We propose a universal, astrophysically based theory of the origin of life on Earth and on other rocky planets as well. Life is an information system where the information content grows because of selection. It must start with the minimum possible information, or the minimum possible departure...

Urban growth dynamics attracts the efforts of scientists from many different disciplines with objectives ranging from theoretical understanding to the development of carefully tuned realistic models that can serve as planning and policy tools. Theoretical models are often abstract and of limited...

In a multi-agent transportation simulation, each traveler is represented individually. Such simulation consist of at least the following modules: - Activity generation. For each traveler in the simulation, a complete 24-hour day-plan is generated, with each major activity (sleep, eat, work,...

Public acceptance has often been named as a key factor for the successful realization of transport projects and policies. One reason, why even economically efficient projects might not be accepted by the major part of the population, could be the unequal distribution of benefits. For instance,...

Activity locations such as work locations or leisure facilities are not uniformly distributed geographically. Also, the travel access to different locations is not uniform. It is plausible to assume that locations with easier access to other activity locations are more attractive than locations...

Accessibility indicators take land use, the transport system, and their interdependencies into account in a holistic fashion. In many areas, however, spatial data to perform accessibility calculations are hard to obtain or not available at all. Freely available volunteered geographic information...