Delivery Infrastructure Research Articles

Time trend analysis of osteoporosis prevalence among adults 50years of age and older in the USA, 2005-2018.

This is the first study to assess osteoporosis prevalence trends over time and the proportion of undiagnosed osteoporosis across gender, ethnicity/race, and age groups. Observational time trend analyses were conducted using the 2005-2006, 2007-2008, 2009-2010, 2013-2014, and 2017-2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) datasets, along with a descriptive analysis using the 2017-2018 NHANES dataset to capture the proportion of undiagnosed osteoporosis. The findings showed a statistically significant increase in osteoporosis prevalence among women, non-Hispanic Whites, and all age groups (except for individuals 80years of age and older) during the study period. A subsequent analysis examining individuals by both gender and ethnicity/race demonstrated a statistically significant increase among Other Hispanic men and non-Hispanic White women. Additional descriptive analyses found that 69.12% of individuals with osteoporosis went undiagnosed. Specifically, 86.88% of men and 84.77% of individuals 50-59years of age with osteoporosis went undiagnosed, representing the two highest groups. The substantial and increasing prevalence among certain groups and sub-groups, along with the lack of diagnostic capture of osteoporosis, highlights existing gaps in public health efforts and care delivery infrastructure. This paper highlights high-risk groups and sub-groups that may benefit most from accelerated initiatives to reduce the burden of illness associated with osteoporosis.

Strategies to promote the provision of sexual health services during menopause: a qualitative study from the perspective of menopausal women and healthcare providers in Isfahan city, Iran

BackgroundIt is important to care for the sexual function of women during menopause as it can affect their quality of life. However, the services related to this area have been neglected in the health system and are not provided at the desired level. Therefore, the present study aimed to identify strategies to promote the provision of sexual health services during menopause in Isfahan city, Iran.MethodsParticipants of this qualitative study consisted of 19 menopausal women and 15 health service providers with work experience in providing sexual health services to menopausal women, selected using purposive sampling with maximum variation in the city of Isfahan, Iran. Data were collected through in-depth semi-structured individual interviews plus field notes and analyzed using conventional qualitative content analysis.ResultsData analysis led to the extraction of three main categories: 1-providing comprehensive and client-centered care with five sub-categories, namely “screening and active search for recognition of sexual dysfunction”, “compliance with cultural considerations in service delivery”, “tailoring treatment plans for individual patients”, “collaborative decision‐making approach”, and “improving specialty care follow-up”; 2- improving infrastructure for better service delivery with three sub-categories, namely “allocation of appropriate physical space”, “strengthening teamwork and interdisciplinary cooperation”, and “provision of cost-effective services”; and 3- expanding services as well as enhancing access with five sub-categories, namely “integration of sexual health services in primary health care”, “using telemedicine to provide services”, “expansion of intersectoral relations”, “introducing sexual health services”, and “conducting research on sexual health services”.ConclusionsThe results emphasize the importance of providing comprehensive and client-centered services and care, improving service delivery infrastructure, expanding services, and promoting access to sexual health to enhance the sexual function of postmenopausal women. Through these strategies, healthcare systems can significantly contribute to improving postmenopausal women’s sexual functioning and ultimately their quality of life.

The Future Hospital in Global Health Systems: The Future Hospital Within the Healthcare System.

Future hospitals must be able to adapt in many ways to the changing demands on their roles and functions within evolving healthcare delivery infrastructures. These include changing population structures and needs, new models of healthcare provision, technological advances, and innovations in design, all while enhancing their environmental sustainability. This article sets out the issues that those determining healthcare policy and designing future hospitals must consider if they are to become and remain fit for purpose within the wider health and social care system. It also examines the need for, and challenges to, strategic healthcare planning, creating future hospitals that are sustainable, net-zero carbon organisations, and ensuring resilience in the face of a range of potential shocks. Future hospitals play a crucial role in healthcare worldwide, regardless of the country's income level. Hospitals cannot be viewed without broader health system changes, infrastructure, community and cultural factors, staffing and other considerations. We anticipate that future hospitals will enhance population health in all settings and support the move towards more consumer-centric healthcare. We urge clinical and policy planners to consider the factors discussed carefully to maximise the benefits.

Scope of work and contributions of female community health volunteers in Nepal’s healthcare sector: a qualitative study

ObjectivesTo determine the perception of female community health volunteers (FCHVs) in terms of their scope of work, impact of work on their professional experiences and their coping strategies and stakeholders’...

