LART - Transport Networks Laboratory
The Transport Networks Laboratory - LART provides support for DICAM's research activities and teaching activities at the School of Engineering and Architecture.
Gallery
GPS trace analyses with the SUMOPy traffic microsimulation modeling environment
Microscopic transportation network by the SUMOPy traffic microsimulation modeling environment
Traffic flows shown by the SUMOPy traffic microsimulation modeling environment
Pneumatic tube counter for bike monitoring
Radar traffic counter
Research areas
The birth of the Transport Networks Laboratory dates back in 2009: since its creation, the LART actively participates in the development of research projects, is supportive to teaching, promotes collaboration between the academic world and businesses and offers its expertise to public and private entities.
The LART provides cultural and organizational support to research activities in the area of Transportation Systems Engineering with reference to the planning, assessment, design, management and operation of transport systems and their components (demand, supply, demand interaction offer).
The activity is aimed at the development and application of models and methods applied to transport networks and for the analysis of transport criticalities.
The research in particular involves the following topics:
- Analysis of sustainable transport networks
- Research and advice on weak components of mobility (bicycles, pedestrians)
- Optimization and simulation of Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) systems: models and dynamic assignment of demand, optimization of the network topology, management of vehicles and control systems
- Vulnerability analysis of a road network
- Methods and models for planning air transport networks and services
- Analysis of road and rail accidents.
Services and consultancy
The Laboratory offers its skills in the development and application of simulation methods and models of transport systems, to companies, businesses and administrations for the solution of engineering problems related to transport.
The LART laboratory actively participates in conventions and research projects in collaboration with other industrial groups and partners, offering the following services:
- Comprehensive assessment of the cycle network of a municipality through rigorous and continuous measurement of bicycle flows, using specialized tools and software.
- Assessment of public transport networks. The service includes tailored surveys and general advice.
- Micro-simulations of Personal Rapid Transit systems. The service includes network optimization, demand estimation, and related dynamic assignment. Also
- Construction of a micro-simulation model (sometimes called digital twin) of a city with a synthetic population similar to the real one, using various types of data such as OD matrices, GPS tracks, cell phone tracks, GTFS, loop flows , etc. In addition, new transportation services can be incorporated into a microsimulation model such as connected autonomous vehicles (CAVs), shared electric vehicles, Personal Rapid Transit (PRT).
- Organization and promotion of advanced training courses and seminars aimed at students of specialized courses, recent graduates and professionals, thus favoring exchanges between public and private subjects in the context of basic and applied research programs.
Educational activities and training
The LART periodically organizes and hosts courses and seminars for students and professionals, encourages exchanges with other organizations in fundamental and applied research programs.
The Laboratory offers its resources to support exercises in specialist courses assisted by the lecturer or individual, development of degree theses, curricular internships and the development of research projects for doctoral students and post-doctoral students. The resources of the LART are available to students who attend specialized courses or perform their degree theses. The availability of the resources is subject to authorization by the coordinator.
Tools and structures
The laboratory's resources consist mainly of equipped workspaces, traffic counter for traffic monitoring, advanced computing units and advanced software for transport network simulation. In particular with the in-house developed microsimulation suite SUMOPy microsimulation models and digital twin of cities can be created from most diverse data sources, such as OD matrices, GPS traces, phone data, GTFS, detector flows etc.
Contacts
Scientific contact:
prof. Federico Rupi
Tel. +39 051 20 9 3345
email: federico.rupi@unibo.it
Other contacts:
ing. Cristian Poliziani
Tel. +39 051 20 9 3335
email: cristian.poliziani2@unibo.it
How to reach us
The LART is located on the second and third floors of the DICAM-Transport ("Villetta Frigerio") next to the central building of the School of Engineering and Architecture in Bologna.