skip to main content
US FlagAn official website of the United States government
dot gov icon
Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
https lock icon
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( lock ) or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.


Title: Building Smart and Accessible Transportation Hubs with Internet of Things, Big Data Analytics, and Affective Computing
Large transportation hubs are difficult to navigate, especially for people with special needs such as those with visual impairment, Autism spectrum disorder (ASD), or simply those with navigation challenges. The primary objective of this research is to design and develop a novel cyber-physical infrastructure that can effectively and efficiently transform existing transportation hubs into smart facilities capable of providing better location-aware services. We investigated the integration of a number of Internet of Things (IoT) elements, including video analytics, Bluetooth beacons, mobile computing, and facility semantic models, to provide reliable indoor navigation services to people with special needs, yet requiring minimum infrastructure changes. Our pilot tests with people with special needs at a multi-floor building in New York City has demonstrated the effectiveness of our proposed framework.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
1737533 1137172
PAR ID:
10065142
Author(s) / Creator(s):
; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;
Date Published:
Journal Name:
International Conference on Sustainable Infrastructure 2017
Page Range / eLocation ID:
126 to 138
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
More Like this
  1. The goal of the proposed project is to transform a large transportation hub into a smart and accessible hub (SAT-Hub), with minimal infrastructure change. The societal need is significant, especially impactful for people in great need, such as those who are blind and visually impaired (BVI) or with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), as well as those unfamiliar with metropolitan areas. With our inter-disciplinary background in urban systems, sensing, AI and data analytics, accessibility, and paratransit and assistive services, our solution is a hu-man-centric system approach that integrates facility modeling, mobile navigation, and user interface designs. We leverage several transportation facili-ties in the heart of New York City and throughout the State of New Jersey as testbeds for ensuring the relevance of the research and a smooth transition to real world applications. 
    more » « less
  2. null (Ed.)
    Transportation has evolved throughout the past several years through developments in HCI and sociotechnical systems. However, there has been a lack of studies examining transportation in rural areas for vulnerable populations. Our study focuses on the transportation facilitators and barriers faced by people living with HIV in rural areas. We were informed through 31 surveys and 18 interviews with people living with HIV in rural areas and their case coordinators. We highlight the importance of utilizing a patchwork of transportation methods and having social networks to support transportation needs. Emerging, popular forms of urban transportation do not translate well due to differences in trust, infrastructure, rural culture, and stigma. 
    more » « less
  3. Rapid urbanization has posed significant burden on urban transportation infrastructures. In today's cities, both private and public transits have clear limitations to fulfill passengers' needs for quality of experience (QoE): Public transits operate along fixed routes with long wait time and total transit time; Private transits, such as taxis, private shuttles and ride-hailing services, provide point-to-point transits with high trip fare. In this paper, we propose CityLines, a transformative urban transit system, employing hybrid hub-and-spoke transit model with shared shuttles. Analogous to Airlines services, the proposed CityLines system routes urban trips among spokes through a few hubs or direct paths, with travel time as short as private transits and fare as low as public transits. CityLines allows both point-to-point connection to improve the passenger QoE, and hub-and-spoke connection to reduce the system operation cost. Our evaluation results show that CityLines framework can achieve both short travel time and high ride-sharing ratio. 
    more » « less
  4. Many rapidly developing countries around the world are at a crossroads when it comes to transportation, air quality, and sustainability. Indeed, the challenges presented by vehicular growth in India have motivated the search for sustainable transportation solutions. One solution constitutes ridehailing services, which are expected to reduce car ownership and provide affordable means of transportation. Another key solution is the rise of electric vehicles (EVs), which are expected to reduce greenhouse gas emission and address the growing demand for sustainable urban mobility. Using a unique survey data set collected in 2018 from a sample of 43,000 respondents spread across 20 cities in India, this paper attempts to shed light on the factors that affect adoption of on-demand transportation services and EVs in India. In particular, not only does this paper consider the socio-economic and demographic variables that affect these behavioral choices, but the modeling framework adopted in this study places a special emphasis on representing the important role played by attitudes, values, and perceptions in determining adoption of on-demand transportation services and EVs. It is observed that attitudes and values significantly affect the use of on-demand transportation services and EV ownership, suggesting that information campaigns and free trials/demonstrations would help advance the adoption of sustainable transportation modes. The model results help in the identification of policy options and infrastructure investments that can advance a sustainable transportation future in India. 
    more » « less
  5. The provision of water services is critical to ensure the vitality of Alaskan communities. Water systems in Alaska operate differently than those in the contiguous US given the Arctic climate, remote geography, and unique workforce limitations. For example, some communities rely on water delivered using trucks, and many households use traditional sources (e.g., rainwater, ice melt). This unique context reconfigures how water systems relate to other critical infrastructure services (CISs), such as transportation and electricity. For instance, the high energy costs needed to heat water systems in Alaska can exacerbate water insecurity. In another example, some communities with delivered water services can be limited by transportation challenges such as limited connectivity, roadway damage, and reduced visibility during winter weather. While we recognize that water-related challenges in Alaska are often linked to other CISs, it remains unclear how these interdependencies shape services—for instance, which connections are sources of vulnerability? Through a systematic literature review, we seek to understand the underlying network of interdependencies between water systems and other CISs in Alaska. We employ a qualitative content analysis of scholarly literature to identify relevant CISs and how they influence the provision of water services. By enhancing our knowledge about infrastructure interdependencies in Alaska, we can improve management by taking into account other relevant systems. Further, our work identifies key research gaps and opportunities, guiding future efforts to address the complex infrastructure challenges in Alaska. 
    more » « less