The goal of this project is to transform emergency response planning for transportation service disruptions through the formulation of multi-scale models that develop and integrate: (i) network optimization and expected covering models to evaluate strategies for allocating emergency responders across highway networks, and (ii) an economic interdependency model to optimize the macroeconomic impacts of emergency response allocation strategies on the productivity of the overarching region. The innovation of the proposed modeling framework lies in integration of optimization, risk analysis, and multi-scale modeling to support the decision of balancing operational strategies for deploying emergency responders, as well as to resolve incidents with larger-scale interdependent effects due to disruptions in workforce and commodity flows.

The team integrated multi-sector economic and engineering models to analyze ripple effects of infrastructure failures to a broader regional economy. The proposed model was successfully demonstrated in a case study to predict how disruptions to a critical infrastructure would cascade to the economy. Further, the investigators integrated the economic model with a multi-commodity network flow model to identify specific transportation network contributors to regional economic productivity.

To broaden the participation of non-traditional NSF grant participants such as regional agencies and organizations, the team has channeled relevant project outputs to target agency recipients such as transportation agencies (e.g., Virginia Department of Transportation). Such dissemination of research results is expected to create a cascading effect on enhancement of surface transportation efficiency and utilization. At the same time, VCTIR engineers are expected to lend their knowledge and experience in actual transportation network planning and design in guiding and eventual review of the undergraduate and graduate student research.

Capstone research training has been offered to undergraduate student teams, culminating in participation to the IEEE Systems and Information Engineering and Design Symposium (SIEDS). The PIs extended an opportunity to guide undergraduate projects, and various aspects of this research have contextual appeal for undergraduate students. Further, the research topic helped motivate these students to pursue graduate studies through strong mentorship. Examples of peer-reviewed IEEE papers that were co-authored with undergraduate students are as follows:

Yip C, Fiorenzo P, Jung KD, Tupper J, Loban Y, Santos JR, 2016. A network-based congestion management model for Safety Service Patrol vehicle deployment. Proceedings of the IEEE Systems and Information Engineering and Design Symposium, Charlottesville, VA, pp. 26-31 (doi: 10.1109/SIEDS.2016.7489310)

Harten E, Patel R, Ryan L, Sawyer J, Barbera J, Mazzuchi T, Santos J, 2018. Evaluation of traffic mitigation strategies for pre-hurricane emergency evacuations, Proceedings of the IEEE Systems and Information Engineering Design Symposium (SIEDS), Charlottesville, VA, 2018, pp. 214-219 (doi: 10.1109/SIEDS.2018.8374739)

Graduate students have also directly benefited from participation with this project. They were involved in the formulation of the economic and transportation models, as well as the case study applications pertaining to the management of the efficiency of interdependent infrastructure networks. Multiple publications have been generated by the research, which were co-authored by graduate students. Examples include (Note: several other publications are still in revision or in preparation at the time this report was submitted): 

Ali J, Santos JR. 2015. Modeling the ripple effects of IT-based disasters on interdependent economic systems, Systems Engineering, 18(2): 146-161 (doi:10.1002/sys.21293)

Santos JR, Herrera, LC, Yu KDS, Pagsuyoin SA, Tan RG, 2014. State of the Art in Risk Analysis of Workforce Criticality Influencing Disaster Preparedness for Interdependent Systems, Risk Analysis, 34(6): 1056-1068 (doi:10.1111/risa.12183)

SA Thekdi, JR Santos. 2015. Supply Chain Vulnerability Analysis Using Scenario-Based Input-Output Modeling: Application to Port Operations, Risk Analysis, 36(5): 1025-1039 (doi:10.1111/risa.12473).

Darayi M, Barker K, Santos JR, 2017. Component Importance Measures for Multi-Industry Vulnerability of a Freight Transportation Network, Networks and Spatial Economics, 17(4): 1111-1136 (doi:10.1007/s11067-017-9359-9).

To engage participation of underrepresented groups and minorities, the PI partnered with the program manager of the Hispanic-Serving Health Professions Schools (HSHPS). Established in 1996, the HSHPS is a nationwide “Hispanic Agenda for Action” initiative of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, with the intention of providing quality and culturally competent training to Hispanics in the US. Since 2012, Santos has provided voluntary summer lectures to the HSHPS on disaster and emergency preparedness topics. In Summer 2013, for example, an independent study has been offered to a Hispanic graduate student (Lucia Castro Herrera), whose background, experience, and interest on emergency management led to a journal publication on the topic of infrastructure-workforce interoperability modeling in the aftermath of disasters.

Last Modified: 06/27/2018
Modified by: Joost R Santos