Infrastructure Connectivity Research Articles

A Comprehensive Study on LPWANs With a Focus on the Potential of LoRa/LoRaWAN Systems

The Internet of Things (IoT) ecosystem emerges rapidly and paves the way towards collecting huge amounts of data that can feed innovative information-based systems. The connectivity infrastructure that will support the IoT ecosystem encompasses deployments that define the so-called Low-Power Wide Area Networks (LPWANs). LPWANs are an attractive solution for IoT service provisioning, since they incorporate energy-efficient and cost-effective technologies. In this context, a comprehensive study is provided to assist in the currently increasing research and development interest on LPWANs. First, recent cloud-based and open-source approaches for data management are discussed, while the major key wireless technologies for network access are presented. Second, the potential of Long Range (LoRa) modulation and Long Range Wide Area Network (LoRaWAN) protocol, as key LPWAN wireless technologies in unlicensed spectrum bands, is further analyzed. The fundamental principles of these technologies are presented, and a thorough study on the relevant research activities is conducted.

An Empirical Study on the Impact of Chinese OFDI on the Global Value Chain Positions of Countries Along the Belt and Road and Threshold Effects

In line with previous studies of the relationship between foreign direct investment (FDI) and global value chains (GVCs), this work uses national panel data of 31 countries along the Belt and Road (B&R countries) from 2010 to 2017 to study the impact of Chinese outside foreign direct investment (OFDI) on the GVC positions of B&R countries and examines the threshold effects of infrastructure level and institutional quality on that impact. The results show that the improvement of B&R countries’ GVC positions is related to Chinese OFDI, and Chinese OFDI has significantly positive dynamic effect on improving the GVC positions of B&R countries. Infrastructure level and institutional quality have double threshold effects upon the effect of Chinese OFDI on improving the GVC positions of B&R countries. When infrastructure level successively exceeds the two thresholds, the effect of Chinese OFDI on improving the GVC positions of B&R countries gradually increases, and when institutional quality successively exceeds the two thresholds, the effect of Chinese OFDI on improving the GVC positions of B&R countries gradually decreases. Our study proposes that under the Belt and Road Initiative, to improve the GVC positions of B&R countries, B&R countries should further strengthen their cooperation with China and continue to attract Chinese OFDI. Moreover, to better play the role of Chinese OFDI in enhancing the GVC positions of B&R countries, China should further strengthen the infrastructure connectivity construction with B&R countries and pay attention to the institutional quality of B&R countries when investing in them.

A GIS-supported methodology for the functional classification of road networks

The management and monitoring of road networks require constant effort from road owners and managers. This study proposes a decision support method to assist decision makers in planning interventions on road networks. The proposed method supports the functional classification of road networks and their hierarchy using well-defined rules and criteria. GIS tools are used to visualize the resulting classification. The analysis, which does not focus on single roads but on routes composed of one or more roads, proposes a hierarchization based on a set of indicators. These latter describe accessibility, functionality, geometrical and safety characteristics based on which routes can be classified according to different levels of importance. The indicators used are attributable to three main groups. The first group relates to infrastructure connectivity and accessibility; the second to functionality and performance (design speed, homogeneity of traffic flows, etc.) while the third describes the type of road according to variables related to width, tortuosity, accidents, etc. The proposed methodology can support the effective management of road networks and provide road practitioners with useful knowledge elements, also for monitoring road safety.

Russian-Mongolian Border: Updating Checkpoints and Strengthening Infrastructure Connectivity

The article analyzes the changes on the border of Mongolia with Russia and examines the plans of the two states to develop border infrastructure. There is mutual high interest in modernizing checkpoints. On the one hand, Mongolia has identified the recovery of checkpoints as a key direction of the “New Revival Policy” being implemented. On the other hand, in the current geopolitical conditions, Russia pays great attention to the capabilities of land checkpoints in the east. The author emphasizes the high importance of the border crossings Kyakhta — Altanbulag and Naushki — Sukhbaatar, through which not only bilateral trade is carried out, but also transit goods, including containers on the China — Europe route and back. At the same time, the author notes that as road corridors develop on the territory of Mongolia, and in the future also railway ones, the importance of border crossings is expected to increase both along the western section of the Russian-Mongolian border (primarily Tashanta — Tsagaannuur crossing) and eastern (Solovyovsk — Ereentsav crossing). New transport corridors are important to ensure the transit of goods and the growing Russian-Mongolian trade. The importance of the Mongolian vector is growing not only in terms of ensuring the rapid transportation of goods, but also servicing passenger flows across the border — business and cultural ties are intensifying, and cross-border tourism is developing. Analyzing the ambitious infrastructure plans of Mongolia, the author concludes that favorable conditions has been created to strengthen the infrastructural connectivity of the countries, which is a key condition for the establishment of the China-Mongolia-Russia economic corridor. Acknowledgements: In memory of Lyudmila Ivanovna Kondrashova, a dear scientific supervisor who inspired the study of not only China, but also Mongolia.

