ARGOS: Dynamic Composition of Web Services for Goods Movement Analysis and Planning

本研究将开发一个基于web服务范式的灵活的数据查询与分析系统。作为一个应用领域，几个货物运输规划问题将随着其对空间城市结构的影响进行研究。本研究有三个目标：1)通过开发一种表达性的网络服务描述语言和动态组合网络服务的技术来推进计算机科学研究；2)与政府合作伙伴合作，开发并实施基于网络服务的都市内部商品流动模型的测试应用；3)利用该模型对都市内部经济联系和空间结构进行社会科学研究。尽管重点放在城市货物运输的特定主题上，但是web服务组合的方法是通用的，并且可以应用于其他科学数据收集和分析任务。第一个目标是开发Argos，这是一个用于动态组合web服务的通用框架。许多科学问题可以建模为工作流，其中包括信息收集和处理操作。Argos将为手工规范和组合web服务提供图形化工具，以及基于给定应用领域（如运输规划）的表达性web服务描述的自动组合。第二个目标是在实际的城市规划应用中使用Argos。与来自洛杉矶县大都会交通管理局、圣贝纳迪诺联合政府、南加州政府协会和长滩港的政府代表组成的咨询小组进行了磋商。将以洛杉矶地区为案例进行情景分析。情景分析将允许评估Argos作为交通规划工具的效用以及从业人员使用的便利性。第三个目标是扩展交通规划领域，以解决城市空间结构问题，由于缺乏整合和分析可用数据的工具，迄今为止社会科学研究人员尚未进行实际研究。关于就业区位的理论文献非常丰富；货运投入和产出的运输是这些模型的关键要素。由于缺乏货流数据的可用性，对就业区位的实证研究有限。研究小组将以洛杉矶地区为例，分析产业组合、流动和城市空间结构之间的关系。

This research will develop a flexible data query and analysis system based on the web services paradigm. As an application domain several goods movement planning problems will be examined along with their effects on spatial urban structure. The research has three objectives: 1) to advance computer science research by developing an expressive web services description language and techniques for dynamicallycomposing web services, 2) to develop and conduct test applications of an intra-metropolitan goods movement flow model using web services in cooperation with government partners, and 3) to use the model to conduct social science research on intra-metropolitan economic linkages and spatial structure. Although the focus is on the specific topic of urban goods movement, the approach to web service composition is general and can be applied to other scientific data gathering and analysis tasks. The first objective is to develop Argos, a general framework for dynamically composing web services. Many scientific problems can be modeled as a workflow that includes information gathering and processing operations. Argos will provide graphical tools for manual specification and composition of web services, as well as automatic composition based on expressive web service descriptions for given application domains (such as transportation planning). The second objective is to use Argos in an actual metropolitan planning application. In consultation with an advisory team of government representatives, from the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the San Bernardino Associated Governments, the Southern California Association of Governments and the Port of Long Beach. a scenario analysis using the Los Angeles region as a case study will be conducted. The scenario analysis will allow evaluation of Argos both in terms of its utility as a transportation planning tool as well as its ease of use by practitioners. The third objective is to extend the transportation planning domain to address problems of urban spatial structure that heretofore have not been practical for social science researchers to study due to the lack of tools for integrating and analyzing available data. There is an extensive theoretical literature on employment location; transport of freight inputs and outputs are critical elements of these models. Empirical research on employment location is limited, because of the lack of availability of freight flow data. The research team will analyze the relationships between industry mix, flows, and urban spatial structure, using the Los Angeles region as a case study.