Effective Safety Improvements Through Low-Cost Treatments

2000 ◽  
Vol 1734 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tapan K. Datta ◽  
David Feber ◽  
Kerrie Schattler ◽  
Sue Datta
Keyword(s):  
Traffic Control ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Joint Venture ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Evaluation Study ◽  
Traffic Crashes ◽  
Traffic Crash ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Before And After ◽  
The City

A vast majority of traffic crashes in urban areas occur at signalized intersections. Roadway geometry, traffic control, adjacent land uses, and environmental factors at intersections often contribute to the high incidence of traffic crashes and injuries. A public-private partnership project to identify high-crash and high-risk locations in the city of Detroit was initiated in 1996. Eighteen candidate sites were selected, and an extensive engineering study was conducted to develop countermeasures to help alleviate the traffic crash problem at the selected sites. The Automobile Association of America, Michigan, was the private partner in this joint venture and, in partnership with the city of Detroit, was a major contributor to covering the cost of improvements. The selection of countermeasures was based on state-of-the-art methodology and analysis, and implementation of the selected countermeasures at some of the sites was undertaken as the initial phase of the project. A comprehensive before-and-after evaluation study was performed at three of the improved sites. The study revealed that the safety improvements that were implemented lowered both crash and severity experience. The differences between the before and after crash frequencies proved to be statistically significant. Additionally, a benefit-cost analysis at the study locations indicated extraordinary results. This research presents the evaluation study results and discusses the countermeasures and improvements that were the most successful in mitigating traffic crash problems at the selected study locations.

scholarly journals Understanding Spatial Variability of NO2 in Urban Areas Using Spatial Modelling and Data Fusion Approaches

Atmosphere ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 179
Author(s):  
Said Munir ◽  
Martin Mayfield ◽  
Daniel Coca
Keyword(s):  
Data Fusion ◽  
Spatial Variability ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Road Traffic ◽  
Dispersion Model ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Spatial Modelling ◽  
City Centre ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
The City

Small-scale spatial variability in NO2 concentrations is analysed with the help of pollution maps. Maps of NO2 estimated by the Airviro dispersion model and land use regression (LUR) model are fused with measured NO2 concentrations from low-cost sensors (LCS), reference sensors and diffusion tubes. In this study, geostatistical universal kriging was employed for fusing (integrating) model estimations with measured NO2 concentrations. The results showed that the data fusion approach was capable of estimating realistic NO2 concentration maps that inherited spatial patterns of the pollutant from the model estimations and adjusted the modelled values using the measured concentrations. Maps produced by the fusion of NO2-LCS with NO2-LUR produced better results, with r-value 0.96 and RMSE 9.09. Data fusion adds value to both measured and estimated concentrations: the measured data are improved by predicting spatiotemporal gaps, whereas the modelled data are improved by constraining them with observed data. Hotspots of NO2 were shown in the city centre, eastern parts of the city towards the motorway (M1) and on some major roads. Air quality standards were exceeded at several locations in Sheffield, where annual mean NO2 levels were higher than 40 µg/m3. Road traffic was considered to be the dominant emission source of NO2 in Sheffield.

scholarly journals STUDY ON URBAN RESIDUAL SPACE AS SOLUTIONS REVIEW FOR AREA PROBLEMS

SINERGI ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 245
Author(s):  
Diana Ayudya ◽  
Mona Anggiani
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Open Space ◽  
Social Conditions ◽  
Urban Spaces ◽  
Vacant Land ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Spatial Use ◽  
Residual Space ◽  
Density Irregularity ◽  
The City

In cities, spaces were intentionally formed, planned, or unintentionally unplanned. Unlike planned spaces, unplanned spaces in urban areas eventually tend to cause problems for the area. These spaces were referred to as residual spaces, which were generally vacant land or open space in various urban spaces. Urban residual space was also commonly found in tertiary activity centers in big cities like Jakarta, one of which was in the trade and service area of the city. Residual space in such areas grew and developed due to dense activity within the area, resulting building density, irregularity in some spatial use and environmental degradation. Due such conditions, several questions are significant to be raised.  What are the typology, utilization, and its impacts on the area? Did it only cause a problem, or could it be a solution to problems within the area? This study aimed to examine the typology of residual space based on the shape, location, utilization, and impact of trade and service activities in South Jakarta, Kebayoran Lama area. The proposed approach used was a qualitative study of the residual spaces in predetermined trade and commercial areas. The study results of the physical, spatial, visual, and social conditions of urban residual space were explained descriptively to get a picture of the characteristics of the form, location, utilization, and impact on the area.

