ICI - Instituto Coordenador da Investigação
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O ICI integra Unidades de Investigação que exerçam as suas atividades na UBI e que tenham sido classificados com notação igual ou superior a Bom pelos painéis internacionais de avaliação periódica designados pela Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia.
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Percorrer ICI - Instituto Coordenador da Investigação por Objetivos de Desenvolvimento Sustentável (ODS) "11:Cidades e Comunidades Sustentáveis"
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- A GIS-Based Approach to Fostering Sustainable Mobility and Combating Social Isolation for the Rural ElderlyPublication . Branco, Luís; Santos, BerthaThe growing demographic trend of an aging population, particularly in remote rural areas, exacerbates social isolation and limits access to essential goods and services. This vulnerability highlights a pressing need to develop sustainable solutions for their mobility and support. Using Geographic Information Systems (GISs) and network analysis, a workflow was developed to optimize road-based transport for the elderly. The analysis utilized an electric vehicle, with its range limitations, influenced by road slopes, being a critical variable for assessing route efficiency. Two potential solutions were investigated: (1) the delivery of goods and medicines and (2) the transport of passengers and medicines. The methodology was tested using the Municipality of Seia, Portugal, as a case study, with a defined weekly visit frequency. The results demonstrate that both proposed solutions are technically viable for implementation, with the transport of passengers and medicines being the most effective option. This study provides a foundational framework for developing practical, demand-oriented, sustainable transport and logistics services to support isolated elderly populations.
- Automated and Intelligent Inspection of Airport Pavements: A Systematic Review of Methods, Accuracy and Validation ChallengesPublication . Feitosa, Ianca; Santos, Bertha; Almeida, Pedro G.; mdpiAirport pavement condition assessment plays a critical role in ensuring operational safety, surface functionality, and long-term infrastructure sustainability. Traditional visual inspection methods, although widely used, are increasingly challenged by limitations in accuracy, subjectivity, and scalability. In response, the field has seen a growing adoption of automated and intelligent inspection technologies, incorporating tools such as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), Laser Crack Measurement Systems (LCMS), and machine learning algorithms. This systematic review aims to identify, categorize, and analyze the main technological approaches applied to functional pavement inspections, with a particular focus on surface distress detection. The study examines data collection techniques, processing methods, and validation procedures used in assessing both flexible and rigid airport pavements. Special emphasis is placed on the precision, applicability, and robustness of automated systems in comparison to traditional approaches. The reviewed literature reveals a consistent trend toward greater accuracy and efficiency in systems that integrate deep learning, photogrammetry, and predictive modeling. However, the absence of standardized validation protocols and statistically robust datasets continues to hinder comparability and broader implementation. By mapping existing technologies, identifying methodological gaps, and proposing strategic research directions, this review provides a comprehensive foundation for the development of scalable, data-driven airport pavement management systems.
- Automated Geographic Information System Multi-Criteria Decision Tool to Assess Urban Road Suitability for ActiveMobilityPublication . Santos, Bertha; Ferreira, Sandro Alfaro ; Lucena, Pollyana;The planning of greener, more accessible, and safer cities is the focus of several strategies that aim to improve the population’s quality of life. This concern for the environment and the population’s quality of life has led to the implementation of active mobility policies. The effectiveness of the mobility solutions that are sought heavily depends on the identification of the main factors that favor their use, as well as how adequate urban spaces are in minimizing existing difficulties. This study presents an automated geographic information system (GIS) decision support tool that allows the identification of the level of suitability of urban transportation networks for the use of active modes. The tool is based on the determination of a set of mobility indices: walkability, bikeability, e-bikeability, and active mobility (a combination of walking and cycling suitability). The indices are obtained through a spatial multi-criteria analysis that considers the geometric features of roads, population density, and the location and attractiveness of the city’s main trip-generation points. The treatment, representation, and study of the variables considered in the analysis are carried out with the aid of geoprocessing, using the spatial and network analysis tools available in the GIS. The Model Builder functionality available in ArcGIS® was used to automate the various processes required to calculate walking, cycling, and e-biking travel times, as well as the mobility indices. The developed tool was tested and validated through its application to a case study involving the road network of the urban perimeter of the medium-sized city of Covilhã, Portugal. However, the tool is designed to be applied with minimal adaptation to different scenarios and levels of known input information, providing average or typical values when specific information is not available. As a result, a flexible and automated GIS-based tool was obtained to support urban space and mobility managers in the implementation of efficient measures compatible with each city’s scenario.
