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Browsing by Subject "Coordination"

Now showing 1 - 5 of 5
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    Development of the Next Generation Stratified Ramp Metering Algorithm Based on Freeway Density
    (Center for Transportation Studies, 2011-03) Geroliminis, Nikolas; Srivastava, Anupam; Michalopoulos, Panos
    A new coordinated, traffic-responsive ramp metering algorithm has been designed for Minnesota’s freeways based on density measurements, rather than flows. This is motivated in view of recent research indicating that the critical value of density at which capacity is observed is less sensitive and more stable than the value of capacity, thereby resulting in m ore effective control. Firstly, we develop a methodology to estimate densities with space and time based on data from loop detectors. The methodology is based on solving a flow conservation differential equation (using LWR theory) with intermediate (internal) freeway mainline boundaries, which is fast er and more accurate from previous resear ch using only external boundaries. To capture the capacity drop phenomenon into the first-order model we utilize a fundamental diagram with two values of capacity and we provide a memory-based methodology to choose the appropriate value in the numerical solution of the problem. Secondly, with respect to ramp metering, the main goals of the algorithm are to delay the onset of the breakdown and to accelerate system recovery when ramp metering is unable due to the violation of maximum allowable ramp waiting time. The effectiveness of the new control strategy is being assessed by comparison with the currently deployed version of the Stratified Zone Algorithm (SZM) through microscopic simulation of a real 12-mile, 17 ramp freeway section. Simulations show a decrease in the delays of mainline and ramp traffic, an improvement 8% in the overall delays and avoidance of the maximum ramp delay violations.
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    The impact of the demand for integration in the large multi-business unit firm on the IT organization structure
    (2012-06) Larson, Eric Christopher
    Large, multi-business unit firms are decentralizing their overall corporate structures. At the same time, the structures of their IT organizations are becoming more centralized. This is contrary to current wisdom that the IT organization structure will mimic the structure of the corporation, all else being equal. Because the general business environment is increasingly uncertain, the trend in decision rights for the corporation has favored decentralization, yet the IT organization has not followed. Empirical work in the domain of IT organization structure has focused narrowly on the locus of decision rights (centralization/decentralization). This paper extends the existing literature by taking a broader approach to conceptualizing IT organization structure to include the dimensions of standardization, formalization, centralization and configuration. We provide evidence of a dramatic change in the IT organization structure toward more standardization, more formalization, more centralization, a configuration emphasizing headquarters IT and higher CIO Rank. We also provide an explanation for this unexpected trend by empirically testing the impact of the demand for integration on IT organization structure using data representing 186 Fortune 1000 firms over the period 1993-2009. We further provide evidence that suggests that the structure of the IT organization moderates the generally harmful influence that the demand for integration has on the performance of the firm. Understanding this phenomenon is critical to managing the IT organization in the most cost-effective manner. Since IT expenditure is a significant portion of overall capital investment for most firms, improving the efficiency of the IT operation significantly impacts the bottom line. Better understanding of the contextual factors that impact the organization of the IT function allows IT managers to modify the organization structure in meaningful ways and to anticipate and manage expectations regarding how the context impacts the role that IT plays in the larger firm. Additionally, the results of this study are notable for the top management team of large multi-business unit firms. The fact that information pervades the modern firm means that the appropriate design of the IT organization deeply impacts both the top-line revenue growth and the cost-efficiency of the businesses of the firm.
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    Positioning, Planning and Operation of Emergency Response Resources and Coordination between Jurisdictions
    (Center for Transportation Studies, University of Minnesota, 2018-02) Xie, Siyang; An, Kun; Ouyang, Yanfeng
    Railroad related rail incidents, particularly those involving hazardous material (hazmat), cause severe consequences and pose significant threats to safety, public health and the environment. Rail safety is a huge issue in Midwestern states such as Illinois, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. This project aims at strategically positioning and allocating emergency responders and resources in anticipation of potential accidents in a region that may be impacted by rail incidents. Mathematical models and solution techniques are developed to enable systematic analysis of the emergency response system associated with railroad incidents; e.g., to strategically position and allocate emergency responders and resources in anticipation of potential accidents along spatially distributed railroad networks. We consider the added complexity due to vulnerability of the emergency response system itself, such as the risk of disruptions to the transportation network for first-responders (e.g., blockage of railroad crossings). The outcomes from these tasks will provide fundamental understanding, operational guidelines, and practical tools to policy makers (e.g., federal and state agencies) to induce socio-economically favorable system that support safe and efficient railroad industry operations.
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    Spontaneous Interpersonal Coordination in Children with Autism
    (2015-05) Kappes, Lisa
    This study investigated the ability of pairs of children with Autism (ASD) and typically developing (TD) children to spontaneously coordinate their rocking movements while exposed to visual and auditory stimuli. The central research question sought to determine if children with ASD could coordinate their rocking movements in situations where social interaction was required. Pairs of TD children and pairs of children with ASD performed rocking tasks, while sitting side-by-side. Each pair completed four experimental conditions of three trials each, during which they were instructed to rock while either directing their gaze forward (FF) or directly (DF) at their partner. Participants were also paced with a metronome in two of the four conditions (one FF and one DF). Results revealed a general consistency for rocking frequency between both groups, although TD children demonstrated a more consistent and coordinated syncing ability. Contrary to the hypothesis, children with ASD synced better in DF no paced conditions than in the FF paced condition. However, further studies need to be conducted to determine if all auditory stimuli or only certain sounds (i.e., music vs tick of a metronome) has an effect on the ability of children with ASD to coordinate rocking movements with a partner.
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    Stochastic Tree Search for Highly Coordinated Planning
    (2016-08) Kartal, Bilal
    Coordination plays a key role in efficiently solving multi-agent problems such as exploration of unknown environments, search and rescue, and surveillance. Planning in a highly coordinated fashion causes traditional search algorithms to perform poorly as it creates combinatorial search spaces that renders exploration versus exploitation dilemma challenging as well. Recently, there has been great improvement in stochastic planning in large search spaces with sampling based algorithms. One particular algorithm is Monte Carlo Tree Search (MCTS) which is an anytime stochastic planning algorithm. MCTS employs the well-established multi-armed bandit theory to solve optimization problems by asymmetrically sampling actions where it foresees the existence of an optimal solution. In this thesis, we propose new algorithms and heuristics in order to address several challenges arising due to highly coordinated planning in physical and abstract domains. Our algorithms improve scalability for search in large domains, provides data-driven evaluation functions to guide the search algorithm better, and enables finite search algorithms to produce infinite length solutions. In the first part of this thesis, we study two multi-robot planning problems that require high degree of coordination, patrolling and task allocation. The main challenge for these domains is the large search space. For patrolling, we propose a novel search technique, the Monte Carlo Tree Search with Useful Cycles, which can generate optimal cyclic patrol policies with theoretical convergence guarantees. For task allocation, we develop a parallelized MCTS based planner where branch and bound paradigm is integrated to the search algorithm for admissible pruning. In the second part of this thesis, we study two coordinated abstract planning problems within the field of procedural content generation, goal-driven computer narrative generation and Sokoban puzzle level creation. In these problems, virtual agents coordinate their actions to procedurally create stories and puzzles which have numerous application areas ranging from video games to education. We formulate both story generation and Sokoban puzzle generation as optimization problems and propose data-driven heuristic evaluation metrics for efficient coordinated solutions using MCTS.