Predicting the effects of environmental parameters on the spatio-temporal distribution of the droplets carrying coronavirus in public transport – A machine learning approach

Mesgarpour, Mehrdad; Abad, Javad Mohebbi Najm; Alizadeh, Rasool; Doranehgard, Mohammad Hossein; Jowkar, Saeed; Karimi, Nader

doi:10.1016/j.cej.2021.132761

Cited by 44 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 82 publications

(96 reference statements)

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“…Subbarao and Kadali [20] suggested a methodology for post-lockdown PT system operation: (a) creating a public database for screening, (b) strategy for the public transport operating system, (c) control measures for the public at transit stations and vehicles, (d) public transport disinfection system, and (e) strengthening of the public transport system and addressing ridership issues. Mesgarpour et al [21] used a machine learning approach that violated an optimal range of temperature, humidity, and ventilation rate to maintain human comfort while minimizing the transmission of droplets.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Public Transport COVID-19-Safe: New Barriers and Policies to Implement Effective Countermeasures under User’s Safety Perspective

et al. 2022

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The COVID-19 emergency forced cities worldwide to adopt measures to restrict travel and implement new urban public transport solutions. The discontinuity and reduction of services made users recognize public transport systems as contamination vectors, and the decrease in the number of passengers can already be seen in several places. Thus, this study assessed the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on urban public transport. We used hybrid choice models (HCMs) to identify the new barriers and potential solutions to increase users’ perception of safety, considering preexistent perceptions of public transportation quality. We used data from an online survey with users of public transportation in a metropolitan area in southern Brazil. We identified that the main barriers to using public transport during virus transmission are related to the system characteristics that force constant interaction with other passengers. Crowded vehicles and crowded stops/stations were considered the most detrimental factor in feeling safe while riding in the COVID-19 outbreak. Countermeasures that reduce the contact with other passengers—directly (limit the number of passengers in vehicles) or indirectly (operate with large vehicles)—and increase offers are possible solutions to make users feel safe while riding. The results of this research might help reduce passenger evasion and migration to more unsustainable transport modes.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Public Transport COVID-19-Safe: New Barriers and Policies to Implement Effective Countermeasures under User’s Safety Perspective

et al. 2022

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“…Using supervised learning and unsupervised learning to assess the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on human mobility and on air quality [28][29][30] Case Study…”

Section: Machine Learning and Deep Learningmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing Spatial Variations of Traffic Congestion Using Traffic Index Data in a Developing City: Lessons from Johannesburg, South Africa

et al. 2022

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The COVID-19 pandemic has created unforeseen effects in public transport and the mobility of people in cities globally. Johannesburg, being a developing city in one of the most affected countries in Africa during the pandemic, has experienced severe changes in traffic management and travel patterns as a result of the restrictions imposed on movement. Hence, this study examined the spatial variations in traffic during the pandemic. The study utilized data obtained from the TomTom Traffic Index for the city of Johannesburg from 2019 to 2021, with 2019 representing the period pre-COVID-19 with no lockdown restrictions, 2020 representing the period with restricted movement to limit spread of COVID-19, and 2021 representing a period of relaxed and minimized restrictions on movement. Our findings revealed that there was a variation in congestion levels between 2019–2021 with year 2020 having the least congestion from the beginning of the COVID-19 restrictions due to regulations enforced in movement and reduced travel. Our findings further revealed that traffic congestion was higher during weekdays than weekends during the three periods, with mini-bus taxis as the major contributors to congestion. Consequently, there is a need to discourage the use of single occupancy vehicles and invest in more sustainable means of transportation to ease the mobility of people and reduce traffic on major roads.

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“…Several studies have been conducted to investigate the infection mechanism of COVID-19, and droplet infection has been revealed to be the main infection route. (Mesgarpour et al, 2022) However, several researchers have reported that airborne transmission (aerosol) is also an infection route. (Morawska and Milton, 2020;Ou et al, 2022; COVID-19 variants with modified gene structures are considered to spread primarily through the air.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ventilation design of tour buses for suppressing airborne transmission and highly efficient virus elimination in post COVID-19 period

MAKIHIRA,

OKUMURA

2024

Mechanical Engineering Journal

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Measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 are critical across the globe. A tour bus can carry passengers; however, the small, closed space becomes congested owing to their presence for long periods. Therefore, there is an increased risk of infection on tour buses. The air outlet of the air conditioner in a tour bus was designed to prioritize heating and cooling over ventilation. This study aims to improve the ventilation performance of tour buses. Therefore, a large-scale ventilation simulation was performed using a supercomputer. The results are as follows: (1) when the overall air flow rate of the ventilation is fixed, new outlets must be installed in the upper rear part of the tour bus for rapid ventilation; and (2) the ventilation efficiency was higher when a few highoutput outlets were installed instead of several low-output outlets. The reason for the more effective ventilation was to create a large airflow in the tour bus. We proposed the design of a highly efficient ventilation system in an existing bus space and elucidated the appropriate layout of ventilation outlets and the optimal protocol for opening windows.

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Predicting the effects of environmental parameters on the spatio-temporal distribution of the droplets carrying coronavirus in public transport – A machine learning approach

Cited by 44 publications

References 82 publications

Public Transport COVID-19-Safe: New Barriers and Policies to Implement Effective Countermeasures under User’s Safety Perspective

Public Transport COVID-19-Safe: New Barriers and Policies to Implement Effective Countermeasures under User’s Safety Perspective

Assessing Spatial Variations of Traffic Congestion Using Traffic Index Data in a Developing City: Lessons from Johannesburg, South Africa

Ventilation design of tour buses for suppressing airborne transmission and highly efficient virus elimination in post COVID-19 period

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