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Zoom: https://usc.zoom.us/j/98793874966

Rural transit systems face unique constraints in connecting dispersed population centers while maintaining economic viability, which necessitates a modelling approach that addresses multiple competing objectives simultaneously. However, very little research has been conducted on the application of continuous approximation models to problems in rural transit networks, likely due to their distinctive spatial characteristics and coverage requirements. The purpose of this project is to discover new continuous approximation models for public transit network design, with a specific focus on rural areas. This project will combine tools from geospatial optimization, computational geometry, and geometric probability theory to formulate new models. Furthermore, these models will identify which complementary infrastructure investments would most effectively increase transit availability and ridership in rural counties.

Speaker Bio:

John Carlsson, PhD is an Associate Professor at the University of Southern California in the Epstein Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering. He received his Ph.D. from the Institute for Computational and Mathematical Engineeering (ICME) at Stanford University and his A.B. in mathematics and music from Harvard College. He works on algorithms for solving problems in continuous location theory, and more generally, optimization problems that have some kind of geographic element. His research is currently supported by DARPA, the Office of Naval Research, the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, the National Science Foundation, and the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT).