Research | THE ISRAELI SMART TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH CENTER

Aiming to promote an ongoing research in the Smart Transportation domain towards world class achievements, the center defined a mechanism, designed to address the rapidly evolving challenges due to emerging technologies and other influential forces in the field.

Hence, we fund two main annual activities:

KNOWLEDGE GAP RESEARCH – Conducted by each of the center’s Professional Committees. All reviews include recommendations for research topics within each committee's domain.
The Knowledge Gap Research Reviews can be found HERE.
ISTRC Annual CALLS FOR RESEARCH – Topics recommendations defined by the center’s Professional Committees, based on the Knowledge Gap Research and the results of the surveys conducted by the center.
Please find below the winning proposals for each Call for Research.

Call for Research 2022-23 Call for Research 2021-22 Call for Research 2020-21 CoroNa RESEARCH 2020

Call for Research 2022-23

The ISTRC Annual Call for Research 2022-2023 Evaluation Committee has completed its assessment process.
The committee, consisting of 7 members from 5 Israeli academic institutions, managed a review process of 29 proposals conducted by 53 academic experts from Israel and abroad.
Based on the evaluation committee’s recommendation, ISTRC decided to fund 11 proposals, with a total budget of 2,500,000 NIS.

ISTRC would like to thank the members of the Call for Research 2022-2023 Evaluation Committee and to congratulate the winners. Notifications were sent to all Principal Investigators (PIs) who submitted a proposal.

The funding goes to the academic institution of the proposal’s Principal Investigator (PI).

WINNING PROPOSALS

Call for Research 2022-23 WINNERS.xlsx
Research Title	Researchers	PI's Academic Institution	PI's Faculty/Department
A Two Stage Dynamic Delivery Problem	Michal Tzur and Marlin Ulmer	Tel Aviv University	Department of Industrial Engineering
Big Data Analytics to Evaluate and Improve Policies of Shared E-scooters and Micromobility	Hillel Bar-Gera	Ben-Gurion University of the Negev	Department of Industrial Engineering and Management
Does Road Pricing Reduce Congestion, and How?	Itai Ater, Adi Shany and Shoshana Vasserman	Tel Aviv University	School of Management
Erythrocyte-based Characterization of Automotive Radars’ Radiation Exposure on Human Health	Yuri Feldman and Gregory Barshtein	The Hebrew University of Jerusalem	Department of Applied Physics
Estimating the Incidence and Severity of Mobility Problems Across a Population	Karel Martens and Matan Singer	Technion - Israel Institute of Technology	Faculty of Architecture and Town Planning
Estimating the Safety Level of Urban Sites Based on the Analyses of Road-user Behaviours Using Automatically-generated Data: an Exploratory Study	Wafa Elias, Victoria Gitelman, Etti Doveh and Jonathan Abir	Shamoon College of Engineering	Civil Engineering Department
Optimizing Route Controls for Public and Private Vehicles	Nathan Gartner, Sunbola Zatmeh-Kanj, Mark Eklin, Chronis Stamatiadis and Yuanchang Xie	Ariel University	Department of Civil Engineering
Personalized and Automated Transportation	Bat-Hen Nahmias Biran and Francisco Pereira	Tel Aviv University	Porter School of Environmental Studies
Practical Legal and Ethical Policy for CATE (Connected and Automated Transportation Externalities)	Tal Zarsky and Yoram Shiftan	University of Haifa	Faculty of Law
Queueing-Based and Data-Driven Design of Emergency Transportation Services	Yossi Luzon, Ohad Eizenhendler and Erel Avineri	Afeka Academic College of Engineering in Tel Aviv	School of Industrial Engineering and Management
Semantic Perception and Planning for Reliable and Safe Online Autonomous Navigation and Decision Making	Vadim Indelman	Technion - Israel Institute of Technology	Department of Aerospace Engineering and Technion Autonomous Systems Program

Call for Research 2021-22

The Grant Evaluation Committee of the ISTRC Annual Call for Research 2021-2022 consisting of 8 members (from 5 Israeli academic institutions) completed the assessment process and sent notifications to all Principal Investigators (PIs).

In total, during the assessment process 72 reviews were conducted by 67 academic experts from Israel and abroad.

