The transportation of goods, people and energy itself over small and large distances constitutes a major part of human activity. It is an important contributor to greenhouse gasses and even small improvements in transportation efficiency can lead to large economic gains globally. The availability of efficient means of transportation is particularly critical for remote, small-island communities, which depend on strong connectivity for their well-being, health and livelihood.
At OIST, teams of data scientists, fluid engineers and physicists work together to improve efficiencies in gas and liquid transport and mixing over vast distances [PNAS 118 e211165118 (2021); Sci. Adv. 9 eadd3831 (2023), Nat. Comm. 15 4070 (2024)]. The So-Smart Project – a collaborative endeavor between Hungary, Turkey, France, Kyoto IT, NAIST and OIST – seeks to find sustainable and accessible public transport in Okinawa through an innovative approach built on citizen participation, enabled by big data and machine learning.