International Telemetering Conference Proceedings / October 22-25, 2001 / Riviera Hotel and Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada / This article presents a measurement system based on the RS-485 interface. The presented system is an alternative solution for distributed measurement systems, which cannot be built using IEEE-488 interface due to distance limitation between elements of the system. The RS-485 interface is a base for communication between measurement instruments and uses a Master-Slave protocol to exchange data between them. One dedicated master device, usually a PC, controls all slave devices connected to the interface. To control measurement devices SCPI language is used. This solution simplifies communication between measurement devices and allows utilizing the HP-VEE environment to control any SCPI devices connected to the RS-485 network.

[pt] Ônibus, equipados com dispositivos GPS ativos que transmitem continuamente a sua posição, podem ser entendidos como sensores móveis de trânsito. De fato, as trajetórias dos ônibus fornecem uma fonte de dados útil para analisar o trânsito na rede de ônibus de uma cidade, dado que as autoridades de trânsito da cidade disponibilizem as trajetórias de forma aberta, oportuna e contínua. Neste contexto, esta tese propõe uma abordagem que usa os dados de GPS dos ônibus para analisar e monitorar a rede de ônibus de uma cidade. Ela combina algoritmos de grafos, técnicas de mineração de dados geoespaciais e métodos estatísticos. A principal contribuição desta tese é uma definição detalhada de operações e algoritmos para analisar e monitorar o tráfego na rede de ônibus, especificamente: (1) modelagem, análise e segmentaçãoda rede de ônibus; (2) mineração do conjunto de dados de trajetória de ônibus para descobrir padrões de tráfego; (3) detecção de anomalias de trânsito, classificação de acordo com sua gravidade, e avaliação do seu impacto; (4) manutenção e comparação de diferentes versões da rede de ônibus e dos seus padrões de tráfego para ajudar os planejadores urbanos a avaliar as mudanças. Uma segunda contribuição é a descrição de experimentos realizados para a rede de ônibus da Cidade do Rio de Janeiro, utilizando trajetórias de ônibus correspondentes ao período de junho de 2014 até fevereiro de 2017, disponibilizadas pela Prefeitura do Rio de Janeiro. Os resultados obtidos corroboram a utilidade da abordagem proposta para analisar e monitorar a rede de ônibus de uma cidade, o que pode ajudar os gestores do trânsito e as autoridades municipais a melhorar os planos de controle de trânsito e de mobilidade urbana. / [en] Buses, equipped with active GPS devices that continuously transmit their position, can be understood as mobile traffic sensors. Indeed, bus trajectories provide a useful data source for analyzing traffic in the bus network of a city, if the city traffic authority makes the bus trajectories available openly, timely and in a continuous way. In this context, this thesis proposes a bus GPS data-driven approach for analyzing and monitoring the bus network of a city. It combines graph algorithms, geospatial data mining techniques and statistical methods. The major contribution of this thesis is a detailed discussion of key operations and algorithms for modeling, analyzing and monitoring bus network traffic, specifically: (1) modelling, analyzing, and segmentation of the bus network; (2) mining the bus trajectory dataset to uncover traffic patterns; (3) detecting traffic anomalies, classifying them according to their severity, and estimating their impact; (4) maintaining and comparing different versions of the bus network and traffic patterns to help urban planners assess changes. Another contribution is the description of experiments conducted for the bus network of the City of Rio de Janeiro, using bus trajectories obtained from June 2014 to February 2017, which have been made available by the City Hall of Rio de Janeiro. The results obtained corroborate the usefulness of the proposed approach for analyzing and monitoring the bus network of a city, which may help traffic managers and city authorities improve traffic control and urban mobility plans.

Transport Policy in the United Kingdom from the 1950s to the early 1990s has been focused on increasing car use at the expense of investment in public transport services and infrastructure. This has culminated in a poorly integrated public transport network that has seen continued decline in use outside of London. The Competition Act (1998) has exacerbated this, as public operators risked prosecution if they were seen to collaborate. A policy shift in 1998 introduced the concept of Local Transport Plans, Organisational Travel Plans and Quality Partnerships as local policy tools for developing and implementing travel solutions using the planning process. Travel Plans today are viewed by the UK Government as a local delivery tool for transport policy, inspired by the successes in Europe and the United States in changing individual travel behaviour, where the Smart Growth Agenda has emerged as a mass transit based planning response to urban sprawl. In the UK, success in delivering significant modal shift away from private car use has seen limited success, hence the rationale for this research. Using this wider policy context, this research uses the University of Hertfordshire as a case study with the objective to research the development and implementation processes of a Travel Plan. The research conducts a review of travel behaviour within the case study, providing recommendations for implementing alternative interventions to car-based travel. Making use of national policy tools, using insights from both Smarter Travel / Smarter Choice agenda, the research includes the development process of a complex city wide Quality Partnership – a delivery mechanism for travel behaviour change incorporating multiple stakeholders. This thesis uses an embedded and reflective critical realist approach to researching Travel Plans from the perspective of a Travel Plan Coordinator. Through applying a multi-method dimension to empirical data collection, the use of structured quantitative commuter surveys, semi structured qualitative interviews and supporting secondary data sources are all utilised. Using such an approach provides the research with the flexibility for reporting complex social and empirical data, including the researcher’s embedded reflective insights throughout the process. An evaluative matrix ‘lens’ has been developed for reporting back the multitude of factors, including identifying Critical Success Factors and Key Performance Indicators that underpin the success or failure of such travel planning approaches. The research culminates in the development of a Travel Plan for the University of Hertfordshire and a voluntary Quality Partnership for the City and District of St Albans. A conclusion is drawn based on the unique perspective of an embedded reflective researcher as an active practitioner in the field of travel planning. In order to be successful a Travel Plan should feed into the wider quality partnership structures for mutual benefit where multiple stakeholders are able to influence the development of interventions at the local level, which could lead to significant travel behaviour changes. It is argued that this will ultimately help Travel Plans and quality partnerships achieve their key performance objectives and help meet government policy agenda.