used to evaluate significance of the difference between the two periods. Results: PMPM CTx costs decreased 4.6% between pre- and post-pathway implementation when oncologists followed pathways. By comparison, the off-pathway cohort and the no utilization groups had increases of 0.9% and 17.7% respectively. An evaluation of cost difference proved significant (p < .0001). Breast patients on-pathway had a cost decrease of 20%, compared to increases of 32% and 11% for off-pathway and no utilization groups, respectively. Conclusions: Pathway use reduced variation, a known contributor to healthcare costs, and therefore may be an effective cost control tool. Additional quarters of claims data is needed post-implementation to fully define the impact of pathways on total cost. [Table: see text]

Download Full-text

The Impact of a Big Data Decision Support Tool on Military Logistics: Medical Analytics Meets the Mission

Defense Acquisition Research Journal ◽

10.22594/dau.16.769.24.03 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 24 (3) ◽

pp. 468-487

Author(s):

Felix Chang ◽

Christopher Dente ◽

Eric Elster

Keyword(s):

Big Data ◽

Decision Support ◽

Decision Support Tool ◽

Support Tool ◽

Military Logistics ◽

The Impact

Download Full-text

Preliminary groundwater modelling by considering the interaction with superficial water: Aosta plain case (northern Italy)

Acque Sotterranee-Italian Journal of Groundwater ◽

10.7343/as-017-13-0041 ◽

2013 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Tullia Bonomi ◽

Letizia Fumagalli ◽

Valeria Benastini ◽

Marco Rotiroti ◽

Pietro Capodaglio ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Water Supply ◽

Three Dimensional ◽

Decision Support Tool ◽

Kriging Interpolation ◽

Public Water Supply ◽

Scientific Cooperation ◽

Public Authorities ◽

Support Tool ◽

Hydrogeological Characteristics ◽

The Impact

The study is developed through scientific cooperation between the University of Milano-Bicocca and the Regional Agency for Environmental Protection (ARPA) of the Valle d’Aosta Region. Its aim is to produce a decision-support tool to help the Public Administration’manage groundwater and public water supply. The study area is the plain of Aosta, between the cities of Aymavilles and Brissogne; in this area groundwater represents the main source of public water supply. The valley is oriented east-west, along the Baltea for a length of 13.1 km and a width of 4.6 km. The textural and hydrogeological properties of the deposits are strictly connected to glacial deposition and to the subsequent sedimentary processes which took place in glacial, lacustrine and fluvial systems. The study is based on available well information in the Aosta plain - including water wells (133) and piezometers (121) - which have been coded and stored in the well database TANGRAM,. The database facilitates interpretation of the well data, and it allows three-dimensional mapping of subsurface hydrogeological characteristics through database codification and ordinary kriging interpolation. The study is designed to achieve two objectives. The first is to provide the Aosta Public Authorities with a well database in order to simplify groundwater management. The second is to provide Public Authorities with a groundwater flow model of the local aquifer. The model integrates surface and subsurface flows in order to fully account for all important stresses, both natural and anthropogenic, on the groundwater system. It provides a tool for testing hypotheses (such as the impact of new wells) and thereby allows science-based management of the aquifer resource.

Download Full-text

Decision Support Tool for Offshore Wind Farm Vessel Routing under Uncertainty

Energies ◽

10.3390/en11092190 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 11 (9) ◽

pp. 2190 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Rafael Dawid ◽

David McMillan ◽

Matthew Revie

Keyword(s):