- Driving Healthcare Monitoring with IoT and Wearable Devices: A Systematic ReviewPublication . João Pedro da Silva Baiense; Zdravevski, Eftim; Coelho, Paulo Jorge Simões; Serrano Pires, Ivan Miguel; Velez, Fernando J.Wearable technologies have become a significant part of the healthcare industry, collecting personal health data and extracting valuable information for real-time assistance. This review article analyzes 35 scientific publications on driving healthcare monitoring with IoT and wearable device applications. These articles were considered in a quantitative and qualitative analysis using the Natural Language Processing framework and the PRISMA methodology to filter the search results. The selected articles were published between January 2010 and May 2024 in one of the following scientific databases: IEEE Xplore, Springer, ScienceDirect (i.e., El- sevier), Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI), or PubMed Central. The analysis considers population, methods, hardware, features, and communications. The research highlights that data collected from one or numerous sensors is processed and accessible in a database server for various uses, such as informing professional careers or assisting users. The review sug- gests that robust and efficient driving healthcare monitoring with IoT and wearable devices applications can be designed considering the valuable principles presented in this review.
- Fractal Patch Antenna based on Photonic Crystal for Enhanced Millimeter-Wave Communication in Intelligent Transportation SystemsPublication . Bagheri, Nila; Peha, Jon; Velez, Fernando J.; VelezThis paper introduces a Fractal Patch Antenna (FPA) integrated with Photonic Crystals (PhC) designed for Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) in the Millimeter-wave bands (mmWaves) given the importance of the application of mmWaves in Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) networks, we assumed, as examples, that the antenna is designed to resonate at three frequency bands: 31.42 GHz, 37.76 GHz, and 38.92 GHz. With a gain of 10.88 dBi, at 38.92GHz, the antenna demonstrates promising signal reception and transmission capabilities, which are anticipated to be important for ITS operations. The antenna bandwidth covers multiple frequency bands, enabling versatile communication in mmWaves V2X applications. To evaluate the performance of the antenna, we conducted a detailed analysis of its configuration. This included a comparison of the antenna with and without the PhC integration, as well as an exploration of rectangular lattice structure. In addition, variations in hole sizes and spacing were examined to assess their impact on key parameters such as the gain and reflection coefficient. The integration of fractal geometry and PhC structures results in a compact, high-performance antenna suitable for mmWave communication. The integration of fractal geometry and PhC structure results in compactness and high performance in mmWaves communication applications. Through simulation and analysis, including radiation pattern, gain, and reflection coefficient plot assessment, the antenna performance is thoroughly evaluated. The study highlights the potential of the proposed FPA-PhC antenna configuration to enhance communication networks within the ITS, significantly advancing the ITS system with support from the mmWave bands.
- Radio Coverage Assessment and Indoor Communication Enhancement in Hospitals: A Case Study at CHUCBPublication . da Silva, Óscar; Teixeira, Emanuel; Corceiro, Ana; Reis, António; Velez, Fernando J.The adoption of wireless medical technologies in hospital environments is often limited by cellular coverage issues, especially in indoor areas with complex structures. This study presents a detailed radio spectrum measurement campaign conducted at the Cova da Beira University Hospital Center (CHUCB), using the NARDA SRM-3006 and R&S®TSME6 equipment. The signal strength and quality of 5G NR, LTE, UMTS, and NB-IoT technologies were evaluated. Critical coverage gaps were identified, particularly at points 17, 19, and 21. Results revealed that operators MEO and NOS dominate coverage, with MEO providing better 5G NR coverage and NOS excelling in LTE signal quality. Based on the results, the localized installation of femtocells is proposed to improve coverage in these areas. The approach was designed to be scalable and replicable, with a planned application at Cumura Hospital (Guinea-Bissau), reinforcing the applicability of the solution in contexts with limited infrastructure. This work provides both technical and clinical contributions to achieving ubiquitous cellular coverage in healthcare settings.
