scholarly journals Traffic Congestion Management as a Learning Agent Coordination Problem

2009 ◽  
pp. 261-279 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kagan Tumer ◽  
Zachary T. Welch ◽  
Adrian Agogino
Keyword(s):  
Traffic Congestion ◽  
Traffic Management ◽  
Congestion Management ◽  
System Level ◽  
Multi Agent Systems ◽  
Coordination Problem ◽  
Learning Agent ◽  
Reward Functions ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Impact

Traffic management problems provide a unique environment to study how multi-agent systems promote desired system level behavior. In particular, they represent a special class of problems where the individual actions of the agents are neither intrinsically “good” nor “bad” for the system. Instead, it is the combinations of actions among agents that lead to desirable or undesirable outcomes. As a consequence, agents need to learn how to coordinate their actions with those of other agents, rather than learn a particular set of “good” actions. In this chapter, the authors focus on problems where there is no communication among the drivers, which puts the burden of coordination on the principled selection of the agent reward functions. They explore the impact of agent reward functions on two types of traffic problems. In the first problem, the authors study how agents learn the best departure times in a daily commuting environment and how following those departure times alleviates congestion. In the second problem, the authors study how agents learn to select desirable lanes to improve traffic flow and minimize delays for all drivers. In both cases, they focus on having an agent select the most suitable action for each driver using reinforcement learning, and explore the impact of different reward functions on system behavior. Their results show that agent rewards that are both aligned with and sensitive to, the system reward lead to significantly better results than purely local or global agent rewards. They conclude this chapter by discussing how changing the way in which the system performance is measured affects the relative performance of these rewards functions, and how agent rewards derived for one setting (timely arrivals) can be modified to meet a new system setting (maximize throughput).

scholarly journals Road Traffic Congestion Management Based on a Search-Allocation Approach

2017 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jamal Raiyn
Keyword(s):  
Travel Time ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Traffic Congestion ◽  
Traffic Management ◽  
Road Traffic ◽  
Smart Cities ◽  
Self Regulation ◽  
Congestion Management ◽  
Shortest Route ◽  
Road Traffic Congestion

Abstract This paper introduces a new scheme for road traffic management in smart cities, aimed at reducing road traffic congestion. The scheme is based on a combination of searching, updating, and allocation techniques (SUA). An SUA approach is proposed to reduce the processing time for forecasting the conditions of all road sections in real-time, which is typically considerable and complex. It searches for the shortest route based on historical observations, then computes travel time forecasts based on vehicular location in real-time. Using updated information, which includes travel time forecasts and accident forecasts, the vehicle is allocated the appropriate section. The novelty of the SUA scheme lies in its updating of vehicles in every time to reduce traffic congestion. Furthermore, the SUA approach supports autonomy and management by self-regulation, which recommends its use in smart cities that support internet of things (IoT) technologies.

VP07 Collaboratively Modelling The Impact Of Interventions Retrospectively

2017 ◽  
Vol 33 (S1) ◽  
pp. 149-149
Author(s):  
Gordon Bache ◽  
Sukh Tatla ◽  
Deborah Simpson
Keyword(s):  
Real World ◽  
Real Data ◽  
System Level ◽  
Local Data ◽  
Real World Data ◽  
Total Saving ◽  
Retrospective Assessment ◽  
Administration Time ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Impact

