Technology Transfer
NEXTRANS Seminar Series
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Valerie Webb, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Monday, October 26, 2009, 2-3:30 p.m.
Title: Customer Loyalty to Public Transportation Agencies: Travelers explore their options, have you explored yours?
The Ohio State University, Hitchcock Hall, Room 410
Abstract: This research aims to provide a more thorough understanding of customer loyalty to public transportation systems over other available modes. Loyal customers reduce costs for an organization by serving as free, mobile marketing agents who recommend the service to others, and are less influenced by competitive marketing strategies. As is done in other industries, structural equation modeling is used in this study to determine the aspects of a transit system that are most influential in a customer’s decision to continue using the service for their travel needs. Given the nationwide budgetary issues that many transit agencies are currently facing, identifying aspects of the provided service to which improvements would yield the highest return on investment in terms of customer retention is very timely. Initial results show that riders’ perceptions of the transit agency as an organization (i.e., effective management, customer-friendliness, etc.) are a key element in the loyalty puzzle. Also, there appears to be loyalty differences between those who choose to take transit over other available modes and those who take transit out of necessity. As an undergraduate at The Ohio State University, Valerie was unsure what life after graduation had in store for her. Through a few classes, discussions with her advisers, and a little investigation, the field of public transportation caught her attention and she decided to continue her education with a focus in this area. A little under two years later, she is now writing her Master’s thesis and finishing up her graduate studies at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Between diverse course selections, various research projects, and an internship opportunity at the Chicago Transit Authority, Valerie feels graduate school has exposed her to new thought-processes, research areas, and career opportunities. In this talk, in addition to presenting her research, Valerie is equally interested in discussing graduate school and transportation career paths with students.
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Professor Venky Shankar, Penn State University
Thursday, November 6, 2008, 3:30 - 5 p.m.
Title: Consideration of Frameworks for Incorporating Accident Severity Heterogeneity in Traffic Safety Modeling
Purdue University Department of Civil Engineering, Room 1144, West Lafayette, IN 47906
Abstract: This talk will present methodological perspectives on frameworks for addressing severity heterogeneity that occurs in reported traffic accident injury outcomes. An empirical context will be described to illustrate a data-centric view on this framework. Preliminary results from sample model structures will be discussed.
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Professor Michael Cassidy, University of California at Berkeley
October 30, 2008
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
December 15, 2008
The Ohio State UniversityTitle: Managing Cross-Modal Conflicts on Mulitmodal Transport Networks
Abstract: This seminar examines the disruptive vehicular interactions that arise when different modes, such as cars, buses, and bicycles, share the same roadway; and describes how the thoughtful management of these cross-modal conflicts can enhance accessibility for all users of a transport system, while encouraging the use of greener travel modes.
(Below: Michael Cassidy poses with students and faculty at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.)
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Professor Yoram Shiftan, Technion, Israel Institute of Technology
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Title: The Use of Activity-Based Modeling to Analyze the Effect of Land-Use and Public Transport Policies on Travel Behavior
Hitchcock Hall Room 426, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio
Abstract: Land-use policies are often suggested as a means to mitigate transportation problems, and some regions have tried to implement such policies as transit-oriented developments, mixed land use, different concentrations schemes, various forms of urban design, and more broadly Smart Growth. These policies are motivated by the assumption, also supported by numerous studies that residents of neighborhoods with a higher level of density, mixed land-use, transit access, and pedestrian friendliness drive less than do residents of neighborhoods with lower levels of these characteristics. However, our understanding of the effects of the various land-use policies on travel behavior is limited. There are also questions of self-selectivity: do land-use policies affect travel behavior or do people with different travel-behavior preferences select different types of neighborhood in which to live. Advances in the study of travel behavior have led to the development of activity-based models that treat travel as a derivation of the demand for personal activities. Travel choices, therefore, become part of a broader activity-scheduling process based on modeling the demand for activities rather than merely trips. The explicit modeling of activities and the consequent tours and trips enable a more credible analysis of responses to policies and their effect on traffic and air quality. Several studies have already used this approach to analyze various transport policies including various auto restrain and transit policies. The theoretical framework of activity-based models starts with urban and land-use development as inputs; however, there is a need to translate this framework to analyze specific land-use policies. This paper discusses the advantages and potential of activity-based models for analyzing the effect of land-use policies on travel behavior. It starts with showing the use of activity-based models for transit and auto-restrain policies and then suggests improvements that will extend the general framework to achieve a better understanding of travelers' responses to various land-use policies. The improved activity-based approach is illustrated through a case study based on the Portland activity-based model combined with a stated-preference residential choice model. A package of land-use policies – including improved land use, school quality, safety, and transit service in the city center – is introduced, and its effect on household redistribution and regional travel tested.
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Hani Mahmassani, William A. Patterson Distinguished Chair in Transportation and Professor in Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northwestern University
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Title: Regime Change: Uncongesting Traffic Flow Through Dynamic Pricing and Real-Time Information
CIVL 1144, Purdue University Campus, West Lafayette, IN
Abstract: This talk will highlight the role of pricing and real-time information in the management of transportation networks and delivery of transportation services, and discuss methodological implications and approaches for both off-line evaluations of these strategies as well as real-time operational decision-making in this context. Developments in dynamic network modeling tools will be discussed, with particular focus on new methods to evaluate the impact of congestion pricing in networks with heterogeneous users. Models of user route choice and trip timing decisions in response to pricing, information and travel time reliability are incorporated in simulation-based dynamic assignment algorithms. Strategies for anticipatory pricing in conjunction with online network state prediction tools will also be discussed.
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Shinya Kikuchi, Charles E. Via Jr. Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Virginia Tech
Tuesday, April, 1, 2008
Title: Making Decision, Judgment, and Adjustment under Unclear Circumstances in Transportation Analysis
CIVL 2123, Purdue University Campus, West Lafayette, IN
Abstract: Transportation planning decisions take place usually in the setting of the vague multi-objective and multi-constraint environment. The objectives are usually expressed in natural language and the priorities among them are not defined clearly. Many constraints have some degree of flexibility. Decisions in this environment must be sensible to the desire of each stakeholder; and as such, the mathematical process should be faithful to the concerns of each stakeholder as much as possible. This presentation discusses the issues of uncertainty in transportation analysis first, and it is followed by a presentation of the proposed optimization scheme (fuzzy optimization) that incorporates the concerns of the stakeholders in a conversational manner. The scheme is applied to the problems of resource allocation, parameter adjustment, and the multi-objective situation problem. The outcome of the scheme is interpreted in the context of possibility measure. The presentation leads to the general discussion about how to deal with uncertainty in transportation analysis.