scholarly journals Spectral Analysis of Traffic Functions in Urban Areas

2015 ◽  
Vol 27 (6) ◽  
pp. 477-484 ◽  
Author(s):  
Florin Nemtanu ◽  
Ilona Madalina Costea ◽  
Catalin Dumitrescu
Keyword(s):  
Spectral Analysis ◽  
Fourier Transform ◽  
Fourier Analysis ◽  
Traffic Flow ◽  
Traffic Control ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Urban Traffic ◽  
The Fourier Transform ◽  
The City ◽  
Different Time Scales

The paper is focused on the Fourier transform application in urban traffic analysis and the use of said transform in traffic decomposition. The traffic function is defined as traffic flow generated by different categories of traffic participants. A Fourier analysis was elaborated in terms of identifying the main traffic function components, called traffic sub-functions. This paper presents the results of the method being applied in a real case situation, that is, an intersection in the city of Bucharest where the effect of a bus line was analysed. The analysis was done using different time scales, while three different traffic functions were defined to demonstrate the theoretical effect of the proposed method of analysis. An extension of the method is proposed to be applied in urban areas, especially in the areas covered by predictive traffic control.

scholarly journals Abandoned Farmland Location in Areas Affected by Rapid Urbanization Using Textural Characterization of High Resolution Aerial Imagery

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 191 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan José Ruiz-Lendínez
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Spatial Information ◽  
Arable Land ◽  
Aerial Imagery ◽  
Rapid Urbanization ◽  
Abandoned Farmland ◽  
Textural Characterization ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Abandoned Land ◽  
The City

Several studies have demonstrated that farmland abandonment occurs not only in rural areas, but is also closely interlinked with urbanization processes. Therefore, the location of abandoned land and the registration of the spatial information referring to it play important roles in urban land management. However, mapping abandoned land or land in the process of abandonment is not an easy task because the limits between the different land uses are not clear and precise. It is therefore necessary to develop methods that allow estimating and mapping this type of land as accurately as possible. As an alternative to other geomatics methods such as satellite remote sensing, our approach proposes a framework for automatically locating abandoned farmland in urban landscapes using the textural characterization and segmentation of aerial imagery. Using the city of Poznań (Poland) as a case study, results demonstrated the feasibility of applying our approach, reducing processing time and workforce resources. Specifically and by comparing the results obtained with the data provided by CORINE Land Cover, 2275 ha (40.3%) of arable land within the city limits were abandoned, and the area of abandoned arable land was almost 9.2% of the city’s area. Finally, the reliability of the proposed methodology was assessed from two different focuses: (i) the accuracy of the segmentation results (from a positional point of view) and (ii) the efficiency of locating abandoned land (as a specific type of land use) in urban areas particularly affected by rapid urbanization.

scholarly journals A Multidimensional Internet of Things Testbed System: Development and Evaluation

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-17
Author(s):  
Ibrahim S. Alsukayti
Keyword(s):  
Internet Of Things ◽  
Technology Acceptance ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
System Development ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Evaluation Study ◽  
General Purpose ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Software Modules ◽  
Acceptance Model

The technological breakthrough of the Internet of Things (IoT) drives the emergence of a wide scope of smart IoT solutions in different domains. Advancing the different technological aspects of these solutions requires effective IoT implementations and experimentations. This is widely addressed following low-cost and scalable methods such as analytical modeling and simulation. However, such methods are limited in capturing physical characteristics and network conditions in a realistic manner. Therefore, this paper presents an innovative IoT testbed system which facilitates practical experimentation of different IoT solutions in an effective environment. The testbed design was developed towards a general-purpose multidimensional support of different IoT properties including sensing, communication, gateway, energy management, data processing, and security. The implementation of the testbed was realized based on integrating a set of robust hardware components and developing a number of software modules. To illustrate its effectiveness, the testbed was utilized to experiment with energy efficiency of selected IoT communication technologies. This resulted in lower energy consumption using the Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) technology compared to the Zigbee and 6LoWPAN technologies. A further evaluation study of the system was carried out following the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). As the study results indicated, the system provides a simple yet efficient platform for conducting practical IoT experiments. It also had positive impact on users’ behavior and attitude toward IoT experimentation.