INTRODUCTION:A conventional approach to communicating value is to model the budget impact of a medicine and the associated formulations in which it is available to be prescribed. However, such an approach does not demonstrate the actual realization of the proposed impact. This abstract outlines an approach to presenting retrospective data back to healthcare professionals (HCP) that blends assumptions and real-world data. For illustrative purposes, we present the results of an application of the model for subcutaneously delivered trastuzumab in an anonymized trust in Yorkshire and Humber.METHODS:The authors developed a model that examined one calendar year (from April 2014) of redistributed sales data for both the intravenous and subcutaneous formulations of trastuzumab for every National Health Service (NHS) trust in England. A series of baseline assumptions (1) were used to model the resource impact of different formulations such as chair time, HCP time, pharmacy preparation time, consumables, wastage, and other considerations. Impacts were estimated at the individual attendance level and scaled to the caseload. These baseline assumptions could then be overwritten by the individual trust using local data.RESULTS:The site delivered approximately 985 doses of subcutaneous trastuzumab over a period of 12 months from April 2014, which represented about 76 percent of the total number of doses delivered. Chair time is estimated to have reduced by 22 minutes per attendance, resulting in a total saving of 361hours. HCP administration time is estimated to have reduced by 23 minutes per attendance, resulting in a total saving of 378 hours based on changing 985 IV doses to SC therapy.CONCLUSIONS:Blending real data and assumptions to provide a retrospective assessment of actual benefits realized back to HCPs is a powerful tool for demonstrating real-world value at both an individual trust and system level.

scholarly journals Weather Impact on Airport Performance

Aerospace ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 109 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Schultz ◽  
Sandro Lorenz ◽  
Reinhard Schmitz ◽  
Luis Delgado
Keyword(s):  
Traffic Management ◽  
Probability Distributions ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Air Traffic ◽  
Weather Data ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Airport Capacity ◽  
Weather Events ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Impact

Weather events have a significant impact on airport performance and cause delayed operations if the airport capacity is constrained. We provide quantification of the individual airport performance with regards to an aggregated weather-performance metric. Specific weather phenomena are categorized by the air traffic management airport performance weather algorithm, which aims to quantify weather conditions at airports based on aviation routine meteorological reports. Our results are computed from a data set of 20.5 million European flights of 2013 and local weather data. A methodology is presented to evaluate the impact of weather events on the airport performance and to select the appropriate threshold for significant weather conditions. To provide an efficient method to capture the impact of weather, we modelled departing and arrival delays with probability distributions, which depend on airport size and meteorological impacts. These derived airport performance scores could be used in comprehensive air traffic network simulations to evaluate the network impact caused by weather induced local performance deterioration.

scholarly journals Velocity Obstacles and Emergent Rules-of-the-Air for Autonomous Drone Traffic Management

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
William Bonnell ◽  
R. Eddie Wilson
Keyword(s):  
Traffic Management ◽  
Swarm Robotics ◽  
Mean Transit Time ◽  
Conflict Avoidance ◽  
Multi Agent Systems ◽  
Agent Systems ◽  
Avoidance Behaviors ◽  
Multi Agent ◽  
The Mean ◽  
The Impact

As the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) becomes ever more widespread there is a growing need to develop traffic management and flight rules, in particular for autonomous UAVs or where the predicted traffic densities far exceed those of traditional manned aviation. Inspired by the current rules of the air and multi-agent systems (e.g., pedestrians and swarm robotics) we outline a set of flight rules for autonomous UAVs that consist of waypoint following and conflict avoidance schemes. These flight rules are then explored in small,pairwise simulations and thus refined to allow a UAV to choose from three potential avoidance behaviors based on it and its neighbors velocities and positions. Finally we compare the original and modified flight rules in larger scale simulations modelling two streams of UAV traffic crossing at a point. We show that the modified rules significantly reduce the mean transit time by reducing the impact of UAVs avoiding other UAVs from the same stream.

scholarly journals Assessing the Causes & Impacts of Traffic Congestion on the Society, Economy and Individual: A Case of Mauritius as an Emerging Economy