How to maximize the Benefits for Lao Agriculture from Regional Infrastructure Connectivity: A Case Study of Laos-China Railway

How to maximize the Benefits for Lao Agriculture from Regional Infrastructure Connectivity: A Case Study of Laos-China Railway

Improving mobility and infrastructural connectivity on college campus for commuting students: a case study from the US

ABSTRACT As contemporary colleges and universities continue to undergo unprecedented growth, more and more students commuting to campus face parking and physical infrastructural connectivity problems. Using the case of a US college campus, this paper identifies areas in which physical infrastructural connectivity limits students’ ability to commute to campus, either due to gaps in the network or lack of awareness of the network. Graph theory application was used to gauge the overall connectivity of the sidewalk, bike lane, and bus route networks available to students at the university. Through GIS mapping, relationships between these networks were identified, as well as gaps in these networks. In addition, a survey of students’ commuting patterns was performed to identify how students travel to campus and their overall familiarity with the alternative transportation networks. Insights from this study could enhance planning for inter-modal connectivity and make student commuting safer, more accessible, more eco-friendly, and more convenient even as the student population continues to increase.

Adoption of FinTech services amidst COVID-19 pandemic: empirical evidence from Assam

PurposeThe paper intends to comprehend the pattern of usage of FinTech services among bank customers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The paper also examines the factors influencing the adoption of FinTech services by using the constructs from the technology acceptance model (TAM) together with highlighting the issues faced in using FinTech services in Assam.Design/methodology/approachThe research is empirical in nature. Data have been collected from 1,066 prime earners of the households having a bank account.FindingsThere has been an upsurge in the use of FinTech services in the area of study. Apart from government and private service employees, businessmen, self-employed professionals, many daily-wage earners and agriculturists have also experienced an increase in their frequency of usage of FinTech services thereby making technology-based financial services an indispensable tool in enhancing access, improving inclusivity in the times of crisis and aftermath. Government support, trust, perceived usefulness (PU), attitude and social influence have a positive influence on FinTech adoption; however, perceived risks impact respondents’ trust towards FinTech services thereby requiring necessary measures to evaluate organizations’ preparedness to deal with cyber threats.Originality/valueThe paper provides insight into the factors impacting the adoption of FinTech services to stimulate superior connectivity infrastructure, robust security measures and maintaining financial stability with adequate supervisory and monitoring regulations to enhance trust towards FinTech services during the crisis and aftermath.

Studying the damping characteristics of the system of building and infrastructure considering the Soil-Structure Interaction

This paper studies the damping characteristics of the soil foundation under a building concerning the Soil-Structure Interaction (SSI). By considering a multi-story building resting on a piled raft foundation as a typical SSI system, subjected to an earthquake (i.e., Chi Chi earthquake, Taiwan 1999), the time-dependent responses of specified locations in the foundation are recorded and analyzed, both in-time domain and frequency domain. Referring to prior knowledge about system identification and damping, this study suggests an overwhelming approach to determining the damping ratio for analyzing more thoroughly a system of SSI systems. Results are a general procedure to establish the damping matrix, namely the Caughey damping matrix which takes several frequencies into account. A different viewpoint that the connection of superstructure and infrastructure in series could help to estimate the damping, and contribute to a wide range of system identification. All these procedures are used to predict more properly the damping characteristics of a system of structures. Suggestions over the findings would be expected to contribute a more rigorous component to the analysis of high-rise buildings in the future.

