Research@M3Nets

The major streams of our research can be roughly categorized into seven distinct groups, listed with key publications below:

Scalable network design and scheduling: How can we develop more scalable techniques for solving expressive optimization problems in operations research?

  1. Sebastian Wandelt, et al. A literature review on hub location-routing models and their solution techniques. Computers & Operations Research 173, pp. 106861, 2025, IF=4.1 (Q1) DOI
  2. Shuang Wang, et al. Stratified p-hub median and hub location problems: Models and solution algorithms. IEEE Transactions on Intelligent Transportation Systems 25(9), pp. 11452-11470, 2024, IF=7.9 (Q1) DOI
  3. Yifan Xu, et al. Competitive Integrated Airline Schedule Design and Fleet Assignment. European Journal of Operational Research 314, pp. 32-50, 2024, IF=6.0 (Q1) DOI
  4. Yifan Xu, et al. A Distributionally Robust Optimization Approach for Airline Integrated Recovery under in-flight Pandemic Transmission Risks. Transportation Research Part C-Emerging Technologies 152, pp. 104188, 2023, IF=7.6 (Q1) DOI
  5. Yifan Xu, et al. IMMUNER: Integrated Multimodal Mobility Under Network Disruptions. IEEE Transactions on Intelligent Transportation Systems 24(2), pp. 1480-1494, 2023, IF=7.9 (Q1) DOI
  6. Sebastian Wandelt, et al. Towards a Reference Experimental Benchmark for Solving Hub Location Problems. Transportation Science 56, pp. 543-564, 2022, IF=4.4 (Q2) DOI
  7. Yida Ding, et al. TLQP: Early-stage Transportation Lock-down and Quarantine Problem. Transportation Research Part C-Emerging Technologies 129, pp. 103218, 2021, IF=7.6 (Q1) DOI
  8. Yifan Xu, et al. Airline Integrated Robust Scheduling with a Variable Neighborhood Search based Heuristic. Transportation Research Part B-Methodological 149, pp. 181-203, 2021, IF=5.8 (Q1) DOI
  9. Weibin Dai, et al. Capacitated Air/Rail Hub Location Problem with Uncertainty: A Model, Efficient Solution Algorithm, and Case Study. IEEE Transactions on Intelligent Transportation Systems 23(7), pp. 8451-8466, 2022, IF=7.9 (Q1) DOI
  10. Sebastian Wandelt, et al. An Efficient and Scalable Approach to Hub Location Problems based on Contraction. Computers & Industrial Engineering 151, pp. 106955, 2021, IF=6.7 (Q1) DOI
  11. Weibin Dai, et al. HUBBI: Iterative network design for incomplete hub location problems. Computers & Operations Research 104, pp. 394-414, 2019, IF=4.1 (Q1) DOI

Artificial Intelligence and emerging technologies: How can such technologies assist in the development of better transportation systems and societies?

  1. Sebastian Wandelt*, et al. Toward Smart Skies: Reviewing the State of the Art and Challenges for Intelligent Air Transportation Systems (IATS). IEEE Transactions on Intelligent Transportation Systems 25(10), pp. 12943-12953, 2024, IF=7.9 (Q1) DOI
  2. Jiachang Li, et al. On the Air-HSR Mode Substitution in China: From the Carbon Intensity Reduction Perspective. Transportation Research Part A-Policy and Practice 180, pp. 103977, 2024, IF=6.3 (Q1) DOI
  3. Sebastian Wandelt, et al. Large Language Models for Intelligent Transportation: A Review of the State of the Art and Challenges. Applied Sciences 14(17), pp. 7455, 2024, IF=2.5 (Q2) DOI
  4. Yida Ding, et al. Towards Efficient Airline Disruption Recovery with Reinforcement Learning. Transportation Research Part E-Logistics and Transportation Review 179, pp. 103295, 2023, IF=8.3 (Q1) DOI
  5. Sebastian Wandelt, et al. AI-driven assistants for education and research? A case study on ChatGPT for air transport management. Journal of Air Transport Management 113, pp. 102483, 2023, IF=3.9 (Q2) DOI
  6. Meng Li, et al. Machine learning augmented approaches for hub location problems. Computers & Operations Research 154, pp. 106188, 2023, IF=4.1 (Q1) DOI
  7. Yifan Xu, et al. Machine Learning-assisted Optimization of Aircraft Trajectories under Realistic Constraints. Journal of Guidance Control and Dynamics 46(9), pp. 1814-1825, 2023, IF=2.3 (Q2) DOI
  8. Xiaoqian Sun, et al. Technological and Educational Challenges Towards Pandemic-Resilient Aviation. Transport Policy 114, pp. 104-115, 2021, IF=6.3 (Q1) DOI
  9. Sebastian Wandelt, et al. Complex network metrics: Can deep learning keep up with tailor-made reference algorithms?. IEEE Access 8, pp. 68114-68123, 2020, IF=3.4 (Q2) DOI
  10. Sebastian Wandelt, et al. Towards ABox Modularization of Semi-expressive Description Logics. Applied Ontology 7(2), pp. 133-167, 2012, IF=2.5 (Q2) DOI

Pandemic-resilient aviation: How can aviation better sustain the ramifications of epidemic and pandemic outbreaks, such as COVID-19?