2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 230-242 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lomendra Vencataya ◽  
Sharmila Pudaruth ◽  
Ganess Dirpal ◽  
Vandisha Narain
Keyword(s):  
Traffic Congestion ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Transportation Systems ◽  
Worker Productivity ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Economic Progress ◽  
Convenience Sampling ◽  
Spss Software ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Mauritius has undergone massive developments during the past several years. However, along with economic progress, these developments have also been the cause of trouble for the Mauritian population as they have worsened the problem of traffic congestion. Providing state-of-the-art transportation systems is thus crucial for the proper functioning of the Mauritian economy and society. Hence, the paper explores the repercussions that traffic congestion has on the society, economy, and individual. Also, the paper seeks to examine the impact of traffic congestion on several aspects, such as worker productivity, economic growth, commuter health and safety, travel reliability, and the environment. Questionnaires have been helpful tools in obtaining quantitative data. A sample of 100 respondents, consisting of people travelling to and from Ebene and Port Louis on a daily or regular basis, was selected using convenience sampling. The data obtained were then analysed through the SPSS software. Results indicated that traffic congestion negatively impacted on various aspects of the society and economy. The study has depicted that the respondents have affirmed that traffic congestion has an adverse effect on the society, the economy, and the individual. The paper discusses important practical issues relating to traffic congestion in Mauritius, its sources and its effects on the society, the economy, and the individual. Thus, it provides insights to the Mauritian Government and policy-makers on the ways in which they can measure traffic congestion, manage traffic more effectively, adopt appropriate policies, and invest in infrastructural projects. This paper is apt, original, and a must-read as it discusses such issues as traffic congestion, its roots, and its repercussions on the Mauritian society, economy, and individual.

scholarly journals Evaluation of Communication Infrastructures for Distributed Optimization of Virtual Power Plant Schedules

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (5) ◽  
pp. 1226
Author(s):  
Frauke Oest ◽  
Malin Radtke ◽  
Marita Blank-Babazadeh ◽  
Stefanie Holly ◽  
Sebastian Lehnhoff
Keyword(s):  
Power Plants ◽  
Distributed Optimization ◽  
Congestion Management ◽  
Renewable Energy Resources ◽  
Ancillary Service ◽  
Multi Agent Systems ◽  
Virtual Power ◽  
Communication Infrastructure ◽  
Virtual Power Plants ◽  
The Impact

With the transition towards renewable energy resources, the impact of small distributed generators (DGs) increases, leading to the need to actively stabilize distribution grids. DGs may be organized in virtual power plants (VPPs), where DGs’ schedules must be coordinated to enable the VPP to act as a single plant. One approach to solving this problem is using multi-agent systems (MAS) to offer autonomous, robust, and flexible control methods. The coordination of such systems requires communication between agents. The time required for this depends on communication characteristics, determined by the underlying communication infrastructure. In this paper, we investigate communication influences for the wireless technologies CDMA450 and LTE Advanced on the fully distributed optimization heuristic COHDA, which is used to perform optimized scheduling for a VPP. The use case under consideration is the adaptation of schedules to provide flexibility for regional congestion management for delivery on a regionalized ancillary service market (rAS). We investigate the scalability of the VPP and the effects of disturbances in the communication infrastructure. The results show that the optimization duration of COHDA can be influenced by the underlying communication infrastructure and that this optimization method is applicable to a limited extent for product delivery of rASs.

Integrated Multi-Agent Coordination

2010 ◽  
pp. 41-63
Author(s):  
Wei Chen ◽  
Keith S. Decker
Keyword(s):  
System Level ◽  
Multi Agent Systems ◽  
Coordination Problem ◽  
Planning And Scheduling ◽  
Planning Approach ◽  
Multi Agent ◽  
Task Networks ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Agent Coordination ◽  
Task Structures

Planning and scheduling have been a key topic in both Operations Research and Multi-Agent Systems. Most approaches are concentrated at an abstract system level on developing interaction protocols to be imposed on agents. There has been less concern about how the internal task structures of individual agents affect these higher-level coordination behaviors. Collaborative multi-agent planning addresses problems like uncertainty in plan outcomes, anticipating likely contingencies, and evaluating how agent actions achieve worth-oriented goals. This article presents extensions and restrictions, called extended hierarchical task networks (EHTN), to the traditional plan and schedule representations that allow the formal definition of an integrated multi-agent coordination problem. This chapter discusses open issues in multi-agent coordination (e.g. what to coordinate among agents, how much information to be exchanged, how to evaluate a planning approach) and proposes a general solution towards successful distributed goal achievement by analyzing the task structures of participating agents.