Smart Cities and Digital Governance

2020 ◽  
pp. 87-106
Author(s):  
Mamoona Humayun ◽  
N. Z. Jhanjhi ◽  
Malak Z. Alamri ◽  
Azeem Khan
Keyword(s):  
Smart City ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Good Governance ◽  
Smart Cities ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Digital Governance ◽  
Smart Governance ◽  
Intelligent Security ◽  
The City

With the ubiquitous low-cost sensor devices and widespread use of IoT, the paradigm is shifted from urban areas towards a smart city. A smart city is an urban area that uses IoT technologies to collect data and manage resources efficiently. The vision is to improve the capabilities and to solve the citizens' problems (e.g., energy consumption, transportation, recycling, intelligent security, etc.) in an efficient way. A smart city is a multidimensional term including a smart economy, smart mobility, smart living, smart environment, smart people, and smart governance. Although the concept of a smart city is increasing and currently there exist many such cities in many developed countries, one of the key challenges faced by these cities is good governance. Smart cities need smart governance to run the city in a smarter way, and effective digital governance is a solution to this end. Digital governance refers to the use of digital technology in government practices.

Assessment of heterogenity of air pollution within an urban canopy

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vivien Voss ◽  
K. Heinke Schlünzen ◽  
David Grawe
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Citizen Science ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Hot Spot ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Urban Canopy ◽  
Limit Values ◽  
Data Standard ◽  
The City

<p>Air pollution is an important topic within urban areas.  Limit values as given in the European Guidelines are introduced to reduce negative effects on humans and vegetation.  Exceedances of the limit values are to be assessed using measurements.  In case of found exceedances of the limit values, the local authorities need to act to reduce pollution levels. Highest values are found for several pollutants (NOx, NO2, particles) within densely build-up urban areas with traffic emissions being the major source and dispersion being very much impacted by the urban structures.  The quality assured measuring network used by the authorities is often too coarse to determine the heterogeneity in the concentration field. Low cost sample devices as employed in several citizen science projects might help to overcome the data sparsity. Volunteers measure the air quality at many sites, contribute to the measurement networks and provide the data on the web. However, the questions arising are: a) Are these data of sufficient high quality to provide results comparable to those of the quality assured networks? b) Is the network density sufficient to determine concentration patterns within the urban canopy layer? <br>One-year data from a citizen science network, which measures particulate matter (PM10, PM2.5) were compared to measurements provided by the local environmental agency, using two hot-spot areas in the city of Hamburg as an example. To determine how well the measurements agree with each other, a regression analyses was performed dependent on seasonal and diurnal cycles. Additionally, model simulations with the microscale obstacle resolving model MITRAS were performed for two characteristic building structures and different meteorological situations. The model results were used to determine local hot spots as well as areas where measurements might represent the concentration of particles for the urban quarter. The low cost sensor measurements show a general agreement to the city’s measurements, however, the values per sensor differ. Moreover, the measurements of the low-cost-sensor show an unrealistic dependence on relative humidity, resulting in over- or underestimations in certain cases. The model results clearly show that only a few sites allow measurements to be representative for a city quarter. The measurements of the citizen science project can provide a good overview about the tendencies of the air quality, but are currently not of sufficient quality to provide measurements calling for legal action.</p><p>The model results were used for the project AtMoDat. AtMoDat is an attempt to create a data standard for obstacle resolving models based on the existing Climate and Forecast (CF) conventions. A web-based survey is developed to get information on the requirements for the data standard. The next step is to extend the collection of model characteristics and eventually to provide a generic scheme.</p><p><strong>Acknowledgements</strong><br>This work contributes to project “AtMoDat” funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research under the funding number 16QK02C. Responsibility for the content of this publication lies with the authors.</p>

scholarly journals Impact of educational lectures on female adolescents’ knowledge about sexually transmitted diseases and cervical cancer in the city of Jundiaí, SP

