scholarly journals Modeling and Analysis of Optimal Strategies for Leveraging Ride-Sourcing Services in Hurricane Evacuation

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 4444
Author(s):  
Ding Wang ◽  
Kaan Ozbay ◽  
Zilin Bian

In many large-scale evacuations, public agencies often have limited resources to evacuate all citizens, especially vulnerable populations such as the elderly and disabled people, and the demand for additional transportation means for evacuation can be high. The recent development of ride-sourcing companies can be leveraged in evacuations as an additional and important resource in future evacuation planning. In contrast to public transit, the availability of ride-sourcing drivers is highly dependent on the price, since surge pricing will occur when the demand is high and the supply is low. The key challenge is thus to find the balance between evacuation demand and driver supply. Based on the two-sided market theory, we propose mathematical modeling and analysis strategies that can help balance demand and supply through a pricing mechanism designed for ride-sourcing services in evacuation. A subsidy is considered in the model such that lower-income and vulnerable individuals could benefit from ride-sourcing services. A hypothetical hurricane evacuation scenario in New York City in the case study showed the feasibility of the proposed method and the applicability of subsidies for ride-sourcing services in evacuation. The methodology and results given in this research can provide useful insights for modeling on-demand ride-sourcing for future evacuation planning.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elliott H. Bussell ◽  
Nik J. Cunniffe

AbstractEpidemics can particularly threaten certain sub-populations. For example, for SARS-CoV-2, the elderly are often preferentially protected. For diseases of plants and animals, certain sub-populations can drive mitigation because they are intrinsically more valuable for ecological, economic, socio-cultural or political reasons. Here we use optimal control theory to identify strategies to optimally protect a “high value” sub-population when there is a limited budget and epidemiological uncertainty. We use protection of the Redwood National Park in California in the face of the large ongoing state-wide epidemic of sudden oak death (caused by Phytophthora ramorum) as a case study. We concentrate on whether control should be focused entirely within the National Park itself, or whether treatment of the growing epidemic in the surrounding “buffer region” can instead be more profitable. We find that, depending on rates of infection and the size of the ongoing epidemic, focusing control on the high value region is often optimal. However, priority should sometimes switch from the buffer region to the high value region only as the local outbreak grows. We characterise how the timing of any switch depends on epidemiological and logistic parameters, and test robustness to systematic misspecification of these factors due to imperfect prior knowledge.


Author(s):  
Rafael A. Gonzalez ◽  
Alexander Verbraeck ◽  
Ajantha Dahanayake

Coordinating the response of multiple public agencies to a large-scale crisis is a challenge that has been studied predominantly according to the information-processing view. In this paper, the authors extend this view with the notion of emergence giving special attention to information and communication technology (ICT). The extended framework is applied in a case study of crisis response exercises in the public sector. The findings suggest that current practices concentrate on standards and hierarchy, but mutual adjustment and emergent coordination also occur and are susceptible to analysis and equally relevant to understand coordination practices. In addition, ICT can provide information processing capabilities needed for coordination but may also create information processing needs by increasing the volume of data and the interconnectedness of responders. Applying the extended framework improves the understanding of coordination and forms the basis for its future use in designing ICT to support coordination in crisis response and e-government.


2010 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 25-44 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rafael A. Gonzalez ◽  
Alexander Verbraeck ◽  
Ajantha Dahanayake

Coordinating the response of multiple public agencies to a large-scale crisis is a challenge that has been studied predominantly according to the information-processing view. In this paper, the authors extend this view with the notion of emergence giving special attention to information and communication technology (ICT). The extended framework is applied in a case study of crisis response exercises in the public sector. The findings suggest that current practices concentrate on standards and hierarchy, but mutual adjustment and emergent coordination also occur and are susceptible to analysis and equally relevant to understand coordination practices. In addition, ICT can provide information processing capabilities needed for coordination but may also create information processing needs by increasing the volume of data and the interconnectedness of responders. Applying the extended framework improves the understanding of coordination and forms the basis for its future use in designing ICT to support coordination in crisis response and e-government.


2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 291-301 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yajian Zhang ◽  
Willie Tan

Purpose It is widely recognized that large-scale public–private partnership (PPP) projects require an effective coordination mechanism among various stakeholders throughout the project life cycle. The purpose of this paper is to provide an insight into how this may be achieved through the leading small group (LSG), which is a distinctive informal Chinese institution for coordination among various public agencies. Design/methodology/approach An in-depth case study using secondary data and five in-depth interviews with two staff members from the developer and three government officials involved is used to probe into how the LSG functions during the various development phases of the Yangzhou Teda Waste-to-Energy project. Findings The main finding is that, conditional on its capacity, the LSG coordinated various public agencies to promote fast project implementation and ensure its smooth operation by making high-level decisions, facilitating quick permits and approvals, and mitigating the risks. However, formalization and participation from other stakeholders are needed to ensure good governance. Research limitations/implications Because it is an exploratory case study, the findings cannot be readily generalized. Further research can be done to compare the performance of LSGs in different Chinese cities and PPP projects. Practical implications It is supposed that this paper can provide implications of designing effective coordination mechanisms for managing large-scale PPP projects. Originality/value This paper provides an account of the LSG as a distinctive Chinese coordination mechanism that has been rarely studied.


