The 802.11p/WAVE standard relies on the presence of Onboard Units (OBUs) and Roadside Units (RSUs) for communications in vehicular networks. In this paper, we study the benefits of deploying RSUs to improve communications in highway scenarios. We develop an analytical model to analyze communication delay in a highway scenario with bidirectional traffic, considering both connected and disconnected RSUs, and validate our model via simulations and experimental measurements with 802.11p equipment. Contrary to conventional wisdom, our results show that significant benefits of RSUs in terms of connectivity and message dissemination can only be achieved when the deployed RSUs are interconnected. Conversely, deploying a large number of disconnected RSUs will lead to little or no benefit in message dissemination delay.

The earthquake of the 9th of July 1998 that hit in the central group of the Azores archipelago greatly affected the islands of Faial, Pico and São Jorge, reaching a magnitude of Mw 6.2 with the epicentre located about 15 km northeast of the Faial Island. This earthquake allowed the collection of an unprecedented quantity of data concerning the characterisation of the building stock and the damage suffered by construction. This is the main purpose of this research, consisting essentially of three main aspects: (i) A detailed characterisation of the building stock, assigning a five category classification, from old traditional rubble stone masonry to reinforced concrete moment framed buildings; (ii) A detailed damage grade classification based on the different damage mechanisms observed; and, (iii) A seismic vulnerability assessment of the building stock. The results of the vulnerability assessment together with the building stock database and damage classification were integrated into a GIS tool, allowing the spatial visualation of damage scenarios, which is potentially useful for the planning of emergency response strategies and retrofitting priorities to mitigate and manage seismic risk.

In July 1998, an M w = 6.2 earthquake struck the islands of Faial, Pico and San Jorge (in the Azores Archipelago), registering VIII on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale and causing major destruction in the northeastern part of Faial. The main shock was located offshore, 8 km North East of the island, and it triggered a seismic sequence that lasted for several weeks. The existing data for this earthquake include both the general tectonic environment of the region and the teleseismic information. This is accompanied by one strong-motion record obtained 15 km from the epicentre, the epicentre location of aftershocks, and a large collection of the damage inflicted to the building stock (as poor rubble masonry, of 2-3 storeys). The present study was carried out in two steps: first, with a finite-fault stochastic simulation method of ground motion at sites throughout the affected islands, for two possible locations of the rupturing fault and for a large number of combinations of rupture mechanisms (as a parametric analysis); secondly, the damage to buildings was modelled using a well-known macroseismic method that considers the building typologies and their associated vulnerabilities. The main intent was to integrate different data (geological, seismological and building features) to produce a scenario model to reproduce and justify the level of damage generated during the Faial earthquake. Finally, through validation of the results provided by these different approaches, we obtained a complete procedure for the parameters of a first model for the production of seismic damage scenarios for the Azores Islands region.

We present a real-world testbed for research and development in vehicular networking that has been deployed successfully in the sea port of Leixões in Portugal. The testbed allows for cloud-based code deployment, remote network control and distributed data collection from moving container trucks, cranes, tow boats, patrol vessels and roadside units, thereby enabling a wide range of experiments and performance analyses. After describing the testbed architecture and its various modes of operation, we give concrete examples of its use and offer insights on how to build effective testbeds for wireless networking with moving vehicles.