2010 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 285-290
Author(s):  
João Bosco Ramos Borges ◽  
Marcus Vinícus Gonçalves Belintani ◽  
Patrícia Frodl Miranda ◽  
Ana Carolina Marchesini de Camargo ◽  
Renata Guarisi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cervical Cancer ◽  
Sexually Transmitted Diseases ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Female Adolescents ◽  
Public Health Services ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Sexually Transmitted ◽  
Before And After ◽  
The City

ABSTRACT Objective: To evaluate the knowledge of adolescents living in Vila Ana and Morada das Vinhas region, in the city of Jundiaí, State of São Paulo, Brazil, on prevention and diagnosis of the main sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and on cervical cancer, as well as the immediate impact of educational lectures. Methods: A prospective cross-sectional study was performed to assess the knowledge of a particular group of female adolescents about STDs and cervical cancer, by means of a questionnaire applied before and after educational lectures. Results: After the lecture, there was an increased number of correct answers about sexual education, knowledge about HPV (44%), and prevention of cervical cancer (22%). Conclusion: The adolescents in our study had little knowledge about STDs and cervical cancer, but educative lectures could change this reality at a low cost to Public Health services.

scholarly journals Pilot Implementation of Public Transport Priority in the City of Zagreb

2015 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 257-265 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miroslav Vujić ◽  
Sadko Mandzuka ◽  
Martin Greguric
Keyword(s):  
Public Transport ◽  
Traffic Control ◽  
Traffic Congestion ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Urban Traffic ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Traffic Demand ◽  
Public Transport System ◽  
Adaptive Traffic Control ◽  
The City

The problem with traffic congestion is particularly expressed in urban areas where possibilities for physical increment of capacity are limited or impossible. Significant in the approach to solving this problem is the usage of Public Transport (PT) and the implementation of various advanced control measures that can improve the quality of overall public transport system. The main objective of this research is to explore the possibilities of implementation of adaptive traffic control on signalized intersections giving priority to public transport vehicles through urban traffic network in the city of Zagreb. The possibilities of implementing public transport priority (PTP) technique in the city of Zagreb are analyzed because of specific traffic situations on defined corridors (location of stops, distance between intersections, etc.). With proper usage of PTP techniques (e.g. adequate detector positions, good estimation of PT vehicle arrival time at intersection) the total tram travel time can be significantly reduced. The Level of Service at intersection may be approximately retained because cross-street traffic demand was not ignored. According to technological level of traffic control system in the city of Zagreb, global implementation of PTP is not possible. So, for each intersection the PTP algorithm was developed separately, but mutual traffic influence of all intersections on the corridor was considered. The cooperative concept application within urban traffic control is considered as well.

scholarly journals Study on Semantic Contrast Evaluation Based on Vector and Raster Data Patch Generalization

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jun Yang ◽  
Yuechen Li ◽  
Jianchao Xi ◽  
Chuang Li ◽  
Fuding Xie
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Evaluation Study ◽  
Vector Data ◽  
Raster Data ◽  
Semantic Consistency ◽  
Land Type ◽  
Semantic Completeness ◽  
Land Use Types ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Before And After

We used buffer superposition, Delaunay triangulation skeleton line, and other methods to achieve the aggregation and amalgamation of the vector data, adopted the method of combining mathematical morphology and cellular automata to achieve the patch generalization of the raster data, and selected the two evaluation elements (namely, semantic consistency and semantic completeness) from the semantic perspective to conduct the contrast evaluation study on the generalization results from the two levels, respectively, namely, land type and map. The study results show that: (1) before and after the generalization, it is easier for the vector data to guarantee the area balance of the patch; the raster data’s aggregation of the small patch is more obvious. (2) Analyzing from the scale of the land type, most of the land use types of the two kinds of generalization result’s semantic consistency is above 0.6; the semantic completeness of all types of land use in raster data is relatively low. (3) Analyzing from the scale of map, the semantic consistency of the generalization results for the two kinds of data is close to 1, while, in the aspect of semantic completeness, the land type deletion situation of the raster data generalization result is more serious.

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