fields of study

PATREC's research focus areas

Research Focus Areas

PATREC has five research focus areas in which to undertake research and deliver high-impact outcomes, although there are interactions between them.

These focus areas are responsive to research needs, competence and funding opportunities. 

Integrated land use and transport futures

Improving land use and transport integration now and into the future, using a systems-based, scenario-oriented, big data analytics approach to longer term strategic forecasting and evaluation, depending on and informing, integrated LU-T modelling.

Smarter travel decisions

Deployment and integration of technology to enable more intelligent and connected transport choices, helping Australian cities use resources more efficiently and deferring the need for new infrastructure.

Integrated freight system optimisation

Supporting the planning for freight transport efficiency and effectiveness by providing a comprehensive overview of the freight patterns generated by industrial activities of varying types, involving multi-modal supply chain optimisation, and methods and technologies for the heavy vehicle real-time monitoring.

Emerging technology and network optimisation and intelligence

A data-driven decision support system for optimising road network operations which will: incorporate heterogeneous datasets of various types and quality; give accurate real-time information of the traffic conditions; automatically analyse historical trends and identify recurring patterns to help form optimal intervention strategies.

Transport infrastructure investment risk management

Incorporating uncertainty in transport infrastructure planning and policy through adapting portfolio-wide strategic infrastructure investment planning and management tools, guidelines and frameworks to account for emerging risks.