Search Results (25)

The efficient management of urban parking systems has emerged as a pivotal issue in today’s smart cities, where increasing vehicle populations strain limited parking infrastructure and challenge sustainable urban mobility. Aligned with the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the strategic goals of smart city planning, this study presents a sustainability-driven, multiagent simulation-based framework to model, analyze, and optimize smart parking dynamics in congested urban settings. The system architecture integrates ground-level IoT sensors installed in parking spaces, enabling real-time occupancy detection and communication with a centralized system using low-power wide-area communication protocols (LPWAN). This study introduces an intelligent parking guidance mechanism that dynamically directs drivers to the nearest available slots based on location, historical traffic flow, and predicted availability. To manage real-time data flow, the framework incorporates message queuing telemetry transport (MQTT) protocols and edge processing units for low-latency updates. A predictive algorithm, combining spatial data, usage patterns, and time-series forecasting, supports decision-making for future slot allocation and dynamic pricing policies. Field simulations, calibrated with sensor data in a representative high-density urban district, assess system performance under peak and off-peak conditions. A comparative evaluation against traditional first-come-first-served and static parking systems highlights significant gains: average parking search time is reduced by 42%, vehicular congestion near parking zones declines by 35%, and emissions from circling vehicles drop by 27%. The system also improves user satisfaction by enabling mobile app-based reservation and payment options. These findings contribute to broader sustainability goals by supporting efficient land use, reducing environmental impacts, and enhancing urban livability—key dimensions emphasized in sustainable smart city strategies. The proposed framework offers a scalable, interdisciplinary solution for urban planners and policymakers striving to design inclusive, resilient, and environmentally responsible urban mobility systems. Full article

Lack of digitization in data sharing between enterprises and inspection solutions suppliers negatively affects cash flows between parties, which results in late payments that negatively affect the adoption of automatic inspection equipment. This paper contributes to improving the implementation of a new Inspection as a Service Business Model for deploying automatic inspection solutions using non-destructive inspection solutions, and to enhance workflows by integrating Blockchain and Smart Contracts. The Inspection as a Service offers flexible, cloud-based, or on-premise inspection solutions through the Marketplace, reducing upfront costs with a recurring service fee and automated payments. The marketplace platform supports automatic payment processes and facilitates industry adoption of IaaS solutions. The digital ecosystem offers improved capital expenditure and payback periods. It enhances communication, collaboration, data sharing, and payment processes through a subscription model. The case study demonstrates that the IaaS Business Model (on-premise or cloud) improves the economic feasibility of automatic non-destructive inspection solutions by lowering initial investments and enhancing return on investment and payback periods, even with higher operating costs. The analysis confirms the profitability and sustainability of IaaS Business Model over traditional one-fee selling by emphasizing its potential to improve operational performance and sustainability in manufacturing. The current proposal of automatic non-destructive solutions implements a new revenue model based on pay-per-use or volume, which makes it more financially viable to adopt this technology in industry. Full article

Forest ecosystem services are critical for maintaining ecological balance and supporting human well-being from different perspectives. However, rapid land use changes driven by agricultural expansion, urbanization, and industrial activities have significantly altered forest ecosystems, degrading the services they provide. We here conduct an ecosystem service assessment through biophysical and economic estimates for a multipurpose Andean water sub-basin in western Colombia. We compare a business as usual (BAU) with a forest nature-based solution (NbS) scenario focused on forest landscape restoration. The research employed participatory methods for the NbS selection and economic valuation techniques to evaluate water flow regulation, water provisioning, water purification, and food provisioning services. Results show that the NbS scenario yielded a net positive economic impact across most evaluated ecosystem services, with notable trade-offs. Specifically, the NbS scenario increased water retention by 2.9% compared to BAU. Water flow regulation demonstrated the most substantial economic benefit, increasing by EUR 11.39 million/year in the NbS scenario. On the other hand, the food provisioning service presented a reduction of EUR 3.2 million/year in the NbS scenario. These findings highlight the potential of forest-based NbS to address the Water–Energy–Food–Ecosystem (WEFE) nexus challenges. The study’s outcomes provide valuable insights for policymakers and practitioners, supporting the development of Payment for Ecosystem Services schemes and integrating ecosystem service valuation into land use planning and decision-making processes. Full article