Automation in Cloud-Based DevOps: A Guide to CI/CD Pipelines and Infrastructure as Code (IaC) with Terraform and Jenkins

This study offers a comprehensive analysis of automation in cloud-based DevOps, focusing on the role of Continuous Integration/Continuous Delivery (CI/CD) pipelines and Infrastructure as Code (IaC) in streamlining software development processes. Employing tools like Jenkins and Terraform, the research aims to demonstrate how automation can significantly enhance operational efficiency, scalability, and security in cloud deployments. Through a detailed examination of CI/CD components and their integration with IaC, this paper identifies key findings, including the reduction of manual errors, improved deployment consistency across environments, and enhanced security through DevSecOps practices. The study further explores challenges such as configuration complexity and compliance, proposing best practices like proactive monitoring, encrypted secrets management, and version control to mitigate these issues. Conclusively, the research recommends the adoption of AI-driven analytics and robust security frameworks to optimize cloud-based CI/CD automation. This work not only highlights current methodologies but also anticipates future trends, providing a strategic roadmap for organizations aiming to leverage DevOps automation effectively.

Common Challenges and Comprehensive Strategies for Utility Risk Management in Alternative Delivery Infrastructure Contexts

Common Challenges and Comprehensive Strategies for Utility Risk Management in Alternative Delivery Infrastructure Contexts

Development and Application of a Delivery Infrastructure Collapse Risk Assessment Tool: A Focus on Metropolitan Metropolitan Areas

Purpose: This study aims to develop a tool to systematically assess the risk of collapse in the delivery infrastructure and apply it to 42 districts in Gyeonggi Province. The ultimate goal is to provide data for preventive and improvement strategies tailored to regional needs.Methods: Hospitals performing over 50 deliveries annually were identified. Regions were categorized as 'none,' 'one,' or 'more than two' delivery hospitals, with further subdivision by annual delivery volume. Regions were then classified into 5 categories: 'relatively stable,' 'low-risk,' 'moderate-risk,' 'high-risk,' and 'collapsed.'Results: Of the 42 districts, 23 were classified as relatively stable, 3 as low-risk, 1 as moderate-risk, 4 as highrisk, and 11 as collapsed. Notably, areas where the delivery infrastructure has collapsed or is at high risk of collapse accounted for approximately 36% of the total.Conclusion: Tailored strategies and urgent policy support are required for high-risk regions. While perinatal regionalization may be a future direction, stable infrastructure must be maintained until the maternal care delivery system is established.

Energy Diplomacy of Turkmenistan: Determining Factors and Legal Framework

Introduction. Energy diplomacy is an effective means of ensuring energy security (international and national) and, at the same time, an instrument for implementing the foreign energy policy of states. Since energy diplomacy is formed and implemented in the conditions of the state legal and international legal environment, the study of its legal component acquires not only theoretical, but also important practical significance. At the same time, the legal aspects of energy diplomacy (both in general and in relation to specific countries) have not yet been systematically developed in the legal literature, including in the science of international law. Based on the analysis of scientific and regulatory material, the article identifies the features of Turkmenistan's energy diplomacy and its legal support.Materials and methods. Within the framework of the study, the sources of international law related to the topic under consideration, political and legal policy documents and acts of national legislation of Turkmenistan are considered. The theoretical basis of the research was the scientific works of experts in the field of international law and energy law, as well as individual studies of the problem of energy diplomacy, including in relation to a chosen country. The methodological basis of the study was presented by general scientific and special legal methods.The results of the study. Factors of a resource-geographical nature, combined with factors of a political and legal nature (the status of Turkmenistan as a permanently neutral state) determine the originality of foreign energy policy and, significant from the point of view of international law, the features of Turkmenistan's energy diplomacy. The main strategic priority of Turkmenistan's energy diplomacy is to increase the export potential of oil and gas products and, in this regard, to create an extensive, modern and efficient infrastructure for transit and delivery of energy resources to foreign energy markets, comprehensive legal support for these processes. Reliance on the potential of multilateral diplomacy (primarily in the UN system) for the international legal legitimization of their national interests in the energy sector is combined with the development of bilateral international legal relations of energy cooperation on terms of mutual benefit, while respecting the basic principles of international law. The head of state plays a special role in the development and legal formalization of Turkmenistan's energy diplomacy. Embargoes, as well as unilateral restrictive measures, used in the practice of a number of States and individual integration associations, are not used as a means of economic pressure on other States. Special importance is attached to preventive diplomacy within the framework of the Central Asian region.Discussion and conclusion. Turkmenistan's energy diplomacy, being the main means of implementing its foreign energy policy, has an international and constitutional legal framework, in turn, including: the UN Charter and other fundamental international legal acts establishing the basic principles of international law and the provisions of the Constitution of Turkmenistan on adherence to these principles, taking into account its permanently neutral status; Resolutions The UN General Assembly and acts of the constitutional legislation of Turkmenistan relating to the legal formalization and implementation of its permanent neutral status; norms of international law and provisions of the constitutional legislation of Turkmenistan regulating the main forms of diplomatic activity; special principles of international energy law correlating with the norms of the constitutional law of Turkmenistan.

