Testing Sentinel-1 SAR Interferometry Data for Airport Runway Monitoring: A Geostatistical Analysis.

Multi-Temporal Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (MT-InSAR) techniques are gaining momentum in the assessment and health monitoring of infrastructure assets. Amongst others, the Persistent Scatterers Interferometry (PSI) technique has proven to be viable for the long-term evaluation of ground scatterers. However, its effectiveness as a routine tool for certain critical application areas, such as the assessment of millimetre-scale differential displacements in airport runways, is still debated. This research aims to demonstrate the viability of using medium-resolution Copernicus ESA Sentinel-1A (C-Band) SAR products and their contribution to improve current maintenance strategies in case of localised foundation settlements in airport runways. To this purpose, "Runway n.3" of the "Leonardo Da Vinci International Airport" in Fiumicino, Rome, Italy was investigated as an explanatory case study, in view of historical geotechnical settlements affecting the runway area. In this context, a geostatistical study is developed for the exploratory spatial data analysis and the interpolation of the Sentinel-1A SAR data. The geostatistical analysis provided ample information on the spatial continuity of the Sentinel 1 data in comparison with the high-resolution COSMO-SkyMed data and the ground-based topographic levelling data. Furthermore, a comparison between the PSI outcomes from the Sentinel-1A SAR data-interpolated through Ordinary Kriging-and the ground-truth topographic levelling data demonstrated the high accuracy of the Sentinel 1 data. This is proven by the high values of the correlation coefficient (r = 0.94), the multiple R-squared coefficient (R2 = 0.88) and the Slope value (0.96). The results of this study clearly support the effectiveness of using Sentinel-1A SAR data as a continuous and long-term routine monitoring tool for millimetre-scale displacements in airport runways, paving the way for the development of more efficient and sustainable maintenance strategies for inclusion in next generation Airport Pavement Management Systems (APMSs).

Evaluation of augmented reality cues to improve the safety of left-turn maneuvers in a connected environment: A driving simulator study.

Left-turns are some of the most dangerous maneuvers drivers face as they involve a complex decision-making process. Indeed, drivers must wait for an adequate gap in oncoming traffic to safely complete a left-turn maneuver. In this context, incorrectly assessed gaps can lead to severe crashes and severe traffic delays at intersections. This study tests the potential of Augmented Reality (AR) technology, built into connected vehicle technology, to improve the safety of left-turn maneuvers of connected vehicles by adding visual virtual information to the driver. To achieve this goal, a driving simulator study was carried out. The effectiveness of the system was tested, and the ability of young drivers to detect adequate gaps between vehicles in the opposite lane (with right of way) to safely turn left was assessed with and without AR warnings at a two-way stop-controlled intersection under a connected vehicles environment. In the scenario projected on the simulation screen, three different virtual warnings were displayed and tested: a green/red traffic light, which informs the driver of the availability of an appropriate gap between opposing vehicles; a traffic light with a timer showing the number of seconds available to safely perform the left-turn maneuver; a traffic light with an additionally activated audio warning system. Significant positive effects of AR warnings on driving performance and traffic safety were observed: the number of safe left-turns increased and the delays at the intersection decreased. In addition, AR signaling improved driving behavior both during the waiting time, with many more drivers waiting for the gap in front of the stop line to avoid disrupting oncoming traffic, and turning movement, reducing the average time it took to complete the left-turn maneuver. This study confirmed the great potential of AR and connected vehicle technologies to improve general safety conditions on the road network, especially under risky situations and difficult maneuvers.

Effectiveness of augmented reality warnings on driving behaviour whilst approaching pedestrian crossings: A driving simulator study.

In this paper, the potential of using Augmented Reality (AR) technology to improve the safety of pedestrian crossings was tested, by means of virtual information provided to a driver approaching a zebra crossing area. To achieve this objective, a driving simulator study was carried out. The effectiveness of the system was tested, and the results of the developed simulation tests, with and without AR warning to inform the driver of a pedestrian crossing ahead, were compared. Specifically, AR warnings were tested under two different situations: a visible pedestrian crossing the roadway and a non-visible pedestrian, made invisible by certain obstacles, and who is about to cross the roadway. Two different virtual warnings were tested - in both cases - on a sample of forty-six participants: a flashing red arrow above the pedestrian, and the same visual warning but with an additional audible warning system. The effects of the audible warnings were studied by comparing the driving performances (decelerations, speeds and distances) and surrogate safety measures (Time-to-Collision (TTC) and Time-to-Zebra (TTZ)) with those recorded under reference conditions (without the audible warnings). Positive effects of AR were observed. Specifically, when the AR warnings were activated, drivers started to decelerate well before the pedestrian crossing, with a low deceleration rate and high TTC and TTZ. This study confirmed the great benefits that AR and connected vehicle technologies could bring to the overall safety conditions on the road network, especially under risky situations and difficult maneuvers. The driving simulator is certainly an effective solution for studying and evaluating such technologies, as well as studying their impact on driving performance.

Evaluating the effectiveness of perceptual treatments on sharp curves: a driving simulator study.