AR integrates virtual elements with the real world in real-time to enhance interactivity and vividness, which may influence consumers’ perceptions and payment intentions. This study explores the impact of Augmented Reality (AR) on consumer willingness to pay for cultural heritage products, utilizing the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and flow theory. This study analyzes 603 responses (quantitative data) to understand consumer perceptions of AR in the purchasing process of cultural heritage products. The findings reveal that perceived usefulness, ease of use, and flow experience significantly enhance consumer purchase intentions, with ease of use also amplifying the effects of perceived usefulness and flow experience. Additionally, the immersive, interactive, and aesthetic aspects of AR contribute positively to ease of use and flow experiences, with immersion notably impacting perceived usefulness. The results support the research model with robust explanatory power, offering practical insights for employing AR to improve marketability and consumer engagement with cultural heritage products. This paper contributes to the existing literature by bridging the gap in understanding the role of AR in enhancing consumer experiences and financial outcomes in the cultural heritage domain. Full article

Many scientific publications pointed out delays in the progress of payments by owners as one of the top direct causes of project delays and disputes. This research investigates the causes of payment delays and explores deliberate delay tactics and their reasons within Saudi Arabian public construction projects. This research employs a robust mixed methodology, an extensive literature review, and preliminary semi-structured interviews to identify the causes of payment delays and possible tactics and reasons for deliberate delays or procrastinated payment. Subsequently, a questionnaire survey is distributed among experienced personnel. The survey aims to verify the results of the first phase, assess occurrence rates of the causes of payment delays, study tactical forms used by parties to delay payment, and identify reasons for such practices. The findings of the study reveal that the contractual issues group has the highest score for occurring, deliberate disruptions occur although they are not prevalent, tactics to deliberate delays exist and are practiced, and all the possible forms of deliberate delays under investigation and reasons for deliberate delays are confirmed valid. This study provides valuable insights for businesses and policymakers seeking to comprehend the issue of payment delays in Saudi Arabian public construction projects. Full article

Since 2023, a new format of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) has been implemented in Europe. Market forces alone cannot guarantee land services, which can be described as flows of goods and services from ecosystems to human systems as functions of nature. Market forces also cannot ensure food security everywhere and at all times, so deliberate measures should incentivize farmers to adopt sustainable agricultural practices and maintain necessary skills and resources. This study identifies, quantifies, and interprets four narratives that are typical in the approach to food security and the public debate about the land services in the CAP Strategic Plans: (A) provision of land services within the Pillar 1 economics; (B) small vs. large farms; (C) direct payments in comparison with rural development; and (D) choices by the old and new member states. Participatory processes, descriptive statistics, and partial component analysis were used in terms of the methodology. The key finding is that the importance attached to eco-schemes varies among member states, although a majority dedicate approximately 25% of the Pillar 1 budget to them. We showed that small-scale farming countries move resources from Pillar 2 to strengthen direct payments. In contrast, affluent countries with robust agricultural structures can afford to reinforce Pillar 2 rural development through transfers from direct payments. To support small-scale and medium farms, appropriate support requires a combination of several measures, including the sizable hectare payment in Pillar 1 and farmer-oriented agri-environmental measures. Full article