Transport ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 208-215 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rifat Akbiyikli ◽  
Seyyit Umit Dikmen ◽  
David Eaton

The necessity of funds for investment in capital intensive public projects has pushed public agencies to search for new procurement alternatives. Thus, in the early 1980s, the idea of private finance initiative (PFI) as a method of financing large-scale, capital intensive projects emerged in Australia. The method is aimed at resolving the shortage of public funds for major investments through the funding capability of private entities. Later, the method was widely used by other governments with the same name or different names such as BOT (build-operate-transfer) in the countries having different legal structures. This paper describes the mechanism of PFI used by the UK Government and evaluates three case studies in achieving the essential characteristics of adequate risk transfer and value for money to the taxpayer. Santrauka Fondų poreikis investuoti į intensyvaus kapitalo viešuosius projektus pastūmėjo viešąsias įstaigas ieškoti naujų turto įsigijimo alternatyvų. Dar praeito amžiaus devintajame dešimtmetyje Australijoje atsirado būdas finansuoti didžiulius, daug kapitalo reikalaujančius projektus – privataus finansavimo iniciatyvos idėja. Šiuo metodu siekiama išspręsti viešųjų lėšų trūkumo problemą, daugeliu atvejų skiriant lėšas iš privačių organizacijų fondų. Vėliau minėtąjį metodą plačiai taikė kitų šalių su skirtingomis teisinėmis struktūromis vyriausybės. Straipsnyje paaiškinamas privataus finansavimo iniciatyvos mechanizmas, kurį taiko Jungtinės Karalystės vyriausybė ir įvertinami trijų atliktų tyrimų rezultatai, pateikiamos pagrindinės charakteristikos. Резюме Потребность в фондах для инвестирования капитала в общественные проекты привела к тому, что общественные учреждения вынуждены искать новые альтернативы для приобретения имущества. Еще в 80-е годы прошлого столетия в Австралии родилась идея, как финансировать глобальные проекты, требующие большого количества средств, – так называемая идея частного финансирования. Этот способ позволяет решить проблему нехватки общественных средств, при этом средства выделяются из фондов частных организаций. Позже упомянутый способ широко использовался правительствами разных стран с разными правовыми структурами. В статье объясняется механизм инициативы частного финансирования. Данный механизм используется правительством Великобритании, в нем сочетаются результаты трех проведенных исследований, характеристики которых представлены в статье.


2021 ◽  
pp. 211-217
Author(s):  
Michikazu Hiramatsu ◽  
Hideto Ohta

AbstractImmediately after the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake in 1995 and the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011, pneumonia outbreak among the elderly increased the rate of fatalities. What caused this? To use lessons learned during the large-scale disaster, specialists concerned with the field of dentistry began to take action using new perspectives. Consequently, they noticed the importance of giving care to the entire oral cavity as well as the teeth. Based on reports from a dentist and a dental hygienist who tackled the oral care of the Kumamoto Earthquake victims in 2016, their methods of effective health care following a disaster is presented in this paper. We also propose a preventative medical activity that can be conducted sustainably for anyone, not just medical personnel.


Author(s):  
Gregor Lämmel ◽  
Mohcine Chraibi ◽  
Armel Ulrich Kemloh Wagoum ◽  
Bernhard Steffen

Author(s):  
Benjamin Roche ◽  
Andres Garchitorena ◽  
David Roiz

AbstractDue to the COVID-19 pandemic, many countries have implemented a complete lockdown of their population that may not be sustainable for long. To identify the best strategy to replace this full lockdown, sophisticated models that rely on mobility data have been developed. In this study, using the example of France as a case-study, we develop a simple model considering contacts between age classes to derive the general impact of partial lockdown strategies targeted at specific age groups. We found that epidemic suppression can only be achieved by targeting isolation of young and middle age groups with high efficiency. All other strategies tested result in a flatter epidemic curve, with outcomes in (e.g. mortality and health system over-capacity) dependent of the age groups targeted and the isolation efficiency. Targeting only the elderly can decrease the expected mortality burden, but in proportions lower than more integrative strategies involving several age groups. While not aiming to provide quantitative forecasts, our study shows the benefits and constraints of different partial lockdown strategies, which could help guide decision-making.


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