Designing inclusion and continuity for resilient communication during disasters

This paper addresses the challenge of establishing a resilient disaster communication system that transitions seamlessly from a phone-based ad hoc network to any portable infrastructure and back. For this purpose, this paper presents a value-based design of an autonomous and self-organized protocol (SOS-hybrid). This design ensures seamless...

Humanitarian access, interrupted: dynamic near real-time network analytics and mapping for reaching communities in disaster-affected countries

In the immediate aftermath of a disaster, local and international aid organisations deploy to deliver life-saving aid to the affected population. Yet pre-disaster road maps and road transportation models do not capture disruptions to the transportation network caused by the disaster or the dynamic changes of the situation, resulting in...

Modelling growth principles of metropolitan public transport networks

The development of metropolitan public transport networks often involves choosing between investing in extending radial lines or constructing ring connections. While the former enlarges network coverage the latter enhances network connectivity and reduces the need to perform detours. Moreover, investments might be better directed at...

Self-organizing topology for energy-efficient ad-hoc communication networks of mobile devices

When physical communication network infrastructures fail, infrastructure-less communication networks such as mobile ad-hoc networks (MANET), can provide an alternative. This, however, requires MANETs to be adaptable to dynamic contexts characterized by the changing density and mobility of devices and availability of energy sources. To address...

Ad Hoc communication topology switching during disasters from altruistic to individualistic and Back

Disaster communication has made immense progress in the last thirty years. At present, disaster research focuses on bottom-up approaches such as civilian inclusion in disaster response. With the advent of smartphones, citizen-based emergency communication has become possible. Present ad hoc communication technologies typically form a fully...

Comparing city image and brand identity in polycentric regions using network analysis

In a globalising world, cities find themselves competing for visitors, residents, investors, and companies. They use place branding strategies to become more visible. However, conceptual and analytical confusion exists on the subjects of place image and brand identity, and current studies are limited to single cities, neglecting inter-city...

Robustness assessment of link capacity reduction for complex networks: Application for public transport systems

Network robustness refers to as the capacity to absorb disturbances with a minimal impact on system performance. Notwithstanding, network robustness assessment has been mostly confined to the analysis of complete link breakdown based on topological metrics. We propose reliability indicators that encompass changes in network performance with...

Structural vulnerability analysis of electric power distribution grids

Power grid outages cause huge economical and societal costs. Disruptions in the power distribution grid are responsible for a significant fraction of electric power unavailability to customers. The impact of extreme weather conditions, continuously increasing demand, and the over-ageing of assets in the grid, deteriorates the safety of...

Requirements for Reconfigurable Technology: A challenge to Design for Values

With the increasing use of information technology for different societal goals, the demand for flexible and multiple-functionality appliances has risen. Making technology reconfigurable could be a way of achieving this. This working paper is written against the background of a large scale research project developing reconfigurable sensors in...

Reconfigurable sensor networks: Transforming ethical concerns?

With the increasing use of sensor technology for different societal goals, like security and safety, the demand for multiple and flexible functionality of the sensors is rising. The expectation is that the development of reconfigurable sensors will lead to a continuous and affordable infrastructure. In this note, we undertake a first exploration...

An Agent-Based Infrastructure for Energy Profile Capture and Management

Accurately and dynamically monitoring energy usage patterns in households forms a first requirement for more efficient and ecofriendly energy management in the future. Monitored energy usage data can be used by power systems engineering—to inform demand-side management systems in the near future term—and in architecture/civil engineering—where...