Objectives: The objective of this study was to analyse and detail surgical process improvement activities that achieve the highest economic impact. Methods: Over 4 years, a team of technicians and healthcare professionals implemented a set of Lean surgical process improvement projects at Vall d’Hebron University Hospital (VHUH), Barcelona, Spain. Methods employed in the study are common in manufacturing environments and include reducing waiting and changeover time (SMED), reducing first time through, pull, and continuous flow. Projects based on these methods now form part of the daily routine in the surgical process. The economic impact on the hospital’s surgical activity budget was analysed. Results: Process improvements have led to annual operational savings of over EUR 8.5 million. These improvements include better patient flow, better management of information between healthcare professionals, and improved logistic circuits. Conclusions: The current cultural shift towards process management in large hospitals implies shifting towards results-based healthcare, patient-perceived value (VBHC), and value-added payment. A Lean project implementation process requires long-term stability. The reason a considerable number of projects fail to complete process improvement projects is the difficulty involved in establishing the project and improving management routines. Few studies in the literature have investigated the economic impact of implementing Lean management a posteriori, and even fewer have examined actual cases. In this real case study, changes to surgical block management were initiated from stage zero. After being carefully thought through and designed, changes were carried out and subsequently analysed. Full article

Effective cash flow management has become crucial for projects and stakeholders given the wide payment-related problems and financial risks encountered in the construction industry worldwide. Previous studies mostly addressed cash flow and payments from the perspective of a specific stakeholder, resulting in an imbalanced cash flow management culture that is further intensified by the power asymmetry of the top-down payment decision-making process. This research proposes an adaptive decision support framework for evaluating and negotiating payment options in construction projects while incorporating the individual and collective financial roles of stakeholders. The framework is comprised of three modules for data acquisition, payment simulation, analysis, and negotiation, as well as decision support. It integrates agent-based simulation, data envelopment analysis, and game theory for a multi-level study of project performance while capturing the driving forces of stakeholders in payment negotiations. A case study project is used to demonstrate the framework implementation under varying payment conditions and interest rates. The results provide quantitative profiles of stakeholders to identify incurred charges, balanced payment conditions, and suitable compensation. Finally, the framework can be utilized by stakeholders and jurisdictions to move towards enhanced contractual arrangements that alleviate economic and financial risks with the informed collaboration of its entities. Full article

The standard formulas for calculating the value of a firm’s tax shield and its weighted average cost of capital (WACC) use the assumption that the underlying cash flows are perpetuities. Yet, most projects will have a finite useful life. Because the perpetuity approach will overstate the value of a finite-life project’s tax shield, this factor will pressure the perpetuity-formula WACC to be less than the finite-life WACC. However, a large portion of the value of a perpetual tax shield can be attributed to interest payments during the next 5, 10, or 25 years, making it possible for the perpetuity-formula WACC to be greater than the finite-life WACC. Using a series of numerical examples, this paper shows that the finite-life WACC can be either higher or lower than the perpetuity-formula WACC depending on the project’s useful life, the required return on the unlevered project, the firm’s capital structure, the cost of debt, the marginal tax rate, and the debt repayment pattern (e.g., coupon bonds or amortizing loans). The analysis in this article helps managers better understand the potential biases introduced into the capital budgeting process when using the perpetuity-formula WACC to evaluate projects with finite useful lives. Full article

A healthy fund flow system is crucial for the successful construction of any project. Project fund flow management has made significant progress, increasingly aligning with real-world applications. However, due to the uncertainties associated with Engineering Changes (ECs) in projects, the actual fund flow may still deviate from expectations. These systems still require improvements and corrections of flaws to enhance the efficiency of construction projects and reduce exposure to risks associated with ECs. Construction projects are complex and involve many processes. Each process represents a specific part of the project; therefore, an EC in one area can impact resource scheduling and fund balance. In our analysis, we found that ECs are directly related to fund demands and may result in the need for more materials, labor, and duration. Furthermore, ECs can alter construction progress and payment schedules, exacerbating project risks. As a result, effective management of fund flexibility becomes highly necessary. To explore the impact of ECs on the value dynamics of fund flow, it is important to understand and describe the stochastic paths of fund flow and discern the dynamic changes at each stage. Given this, we introduced a system dynamics model based on the Monte Carlo simulation. This model adeptly characterizes project risks and quantifies uncertainty variables, thereby making the simulation more aligned with reality. Moreover, the model illuminates the intricate relationship between project risk and project productivity, highlighting the origins of fund flow fluctuations. It is imperative to identify project risks early and address ECs promptly and effectively. Through sensitivity analysis and strategies, we ensure the stability of fund flow. This study offers a pivotal framework for understanding and managing fund flow in projects, emphasizing the central role of system dynamics in this process. Full article