Optimizing Drone Delivery Paths from Shared Bases: A Location-Routing Problem with Realistic Energy Constraints

Recently, Amazon patented fulfillment centers for drones on a large scale in densely populated areas. A network of such shared centers can be used for landing and launching drones as an alternative to the traditional private bases in near future. This paper studies how a user of such a shared delivery infrastructure can optimally determine the required bases among the existing bases to perform her delivery tasks. To this end, a location-routing problem is studied where the problem determines the drone launching centers and their routes to deliver parcels. A realistic energy function is used that incorporates the effect of load weight for calculating energy consumption in all flight phases including take-off, level flight, hovering, and landing. Although the energy consumption is nonlinear, the problem is formulated as a mixed-integer linear programming model and strengthened by valid inequalities and a pre-processing algorithm that enables us to solve instances with up to 100 customers using off-the-shelf optimization solvers. Moreover, a heuristic method is presented to solve instances with up to 200 customers. Results indicate the importance of incorporating the load-dependent energy formula in contrast to using fixed flight duration constraints for drones. The value of allowing multiple visits on each trip versus only simple back-and-forth trips is also assessed. The advantage of using an integrated location-routing approach is shown over the sequential approach in which the locations of bases are decided first and the routes are constructed next. Moreover, to manage future demand uncertainty, the model is extended for the case that a number of demand scenarios are given.

Population mental health science: Guiding principles and initial agenda.

A recent American Psychological Association Summit provided an urgent call to transform psychological science and practice away from a solely individual-level focus to become accountable for population-level impact on health and mental health. A population focus ensures the mental health of all children, adolescents, and adults and the elimination of inequities across groups. Science must guide three components of this transformation. First, effective individual-level interventions must be scaled up to the population level using principles from implementation science, investing in novel intervention delivery systems (e.g., online, mobile application, text, interactive voice response, and machine learning-based), harnessing the strength of diverse providers, and forging culturally informed adaptations. Second, policy-driven community-level interventions must be innovated and tested, such as public efforts to promote physical activity, public policies to support families in early life, and regulation of corporal punishment in schools. Third, transformation is needed to create a new system of universal primary care for mental health, based on models such as Family Connects, Triple P, PROmoting School-community-university Partnerships to Enhance Resilience, Communities That Care, and the Early Childhood Collaborative of the Pittsburgh Study. This new system must incorporate valid measurement, universal screening, and a community-based infrastructure for service delivery. Addressing tasks ahead, including scientific creativity and discovery, rigorous evaluation, and community accountability, will lead to a comprehensive strategic plan to shape the emergent field of public mental health. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Water Security Characteristics of Existing Water Service Provision Systems in Informal Settlements within Nairobi County, Kenya

Attainment of water security in urban informal settlements in developing countries can be a complex undertaking due to various factors that affect water service provision, such as insufficient water quantities, unreliable water supply, aging pipes, and infrastructure coverage, among others. In addition to this, the territorial behaviour and therefore a siloed approach of service providers propagate water insecurity. This situation has an impact on the socio-economic development, peace and political stability, water-related disasters, and waterborne diseases in many urban informal settlements in developing countries. The study sought to assess water security characteristics in informal settlements in Nairobi County. The research was informed by the systems theory. The study adopted a descriptive research design. The research targeted a population of 2,511,991 people living in the informal settlements and 544 water service providers (formal utilities and small-scale vendors) operating in the informal settlements. Both probabilistic and non-probabilistic sampling methods were used in this study to select the respondents. Data was collected from a sample of 388 households and 62 water vendors from nine slums in 12 sub-counties. A household questionnaire was used to collect data. Data was analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. From the findings, only 0.4% of households met all six parameters (availability, access, quantity, quality, affordability, and reliability) of water security. Most of the households satisfied four parameters, 30% met three parameters, 20.8% met two parameters, 11.7% met five parameters, and 5.3% met one parameter. This pointed to a situation where water security is a major concern in Nairobi’s Informal Settlements (INSEs). The existing water structures of service provision influenced only three of the six water security factors, and that is, availability, access, and quality. The level of structure did not have any impact on quantity, affordability, or reliability of water services. The study therefore concludes that the provision of infrastructure alone may not necessarily lead to overall household water security. The research findings show that integration is possible along the three levels—water production, water delivery infrastructure, and service levels experienced by the households. It was however noticed that a household could depend on multiple sources and therefore experience various levels of services. The study recommends that the national and county governments and stakeholders in the water sector, while planning water service provision and infrastructure development, should ensure that efforts towards attaining universal access to water through availability, access, quantity, quality, affordability, and reliability should have a targeted approach to reach those who are most water insecure.