Necessary and sufficient conditions for the BRI success

AbstractThis paper presents a general theoretical framework for understanding the Belt‐and‐Road Initiative (BRI). We begin with an introduction to the connotations of the BRI and a review of the initiative's main achievements since its inception. From these achievements, we identify the existence of a potential match between supply and demand in jointly building the BRI to be the foremost necessary condition for win–win cooperation for participating countries. Several features of China's contemporary economic structure are shown to provide the huge potential of supply that matches the massive demand of many Belt‐and‐Road countries for infrastructure development. To unleash the full potential of the BRI, a series of sufficient conditions must be met so that supply and demand interact in a virtuous manner. In the first stage of jointly building the BRI, the key to turn the initiative's potential into reality is to develop the “Five Links” of policy coordination, infrastructure connectivity, unimpeded trade, financial integration, and people‐to‐people bond. Now that the BRI has entered the high‐quality development stage, we demonstrate that China has taken or needs to work on policy measures in 10 areas to ensure the continuing and sustainable success of the BRI construction.

Reducing the Risks of Home Dialysis Innovation and Uptake: The Case for Human-Centered Product Design.

Reducing the Risks of Home Dialysis Innovation and Uptake: The Case for Human-Centered Product Design.

Building Connectivity Infrastructures in the Cold War Balkans

Abstract The article explores the development of energy and transport networks in the Cold War Balkans by bringing three case studies of cross-border connectivity into focus: the Yougelexport project, the Djerdap hydropower station and the Circular Highway. In this endeavour networks are not treated as neutral physical infrastructures, but as social phenomena with political, cultural and economic impact. Hence, the development of cross-border and cross-bloc connectivity projects between the countries of the region is connected with the course of their bilateral relations and the broader political context of the Cold War. Against this background, the article discusses the national political objectives related to infrastructure building and the role of transnational technocratic cooperation in cross-border connectivity projects in the Cold War Balkans.

Malaysia in Changing Geopolitical Economy: Navigating Great Power Competition between China and the United States

The past two years have witnessed escalating geopolitical tensions occurring not only in the political but also economic domains especially technology and global supply chains, infrastructure connectivity, trade and finance. With tensions between the US and China escalating on many fronts, Southeast Asia has become a focal point of strategic rivalry again as Biden’s Indo-Pacific Strategy 2022 attempts to rebuild the US-led order in Asia to blunt China’s growing influence in the region. A series of economic initiatives following his Indo-Pacific strategy focuses on reconfiguring the semiconductor global supply chain. In this context, the paper aims to examine how Malaysia cope with the complex patterns of cooperation, competition and conflict arising from the current shifts in the global geopolitics and geoeconomics. The paper benefits from the insights from the international political economy research which explores how the Malaysian government strives to reconcile domestic and international imperatives in navigating the changing global geopolitical economy, which can be perceived as both a threat as well as an opportunity by the state and non-state actors in the country. The question of whether hedging is tenable is undoubtedly contingent upon the extent of big power rivalry. Given the greater uncertainty over the pernicious effects of rising regional polarization and retreat from economic globalization, Malaysia will continue to maintain strategic ambiguity as long as US-China rivalry has not (yet) escalated into outright military conflict. Nevertheless, the paper concludes that the space to hedge may be squeezed since small power like Malaysia may face harsher realities as it navigates the changing geopolitical economy landscape. Hence, the ASEAN solidarity and cohesion is crucial to ensure a more unified regional response to the escalating Sino-American strategic competition.

Influence of Economic Openness on Total Factor Productivity: Evidence from China’s Belt and Road Initiative

The impact of international trade and export-oriented policies on economic growth has been an important topic. Based on an evaluation of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), this study provides new evidence of the positive causal link between increasing openness and long-term economic growth. Specifically, this study evaluates the BRI’s impact on 18 key provinces in China, with a focus on total factor productivity (TFP). Utilizing a panel dataset of 284 prefectural-level cities from 2007 to 2018, we examine the causal relationship between the BRI and TFP in a difference-in-differences framework. We apply the five-pronged approach to the BRI to explore the impact mechanism and examine heterogeneity in the effect in terms of geographic location and local government efficiency. We find that the BRI significantly promotes TFP in key provinces; it increases TFP through unimpeded trade, infrastructure connectivity, technical efficiency, and technological progress. The BRI promotes TFP in key coastal provinces belonging to the Maritime Silk Road while having a relatively limited impact on the other key provinces belonging to the Silk Road Economic Belt. This study has policy implications for promoting the BRI in China. It recommends that the government collaborates with firms and financial institutions in the construction of infrastructure.

