Urban activity pattern classification using topic models from online geo-location data

Location-based check-in services in various social media applications have enabled individuals to share their activity-related choices providing a new source of human activity data. Although geo-location data has the potential to infer multi-day patterns of individual activities, appropriate methodological approaches are needed. This paper presents a technique to analyze large-scale geo-location data from social media to infer individual activity patterns. A data-driven modeling approach, based on topic modeling, is proposed to classify patterns in individual activity choices. The model provides an activity generation mechanism which when combined with the data from traditional surveys is potentially a useful component of an activity-travel simulator. Using the model, aggregate patterns of users’ weekly activities are extracted from the data. The model is extended to also find user-specific activity patterns. We extend the model to account for missing activities (a major limitation of social media data) and demonstrate how information from activity-based diaries can be complemented with longitudinal geo-location information. This work provides foundational tools that can be used when geo-location data is available to predict disaggregate activity patterns.     

Incorporating social impact on new product adoption in choice modeling: A case study in green vehicles

While discrete choice analysis is prevalent in capturing consumer preferences and describing their choice behaviors in product design, the traditional choice modeling approach assumes that each individual makes independent decisions, without considering the social impact. However, empirical studies show that choice is social – influenced by many factors beyond engineering performance of a product and consumer attributes. To alleviate this limitation, we propose a new choice modeling framework to capture the dynamic influence from social networks on consumer adoption of new products. By introducing social influence attributes into a choice utility function, social network simulation is integrated with the traditional discrete choice analysis in a three-stage process. Our study shows the need for considering social impact in forecasting new product adoption. Using hybrid electric vehicles as an example, our work illustrates the procedure of social network construction, social influence evaluation, and choice model estimation based on data from the National Household Travel Survey. Our study also demonstrates several interesting findings on the dynamic nature of new technology adoption and how social networks may influence hybrid electric vehicle adoption.     

教育应与区域社会经济协调发展

区域教育结构和教育体系已经不能适应区域社会经济的发展,也不能适应社会主义新农村的建设,必须按科学发展观的要求,重新定义区域教育的发展方向、结构和体系。区域教育的首要目标是促进和服务区域社会经济的协调发展。     

舰船网络通信技术分析与建议

舰船网络通信技术是舰船指挥与控制系统的关键技术之一。随着通信技术的快速发展,国外舰船指挥与控制系统近年来也不断地升级换代。通过对几种主流舰船通信网络技术进行分析与比较,针对舰船通信网络技术的发展趋势,提出适合我国舰船通信网络技术的建议。     

基于社会剩余最大化的铁路繁忙线路货运定价策略研究

分析得出货主对运输成本的错误感知及部分支付是导致铁路繁忙线路需求拥挤的原因之一,按照个人边际成本确定的个人最优货运需求会导致社会剩余的流失,并未达到社会最优。提出通过收取需求拥挤费用,把拥挤效应的外部不经济性内部化,把货运需求调控在按照社会边际成本确定的社会最优货运量,以合理调节铁路繁忙线路货运供需均衡,达到社会剩余最大化,实现帕累托最优。     

交通肇事逃逸相关问题分析

对交通肇事逃逸案件的特点及原因进行了分析，同时探讨了交通肇事逃逸案件的赔偿问题，指出实际工作中存在的问题，以期为相关工作提供参考。     

Nations and regions in transition

The workshop included presentations of nine papers covering very different types of situations and transitions. Some papers were region specific (Russia, Middle East, Asia, Europe, and two from Latin America) and others were of general applicability. The discussion highlights that virtually all cities and regions will go through one type of transition or another, sooner or later, and that the study of such transitions provides a very rich learning environment. The most important conclusion has been that in many cases the stability of supply and accessibility to public transport by all population segments is more important than competition and ownership.     

Technical standardization of ITS and Asian initiatives for intelligent mobility

User-centric intelligent mobility businesses emerge and prosper in Asian metropolitan areas by utilizing the progress if information and communication technology (ICT). Under the rise of private lead initiatives on intelligent transport systems (ITS), the roles of public sectors are still large. Public sectors should precisely identify the extensive ITS services by considering the regional conditions and deploy them by collaboration between the public and private. Public sectors also are strongly encouraged to identify the benefits acquired by development and compliance of the international technical standards. Furthermore, in order to maximize the potential capacity of ICT, improvements of social infrastructures are required by the public sectors together with private businesses. With the realization of the collaboration works, Asian regions are well deserved to take the lead in future ITS initiatives.     

社会工作视角下高职院校思想政治教育工作研究

社会变迁给传统的思想政治教育方式带来冲击,引入新的理念是提升思想政治教育实效性的必然路径选择。文章认为助人自助等学校社会工作理念、基于家庭和社会等元素的学校社会工作模式在高职院校思想政治教育中的嵌入将提升学生的自主能动性和教育者的职业满足感,从而促进和谐校园的建设。     

Exploring the propensity to perform social activities: a social network approach

Conceptual and empirical models of the propensity to perform social activity–travel behavior are described, which incorporate the influence of individuals’ social context, namely their social networks. More explicitly, the conceptual model develops the concepts of egocentric social networks, social activities, and social episodes, and defines the three sets of aspects that influence the propensity to perform social activities: individuals’ personal attributes, social network composition, and information and communication technology interaction with social network members. Using the structural equation modeling (SEM) technique and data recently collected in Toronto, the empirical model tests the effect of these three aspects on the propensity to perform social activities. Results suggest that the social networks framework provides useful insights into the role of physical space, social activity types, communication and information technology use, and the importance of “with whom” the activity was performed with. Overall, explicitly incorporating social networks into the activity–travel behavior modeling framework provides a promising framework to understand social activities and key aspects of the underlying behavioral process. Juan Antonio Carrasco a PhD candidate in Civil Engineering at the University of Toronto, holds a MSc degree in Transportation Engineering from the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. His doctoral research explores the relationships between social networks, activity–travel behavior, and ICTs. His research interests also include microsimulation, land use-transportation, and econometric modeling. Eric J. Miller is Bahen-Tanenbaum Professor of Civil Engineering at the University of Toronto where he is also Director of the Joint Program in Transportation. His research interests include integrated land-use/transportation modeling, activity-based travel modeling, microsimulation and sustainable transportation planning.