Showing papers by "Margaret Bell published in 2009"

A comparative study of the emissions by road maintenance works and the disrupted traffic using life cycle assessment and micro-simulation

Abstract: Life cycle assessment is being accepted by the road industry to measure such key environmental impacts as the energy consumption and carbon footprint of its materials and laying processes. Previous life cycle studies have indicated that the traffic vehicles account for the majority of fuel consumption and emissions from a road. Contractors and road agencies are looking for road maintenance works that have the least overall environmental impact considering both the roadwork itself and the disrupted traffic. We review life cycle assessment studies and describe the development of a model for pavement construction and maintenance, detailing the methodology and data sources. The model is applied to an asphalt pavement rehabilitation project in the UK, and the micro-simulation program VISSIM is used to model the traffic on that road section. The simulation results are fed into a traffic emissions model and emissions from the roadwork and the traffic are compared. The additional fuel consumption and emissions by the traffic during the roadwork are significant. This indicates that traffic management at road maintenance projects should be included in the life cycle assessment analysis of such work.

An exemplary scheme? An evaluation of the integrated children's system

Abstract: We outline selected central results from a formative evaluation of four pilot sites in England and Wales of the Integrated Children’s System (ICS) – one part of the UK’s eGovernment strategy. We concentrate on the aspiration of the ICS towards ‘integration’ and ‘systematization’ of services within children’s services, at local and national levels. We look in turn at, the use of the ICS as a foundation for aggregate statistical profiles; the experience and views of the social workers; and the implications of ICS for social work practice as exemplified in social workers’ use of time. The evidence suggests substantial problems in accomplishing government policy aspirations in each of these areas. We review the likely reasons for these problems, and recommend a review of the ICS on the grounds that the difficulties are inherent rather than transitory, and have arisen at least in part from uncertainty as to whether the ICS is fit for purpose. The authors seek to promote the open and thoughtful debate that a major innovation of this nature requires.

Real-World Vehicle Exhaust Emissions Monitoring. Review and Critical Discussion

Abstract: Traffic-related emissions represent a major component of airborne pollution. Historically, dynamometer testing has been most widely used to estimate vehicle emission rates, and these emission rates, in turn, have been used as inputs when modeling traffic-related air quality impacts. However, such conventional drive cycle testing is not considered strictly representative of vehicles under real driving conditions. Therefore, in recent years, significant scientific effort has been focused on the measurement and analysis of real-world vehicle emissions. Here, the use of vehicle emissions monitoring methods (e.g., in-situ methods such as tunnel, inverse dispersion, and remote sensing studies, and in-traffic measures such as probe vehicle and “car chaser” studies) to provide real-world emission estimates is reviewed and discussed in detail. Advantages and disadvantages are identified for the different vehicle emissions monitoring methods, both relative to dynamometer-based approaches and each other. Potential a...

Field Deployments of the MESSAGE System for Environmental Monitoring

Abstract: This paper describes how the technologies developed in the MESSAGE project have been deployed in a series of real-world experiments to examine the relationship between transport and air pollution. Three different sensor systems have been developed to allow deployment on infrastructure, people, and vehicles for both short- and long-term studies. This paper describes the field trials conducted using each of these systems in turn. The initial conclusions regarding the coordinated use of these sensors in the management of transport and air pollution are presented.

Sustainable Network Management - The Integration of Intelligent Transport Systems and "Grid Enabled" Pervasive Sensors

Abstract: Leicester’s intelligent transportation system (ITS) provides a rich source of data (from traffic detectors, monitored both in real-time and archived, Air Quality Monitoring Stations, weather stations and meteorological services) which is integrated in an Air Quality Modeling Systems framework. The MESSAGE Project’s ‘Grid enabled’ “e-Science” infrastructure demonstration shows how additional data from pervasive environmental sensors can improve the assessment of the impact of traffic and congestion on air quality, noise and exposure and informs the City’s Climate Change Strategy and Carbon Footprint via the 4M project. It also supports response to the European “Air Quality”, “Noise” and “Access to environmental Information” Directives, Strategic Policies and Public Health Challenge.

Creating the Message Infrastructure

Abstract: The Mobile Environmental Sensor System Across GRID Environments (MESSAGE) project set out to make use of the ever-increasing power of computer infrastructure in order to support the capture, processing, archiving, analysis, and visualization of pollution data. This paper describes how the MESSAGE e-Science architecture was developed facilitating the entire process from the capture of data through to its use. This covers the difficult process of taking data from sensor nodes, pre-processing it where necessary, and then storing it in an infrastructure capable of making it available for use in a wide range of different applications and processes.

