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Publications

Publications by Teresa Galvão

2016

Application of collaborative information exchange in urban public transport: the Seamless Mobility solution

Authors
Costa, PM; Fontes, T; Nunes, AA; Ferreira, MC; Costa, V; Dias, TG; Borges, JL; Falcao e Cunha, JFE;

Publication
TRANSPORT RESEARCH ARENA TRA2016

Abstract
Contemporary urban transportation networks are facing challenges to address the growing needs of mobility, all the while improving their economic gains and environmental sustainability. Several studies demonstrate that competitive alternatives to individual private transport are able to address these challenges, such as public transportation services. Thus, the need for optimising their operational efficiency and offer user-centric service delivery arises, with a range of challenges related to the inherent complexity of urban transportation networks as well as the range of dynamic elements involved in such systems. An innovative approach to this problem leverages personal mobile devices in combination with collaborative exchange of information. In this study a system was developed to combine information provided by travellers with data from public transport operators. The result is a rich model of the transportation network that enables the distribution of information in a personalized way and in real-time: the Seamless Mobility solution. Large-scale and expensive infrastructures, such as existing ticketing systems, constitute a threat to such flexibility and traveller access to services. As a result, a distributed architecture was targeted with the goal of integrating personal mobile devices in the infrastructure, with benefits for travellers and transport operators. The proposed solution integrates a broad scope of challenges, including application of secure mobile payments methods, data aggregation from different components and distribution based on relevance techniques. With the implementation of this solution we expect to positively impact the way travellers and transport operators interact, and contribute towards mobility services that are more agile and adequate, taking into account that mobility patterns vary from person to person, seasonally, and even throughout a day. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.

2015

How to Encourage the Use of Public Transport? A Multiservice Approach Based on Mobile Technologies

Authors
Ferreira, MC; Dias, TG;

Publication
EXPLORING SERVICES SCIENCE, IESS 2015

Abstract
It is crucial to promote the use of cleaner transport modes, and new technologies are key to achieve this goal. Most mobile-based solutions are focused on services related with the journey itself (mobile ticketing, real-time traffic information and trip planners). Adopting a holistic point of view, and considering every trip has a purpose (work, school, shopping and entertainment), a new service approach is considered. This paper presents a multiservice approach that links city services and public transport to encourage the use of sustainable transport modes. This multiservice approach is based on mobile technologies, which are a unique channel of interaction between service providers and customers. The conceptual model of this approach is materialized in a concrete example. This multiservice approach may represent a step towards a sustainable mobility, while improving the image and efficiency of Public Transport Operators (PTOs), boosting local businesses loyalty and sales and bringing convenience, better service quality and monetary savings to customers.

2015

How to Support the Design and Development of Interactive Pervasive Environments

Authors
Costa, PM; Galvao, T; Falcao e Cunha, JFE; Pitt, J;

Publication
2015 8TH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON HUMAN SYSTEM INTERACTIONS (HSI)

Abstract
In recent years, the significant advancements in miniaturised computing and pervasive communication networks have paved the way for ubiquitous computing environments. In such environments users interact with systems through novel and implicit methods. In this context, affective computing provides a dimension of interaction, raising a number of opportunities to address not only utilitarian but also hedonic needs. At the same time, a number of challenges arise beyond the technical aspects, that are related to the individual and other societal implications. A review of the main opportunities and challenges is presented, supporting the identification of the main requirements for the design and development of systems in interactive pervasive environments, focusing on an affective loop of interaction. A framework is proposed, identifying main modules and functionality alongside a methodology to instantiate in specific domains of application.

2016

Improving the Service Level of Bus Transportation Systems: Evaluation and Optimization of Bus Schedules' Robustness

Authors
Hora, J; Dias, TG; Camanho, A;

Publication
EXPLORING SERVICES SCIENCE (IESS 2016)

Abstract
This study proposes an optimization model to improve the robustness of an existing bus schedule. Robustness represents the ability of schedules to absorb deviations from the timetable and to prevent their propagation through the daily operations. The model developed proposes an optimal assignment of arrival times and distribution of slacks among Time Control Points of a bus line, in order to minimize delays and anticipations from schedule. This required the use of data collected through GPS devices installed in buses, informing the location of buses during their daily operation. The robustness of bus schedules was evaluated through the quantification of delays and anticipations of real observations of bus shifts by comparison with the timetable. The performance measures used to evaluate robustness are the average delay (or anticipation) of buses by comparison with the timetable, and the probability that a passenger that arrives on time according to the timetable will miss the bus or have to wait more than a specified threshold at a Time Control Point. We also compared the improvement of the schedule proposed by the optimization model with the original schedule. The results obtained in a real-world case study, corresponding to a bus line operating in Porto, showed that the model could return an improved schedule for all performance measures considered when compared with the original schedule.

2016

OBAVUM: An Ontology-based Approach to Visualizing Urban Mobility Data

Authors
Sobral, T; Costa, V; Borges, J; Fontes, T; Galvao, T;

Publication
PROCEEDINGS OF 2016 IEEE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON BIG DATA ANALYSIS (ICBDA)

Abstract
This paper proposes an ontology-based approach to visualizing urban mobility data. Our approach, which is in ongoing development, is centered in a visualization-oriented urban mobility ontology that is used to semantically characterize data and visualization techniques. We present a practical application to a public transportation network of the city of Porto, Portugal. We address how semantics can empower and facilitate tasks like automatic recommendation of visualization techniques, and definition of a data filter based on passengers' journey patterns.

2015

Sustainable Demand Responsive Transportation systems in a context of austerity: The case of a Portuguese city

Authors
Gomes, R; de Sousa, JP; Dias, TG;

Publication
RESEARCH IN TRANSPORTATION ECONOMICS

Abstract
In a time of economic austerity, more pressure is being put on the existing transport systems to be more sustainable and, at the same time, more equitable and socially inclusive. Regular public road transportation traditionally uses fixed routes and schedules, which can be extremely expensive in rural areas and certain periods of the day in urban areas due to low and unpredictable demand. Demand Responsive Transportation systems are a kind of hybrid transportation approach between a taxi and a bus that try to address these problems with routes and frequencies that may vary according to the actual observed demand. Demand Responsive Transportation seems to have potential to answer the sustainability and social inclusion challenges in a context of austerity. However, DRT projects may fail: it is not only important to solve the underlying model in an efficient way, but also to understand how different ways of operating the service affect customers and operators. To help design DRT services, we developed an innovative approach integrating simulation and optimization. Using this simulator, we compared a real night-time bus service in the city of Porto, Portugal, with a hypothetical flexible DRT service for the same scenario.

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