34 proposals were submitted to this Call, out of which 7 will be funded.
The original budget of the Call was NIS 2,500,000. The ISTRC Steering Committee has approved a total amount of NIS 2,800,000 as the final funding of this Call based on the recommendation of the Grant Evaluation Committee.
The funding goes to the academic institution of the Principal Investigator (PI).

WINNING PROPOSALS

ISTRC Annual Call for Research 2021-2022 - WINNERS.xlsx
Research Title	Researchers	PI's Academic Institution	PI's Faculty / Department	Outcome
Affordable Fuel Cells for Zero-Emission Transportation Applications	Prof. Dario Dekel and Prof. Lior Elbaz	Technion - Israel Institute of Technology	Department of Chemical Engineering	Article in ACS Catalysis: Persky, Y., Kielesiński, Ł., Reddy, S. N., Zion, N., Friedman, A., Honig, H. C., Koszarna, B., Zachman, M. J., Grinberg, I., Gryko, D. T., & Elbaz, L. (2023)., "Biomimetic Fe–Cu Porphyrrole Aerogel Electrocatalyst for Oxygen Reduction Reaction"
RUBICON - Road Users Behavior In advanced CONtexts during the era of shared road space of autonomous, connected vehicles and human drivers	Prof. Tal Oron-Gilad and Dr. Ilit Oppenheim	Ben-Gurion University of the Negev	Department of Industrial Engineering and Management
Bridging a Gap between Regular and Demand-Responsive Public Transport	Prof. Itzhak Benenson, Dr. Aleksey Ogulenko and Mr. Nir Sharav	Tel Aviv University	Department of Geophysics
Adaptive Travel-time based Max-Pressure Traffic Signal Control using Deep Reinforcement Learning	Prof. Jack Haddad and Dr. Kouvelas Anastasios	Technion - Israel Institute of Technology	Civil and Environmental Engineering
Highly efficient power electronics wireless charging interface with reduced hardware requirements	Prof. Alon Kuperman	Ben-Gurion University of the Negev	Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering	Article in Energy 2024 (vol. 292): Vulfovich, A., and Kuperman, A., "Increasing tolerable coupling coefficients range of series-series compensated inductive wireless power transfer systems operating in restricted sub-resonant frequency region with constant current output" Article in Energy 2024 (vol. 293): Vulfovich, A., and Kuperman, A., "Extending the lower bound of attainable load-independent voltage gain values range in contactless, feedbackless and sensorless power delivery links" Article in IEEE Transactions on Power Electronics 2023 (vol. 38): Kuperman, A., " Simple Enhancement of Series–Series-Compensated Inductive Wireless Power Transfer Links Operating With Load-Independent Voltage Output at Fixed Frequency to Attain Zero Inverter Phase Angle" Article in IEEE Journal of Emerging and Selected Topics in Power Electronics 2022 (vol. 10): Vulfovich, A., and Kuperman, A., " Design Space of Sub-Resonant Frequency- Controlled Series–Series-Compensated Inductive Wireless Power Transfer Links Operating With Constant Output Current Under Frequency Constraints" Article in Proceedings of 2023 IEEE 17th International Conference on Compatibility, Power Electronics and Power Engineering (CPE-POWERENG): Vulfovich, A., Sitbon, M., and Kuperman, A., "Design of Frequency Bounded IWPT Systems under Sub-Resonant Control for Improved Misalignment Tolerance"
'More walking' as a means of optimized movement and mobility in multimodal transportation: Increasing walking among users of trip planning apps	Prof. Jonathan Rabinowitz, Dr. Yuval Hadas, Mr. Ben Galon and Ms. Inbal Friedlander	Bar-Ilan University	School of Social Work	The research was presented at the 3rd Annual & Students Conference of ISTRC 2023: Katz, D. E., Hadas, Y. and Rabinowitz, J., “Examine the feasibility of incorporating more walking into a commute with public transportation” Abstract and Recording The research was presented at the TRB 103rd Annual Meeting 2024: Hadas, Y., Katz, D. and Rabinowitz, J., "Feasibility of Incorporating More Walking into Commuting with Public Transportation"
Teleoperation Interfaces for Last-Mile Delivery Robots	Prof. Joel Lanir	University of Haifa	Department of Information Systems

Call for Research 2020-21

The Grant Evaluation Committee of the ISTRC Annual Call for Research 2020-2021 consisted of 8 members (5 from Israeli academic institutions and 3 from academic institutions from abroad), completed the assessment process and sent notifications to all Principal Investigators (PIs).

