Spatial And Transportation Networks

This course presents the spatial dimension of transportation systems, analyzing their structure, functions, and interaction relationships within geographic space across different spatial scales. It also examines spatial patterns and structures that emerge due to variations in spatial demand for transportation.

The course aims to develop an understanding of the forces and mechanisms that shape spatial demand, generate flows between different spatial locations, and lead to the development of spatial networks and transportation networks. It further focuses on understanding the interactions between spatial and transportation networks and the economy, society, and the environment at local, regional, and global levels, as well as on their quantitative analysis using graph theory and statistical mechanics.

Learning outcomes

Learning Objectives

The course presents the spatial dimension of transport systems, analysing the structure, functions and interrelationships of transport in geographical space, at all spatial levels. The course also presents patterns of structures that develop in geographical space due to differentiated spatial demand.

The aim of the course is to understand the forces and mechanisms that shape spatial demand, cause flows between different spatial locations and lead to the development of spatial and transport networks. The course aims to understand the interactions of spatial and transport networks with the economy, society and the environment at local, regional and global levels and to describe them quantitatively using graph theory and statistical mechanics.

Knowledge

· Understanding of the basic transport geography‘s principles and the networks functionality.

· Understand the interconnection patterns between economic activities, space, and transport.

· Analysis of different types of transportation networks and their topological and functional attributes.

Competences

· Pattern recognition in geographical space.

· Mapping and analysis of spatial and transportation networks data.

· Model application to evaluate the functionality and efficiency of spatial and transport networks.

· Recognition of spatial and transportation networks growth models.

Skills

· Software usage (graph modeling) for transportation data modeling, visualization, and analysis in the geographical space.

· Management of spatial and transportation network model parameters and their graphical representation.

· Evaluation of spatial planning scenarios and prediction of spatial growth .

Syllabus

Part A (Theoretical)

Introduction to Transport Geography.
Transport and Economic Geography: theoretical approaches.
Forms of spatial organization and networks in geographical space.
Introduction to Graph Theory, modeling, and complex networks analysis.
Measures of complex network analysis and centrality measures.
Statistical mechanics of complex networks, null models.
Community detection in spatial and transportation networks.
Multimodality and multilevel spatial networks.

Part B (Laboratory)

Graph modeling of spatial networks and transport systems (creation, visualization, layouts - representations, layers) using software.
Performing basic operations (shortest path detection, filtering, merging) on spatial graph models using software.
Calculation of global network measures and thematic maps of local measures using software.
Community detection in graphs/spatial networks using software.
Pattern recognition in empirical networks using software.

Forecasting, building and evaluating scaling scenarios in spatial and transport networks using software.

Teaching methods

*Activity*	*Semester workload*
Lectures	39
Seminars
Laboratory Exercise
Field Exercise
Literature study and analysis	25
Tutoring
Practice (Placement)
Educational visits
Interactive teaching
Preparation of a study (project)	20
Essay Writing	16
Course Total	100

Student evaluation

*Evaluation Process*	*YES/NO*
Language of evaluation	Greek
Evaluation Methods, Formative or Inferential
Multiple Choice	Yes
Short Answer Questions
Open-Ended Questions
Problem solving	Yes
Written Work	Yes
Essay / Report	Yes
Oral Exam
Public Presentation
Laboratory Work
Other / Other

Defined evaluation criteria

*Evaluation criteria*	*Weight*
Written Essay (Project)	40%
Written Examination	60%

The evaluation criteria used are linked to the learning outcomes, since the students' ability to externalize the knowledge they have acquired and the depth of understanding of the basic content of the course are assessed.

The evaluation system and criteria are known to the students, and are judged as sufficient to capture the degree of understanding of the course and in depth of knowledge of its content.

Suggested bibliography

Suggested Literature:

Rodrigue, J-P. (2024). The Geography of Transport Systems (6th Edition). New York: Routledge. DOI: 10.4324/9781003343196
Barthélemy, M. (2011). Spatial networks. Physics reports, 499(1-3), 1-101.
Marshall, S., Gil, J., Kropf, K., Tomko, M., & Figueiredo, L. (2018). Street network studies: from networks to models and their representations. Networks and Spatial Economics, 18, 735-749.
Lin, J., & Ban, Y. (2013). Complex network topology of transportation systems. Transport reviews, 33(6), 658-685.
Boccaletti, S., Bianconi, G., Criado, R., Del Genio, C. I., Gómez-Gardenes, J., Romance, M., ... & Zanin, M. (2014). The structure and dynamics of multilayer networks. Physics reports, 544(1), 1-122.
Kivelä, M., Arenas, A., Barthelemy, M., Gleeson, J. P., Moreno, Y., & Porter, M. A. (2014). Multilayer networks. Journal of complex networks, 2(3), 203-271.
Fortunato, S. (2010). Community detection in graphs. Physics reports, 486(3-5), 75-174.
Tsiotas, D., & Polyzos, S. (2018). The complexity in the study of spatial networks: an epistemological approach. Networks and Spatial Economics, 18, 1-32.
Tsiotas, D. (2021). Drawing indicators of economic performance from network topology: The case of the interregional road transportation in Greece. Research in Transportation Economics, 90, 101004.
Tsiotas, D. (2017). Links Between Network Topology and Socioeconomic Framework of Railway Transport: Evidence From Greece. Journal of Engineering Science & Technology Review, 10(3).
Tsiotas, D., & Polyzos, S. (2015). Analyzing the maritime transportation system in Greece: a complex network approach. Networks and Spatial Economics, 15, 981-1010.
Tsiotas, D., & Polyzos, S. (2015). Decomposing multilayer transportation networks using complex network analysis: a case study for the Greek aviation network. Journal of Complex Networks, 3(4), 642-670.

Relevant Scientific Journals:

Journal of Transport Geography,

GeoJournal

Networks and Spatial Economics,

Global Networks

Transport Reviews,

Transportation

Transportation Research Record

Journal of Advanced Transportation,

Journal of Complex Networks

Nature

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