Wind Farm ◽

Real Life ◽

Synthetic Data ◽

Optimal Solution ◽

Decision Support Tool ◽

Offshore Wind ◽

Offshore Wind Farm ◽

Support Tool ◽

Trade Offs ◽

The Impact

This paper for the first time captures the impact of uncertain maintenance action times on vessel routing for realistic offshore wind farm problems. A novel methodology is presented to incorporate uncertainties, e.g., on the expected maintenance duration, into the decision-making process. Users specify the extent to which these unknown elements impact the suggested vessel routing strategy. If uncertainties are present, the tool outputs multiple vessel routing policies with varying likelihoods of success. To demonstrate the tool’s capabilities, two case studies were presented. Firstly, simulations based on synthetic data illustrate that in a scenario with uncertainties, the cost-optimal solution is not necessarily the best choice for operators. Including uncertainties when calculating the vessel routing policy led to a 14% increase in the number of wind turbines maintained at the end of the day. Secondly, the tool was applied to a real-life scenario based on an offshore wind farm in collaboration with a United Kingdom (UK) operator. The results showed that the assignment of vessels to turbines generated by the tool matched the policy chosen by wind farm operators. By producing a range of policies for consideration, this tool provided operators with a structured and transparent method to assess trade-offs and justify decisions.

Download Full-text

Risk Informed Decision-Making Framework for Operating Reservoirs Under Flooding Conditions: Accounting for Uncertainty and Risk

10.29007/v979 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Ziad Shawwash ◽

James H. Everett

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Planning Process ◽

Software Tool ◽

Decision Support Tool ◽

Informed Decision ◽

Informed Decision Making ◽

Reservoir Operations ◽

Support Tool ◽

Impact Processes ◽

Decision Making Framework

This paper presents the Risk Informed Decision-making Framework and software tool we developed that formally account for flood risk and uncertainty in reservoir operations. The framework and the software tool are intended for practical use by reservoir operations planners to manage flooding events. We present a robust and comprehensive approach that accounts for a multitude of flood risks and their impacts, and that enables its users to identify those alternative reservoir operating plans that formally adopt a state-of-the-art risk informed decision-making framework. Solidly grounded in and closely follows a well-structured planning process, the framework augments existing planning processes and information flows that incorporates specific techniques and methods from probabilistic risk analysis (PRA) and Multi-criteria Decision Analysis techniques (MCDA). Seven major hydropower companies and agencies in North America and Europe sponsored the development of the framework and the decision support tool. We present the results of a case study to illustrate the framework and the software system. We show that numerous advantages can be achieved using such tools over currently used approaches and that in the case of risky and high-impact processes, such as in the management of potentially high-consequence facilities such as storage reservoirs, management by a human operator is essential.

Download Full-text

Using a decision support tool to screen for pro-poor policies: Application of Extrapolate to smallholder dairy systems in East Africa

Proceedings of the British Society of Animal Science ◽

10.1017/s175275620000939x ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 2005 ◽

pp. 28-28

Author(s):

P. K. Thornton ◽

P. J. Thorne ◽

C. Quiros ◽

D. Sheikh ◽

R. L. Kruska ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Decision Support ◽

Poverty Reduction ◽

Intervention Mapping ◽

Decision Support Tool ◽

Target Groups ◽

Support Tool ◽

Policy Alternatives ◽

Ex Ante ◽

Policy Measures ◽

The Impact

Extrapolate (EX-ante Tool for RAnking POLicy AlTErnatives) is a decision support tool to assess the impact of policy measures on different target groups. It is designed to serve as a “filter” that, given the broad characteristics of the population, allows the user to sift through different policy measures to assess ex ante the broad potential impacts of these before deciding to look at particular policy options in more detail. Extrapolate models, in a very simple way, the impact of changes on constraints facing potential beneficiary groups, and how these may affect outcomes and their livelihood status. Extrapolate now makes use of mapping facilities from another decision-support tool, PRIMAS (Poverty Reduction Intervention Mapping in Agricultural Systems), that allows the user to match characteristics of particular technological options and constraints with the spatial characteristics of particular target groups in the landscape.