Proposals have been reviewed by experts from over 25 countries, among them 10 Editors and Associate Editors of high impact factor journals in the field. A total of 193 reviews were conducted by the reviewers.

The Call includes 3 types of research proposals: Small, Medium and Large.

The original budget of the Call was NIS 3,500,000. However, the Grant Evaluation Committee highly recommended the funding of 4 additional proposals (3 Medium and 1 Large) for an additional amount of NIS 1,400,000. The ISTRC Steering Committee has approved a total amount of NIS 4,900,000 as the final funding of this Call. The funding goes to the academic institution of the Principal Investigator (PI).

ISTRC Annual Call for Research 2020-2021-SuccessRate.xlsx
Research Type	No. of Submitted Proposals	No. of Funded Proposals	Success Rate %
Small	25	9	36.00%
Medium	28	10	35.70%
Large	10	2	20.00%
Total	63	21	33.30%

WINNING PROPOSALS

ISTRC Annual Call for Research 2020-2021_Winners_FINAL_ForWeb.xlsx
Research Size	Research Title	Researchers	PI's Academic Institution	PI's Faculty / Department	Outcome
S	Adopting automated vehicles to create equitable transport markets	Prof. Nicole Adler, Mr. Amir Brudner	The Hebrew University of Jerusalem	The School of Business Administration	Research Abstract The research was presented at the INFORMS Anaheim 2021 Conference: Brudner, A., and Adler, N., "Adopting Automated Vehicles and Creating Equitable Transport Markets" The research was presented at The 2nd Israeli Smart Transportation Students Conference 2021: Brudner, A., and Adler, N., "Adopting Automated Vehicles And Creating Equitable Transport Markets" The research was presented at the International Transportation Economics Association (ITEA) Annual Conference 2022: Brudner, A., and Adler, N., "Adopting automated vehicles and creating equitable transport markets"
L	Studies of Advanced Lithium-Ion Batteries for Electric Vehicles: Modification of Li, Mn-rich Cathode Materials with Surface Coatings via Atomic Layer Deposition	Prof. Doron Aurbach, Prof. Yair Ein-Eli, Dr. Hadar Sclar, Dr. Sandipan Maiti, Prof. Boris Markovsky, Dr. Alexander Kraytsberg	Bar-Ilan University	Chemistry	Research Abstract
M	Bats-Inspired Spectrum Allocation in Cognitive Radars	Dr. Igal Bilik, Prof. Yossi Yovel, Mr. Menahem Oren	Ben-Gurion University of the Negev	Electrical and Computer Engineering	Research Abstract The research was presented at the BGU ABC Students Conference 2022: Dgani, N., Bilik, I., and Yovel, Y., "Bats-inspired swarm navigation"
S	AirBay – a Distributed Ledger Platform for Trading UAVs' Air Rights	Dr. Rami Puzis	Ben-Gurion University of the Negev	Software and Information Systems Engineering	Research Abstract The research was presented at The 2nd Israeli Smart Transportation Research Center (ISTRC) Annual Conference 2022: Kremener, M., Michal, R., Barshap, G., and Puzis, R., "AirBay - Platform for trading space-time assets: The case of drone routes in urban area"
L	Smart Wearable Sensors for Monitoring Stress and Load in Driving Tasks	Prof. Gil Luria, Prof. Hossam Haick, Dr. Hadas Marciano, Mr. Erez Kita	University of Haifa	Human Services Department, Faculty of Social Welfare and Health Sciences	Research Abstract
S	Peer Effects and Workers Preferences Regarding Working from Home	Prof. Eyal Winter, Dr. Yevgeny Mugerman, Dr. Rinat Merkovich	The Hebrew University of Jerusalem	Social Sciences/Economics	Research Abstract The research was presented at the 3rd Annual & Students Conference of ISTRC 2023: Winter, E., " Keep an Eye on Your Employees, But Not Two: An Experimental Study of Online Monitoring, Performance, and Effort"
M	Evaluating the safety of signalized intersections by methods of video analytics	Prof. Hillel Bar-Gera, Mr. Or Sela	Ben-Gurion University of the Negev	Industrial Engineering and Management	Research Abstract The research was presented at the 3rd Annual & Students Conference of ISTRC 2023: Gal, O. and Bar Gera, H., "Safety & Dilemma zone analysis of signalized intersections' data acquired by video analytics" The research was presented at The 42nd Annual Conference of the Israeli Association of Transportation Research 2023: Bar-Gera, H., "Safety and Dilemma zone analysis of signalized intersections' data acquired by video analytics"
