Community-Oriented and Data-Driven Mobility Modeling for Rural and Disconnected Communities

Communities in rural and small-urban areas commonly face accessibility barriers in transportation, healthcare, and information services. These challenges are particularly acute for low-income, minority, older, and disabled populations, exacerbating disparities in accessing essential services like food, jobs, education, and medical care. The goal of the project is to improve accessibility and mobility for rural and disconnected communities through mobility modeling and a community-oriented approach. Focusing on access to healthcare and food as case studies, the project will employ novel feature-engineering and data fusion approaches to identify data gaps, overcome data-related challenges, and understand unique spatiotemporal travel patterns in rural areas. Furthermore, a mobility modeling framework will be developed to evaluate mobility services specifically tailored for rural and disconnected communities such as micro-mobility, paratransit, and demand-responsive transit. The project outcomes will enhance efficiency for low-demand long-distance trips by integrating diverse transportation modes, thereby improving overall accessibility and mobility. The project will also identify unmet needs, allowing for targeted policy recommendations that positively impact transportation within rural and disconnected communities.

• Record URL:
  https://www.cr2c2.com/research/major-research-initiatives/mri-3/project-3-2

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Active
• Funding: $448598
• Contract Numbers:

  69A3552348304

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology

  University Transportation Centers Program
  Department of Transportation
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Managing Organizations:

  Center for Regional and Rural Connected Communities

  North Carolina A&T State University
  Greensboro, NC  United States  27411
• Project Managers:

  Pandey, Venktesh

• Performing Organizations:

  Clemson University

  Box 345702, Room 300, Brackett Hall
  Clemson, SC  United States  29634

  Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton

  Boca Raton, FL  United States  33431

  North Carolina A&T State University

  1601 E. Market Street
  Greensboro, NC  United States  27411

  University of Alabama, Huntsville

  Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
  Huntsville, AL  United States  35899

  University of Georgia, Athens

  College of Engineering
  Driftmier Engineering Center
  Athens, Georgia  United States  30602
• Principal Investigators:

  Durham, Stephan

  Liu, Jun

  Liu, Rongfang

  Nagarajan, Sudhagar

  Ogle, Jennifer

  Pandey, Venktesh

  Jidong, Yang

• Start Date: 20230801
• Expected Completion Date: 20260731
• Actual Completion Date: 0
• USDOT Program: University Transportation Centers Program

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Accessibility; Data mining; Equity; Mobility; Rural areas; Transportation disadvantaged persons
• Subject Areas: Planning and Forecasting; Society; Transportation (General);

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01892504
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Center for Regional and Rural Connected Communities
• Contract Numbers: 69A3552348304
• Files: UTC, RIP
• Created Date: Sep 7 2023 9:42AM