Abm-gis simulation for urban freight distribution of perishable food

Abstract

Freight transport is essential to modern urban civilization. No urban area could exist without a powerful freight transport system. However, the distribution of perishable foods in urban areas is seen as a source of problems, due to traffic congestion, time pressures, and environmental impact. In this paper, an Agent-Based Model integrated with Geographic Information Systems (ABM-GIS) is designed for a time-dependent vehicle routing problem with time windows. This simulation model consists of determining the quickest routes to transport fresh products, estimating Vehicle kilometer traveled VKT and vehicle hour traveled VHT where speeds and travel times depend on the time of the day. Based on a case study, analyses of changes on traffic condition were conducted to get an insight into the impact of these changes on cost, service quality represented by the respect of time windows, and carbon emissions. The results reveal that traffic jams and restrictive time windows lead to additional cost, cause delays, and increase co2 emission. As for a short-Term planning, time-dependent scheduling algorithm was proposed and assessed while extending time windows. Results have proved the potential saving in cost, travel time, and carbon emission.