  1. Xiaoqian Sun, et al. COVID-19 and aviation, lessons learned from the trenches: A survey among participants at the 26th ATRS World Conference. Journal of The Air Transport Research Society 2, pp. 100005, 2024 DOI
  2. Xiaoqian Sun, et al. A data-driven analysis of the aviation recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Air Transport Management 109, pp. 102401, 2023, IF=3.9 (Q2) DOI
  3. Xiaoqian Sun, et al. Ghostbusters: Hunting abnormal flights in Europe during COVID-19. Transport Policy 127, pp. 203-217, 2022, IF=6.3 (Q1) DOI
  4. Xiaoqian Sun, et al. STARTUPS: Founding airlines during COVID-19 - a hopeless endeavor or an ample opportunity for a better aviation system?. Transport Policy 118, pp. 10-19, 2022, IF=6.3 (Q1) DOI
  5. Xiaoqian Sun, et al. Delayed reaction towards emerging COVID-19 variants of concern: Does history repeat itself?. Transportation Research Part A-Policy and Practice 152, pp. 203-215, 2021, IF=6.3 (Q1) DOI
  6. Xiaoqian Sun, et al. Vaccination Passports: Challenges for a Future of Air Transportation. Transport Policy 110, pp. 394-401, 2021, IF=6.3 (Q1) DOI
  7. Xiaoqian Sun, et al. COVID-19 pandemic and air transportation: Successfully navigating the paper hurricane. Journal of Air Transport Management 94, pp. 102062, 2021, IF=3.9 (Q2) DOI
  8. Xiaoqian Sun, et al. On the degree of synchronization between air transport connectivity and COVID-19 cases at worldwide level. Transport Policy 105, pp. 115-123, 2021, IF=6.3 (Q1) DOI
  9. Xiaoqian Sun, et al. How did COVID-19 impact air transportation? A first peek through the lens of complex networks. Journal of Air Transport Management 89, pp. 101928, 2020, IF=3.9 (Q2) DOI

Complex network robustness: What are the fundamental principles underlying the robustness of a connected system?

  1. Sebastian Wandelt, et al. Global Airport Resilience Index: Towards a comprehensive understanding of air transportation resilience. Transportation Research Part D-Transport and Environment forthcoming, 2025, IF=7.3 (Q1) DOI
  2. Sebastian Wandelt, et al. Towards Analyzing the Robustness of the Integrated Global Transportation Network Abstraction (IGTNA). Transportation Research Part A-Policy and Practice 178, pp. 103838, 2023, IF=6.3 (Q1) DOI
  3. Sebastian Wandelt, et al. From Random Failures to Targeted Attacks in Network Dismantling. Reliability Engineering & System Safety 218, pp. 108146, 2022, IF=9.4 (Q1) DOI
  4. Sebastian Wandelt, et al. Estimation and improvement of transportation network robustness by exploiting communities. Reliability Engineering & System Safety 206, pp. 107307, 2021, IF=9.4 (Q1) DOI
  5. Sebastian Wandelt, et al. Community detection boosts network dismantling on real-world networks. IEEE Access 8, pp. 111954-111965, 2020, IF=3.4 (Q2) DOI
  6. Sebastian Wandelt, et al. A comparative analysis of approaches to network-dismantling. Scientific Reports 8(1), pp. 13513, 2018, IF=3.8 (Q1) DOI
  7. Sebastian Wandelt, et al. QRE: Quick Robustness Estimation for large complex networks. Future Generation Computer Systems 83, pp. 413-424, 2018, IF=6.2 (Q1) DOI
  8. Sebastian Wandelt, et al. Computationally efficient attack design for robustness analysis of air transportation networks. Transportmetrica A-Transport Science 11(10), pp. 939-966, 2015, IF=3.6 (Q2) DOI

Multi-modal transportation and accessibility: How can we improve door-to-door travel times for a better travel experience?