Objective: Speed has been identified as a key risk factor in road crashes, influencing the occurrence of a road crash and its severity. Excessive speeding is particularly dangerous on highway curves, and under critical traffic and environmental conditions. Various measures have been identified to be effective in managing and controlling vehicle speed. Among these, low-cost perceptual measures have been considered to be effective tools, as they generally increase the risks perceived by drivers, or alter speed perception, and consequently lead the drivers to reduce their speeds. The overall aim of this study is 1) to investigate the effectiveness of a set of perceptual treatments in reducing the driver's speed along a sharp curve of an existing rural road that is characterized by high crash rates, and 2) to identify the most effective measure(s) to implement in the field to counteract the problem of speeding.Methods: A driving simulator study was developed and four speed-reducing measures (white and red peripheral transverse bars (PTB), optical speed bars (OSB) and chevrons) were tested on a sample of forty-two drivers. The driving speeds recorded using the treatments tests were compared to a baseline condition (treatments were not applied). Subjective measures were also collected; these included the driver's evaluation of the desired speed, risk perception, road legibility, and markings comprehension, as based on screenshot pictures that represented the simulated configurations of the treatments.Results: The outcomes demonstrated an overall effectiveness of the perceptual treatments. Particularly, red PTB were associated with a speed-reduction of up to 12 km/h along the curve under study. An analysis of the questionnaires revealed that drivers did not fully comprehend the relevant message of PTB. Despite that, the drivers did unconsciously reduce their speeds; this confirms the effectiveness of such perceptual treatments based on the optical illusion that entices drivers to reduce their speeds.Conclusions: The findings demonstrated the effectiveness of the perceptual treatments, especially red PTB, in enticing drivers to reduce their speeds whilst approaching the sharp curve under study or driving through the curve.

Use of Terrestrial Laser Scanner for Rigid Airport Pavement Management.

The evaluation of the structural efficiency of airport infrastructures is a complex task. Faulting is one of the most important indicators of rigid pavement performance. The aim of our study is to provide a new method for faulting detection and computation on jointed concrete pavements. Nowadays, the assessment of faulting is performed with the use of laborious and time-consuming measurements that strongly hinder aircraft traffic. We proposed a field procedure for Terrestrial Laser Scanner data acquisition and a computation flow chart in order to identify and quantify the fault size at each joint of apron slabs. The total point cloud has been used to compute the least square plane fitting those points. The best-fit plane for each slab has been computed too. The attitude of each slab plane with respect to both the adjacent ones and the apron reference plane has been determined by the normal vectors to the surfaces. Faulting has been evaluated as the difference in elevation between the slab planes along chosen sections. For a more accurate evaluation of the faulting value, we have then considered a few strips of data covering rectangular areas of different sizes across the joints. The accuracy of the estimated quantities has been computed too.

Ebola virus disease 2013-2014 outbreak in west Africa: an analysis of the epidemic spread and response.

The Ebola virus epidemic burst in West Africa in late 2013, started in Guinea, reached in a few months an alarming diffusion, actually involving several countries (Liberia, Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Senegal, and Mali). Guinea and Liberia, the first nations affected by the outbreak, have put in place measures to contain the spread, supported by international organizations; then they were followed by the other nations affected. In the present EVD outbreak, the geographical spread of the virus has followed a new route: the achievement of large urban areas at an early stage of the epidemic has led to an unprecedented diffusion, featuring the largest outbreak of EVD of all time. This has caused significant concerns all over the world: the potential reaching of far countries from endemic areas, mainly through fast transports, induced several countries to issue information documents and health supervision for individuals going to or coming from the areas at risk. In this paper the geographical spread of the epidemic was analyzed, assessing the sequential appearance of cases by geographic area, considering the increase in cases and mortality according to affected nations. The measures implemented by each government and international organizations to contain the outbreak, and their effectiveness, were also evaluated.

Analysis of driver speeds under night driving conditions using a driving simulator.

PROBLEM: Accident statistics demonstrate that there should be a greater focus on nighttime driving to improve our knowledge of driver behavior under poor lighting conditions. However, the current geometric design criteria do not take into account driving at night. Moreover, studies that propose predictive models of operating speed only consider daytime driving conditions. METHOD: This study compares driver speed behavior during daytime and nighttime driving and models operating speeds and speed differentials, identifying significant factors that influence speed behavior under different lighting conditions. The research was carried out using a driving simulator for a section of an existing two-lane rural road composed of 39 tangent-curve configurations. Speed profiles were recorded for 40 drivers under simulated daytime and nighttime driving conditions. RESULTS: New predictive speed models, differentiated for daytime and nighttime driving, are proposed that highlight the effects of different geometric predictors under different visibility conditions. Specifically, predictive models for operating speed on curves identified the inverse of the radius and the deflection angle of the curve as predictors under both driving conditions. For speed differentials based on the 85th percentile for maximum speed reduction (85 MSR), we found that the inverse of the approaching tangent length and of the curve radius significantly explained the dependent variable in both cases, with a higher dependence of nighttime 85 MSR on the curve geometry than on the tangent length. Tangent length had a significant effect on operating speed for independent tangents only for the daytime model, whereas the inverse of the previous radius was confirmed as a predictor for both visibility conditions. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: This research may influence design considerations for nighttime driving by providing evidence of the effects of nighttime conditions on driver speed choices and road safety.