Download Full-text

Challenges Contributing to the General Aviation Weather Problem & Decision Support Systems Technology Recommendations

Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting ◽

10.1177/1541931218621401 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 62 (1) ◽

pp. 1771-1775 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Jayde King ◽

Yolanda Ortiz ◽

Beth Blickensderfer ◽

Emalee Christy

Keyword(s):

Decision Support ◽

Planning Process ◽

New Technology ◽

Decision Support Tool ◽

Meteorological Conditions ◽

General Aviation ◽

Support Tool ◽

Instrument Meteorological Conditions ◽

Decision Making Biases ◽

Aviation Weather

General Aviation (GA) weather related accidents have steadily remained the most fatal accidents and incidents in the GA flight community. The majority of these accidents involve low-experienced Visual Flight Rule (VFR) pilots, inadvertently encountering Instrument Meteorological Conditions (IMC). Previous research indicates, poor inflight weather avoidance could stem from insufficient preflight weather planning. Further investigation reveals, pilots’ face many challenges during the preflight planning process, including: poor weather product interpretation/ usability, decision making biases and errors, and inadequate aviation weather experience. However, with new technology on the rise, a preflight decision support tool may help guide novice pilots through the preflight process successfully. This paper will discuss the challenges novice pilots encounter during the preflight process and offer recommendations for applying a preflight decision support tool as a solution.

Download Full-text

The Competition Between ISPs in Presence of the Net Neutrality

International Journal of Informatics and Communication Technology (IJ-ICT) ◽

10.11591/ijict.v6i3.pp166-178 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 6 (3) ◽

pp. 166

Author(s):

Mohamed El Amrani ◽

Hamid Garmani ◽

Mohamed Baslam ◽

Rachid El Ayachi

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Service ◽

Service Providers ◽

Decision Support Tool ◽

Neutral Network ◽

Net Neutrality ◽

Internet Service ◽

Support Tool ◽

Content Provider ◽

The Impact

<p>In this work, we present an economic model of computer networks that describes the in-teraction between Internet Service Providers (ISP ), customers and content provider. The competition between ISP s may be translated by the prices they require and the qualities of service (QoS) they offer. The customer demand for service from an ISP does not only de-pend on the price and quality of service (QoS) of the ISP , but it is influenced by all those offered by its competitors. This behavior has been extensively analyzed using game the-ory as a decision support tool. We interpret a non-neutral network when a content provider privileges ISP s by offering them more bandwidth to ensure proper QoS to support ap-plications that require more data transport capacity (voice over internet protocol (V OIP ) the live video streaming, online gaming). In addition, our work focuses on the price game analysis and QoS between ISP s in two cases: neutral network and non-neutral network. After showing the existence and uniqueness of equilibrium in terms of quality of service, we analyzed the impact of net neutrality on competition between ISP s. We also validated our theoretical study with numerical results, which show that the game has an equilibrium point which depends on all the parameters of the system.</p>

Download Full-text

Clinical implementation of pharmacogenomics via a health system-wide research biobank: the University of Colorado experience

Pharmacogenomics ◽

10.2217/pgs-2020-0007 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 21 (6) ◽

pp. 375-386 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Christina L Aquilante ◽

David P Kao ◽

Katy E Trinkley ◽

Chen-Tan Lin ◽

Kristy R Crooks ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Decision Support ◽

Health System ◽

Clinical Decision Support ◽

Decision Support Tool ◽

Clinical Decision ◽

Clinical Implementation ◽

Support Tool ◽

University Of Colorado ◽

The University ◽

The Impact

In recent years, the genomics community has witnessed the growth of large research biobanks, which collect DNA samples for research purposes. Depending on how and where the samples are genotyped, biobanks also offer the potential opportunity to return actionable genomic results to the clinical setting. We developed a preemptive clinical pharmacogenomic implementation initiative via a health system-wide research biobank at the University of Colorado. Here, we describe how preemptive return of clinical pharmacogenomic results via a research biobank is feasible, particularly when coupled with strong institutional support to maximize the impact and efficiency of biobank resources, a multidisciplinary implementation team, automated clinical decision support tools, and proactive strategies to engage stakeholders early in the clinical decision support tool development process.

Download Full-text