Infrastructures and b/ordering: how Chinese projects are ordering China–Myanmar border spaces

ABSTRACT Border regions worldwide have gained prominence for how nation-states order, divide and understand the world. This is increasingly made explicit in the selective management of global commercial and human flows, leading to a paradoxical development and a major dilemma for the contemporary bordering practices in border regions: that of concurrently facilitating differentiated mobility while ensuring territorial integrity, securing both territories and flows. This paper argues that large-scale transnational infrastructures, by controlling, facilitating and channelizing cross-border mobilities, have emerged as a major instrument of b/ordering space in borderlands. This is especially relevant in Asia, where transnational, cross-border connectivity infrastructure projects have mushroomed, supported by political rhetoric, big budgets and diplomatic vigour. Grounded in long-term ethnographic research, the paper scrutinizes variegated infrastructure spaces in the seemingly remote and conflict-riddled borderlands between China’s Yunnan province and northern Myanmar’s Kachin state, subject to intensive Chinese infrastructure developments since the mid-1990s, further accelerated by the launch of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in 2015. The paper argues that infrastructures such as roads, plantations and special economic zones have started to regulate these volatile and contested borderlands more effectively than the official boundaries that delimit complex territorialities in the border region.

Investigating concentrated exclusion in telecommunications development: Engaging rural voices from Northern Canada

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, access to adequate, affordable, reliable broadband has become essential to many aspects of modern life. However, while urban centers in Canada already benefit from high-speed broadband services, many rural/remote and Northern communities face increasingly concentrated spaces of exclusion associated with digital divides. Inequalities in broadband services in Northern Canada have long been recognized by the federal government, which has initiated policies, regulations and funding programs to support the deployment of better connectivity infrastructure and services. Historically, many of these initiatives reflect a top-down approach that fails to consider the diversity of the communities and regions they are designed to support. Here, we focus on a case study of a policy consultation held by the national telecommunications regulator in an effort to learn current issues and challenges in the North. Consistent with existing research, our findings revealed that the most frequently reported challenges are the high cost of access, slow speeds, and limited competition. We also point out fewer submissions from smaller rural communities and argue that policymakers and researchers should pay closer attention to place-based challenges identified in different types of communities, and adopt more precise engagement tools and processes to encourage input from community members.

Integration into regional or global value chains and economic upgrading prospects: an analysis of the East African Community (EAC) bloc

The aim of the study was to assess the integration into regional or global value chains and economic upgrading prospects in the East African Community (EAC) bloc. We conducted a comparative analysis of participation in global value chain (GVC) among EAC member states and assessed the determinants of economic upgrading in the region using UNCTAD-Eora GVC Panel data from 2005 to 2018. The results show that Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda are relatively better integrated through two channels of GVC participation, namely foreign value added (FVA) and domestic value added. However, for indirect-value added channel, Kenya had the highest score, the rest member states had relatively lower mean scores. The overall results show that EAC’s participation in GVC still resides in upstream low- and middle-value-added production activities, which limits its competitiveness compared to other regions. The empirical results show the positive and significant effect of domestic credit, foreign direct investment, quality of institutions and FVA on economic upgrading. However, a positive but insignificant association with economic upgrading was observed for human capital and GDP per capita. Infrastructure quality was negatively and significantly associated with economic upgrading. These results suggest that improving infrastructure connectivity and further strengthening institutional governance would reduce trade costs and promote greater investments, product and service diversification, leading to deeper economic upgrading in the region. At the policy level, the adoption of effective national and regional industrial policies would promote innovation and human capital development, attract foreign direct investment and help address market and coordination deficiencies in the region.