An automatic determination of grape must ingredients during the harvesting process would support cellar logistics and enables an early termination of the harvest if quality parameters are not met. One of the most important quality-determining characteristics of grape must is its sugar and acid content. Among others, the sugars in particular determine the quality of the must and wine. Chiefly in wine cooperatives, in which a third of all German winegrowers are organized, these quality characteristics serve as the basis for payment. They are acquired upon delivery at the cellar of the cooperative or the winery and result in the acceptance or rejection of grapes and must. The whole process is very time-consuming and expensive, and sometimes grapes that do not meet the quality requirements for sweetness, acidity, or healthiness are destroyed or not used at all, which leads to economic loss. Near-infrared spectroscopy is now a widely used technique to detect a wide variety of ingredients in biological samples. In this study, a miniaturized semi-automated prototype apparatus with a near-infrared sensor and a flow cell was used to acquire spectra (1100 nm to 1350 nm) of grape must at defined temperatures. Data of must samples from four different red and white Vitis vinifera (L.) varieties were recorded throughout the whole growing season of 2021 in Rhineland Palatinate, Germany. Each sample consisted of 100 randomly sampled berries from the entire vineyard. The contents of the main sugars (glucose and fructose) and acids (malic acid and tartaric acid) were determined with high-performance liquid chromatography. Chemometric methods, using partial least-square regression and leave-one-out cross-validation, provided good estimates of both sugars (RMSEP = 6.06 g/L, R² = 89.26%), as well as malic acid (RMSEP = 1.22 g/L, R² = 91.10%). The coefficient of determination (R²) was comparable for glucose and fructose with 89.45% compared to 89.08%, respectively. Although tartaric acid was predictable for only two of the four varieties using near-infrared spectroscopy, calibration and validation for malic acid were accurate for all varieties in an equal extent like the sugars. These high prediction accuracies for the main quality determining grape must ingredients using this miniaturized prototype apparatus might enable an installation on a grape harvester in the future. Full article

Internet of Things (IoT) finance extends financial services to the whole physical commodity society with the help of IoT technology to realize financial automation and intelligence. However, the security of IoT finance still needs to be improved. Blockchain has the characteristics of decentralization, immutability, faster settlement, etc., and has been gradually applied to the field of IoT finance. Blockchain is also considered to be an effective way to resolve the problems of the traditional supply chain finance industry, such as the inability to transmit core enterprise credit, the failure of full-chain business information connections and the difficulty of clearing and settlement. Supply chain finance allows the strongest enterprise in the supply chain to apply for credit guarantee from the bank to obtain bank loans, and use the funds for circulation in the supply chain to ensure that each enterprise in the whole supply chain can obtain working capital to realize profits, so as to maximize common interests. In this paper, a financial management platform based on the integration of blockchain and supply chain has been designed and implemented. Blockchain is used to integrate supply chain finance to synchronize the bank account payment system, realize the automatic flow of funds, process supervision and automatically settle account periods based on smart contracts. The four functional modules of the system are designed using unified modeling language (UML), and the model view controller (MVC) architecture is selected as the main architecture of the system. The results of the system test show that the proposed platform can effectively improve the system security, and can use the information in the blockchain to provide multi-level financing services for enterprises in supply chain finance. Full article