Factors Affecting Health Infrastructure Conditions for Service Delivery in City Council of Dodoma, Tanzania

The study was conducted in the City Council of Dodoma and involved six primary public health centres, with the aim of assessing the factors affecting the conditions of health infrastructure for service delivery. It adopted a descriptive survey design while simple random sampling was used to obtain suitable respondents. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyse the collected data. The findings revealed that 62.5% of respondents argued that infrastructure conditions were good while 37.5% said they were bad. Also, 95.8% of respondents disclosed that the effect of improved health infrastructures was an increase in the number of patients being served, improved access to safe and affordable health services (83.3%), and adequate supply and access to essential equipment and drugs (81.9%). Furthermore, the findings indicated that six variables had significant and positive effects on the condition of health infrastructure. The variables are users’ competence (p=0.002), infrastructure overuse (p=0.004), non-compliance with terms of use (p=0.009), management quality (p=0.001), technological adoption (p=0.004) and maintenance cost (p=0.000). Nevertheless, the findings show that 75.0% of respondents cited that, among the challenges were unnecessary referrals, underperformance (69.4%), shortage of basic health equipment (63.8%), longer waiting time for the patient (44.4%), overwork and burnout among health workers (40.2%), and the large number of patients over existing health staff and equipment (30.5%). Various factors significantly influence the conditions of health infrastructure in primary health centres, which hinders the smooth delivery of health services. The government, through the Ministry of Health, and in-charge of centres should provide guidance on infrastructure use and instil maintenance behaviour among users

AHP와 IPA 기법을 활용한 서비스 표준화 전략에 관한 연구

The service industry is undergoing changes such as digital transformation, and it is expected that the number of employees in all types of service industries will increase in the future. Therefore, service certification and standardization is essential to secure the competitiveness of the domestic service industry along with the leap to high-value-added industries. Existing research has focused on certification and standardization strategies to revitalize specific service sectors, but there is a lack of research on the service industry as a whole. Therefore, this study aims to develop the importance and priority of domestic service standardization strategies using AHP and IPA analysis to secure the competitiveness of the domestic service industry. Prior to the analysis, we first reviewed service standards, the current status of the domestic service industry, the current status of domestic service standards, and the current status of international service standards. Through the literature study, three large categories (pure service standards, service delivery infrastructure standardization, and service-applicable management service standardization) and eight medium categories (logistics and distribution, finance, safety, basic IT, education, telecommunications, tourism, and environment) were identified for AHP analysis. The analysis result of the 100 core service standards strategy showed that the development of standards in the fields of ‘social safety services’ and ‘promising services’ was evaluated as a high priority. The AHP analysis shows that ‘safety’ is the most important and urgent among ‘service delivery infrastructure standardization’, reflecting that safety is a top consideration in the service industry, suggesting that safety-related standards should be given top priority when establishing service standardization strategies. This study is expected to be used as a basis for the development of the domestic service industry and the development of certification by suggesting priorities for policies that reflect the problems of the domestic service industry, changes in the service industry, and prospects for the service industry, and to derive service strategies.