S	Public Transportation Literacy and the Accessibility of Elderly travelers under MaaS	Dr. Eran Ben-Elia, Dr. Svetlana Daichman, Prof. Hillel Bar-Gera	Ben-Gurion University of the Negev	Geography	Research Abstract The research was presented at The 2nd Israeli Smart Transportation Research Center (ISTRC) Annual Conference 2023: Daichman, S., Ben-Elia, E., and Bar-Gera, H., "Public Transportation Literacy – a new concept to boost elderly people's mobility" The research was presented at The 16th International Network on European Communication and Transport Activity Research (NECTAR) Conference 2022: Daichman, S., Ben-Elia, E., and Bar-Gera, H., "Public Transport Literacy: a step toward a more inclusive society for the elderly"
S	Dynamic routing to achieve efficient and fair distribution	Prof. Michal Tzur	Tel Aviv University	Engineering/Industrial Engineering	Research Abstract The research was presented at The 2nd Israeli Smart Transportation Students Conference 2021: Neria, G., and Tzur, M., "Dynamic routing to achieve efficient and fair allocation" The research was presented at The 3rd Annual & Students Conference of the Israeli Smart Transportation Research Center (ISTRC) 2023: Neria, G., and Tzur., M., "Dynamic resource allocation to achieve efficiency and fairness"
M	Law and Ethics by Design in the Vision of the Zero Transportation Externalities	Prof. Tal Zarsky, Prof. Yoram Shiftan, Prof. Amnon Reichman, Dr. Nathan Pinhas, Dr. Dalit Ken-Dror Feldman, Dr. Karni Chagal-Feferkorn	University of Haifa	Faculty of Law	Research Abstract Article in Georgia Law Review 2023: Zarsky, T. and Cop, Sh., "When Software Meets the Road: Responsibility for Defective Smart Cars in the MVP Era" The research was presented at the Digital Governance and the Law in the Age of AI Conference 2023: Zarsky, T., "Responsibility for Defective Smart Cars in the MVP Era" The research was presented at the Georgia Law Review Symposium 2023: The Intersection of Law & Technology: Cop, Sh., " Responsibility for Defective Smart Cars in the MVP Era "
S	An examination of safety impacts of high-occupancy vehicle lanes	Prof. Tomer Toledo , Dr. Victoria Gitelman, Prof. Shalom Hakkert	Technion - Israel Institute of Technology	Transportation Research Institute	Research Abstract The research was presented at the 2nd ISTRC Annual Conference 2022: Gitelman, V., Doveh, E. and Hakkert, Sh., "Examining Safety Impacts of High-Occupancy Vehicle Lanes: International Experience and an Evaluation of First Operation in Israel" Article in Sustainability 2023: Gitelman, V. and Doveh, E., "Examining the Safety Impacts of High-Occupancy Vehicle Lanes: International Experience and an Evaluation of First Operation in Israel"
S	Road tests of fuel savings by passive and active reduction of aerodynamic drag on the rear of a trailer	Prof. Avraham Seifert	Tel Aviv University	Engineering/Mechanical Engineering	Research Abstract The research was presented at The 3rd Annual & Students Conference of the Israeli Smart Transportation Research Center (ISTRC) 2023: Mizrahi, N., Katz, O., Fromm, M., Turgeman, Y., Mizrahi, B., Drori, O., Sudarskis, Z., and Seifert., A., "Road test of an aerodynamic drag-reducing device connected to the rear-end of a small trailer"
S	An integrated model for shared mobility systems that considers endogenous demand and travel times	Prof. Shlomo Bekhor	Technion - Israel Institute of Technology	Civil and Environmental Engineering	Research Abstract Article in Transportation Research Part B: Methodological 2023: Yao, R. and Bekhor, Sh., "A general equilibrium model for multi-passenger ridesharing systems with stable matching" The research was presented at the hEART 2022: 10th Symposium of the European Association for Research in Transportation: Yao, R., and Bekhor, S., "Accounting for driver-passenger matching decisions in a ridesharing simulation platform" The research was presented at The 3rd Annual & Students Conference of the Israeli Smart Transportation Research Center (ISTRC) 2023: Bekhor, S., "A ridesharing simulation platform that considers dynamic supply-demand interactions"
