Solutions for urban traffic issues by ITS technologies

In recent years, traffic congestion, traffic accidents, and deterioration of the environment because of growing population, increasing urbanization, and increasing car ownership have become serious problems in the Asia-Pacific regions. Intelligent transport systems (ITS) are systems that try to solve various road traffic issues using information communication technologies. Several countries are endeavoring to solve such traffic issues by deploying an ITS and achieving positive results. However, there are some problems in advancing ITS deployment in these countries, such as lack of technical know-how, a lack of coordination among systems, lack of a master plan, and financial constraints. In order to introduce ITSs, it is important to select suitable technologies and applications appropriate for each country. An appropriate plan and evaluation of the ITS project are also important for the introduction of ITS.In this paper, we propose methods for the utilization and introduction of ITS technologies to solve urban traffic issues in various countries, based on the lessons learned from the deployment of an ITS in Japan.     

Diel changes in vertical overlap between Cyclops strenuus (Copepoda; Cyclopoida) and its prey in oligotrophic Lake Toya, Hokkaido, Japan

The vertical distribution of Cyclops strenuus and its prey, and the gut contents of C. strenuus were investigated at 3 h intervals over 24 h periods in the pelagic area of oligotrophic Lake Toya in May, August and October 1992. C. strenuus showed slight diel vertical migration (DVM) in May, but did not migrate and was always distributed below 15 m in August and October, the thermally stratified period. This suggests that the DVM is strongly influenced by the development of the thermocline, which the copepod may not be able to cross. Gut content analyses revealed that in Lake Toya it is omnivorous, and that the dominant prey are cladocerans and Filinia longiseta. The number of prey remains in the gut varied with time, and the diel changes did not follow changes in prey density that take the vertical overlap between predator and prey into account. We argue that very low prey density associated with the oligotrophic nature of the lake would mask the relationship between prey density and the number of prey in the gut of the predator.     

Analysis of ship drifting in a narrow channel using Automatic Identification System (AIS) data

With maritime transportation has played an important role in global economy development, ship traffic has become more congested. Therefore, ships navigate under risk conditions, and thus maritime accidents have occurred frequently. Especially, ship passing through a narrow channel is even more dangerous. Because, the ships are easy to be affected by external forces such as wind and currents that can cause ship drifts. Many latent risks are present during navigation. In order for the development of a sensible and appropriate traffic model for the safety and efficiency ship navigation, this study has focused on the actual ship behavior to understand the ship drift in the Kurushima Strait, Japan, which is one of the most dangerous routes in Japan. The analysis of ship behavior was carried out using the Automatic Identification System (AIS) data. As a result, the ships drift was understood in detail, and the latent risk was unveiled when ships pass through the narrow route. Moreover, the risk areas were obtained and visualized by the ship drift behavior analysis. The obtained results can be applied to ensure safe navigation and the development of an eco-friendly and economy efficient for ship navigation.