- Statistical analysis of an in-vehicle image-based data collection method for assessing airport pavement conditionPublication . Feitosa, Ianca Teixeira ; Santos, Bertha; Gama, Jorge; Almeida, Pedro G.This study presents a comprehensive comparative statistical analysis to validate a novel in-vehicle image-based method for collecting pavement condition data in airport environments. It highlights the method’s potential to address key challenges faced by airport pavement managers, such as the need for continuous maintenance and the demand for fast, effective, and reliable inspection procedures. The in-vehicle system integrates laser scanning systems, image capture, and georeferencing devices to collect pavement distress data, and its accuracy and reliability are evaluated statistically. The primary objective is to validate and enhance this novel inspection approach, which shows strong potential as an effective alternative for comprehensive pavement evaluation, enabling continuous, rapid monitoring and the analysis of trends. Validation was performed by means of a detailed statistical comparison of pavement distress density on the main runway of Amílcar Cabral International Airport, Sal Island, Cape Verde, based on data collected using the proposed in-vehicle and the traditional on-foot inspection methods. Non-parametric repeated measures analysis (nparLD) showed statistically similar results between methods for 9 of 12 distress type-severity combinations (4 types × 3 levels), especially for medium and high severity cases, and that pavement section and method-section factors were significant in 10 and 9 of 12 cases, respectively, indicating spatial variability. Kruskal-Wallis tests were applied to each method separately. Significant section-based differences were found in 11 of 12 cases for the traditional method and in 2 of 12 cases for the in-vehicle image-based method, indicating greater sensitivity of the on-foot inspection to spatial variation in distress distribution. These findings support the statistical validation of the proposed method for practical application in airport pavement management. Furthermore, the comprehensive analysis, which included correlation and autocorrelation studies, revealed a bias in severity level assignment during traditional on-foot inspections. The findings highlight time-efficiency gains with the image-based method and suggest improvements, such as enhancing image quality and providing inspector training to increase the accuracy of severity level classification. These results offer valuable insights for airport pavement managers, contributing to improved safety, operational efficiency, and resilience in the face of growing air traffic demands.
- Traffic Scheduling and Resource Allocation for Heterogeneous Services in 5G New Radio Networks: A Scoping ReviewPublication . Pindi, Ntunitangua René; Velez, Fernando J.The rapid evolution of 5G New Radio networks has introduced a wide range of services with diverse requirements, complicating their coexistence within the shared radio spectrum and posing challenges in traffic scheduling and resource allocation. This study aims to analyze and categorize the methods, approaches, and techniques proposed to ensure efficient joint and dynamic packet scheduling and resource allocation among heterogeneous services—namely eMBB, URLLC, and mMTC—in 5G and beyond, with a focus on Quality of Service and user satisfaction. This scoping review draws from publications indexed in IEEE Xplore and Scopus and synthesizes the most relevant evidence related to packet scheduling across heterogeneous services, highlighting key approaches, core performance metrics, and emerging trends. Following the PRISMA-ScR methodology, 48 out of an initial 140 articles were included for explicitly addressing coexistence, scheduling, and resource allocation. The findings reveal a research emphasis on eMBB and URLLC coexistence, while integration with mMTC remains underexplored. Moreover, the evidence suggests that hybrid and deep learning-based approaches are particularly promising for tackling coexistence and resource management challenges in future mobile networks.
- Use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) for Transport Pavement InspectionPublication . Santos, Bertha; Gavinhos, Pedro; Almeida, Pedro G.; Nery, Dayane; Rujikiatkamjorn, C.; Xue, J.; Indraratna, B.Technological evolution has allowed the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in an easier and more diversified way, creating opportunities for its application in various fields of engineering, namely in the inspection of transport infrastructures. The present study begins with the analysis of the main practices that resort to the use of UAVs, in order to frame its application in the field of transport pavement inspection. A review of studies and other available literature served as a starting point to define the methodology adopted for the development of the case study presented. The methodology includes the collection of images of a flexible road pavement section, its processing, and the creation of an orthoimage and a 3D model from which it was possible to identify and characterize the distresses present on the pavement surface. The main results obtained point to planimetric and altimetric deviations of less than 2 and 10 mm, respectively, for the images collected by theMavic 2 Pro drone at 3 and 20mhigh.With the collected data, itwas also possible to calculate the global quality index PCI for the inspected pavement section. Under these conditions, it is possible to conclude that the accuracy is very good and suitable for the intended purpose, allowing fast data collection at low cost. This new technological approach supports infrastructure managers in the design of maintenance programs and in the scheduling of interventions, thus contributing to the increase of the durability and safety levels of the inspected pavements.