M	Using gamification as a tool for promoting sustainable use of Mobility-as-a-Service	Prof. Sigal Kaplan, Prof. Shlomo Bekhor	Technion - Israel Institute of Technology	Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering
M	Driving pattern mining and speed-limit sign compliance using probe vehicle data	Dr. Ayelet Gal-Tzur, Dr. Zohar Barnett-Itzhaki, Prof. Sagi Dalyot, Prof. Tomer Toledo, Prof. Silvio Nocera,	Ruppin Academic Center	Industrial and Management Engineering	Research Abstract
M	Designing pricing strategies for sustainable urban mobility futures via high-fidelity simulation of large scale cities	Dr. Bat-Hen Nahmias-Biran, Prof. YoramShiftan, Dr.Israel Feldman, Mr. Sami Edri	Ariel University	Department of Civil Engineering	Research Abstract Article in Sustainability 2023: Nahmias-Biran, B., Dadashev, G., and Levi, Y., "Sustainable Automated Mobility-On-Demand Strategies in Dense Urban Areas: A Case Study of the Tel Aviv Metropolis in 2040" The research was presented at The 42nd Annual Conference of the Israeli Association of Transportation Research 2023: Nahmias-Biran, B., "Sustainable automated mobility on-demand strategies in dense urban areas" The research was presented at The 3rd Annual & Students Conference of the Israeli Smart Transportation Research Center (ISTRC) 2023: Dadashev, G., Levi, Y., and Nahmias-Biran, B., "Sustainable automated mobility on-demand strategies in dense urban areas" The research was presented at the International Symposium on Transportation Data & Modelling (ISTDM2023): Nahmias-Biran, B., "Sustainable automated mobility on-demand strategies in dense urban areas"
M	Autonomous Robotic Charging System for Electric vehicles	Prof. Amir Shapiro	Ben-Gurion University of the Negev	Mechanical Engineering Department	Research Abstract
M	Dynamic capacity management for sustainable public transportation service	Prof. Tal Raviv, Dr. Yuval Hadas, Dr. Illit Oppenheim, Dr. Avi Tillman, Mr. Israel Rom, Mr. Or Asher	Tel Aviv University	Industrial Engineering
M	Hybrid Planning for Last Mile Logistics Using Trucks and Drones	Dr. Erez Karpas, Prof. Per-Olof Gutman	Technion - Israel Institute of Technology	Industrial Engineering and Management
M	Guiding and Guarding Deep Learning for Autonomous Vehicles using Scenario-Based Programming	Dr. Guy Katz, Dr. Achiya Elyasaf	The Hebrew University of Jerusalem	Computer Science	Research Abstract Article in Springer Nature Computer Science: Yerushalmi, R., Amir, G., Elyasaf, A., Harel, D., Katz, G. and Marron, A., "Enhancing Deep Reinforcement Learning with Scenario-Based Modeling" Article in Proceedings of MODELSWARD 2022: Yerushalmi, R., Amir, G., Elyasaf, A., Harel, D., Katz, G. and Marron, A., "Scenario-Assisted Deep Reinforcement Learning" Article in Proceedings of MODELSWARD 2023: Ashrov, A. and Katz, G., "Enhancing Deep Learning with Scenario-Based Override Rules: a Case Study" Article in Applied Sciences 2022: Poliansky, R., Sipper, M. and Elyasaf, A., "From Requirements to Source Code: Evolution of Behavioral Programs" The research was presented at the 10th International Conference on Model-Driven Engineering and Software Development (MODELSWARD) 2022: Yerushalmi, R., Elyasaf, A., Harel, D., Katz, G., and Marron, A., "Scenario-Assisted Deep Reinforcement Learning" The research was presented at the 11th International Conference on Model-Based Software and Systems Engineering (MODELSWARD) 2023: Ashrov, A., and Katz, G., "Enhancing Deep Learning with Scenario-Based Override Rules: A Case Study" The research was presented at The 3rd Annual & Students Conference of the Israeli Smart Transportation Research Center (ISTRC) 2023: Ashrov, A., and Katz., G., "Guarding deep neural networks using scenario-based modeling"
S	Legal liability for the actions of Level 3 autonomous vehicles	Prof. Yuval Shany, Dr. Omri Rachum, Mr. Gadi Perl	The Hebrew University of Jerusalem	Faculty of Law	Research Abstract