Modelling environmental impacts of traffic using a new generation of pervasive sensors

Abstract: This paper describes the use of a new pervasive sensors network, developed at Newcastle, in the context of the project MESSAGE, jointly funded by EPRSC and the DfT, to evaluate automatically the impacts of traffic demand management strategies on congestion and the environment. Analysis of the calibrated data from static (located on street furniture) and mobile (in car) pervasive sensors, called “motes”, deployed in a case study area (Gateshead) will be presented. Next the mechanism by which the mote data are used to validate parameters of traffic simulation models (flows, queues, travel times, etc) across the urban network will be shown. A simple dispersion model that uses the emissions estimation from the traffic micro-simulation is validated using pervasive sensor data collected along the links in the study area. Results presented in this paper are at an early stage but will highlight the benefits of pervasive sensors and how they can complement legacy systems through covering detection gaps in existing urban networks.

Influencing Driver Behaviour for Environmental Benefit: The Role of ITS Technologies

Abstract: As vehicle technologies become ever more efficient and sophisticated, it is increasingly the case that the most inefficient and variable component in the modern passenger car is the driver With the support of a case study, this paper investigates variability in driver behavior, and seeks to both classify and quantify the effects Statistical cluster analysis techniques are utilized to group different types of driver behavior The paper then goes on to investigate the relationships between these clusters of behavior types, and metrics of environmental efficiency Finally, a range of intelligent transportation system (ITS) technologies are discussed which have the potential to influence driver behavior towards an environmental and resource optimum

Decision Support for Intelligent Traffic and Environment Management

Abstract: Intelligent transportation systems (ITS) are fundamental to safe, efficient, control and management of people, vehicles and transport systems and plays an important role in addressing environmental impacts. Recent advances in intelligent pervasive technologies provide a wealth of static and dynamic data which complement legacy ITS systems. There is significant value-added in the integration of existing and emerging technologies especially if achieved across jurisdictional boundaries. However, there are considerable challenges to realize the rewards of integration particularly in real-time. This paper offers an e-science solution providing insight into the delivery of a real-time data management platform for both monitored and modeled sources.

Automated summaries of serious adverse events in the hepatitis C antiviral long-term treatment against cirrhosis trial.

Abstract: Background Even though adverse event (AE) collection and official accounting are mandatory for clinical trials, there are limited detailed guidelines specifying how to summarize the event for reporting in a timely and expeditious manner. This article details the AE and serious adverse event (SAE) reporting summary developed for a large multi-center National Institutes of Health (NIH)-sponsored clinical trial.Purpose To review and analyze the large volume of AE data reported by 10 sites (806 SAEs and 19,034 AEs from August 2000 to May 2007) the automated SAE summary was developed. It was designed to ensure timeliness and clarity in the complex process of AE review and reporting.Methods The AE and SAE case report forms (CRFs) as well as the automated SAE summary were developed within a database management system developed by the Data Coordinating Center (DCC) which allowed for web-based data entry at the DCC and 10 sites and offered immediate overall and site-specific reports accessible by the DCC, site, an...

CREATING THE MESSAGE INFRASTRUCTURE Draft paper for submission to TEC, December 2009 Version 6

Abstract: The ever-increasing power of computing infrastructure such as processing, storage and network bandwidth continues to enable new models of data management and analysis. The Mobile Environmental Sensor System Across Grid Environments (MESSAGE) set out to make use of such advances, combined with e-Science techniques, to support the capture, processing, archiving, analysis and visualisation of pollution data. This paper describes the e-Science infrastructure that was developed within MESSAGE to support these tasks.

A low cost wireless environmental sensor system for road networks

Abstract: This paper describes the on-going research at Newcastle University in the MESSAGE project which is a major environmental monitoring project funded jointly by the EPSRC and DfT. The MESSAGE project investigates the use of low cost wireless sensors and their deployment to create a dense, pervasive, ad-hoc network for monitoring traffic pollution in a road environment. Each of the wireless devices carries one or more sensor payloads which will capture one or more of the pollutants directly associated with road vehicle emissions. This paper will provide an overview of the deployment of a MOTES network in Gateshead, UK, to measure a variety of pollutants and also explore whether other pervasive sensors, such as vehicle detectors can be included in the overall monitoring package. The research will cover three distinct areas: the network development; the applications developed for monitoring pollutants; and an investigation as to how the data collected could be used to validate and calibrate emissions and dispersions models. A final step will be to explore how this vast array or real-time data could be used to modify and influence real traffic control schemes, to give environmental measurements a clear, policy-sensitive role in future traffic management and control schemes.