Offsite construction (OSC) is one of the alternative methods for the various challenges that the construction sector faces today. This study developed a management system based on building information modeling (BIM) to execute OSC projects successfully. Because OSC differs from the conventional onsite building method, the authors studied and analyzed several project cases and interviewed the participants and stakeholders. The OSC method has unique characteristics in the aspects of the projects’ location and time, production process, flow, method, facility, and environment. Moreover, before the system development, we analyzed the OSC project management, usability, and system requirements. These requirements were turned into a BIM-based system following a waterfall model, with six management menus: drawing, schedule, production, logistics, installation and progress monitoring, and progress payment. This study implemented each menu’s vital functions within the system more effectively due to the BIM-based technological features, such as object-oriented data processing, visualization, high interoperability, linkage, and integration. The developed system was applied to four projects. The test resulted in a streamlined work process, improved activity, and less input time and workload than in a non-BIM-based management environment. These findings indicated that the proposed BIM-based system enabled OSC project management to perform better. Full article

Forest resources and the flow of ecosystem services they provide play a key role in supporting national and regional economies, improving people’s lives, protecting biodiversity, and mitigating the impacts of climate change. Based on the ISI (Institute of Scientific Information) Web of Science (WoS) database, we used a bibliometric approach to analyze the research status, evolution process, and hotspots of forest ecosystem services (FES) from a compilation of 8797 documents published between 1997 and 2019. The results indicated that: (1) research on forest ecosystem services has developed rapidly over the past 23 years. Institutions in the United States and other developed countries have significantly contributed to undertake research on the topic of ecosystem services. (2) The 11 hotpot key focus areas of completed research were payments for ecosystem services, biodiversity conservation, forest governance, ecosystem approaches, climate change, nitrogen, ecosystem management, pollination, cities, ecological restoration, and policy. (3) The trade-off relationships among ecosystem services, ecosystem resilience and stability have become the research frontier in this field. (4) Future research on FES will likely focus on the formation and evolution mechanism of ecosystem services; the interaction, feedback and intrinsic connections of ecosystem services at different scales; analysis of the trade-offs and synergies; unified evaluation standards, evaluation systems, model construction and scenario analyses; in-depth studies of the internal correlation mechanism between forest ecosystem services and human wellbeing; and realization of cross-disciplinary and multi-method integration in sustainable forest management and decision-making. Full article

It is of great significance to ensure public transportation management capabilities by improving urban public transport services. One method is to solve the problems related to the quality of data submitted for public funding as well as the accuracy and transparency of the supervision and review processes; moreover, improving public-transportation-service systems is a viable method to solve such problems. With technological advancements and the application of new technologies such as automatic driving and multiple payment, it has gradually become difficult for user-data verification systems, based on the original single bus payment method, to cater to these new technologies. Diversified payment and complex management methods have highlighted the need for new verification methods. Firstly, in this paper, we constructed the Origin–Destination (OD) model of bus-passenger flows by using real-time transmission of passenger-multiple-payment data, on-board-video passenger flow detection data and vehicle real-time positioning data. On this basis, the bus waybill data of other intelligent bus systems and the wait data of bus stations were integrated, so as to establish the travel chain theory by matching passenger flow and the temporal and spatial distribution model. Then, an OD analysis of public-transport passenger flows could be carried out, with a detailed analysis of vehicle, station and line-passenger flow, and the travel characteristics of public transport passenger flow could be excavated. Then, according to the means-end chain theory, the spatiotemporal distribution of the passenger flow data was obtained to carry out an OD analysis of the passenger flow, so as to perform a refinement analysis of the vehicle, station, and passenger flow. Thereby, the characteristics of the passenger flow were explored. Subsequently, payment-authenticity-verification models were established for the data-validity assessment, video-data analysis, passenger-flow estimation, and early warnings in order to determine the authenticity of the payment data. Lastly, based on the multi-sensor passenger flow data fusion and the data authenticity verification models, combined with the application of new technologies such as the use of autonomous buses, the test was promoted. That is, by taking intelligent bus scheduling as the scenario, the research method was tested and verified with real-time passenger flow data according to historical data. The results showed that the method accurately predicted the passenger flow, and had a positive role in improving the efficiency of payment-data-authenticity verification. The application of the method can enhance the management and service quality of public transportation. Full article