Patient’s Perception and Satisfaction with Healthcare Professionals at Primary Health Care Facilities in Onelga (Ogba Egbema Ndoni LGA)

Background: This study investigates the patient's perspective and contentment with healthcare professionals at primary health care facilities in Onelga (Ogba Egbema Ndoni LGA). Employing a survey research design, data was collected from 100 healthcare professionals using a structured questionnaire. The study's objectives include assessing patient satisfaction with healthcare services, exploring the correlation between physician behavior and healthcare services, and determining factors influencing satisfaction levels in the study area. Methods: Demographic data analysis reveals the majority of respondents are male, aged above 60, with educational backgrounds ranging from FSLC to MSC/PGD/PHD. Results: Patient satisfaction findings indicate a significant proportion agreeing or strongly agreeing with positive sentiments regarding healthcare services, physician behavior, and facility cleanliness. Additionally, statistical tests affirm a significant relationship between healthcare services and patient satisfaction. The study concludes that patient satisfaction is influenced by efficient service delivery, physician behavior, and facility infrastructure. Conclusion: Recommendations include regular assessment of patient satisfaction, enhancing healthcare service efficiency, and addressing factors influencing patient contentment. This research contributes to the broader understanding of patient perspectives in healthcare settings, facilitating improvements in service quality and overall patient experience

The Integration of Urban Freight in Public Transportation: A Systematic Literature Review

Urban logistics face growing complexity as cities seek sustainable development pathways; one solution is integrating freight transportation with public transit. The purpose of this study is to evaluate current practices, identify gaps, and highlight opportunities for advancement in this field. Through a comprehensive literature review guided by four research questions, this study evaluates methodologies, vehicle choices, the application of intermodal containers, and the shared use of public transportation infrastructure for freight delivery. A meticulous search methodology was employed to select references, which were then analyzed and classified into two main tables. Findings reveal a progression from initial pilot projects and cost analyses to sophisticated planning and optimization challenges, with a focus on metro networks and buses. This study uncovers a predilection for certain research types, the utilization of varied transportation modes, underexplored intermodal container use, and an emerging emphasis on transshipment operations. The integration of freight and public transportation within urban settings is identified as a dynamic and diversifying field, with significant potential for contributing to sustainable urban development. We outline nine areas for future research, including the incorporation of external costs and congestion effects into optimization models, and the exploration of unmanned vehicles, thereby laying the groundwork for more inclusive and efficient urban logistics solutions.

How government policies promote transportation utilization in the national-level hydrogen supply chain: A case of China

Pipeline transportation is a low-cost option for delivering large volumes of hydrogen (H2), however, the high initial capital cost remains a major impediment to expanding pipeline delivery infrastructure. To quantitatively evaluate the impact of the H2 pipeline on the hydrogen supply chain (HSC), this paper develops an evaluation system for the development potential of the H2 pipeline and simulation models for H2 resource allocation. Furthermore, the HSC system in the southwest of China is used to validate the proposed method. The results demonstrate that the levelized cost range of a given 150–550 km H2 pipeline is 2.76–10.12 CNY/kg, which has price advantages over other transportation modes. Compared with the hydrogen supply chain resource allocation (HSCR) model, putting the H2 pipeline into use can optimize the layout and utilization of different transportation modes. It shows that the proportion of H2 transportation volume distribution in H2 pipelines has increased from 0 % to 73.44 %, while the proportion of HLT has first increased from 18.86 % to 54.27 %, and then decreased to 17.95 %. And then under different policy scenarios, the consideration of pipeline reduces the sensitivity of the H2 blending ratio of natural gas (NG) and NG demand to HSC. The impacts of policies on regional H2 development and regional policy implications are revealed. This approach provides a tool for policymakers to quantify the impacts of policy.

Transitioning to a Hydrogen Economy: Exploring the Viability of Adapting Natural Gas Pipelines for Hydrogen Transport through a Case Study on Compression vs. Looping

The growing importance of hydrogen as an energy carrier in a future decarbonised energy system has led to a surge in its production plans. However, the development of infrastructure for hydrogen delivery, particularly in the hard-to-abate sectors, remains a significant challenge. While constructing new pipelines entails substantial investment, repurposing existing pipelines offers a cost-effective approach to jump-starting hydrogen networks. Many European countries and, more recently, other regions are exploring the possibility of utilising their current pipeline infrastructure for hydrogen transport. Despite the recent efforts to enhance the understanding of pipeline compatibility and integrity for hydrogen transportation, including issues such as embrittlement, blend ratios, safety concerns, compressor optimisation, and corrosion in distribution networks, there has been limited or no focus on pipeline expansion options to address the low-energy density of hydrogen blends and associated costs. This study, therefore, aims to explore expansion options for existing natural gas high-pressure pipelines through additional compression or looping. It seeks to analyse the corresponding cost implications to achieve an affordable and sustainable hydrogen economy by investigating the utilisation of existing natural gas pipeline infrastructure for hydrogen transportation as a cost-saving measure. It explores two expansion strategies, namely pipeline looping (also known as pipeline reinforcement) and compression, for repurposing a segment of a 342 km × 36 inch existing pipeline, from the Escravos–Lagos gas pipeline system (ELPS) in Nigeria, for hydrogen transport. Employing the Promax® process simulator tool, the study assesses compliance with the API RP 14E and ASME B31.12 standards for hydrogen and hydrogen–methane blends. Both expansion strategies demonstrate acceptable velocity and pressure drop characteristics for hydrogen blends of up to 40%. Additionally, the increase in hydrogen content leads to heightened compression power requirements until approximately 80% hydrogen in the blends for compression and a corresponding extension in looping length until around 80% hydrogen in the blend for looping. Moreover, the compression option is more economically viable for all investigated proportions of hydrogen blends for the PS1–PS5 segment of the Escravos–Lagos gas pipeline case study. The percentage price differentials between the two expansion strategies reach as high as 495% for a 20% hydrogen proportion in the blend. This study offers valuable insights into the technical and economic implications of repurposing existing natural gas infrastructure for hydrogen transportation.

