Search Results (3)

In this paper, we explore the trade-offs between public and private investment in autonomous driving technologies. Utilizing an evolutionary game model, we delve into the complex interaction mechanisms between governments and auto manufacturers, focusing on how strategic decisions impact overall outcomes. Specifically, we predict that governments may opt for strategies such as constructing and maintaining infrastructure for Roadside Infrastructure-based Vehicles (RIVs) or subsidizing high-level Autonomous Driving Vehicles (ADVs) without additional road infrastructure. Manufacturers’ choices involve deciding whether to invest in RIVs or ADVs, depending on governmental policies and market conditions. Our simulation results, based on scenarios derived from existing economic data and forecasts on technology development costs, suggest that government subsidy policies need to dynamically adjust in response to manufacturers’ shifting strategies and market behavior. This dynamic adjustment is crucial as it addresses the evolving economic environment and technological advancements, ensuring that subsidies effectively incentivize the desired outcomes in autonomous vehicle development. The findings of this paper could serve as valuable decision-making tools for governments and auto manufacturers, guiding investment strategies that align with the dynamic landscape of autonomous driving technology. Full article

Rivers have always been linked to society development, as such they are amongst the most impacted ecosystems in the world. One of the most impairing impacts is the one promoted by instream barriers that fragment river network connectivity and impede fish movements. Barriers are especially deleterious to freshwater dependent fish species that see their dispersion ability severely affected with possible consequences for population and species maintenance, altering genetic flow and community balance. With this in mind, the European Biodiversity Strategy has the specific goal of rehabilitating 25,000 km of free-flowing rivers. Additionally, the European Water Framework Directive (WFD) also determines that longitudinal connectivity re-establishment is vital to achieve the goal of good ecological status. To implement adequate measures for river network connectivity enhancement, connectivity has to be quantified at the basin scale accounting for the cumulative impacts of all the dams present in a given system. Dammed Fish is a Europe-wide research project aiming to evaluate and propose solutions and tools to inform river network connectivity management, to improve fish biodiversity and enhance the biotic quality of European rivers. The project is structured into five interconnected tasks to evaluate how dams, by themselves and combined with other pressures, affect river network connectivity, biodiversity loss, species range contraction and species turnover in (riverine) fish. Results will contribute to further research and improved management of river network connectivity by developing three free tools: RivFish—to link fish data and river networks; RivConnect—to calculate basin-wide network connectivity; and RivOpt—to optimize basin-wide connectivity management solutions considering conflicting management goals. Thus, Dammed Fish proposes an overall and integrative approach to connectivity management over large spatial extents. Full article

Effective research, conservation and management of freshwater ecosystems must take into consideration the environment, ecosystem functioning and human activities at multiple river scales. The river Network toolkit (RivTool) is a user-friendly and freely available software of universal applicability that enables the integration of these multiple inputs for large scale river network analysis. It is a table-driven application with several freely available datasets for European and South American basins. This software is currently implemented in all five continents, having been downloaded in nearly 70 countries, and represents a platform with high future scientific and management potential. As such, three new plugins are being conceptualized and developed to widen the contribution of this software to the freshwater community: the first is RivFish, a tool to integrate the resources of the rGBIF package with the river network framework of RivTool; the second RivConnect, an add-on for quantitative network connectivity analysis based on graph-theory, i.e., to enable the calculation of fragmentation metrics and river connectivity indexes; and a third tool, RivOpt, a multifunctional decision support system aiming at selecting an optimal portfolio of barrier removal and/or mitigation actions towards balancing competing environmental and socioeconomic objectives. Adding these new tools to RivTool will widen its scope of action and overall usefulness. The future of RivTool will provide, to the freshwater scientific and management community, a set of tools that will increase the ability to interpret and manage river systems, ultimately contributing to attain the European biodiversity goals. Full article