Dissertation
Reliable itinerary planning in transportation networks
University of Iowa
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), University of Iowa
Summer 2020
DOI: 10.17077/etd.005501
Abstract
This thesis seeks to utilize network modeling and conditional probability concepts to develop methods that will give greater transparency to the reliability of various modes of passenger travel. There is a wide range of research and applications on deterministic shortest travel time itineraries. However, despite consistency and reliability in travel being important to travelers, there is little work that attempts to apply transportation data to give users reliability information for their itineraries. This work addresses these issues across various modes of transportation, including long-distance travel, such as flights, urban transit networks, like public transportation, and multi-modal networks, such as combining car and flight travel options.
We evaluate the reliability of different itineraries and identify the itinerary with highest reliability given a start time and travel time budget. We use extensive historical datasets to create reliable itineraries and compare these with deterministic shortest travel time itineraries to build insights on the structure of those itineraries within the considered transportation network.
This research presents several network models for evaluating reliability that vary depending on the mode of transportation being considered. For each of them, an efficient network search algorithm is implemented to identify the most reliable itinerary for a given traveler. The most reliable flight itinerary problem, presented in Chapter 2, is the first examination of how reliability can be measured and optimized given a large airline network. This model is expanded in Chapter 3 to include the initial and final driving legs to and from the airport, which creates additional complexity and new considerations to the model. Finally, the concept of reliability is translated into a public transit network in Chapter 4 with stops, delays and the additional consideration of backup itineraries after a missed transfer.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Reliable itinerary planning in transportation networks
- Creators
- Michael Anthony Redmond
- Contributors
- Ann Campbell (Advisor)Jan Ehmke (Committee Member)Ray de Matta (Committee Member)Gautam Pant (Committee Member)Kang Zhao (Committee Member)
- Resource Type
- Dissertation
- Degree Awarded
- Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), University of Iowa
- Degree in
- Business Administration
- Date degree season
- Summer 2020
- Publisher
- University of Iowa
- DOI
- 10.17077/etd.005501
- Number of pages
- x, 103 pages
- Copyright
- Copyright 2020 Michael Anthony Redmond
- Language
- English
- Description illustrations
- color illustrations
- Description bibliographic
- Includes bibliographical references (pages 101-103).
- Public Abstract (ETD)
As access to information on transportation options becomes more readily available, the need arises to find modes of travel and itineraries that will be reliable and easy-to-use for travelers. While there is widespread information on cost and scheduled travel time for everything from airlines to ride-hailing services, the work on showing travelers the variation in travel time of these different options is lagging behind.
This thesis takes into account the uncertainty in travel time across modes of transportation, including flights, driving, and public transit. We plan for this uncertainty to recommend reliable itineraries, which are itineraries that get travelers to their destination on time without missing any connections along the way. This research focuses on modeling transportation networks to discover itinerary reliability in situations where the answer may not be readily apparent, such as travel with layovers or missed transfers.
The results show the value that finding these reliable itineraries can have over shortest travel time itineraries that travelers are accustomed to seeing. Also, this reliability metric gives an additional tool for travelers to use during the decision-making process of their trip planning. By making reliable transportation itineraries more transparent to travelers and network planners, it can help convince travelers to choose these modes of transportation in the future and take some of the uncertainty and stress out of travel planning.
- Academic Unit
- Tippie College of Business
- Record Identifier
- 9983987997502771
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