Thursday, August 28, 2025
This webinar highlights the activities and results of a three-phase project that involved implementing the open-source platform OneBusAway in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. This platform provides real-time information for public transportation users. It collects data to enhance the planning and execution of strategies designed to increase ridership and reduce congestion within transportation systems. The presentation covers various studies conducted during the project, including two focus groups, a survey designed to gather data from the surrounding area, and the development of a local app to enhance data quality in conjunction with OBA. Additionally, it includes the creation of a trip generation model utilizing spatial regression and the development of planning models to visualize processes for integrating crowdsourced data into these models.
About the Presenter
Dr. Didier M. Valdés-Díaz is a Professor of the Department of Civil Engineering and Surveying at the University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez (UPRM). Dr. Valdés obtained his Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin. He has continued working on education, research and community service at the UPRM with more than 20 years of academic and research experience on the national and international level.
Dr. Valdés’ research interests include the application of operations research tools, simulation and systems engineering, and system dynamics to the analysis, modeling, and control of transportation systems; highway safety; information and traffic control strategies on urban networks; urban rail transportation systems; information supply strategies during incident situations; Intelligent Transportation Systems; optimal control and fuzzy logic and their applications to traffic control; graduate and undergraduate engineering education; research ethics and ethics across the curriculum; professional development programs and pre-college outreach programs. He has been involved in high quality research projects for several agencies including NSF, FHWA, UTRC, the PR Department of Transportation and Public Works (DTOP), PR Highway and Transportation Authority (ACT), PR Authority for Public-Private Partnerships (AAPP), and the PR Infrastructure Financing Authority (AFI). He has served on various TRB committees and NSF peer review panels.
