Discipline: Technology and Engineering
Subcategory: Computer Science & Information Systems
Session: 2
Room: Exhibit Hall
Josué A. Dieppa Ortiz - University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez Campus
Co-Author(s): Javier A. Moscoso Cabrera, University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez Campus, Puerto Rico; Galeanna A. Vega García, University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus, Puerto Rico; Aida S. Matos Santos, University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez Campus, Puerto Rico; Josué E. González Morales, University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez Campus, Puerto Rico
Transportation plays a fundamental role in the economy of a country, and in such understanding the general tendencies of the energy supply of transportation is of importance. This paper presents a geographic information systems (GIS) approach to understand the energy supply and distribution for vehicles in Puerto Rico, including fuel and electric vehicle (EV) charging stations. A method for the retrieval of information from free-access websites was used to obtain data on the geographical location, company, product type, prices, and within specific date limits. With this dataset and using QGIS, a GIS tool, analyses were conducted to correlate layers of information including population density, proximity, EV charging stations accessibility, prices, among others. Average gas prices were analyzed through a period of six months. Results highlight the fragility of the transportation sector because of its dependency of imported fossil fuels, and the necessity of a diversifying the freight and personal transport systems to incorporate vehicles using sources of energy others than fossil fuels. Additionally, results show the value that access to this type of data adds to the understanding the dynamics of the transportation sector in Puerto Rico and exemplifies the potential that periodical updating of fuel supply data could provide on generating more detailed historical analyses, and the benefits at both consumer and institutional levels for informing decision making regarding transportation, and energy supply, distribution, and consumption.
Funder Acknowledgement(s): This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grants No. 1832468 and 1832427 (HSI program). Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
Faculty Advisor: Jonathan Muñoz Barreto, jonathan.munoz@upr.edu
Role: In this research, I worked with the team in gathering the data and organizing it into a database format. Also, I worked with the QGIS tool to develop the different layers of analysis, creating the final maps, and in the writing process of the research paper.