Benefits and Difficulties of Implementing Family-Farming Food Purchases in the Brazilian National School Feeding Program.

Objectives: To explore the opinions of Brazilian National School Feeding Program (NSFP) nutritionists concerning the benefits and difficulties of implementing family-farming food purchases for the school feeding program. Methods: Exploratory and descriptive qualitative study conducted through the analysis of inductive content of open interviews carried out with technically responsible nutritionists of the School Feeding Program of 21 municipalities in Southern Brazil. Results: The qualitative analysis of the interviews resulted in 17 codes grouped into four categories that show the opinion of nutritionists on the benefits and difficulties of purchasing family-farming food: 1. increasing the visibility of rural areas and 2. improving the quality of food provided in school meals; 3. low product availability and 4. limited infrastructure for production and delivery. Conclusion: According to nutritionists, purchasing family-farming food in NSFP can increase the supply of healthy food in schools and stimulate rural development. However, efforts are needed to adjust institutional food demands for local food production and improve infrastructure for food production and distribution.

Social Workers’ Perceived Barriers and Facilitators to Social Work Practice in Schools: A Scoping Review

Abstract The aim of this scoping review was to establish the breadth of the academic literature regarding the barriers and facilitators to social work practice in schools as perceived by School Social Workers (SSWs). Following the PRISMA-ScR Scoping Review Framework, 42 articles were identified as meeting the inclusion criteria. Five interrelated themes related to the barriers and facilitators to SSW practice were identified: (1) Inadequacy of service delivery infrastructure; (2) SSWs’ role ambiguities and expectations; (3) SSWs’ competency, knowledge and support; (4) School climate and context; and (5) Cultivating relationships and engagement. This scoping review found that social workers perceive far greater barriers than facilitators when delivering services in school settings, with limited evidence related to the facilitators that enhance School Social Work (SSW) practice. Further research regarding the facilitators of SSW practice is needed, specifically in countries where research on this topic is emergent.

Underground Storage Tanks: A Review of an Unseen Aging Infrastructure

Underground storage tanks (USTs) are a critical infrastructure for the storage of petroleum and other hazardous substances. As with much of the nationwide infrastructure, USTs are aging beyond their intended lifetime. In 1985, the average age of a UST removed for replacement or closeout was 17 y old; USTs removed today are on average 33 y old. Corrosion in UST systems can lead to tank failure resulting in leaks that can contaminate soil and groundwater and also result in vapor intrusion in nearby buildings. Presently, there are approximately 65,000 leaking USTs in the United States With increased flooding, both inland and coastal, there is greater potential for accelerated corrosion, where there are approximately 33,000 USTs within Federal Emergency Management Agency’s 100 y floodplain. With changes in the fuel supply through the introduction of alternative fuels, unintended consequences to fuel storage and delivery infrastructure have been observed. Biofouling and corrosion can be exacerbated by adding relatively small volumes of alternative fuels. The current standards for monitoring the potential leakage events of USTs are wholly inadequate in terms of predictive capabilities. In this present work, the past, current, and future of UST infrastructure are detailed. The materials used in the construction of the USTs including plastics and steels are reviewed as well as their compatibilities with the current and future fuels. A geospatial database application developed by the Environmental Protection Agency is highlighted for insights into correlations between UST data (e.g., age, type, location, and fuel) and natural disasters (e.g., flooding, fires) to identify potentially vulnerable systems.