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Transportation & Logistics
In today's rapidly changing business environment, an advanced decision support system offers decision-makers flexibility for problem solving and credibility in resulting solutions. Modeling and simulation (M&S) tools and visualization technologies enable improved designs and operations for land, air and sea transportation systems. Analytical tools support predictions of complex transportation system performance. When combined with advanced information displays, and decision support tools, these M&S technologies can be used to test and improve the safety of transportation and logistics systems operations and provide aid to decision makers in business development, local and state planning activities, and emergency management and homeland defense. For example, Traffic congestion is one of the worst problems in many countries. Traffic congestion wastes a huge portion of the national income for fuel and traffic-related environmental and socioeconomic problems. Computer simulation is a powerful tool for analyzing complex and dynamic scenarios. It provides an appealing approach to analyze repetitive processes. Simulation helps decision makers identify different possible options by analyzing enormous amounts of data. Hence, computer simulation can be used effectively to analyze traffic flow patterns, evacuation routes etc. These simulations greatly reduce the cost and risk of testing and, because they enable a large number of scenarios to be evaluated, increase the reliability and safety of the final system design. Transportation and logistics systems models may also be coupled to enable the security and cost of multimodal transportation operations to be assessed. In addition, derivative simulations may be used for other applications including training and decision support for business development, local and state planning for ports, roads, and airports, and emergency response.
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