CoroNa RESEARCH 2020

"CoroNa" RESEARCH 2020

Upon the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, the Israeli Smart Transportation Research Center initiated a Call for Research named "CoroNa" for research proposals targeting transportation and coronavirus.

A total of 38 proposals were submitted from 13 academic institutions, of which 6 proposals won a total of ILS 550,000, involving 14 researchers from 5 academic institutions in Israel.

WINNING PROPOSALS


Research Title	Researchers	PI's Academic Institution	PI's Faculty/Department	Outcome
Passenger behavior in a Level 3 autonomous vehicle used to transport Corona patients	Prof. Eyal Yaniv, Eng. Webkobinik and Eng. Salomonov	Bar-Ilan University	The School of Business Administration	Research overview
Examining travel behavior changes among users of car-sharing services in times of COVID-19 outbreak	Prof. Tomer Toledo and Dr. Einat Tenenboim	Technion	Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering	Research Abstract Research overview
Autonomous Refueling System	Prof. Amir Shapiro and Mr. Shmulik Edelman	Ben-Gurion University of the Negev	Department of Mechanical Engineering	Research Abstract Research overview
Transportation preferences during COVID19 epidemic	Prof. Gil Luria and Dr. Hadas Marciano	University of Haifa	Faculty of Social Welfare and Health Sciences	Research overview The research was presented at the 9th International Ergonomics Conference: Maricano, H., Luria, G. and Cohen-Moravia, N., "Transportation Preferences and Risks Perception During the Covid-19 Era"
Spatially-explicit modeling of SARS-CoV-2 spread by public transport	Prof. Itzhak Benenson, Prof. Yehuda Carmeli and Dr. Liz Temkin	Tel Aviv University	Department of Geophysics	Research overview The research was presented at the 2021 European Colloquium on Theoretical and Quantitative Geography (ECTQG 2021): Klein, I., Ben-Dor, G., Ogulenko, A., Saadoun, A. and Benenson, I., "Spatially-explicit modeling of the SARS-CoV-2 transmission between population groups in Jerusalem" The research was presented at the 1st Annual Conference of the TAU Center for Combating Pandemics: Benenson, I., "Spatially explicit modeling of the SARS-CoV-2 transmission between Population groups in Jerusalem"
Pedestrian walking patterns and traffic in Tel-Aviv, Israel, during COVID-19 quarantine and exit-quarantine policies, using BT sensor technology	Prof. Pnina Plaut and Dr. Sagi Dalyot	Technion	Faculty of Architecture and Town Planning	Research Abstract Research overview Article in Environment and Planning B: Urban Analytics and City Science (2022): Angel, A., Cohen, A., Dalyot, S. and Plaut, P., "Impact of COVID-19 policies on pedestrian traffic and walking patterns" The research was presented at the Mobile Tartu 2020 Virtual Conference: Cohen, A., Dalyot, S. and Plaut, P., "Evaluating Bluetooth sensors as a tool for collecting pedestrians` flow data" The research was presented at the International Symposium on Geospatial Approaches to Combating Covid-19: Plaut, P., Angel, A., Dalyot, S. and Cohen, A., "Impact of COVID-19 policies on pedestrian traffic and walking patterns"