CIF: Small: Strategic Information Provision for the Control of Cyber-Socio-Physical Transportation Networks

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Modern transportation networks are systems whose proper operation depends on tight interactions between human, algorithmic, and physical elements and whose regulation (be it to reduce congestion or encourage the use of energy-saving modalities) must thus accordingly involve all components, including mechanisms that target human decision-making. Existing approaches typically either rely on monetary payments (e.g., tolls) or information provision (using, e.g., variable message signs or routing apps) to influence commuters' choices. A major difference between these two types of mechanisms is that the former is strategic (since monetary payments/taxes are computed and implemented with the explicit goal of inducing a particular socially beneficial behavior), while the latter is not (since the information provided is simply a report of the actual state of the road). The goal of this project is to develop tools for the principled design of information provision mechanisms which are adapted to the specific conditions and constraints of such cyber-socio-physical (CSP) systems and actively craft messages to align them with socially efficient outcomes.This research project builds on the existing frameworks of Bayesian Persuasion and Information Design from Economics and uses Control and Information Theory tools, viewpoints, and insights to extend these approaches to the challenging realm of CSP systems in general, and traffic networks in particular. Specifically, this project formulates new models of (1) non-Bayesian and bounded rational decision making occurring in this context and, (2) strategic messaging under non-classical information structure and addresses the corresponding information design problems. The project also (3) develops the necessary tools to incorporate message personalization as a means of introducing informational decoupling without causing disparate impact among commuters.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.