Does training change practice? A survey of clinicians and managers one year after training in trauma-informed care

2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 188-198 ◽  
Author(s):  
Theresa Maureen Williams ◽  
Geoffrey Paul Smith
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Behaviour Change ◽  
System Level ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Trauma Informed Care ◽  
Trauma Informed ◽  
One Year ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Drug And Alcohol

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to describe the impact of a trauma-informed care (TIC) training programme on practice at the individual and workplace level in mental health and drug and alcohol services and to examine the implications of using training alone as a strategy for achieving system-level practice change. Design/methodology/approach A total of 271 clinicians and managers from public mental health and drug and alcohol services in Western Australia who had undertaken TIC training were invited to complete an on-line survey 12 months after training. Individual survey items were based on a five-point Likert scale with opportunity being provided for additional comments from respondents. Findings One year post-training, both clinicians and managers reported that training had increased their awareness and knowledge and had a positive impact on their attitudes towards TIC. Clinicians reported a moderate impact on their individual practice and both groups reported very limited success in bringing about change in their workplaces. Workforce development and organisational factors were identified by both clinicians and managers as being barriers to implementation. Research limitations/implications Only 30 per cent of the training participants responded to the survey and it is not possible to determine whether they differed from non-respondents. Findings were based on a self-report survey with no objective measure of behaviour change. Originality/value This “naturalistic” study examines the longer-term impact of training, from the perspective of clinicians and managers, on changing practice at the individual clinician and workplace level. It highlights the critical importance of understanding and addressing contextual factors where collective, coordinated behaviour change is needed in order to effect organisational change.

Human Factoring Healthcare

2014 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 191-195 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristen Miller ◽  
Tandi Bagian ◽  
Linda Williams
Keyword(s):  
Patient Safety ◽  
Adverse Events ◽  
Human Factors ◽  
Human Error ◽  
System Level ◽  
Department Of Veterans Affairs ◽  
Just Culture ◽  
Safe Patient Care ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Impact

Even in a just culture, preventable or avoidable adverse events can often be attributed to a failure to follow recognized, evidence-based best practices or guidelines at the individual and/or system level. Investigations of adverse events have heightened the awareness of the need to redesign systems and processes to prevent human error. Despite the existence of considerable information about how to improve care through the application of human factors, healthcare professionals are not provided a means to ensure sufficient education in healthcare human factors and the impact on patient safety. Additionally, even when existing knowledge is taught, providers are challenged to translate and apply knowledge to affect safe patient care. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) National Center for Patient Safety (NCPS) Healthcare Human Factors Modules were designed to address these challenges by combining dissemination of existing knowledge and recent research into accessible, hands-on activities that drive home human factors and patient safety competencies. These modules represent an innovative and engaging way to allow providers and administrators alike the ability to advance the shift to systems thinking through high-impact education.

scholarly journals Student engagement, non-completion and pedagogy: Development of a measurement tool

2017 ◽  
Vol 61 (1) ◽  
pp. 40-53 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicky Dulfer ◽  
Suzanne Rice ◽  
Kira Clarke
Keyword(s):  
Student Engagement ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Career Guidance ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
System Level ◽  
Dropping Out ◽  
Measurement Tool ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Impact

A significant body of research documents the negative consequences of dropping out of school for both the individual and society. In attempting to respond to the problem of early school leaving, schools and systems internationally have put in place a range of system-level and local responses such as mentoring, targeted additional career guidance and homework clubs. Unfortunately, these ‘add-ons’ often stop outside the classroom door, and do not consider the impact of teaching practices on students’ engagement in school and their decisions to remain or leave. This article reports on the development of instruments aimed at measuring four constructs that have been shown to be related to student engagement and school completion, namely competence, autonomy, relatedness and an appreciation of subject relevance. Analyses of data from a small sample of Year 9 students ( N = 48) in two Australian secondary schools indicated that, with some adjustments, the research instruments developed provided reliable and valid measures of the four constructs for use in large-scale research with students.

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