Wavelet-Transform-Based Sparse Code Multiple Access for Power Line Communication

This paper presents Discrete Wavelet Transformed Sparse Code Multiple Access (DWT-SCMA) in Power Line Communication (PLC) systems. In the present internet of things era, PLC provides an established infrastructure for low-cost and reliable indoor connectivity. PLC systems can benefit from the Sparse Code Multiple Access (SCMA) technique, which allows multiple users to access a frequency slot simultaneously to maximize spectrum efficiency. However, interuser interference arises in SCMA when numerous users map their data to the same frequency resource; this, in turn, is likely to be enhanced by the noisy PLC channel. This article adopts the intriguing aspects of DWT to address the interference difficulties. A mathematical model of the proposed technique is also presented and compared with Fast Fourier Transformed SCMA (FFT-SCMA). In the PLC environment, DWT-SCMA is found to outperform FFT-SCMA.

Russia–Ukraine crisis: China’s Belt Road Initiative at the crossroads

China’s Belt Road Initiative (BRI) is an ambitious programme to connect Asia with Europe, Africa, and Latin America via transport networks on land and sea in hopes of advancing economic integration, increasing trade, and stimulating growth. Ukraine occupies a strategic location in the BRI, near the intersection of Europe and Asia, rendering it a potential “gateway to Europe.” Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is having a disruptive effect and poses numerous challenges for the Initiative, as it has affected some of the pillars and overall goals of the BRI. As it stands, however, infrastructure connectivity is being set back by three developments: fewer funding options, less international cooperation, and geopolitical shocks. Second, unimpeded trade via the BRI is being affected as the war causes disruptions to global value chains, weakens free trade, and sharpens food and energy insecurity. But where there are risks, there are also potential favourable circumstances for the BRI, including opportunities for China to get involved in the reconstruction of a war-ravaged Ukraine.

Factors Influencing Intended Bicycling Behavior

Bicycling for transportation and recreation has many benefits including human health, greenhouse gas reduction, and community building. Understanding the factors that influence intentions to bicycle can help community planners improve access to bicycle routes and facilities for residents. This study examines the facilitators, constraints, motivations, demographic and experiential characteristics, and intentions to ride a bicycle of the residents of the Town of DeWitt in Central New York State. Data were collected using a mail and internet survey during the summer of 2015. Survey questions focused on constraints/facilitators, motivations, intentions, demographics, recent participation in bicycling during the summer of 2015, and lifetime involvement in bicycling (i.e., number of years). Of the 1,253 questionnaires distributed, a qualified sample of 1,206 households was obtained; 56 questionnaires were completed online and 417 were returned by mail, resulting in a 39% response rate. Descriptive statistics and path analysis were used to identify determinants of bicycling intentions. Lack of adequate infrastructure was identified as a significant constraint on bicycling intentions, while support for infrastructure enhancements, enjoyment from riding, riding to spend time with friends and family, and number of children in the respondent’s household all directly and significantly influenced intentions to bike ride. Other factors (i.e., infrastructure connections in the community, spending time outdoors, support from others for biking, gender, free time, age, and income) indirectly influenced intentions. The results indicate that respondents would likely be in support of infrastructure improvements in the future, especially if these improvements create safer riding locations for both adults and children. In addition, the analysis made it possible to discern previously unrecognized factors influencing bicycling intentions, such as gender-based differences in level of support for biking infrastructure enhancements, the number of children in the household, and the importance of biking as a social experience. Incorporating off-road bike paths and gathering places for bicyclists into future planning efforts would likely be supported by residents seeking safe riding experiences for themselves and their children.

Analysis of the Efficiency of Transport Infrastructure Connectivity and Trade

Analyzing the efficiency of transport infrastructure connectivity and trade in the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) is very important for regional integration for international trade in the RCEP. This study aims to significantly measure the efficiency of the connectivity of infrastructure in the RCEP for improving the performance of infrastructure connection and suggest the way to improve the connection of infrastructure. Therefore, the input and output variables of infrastructure connectivity have been inserted to achieve this objective. The inputs are: the number of ports, rail range, and road networks, the number of land borders, the number of maritime borders, number of cross border points, railway linkage with other countries, number of ports connected with railways, and the number of ports connected with road base on the “intermodal and multimodal concept”. On the other hand, the output factors most related to trade and economics are GDP, transport, import, and export volume. The paper applied DEA (Data Envelopment Analysis) model by using DEAP software to analyze the data. The result reveals that the efficiency of infrastructures connectivity and international trade in 10 countries were efficient and 5 countries were inefficient. The research study presents ways of development to improve the connectivity by investing in the basic infrastructures, such as increasing the logistics connection points and driving forward for international trade in the RCEP.