Innovative technologies for smart urban mobility management

This PhD thesis investigates the application of ICT (Information Computer Technologies) in the field of urban mobility. The objective is not to study and solve urban planning problems from a transport management or transport infrastructure point of view. The content of this PhD thesis focuses on the study of innovative digital technologies, algorithms, and systems that can be useful in the context of modern urban mobility systems both in the design and management phases. In particular, this PhD thesis reports on studies that concern the management of data from their acquisition to their processing and visualization. Digital technologies for decision support through the processing of big data were investigated, as were case studies regarding applications related to the safety of users moving in a modern urban environment. The use of technologies such as Cloud Computing, Edge Computing, and the Internet of Things (IoT) formed the basis of the studies presented. Computing resource optimization techniques have been investigated both at the Edge and at the Cloud. The decline of sensors measurement capacity was studied and a technique based on field tests was proposed to extend the devices’ life. These results respond to economic and environmental sustainability problems for cities that evolve into smart cities. All the discussed aspects were investigated also taking into account cyber security issues. The techniques explained have the dual purpose of ensuring the security of the systems and the reliability of the data that provide input to algorithms and decision support systems. In general, this PhD thesis collects various research works to respond to issues relating to the use of digital technologies to support mobility in modern urban systems. The different solutions reported are based on a careful analysis of the state of the art and the goodness of the designed solutions is proven through experimental tests.