  1. Xiaoqian Sun, et al. A review on research regarding HSR interactions with air transport and outlook for future research challenges. Transport Policy 157, pp. 74-85, 2024, IF=6.3 (Q1) DOI
  2. Shuang Wang, et al. Policy Challenges for Coordinated Delivery of Trucks and Drones. Journal of The Air Transport Research Society 2, pp. 100001, 2024 DOI
  3. Sebastian Wandelt, et al. AERIAL: A meta review and discussion of challenges towards unmanned aerial vehicle operations in logistics, mobility, and monitoring. IEEE Transactions on Intelligent Transportation Systems 25(7), pp. 6276-6289, 2023, IF=7.9 (Q1) DOI
  4. Xiaoqian Sun, et al. Air Transport versus High-Speed Rail: An Overview and Research Agenda. Journal of Advanced Transportation Article ID 8426926, 2017, IF=2.0 (Q3) DOI
  5. Xiaoqian Sun, et al. Comparative Accessibility of Chinese Airports and High-Speed Railway Stations: A high-resolution, yet scalable framework based on Open Data. Journal of Air Transport Management 92, pp. 102014, 2021, IF=3.9 (Q2) DOI
  6. Xiaoqian Sun, et al. Airport Road Access at Planet Scale using Population Grid and Openstreetmap. Networks & Spatial Economics 20, pp. 273-299, 2020, IF=1.6 (Q3) DOI
  7. Xiaoqian Sun, et al. Competitiveness of on-demand air taxis regarding door-to-door travel time: A race through Europe. Transportation Research Part E-Logistics and Transportation Review 119, pp. 1-18, 2018, IF=8.3 (Q1) DOI
  8. Xiaoqian Sun, et al. Complementary strengths of airlines under network disruptions. Safety Science 103, pp. 76-87, 2018, IF=4.7 (Q1) DOI

Transportation system analysis: What are universal patterns enabling the efficiency of our transportation systems?

  1. Sebastian Wandelt, et al. Multiple airport regions: A review of concepts, insights and challenges. Journal of Transport Geography 120, pp. 103974, 2024, IF=5.7 (Q1) DOI
  2. Sebastian Wandelt, et al. On the extent, trend, and stability of market concentration in the global aviation system since 2010. Journal of Air Transport Management 119, pp. 102652, 2024, IF=3.9 (Q2) DOI
  3. Xiaoqian Sun, et al. Airline competition: A comprehensive review of recent research. Journal of The Air Transport Research Society 2, pp. 100013, 2024 DOI
  4. Xiaoqian Sun, et al. Price discrimination through hidden city options? A data-driven study on the extent and evolution of skiplaggability in the global aviation system. Journal of Air Transport Management 108, pp. 102373, 2023, IF=3.9 (Q2) DOI
  5. Xiaoqian Sun, et al. Competitiveness of on-demand air taxis regarding door-to-door travel time: A race through Europe. Transportation Research Part E-Logistics and Transportation Review 119, pp. 1-18, 2018, IF=8.3 (Q1) DOI
  6. Xiaoqian Sun, et al. Robustness analysis metrics for worldwide airport network: A comprehensive study. Chinese Journal of Aeronautics 30(2), pp. 500-512, 2017, IF=5.3 (Q1) DOI
  7. Xiaoqian Sun, et al. Multiple airport regions based on inter-airport temporal distances. Transportation Research Part E-Logistics and Transportation Review 101, pp. 84-98, 2017, IF=8.3 (Q1) DOI
  8. Xiaoqian Sun*, et al. Network similarity analysis of air navigation route systems. Transportation Research Part E-Logistics and Transportation Review 70, pp. 416-434, 2014, IF=8.3 (Q1) DOI

Big data management: How can we efficiently address the problems and challenges inherent to the management of Big data?

  1. Sebastian Wandelt, et al. Column-wise compression of open relational data. Information Sciences 457-458, pp. 48-61, 2018 DOI
  2. Sebastian Wandelt, et al. ADS-BI: Compressed Indexing of ADS-B Data. IEEE Transactions on Intelligent Transportation Systems 19(12), pp. 3795-3806, 2018, IF=7.9 (Q1) DOI
  3. Sebastian Wandelt, et al. Worldwide Railway Skeleton Network: Extraction Methodology and Preliminary Analysis. IEEE Transactions on Intelligent Transportation Systems 18(8), pp. 2206-2216, 2017, IF=7.9 (Q1) DOI
  4. Sebastian Wandelt, et al. Lossless Compression of Public Transit Schedules. IEEE Transactions on Intelligent Transportation Systems 17(11), pp. 3075-3086, 2016, IF=7.9 (Q1) DOI
  5. Sebastian Wandelt, et al. Efficient Compression of 4D-Trajectory Data in Air Traffic Management. IEEE Transactions on Intelligent Transportation Systems 16(2), pp. 844-853, 2015, IF=7.9 (Q1) DOI
  6. Sebastian Wandelt, et al. FRESCO: Referential Compression of Highly Similar Sequences. IEEE-ACM Transactions on Computational Biology and Bioinformatics 10(5), pp. 1275-1288, 2013, IF=3.6 (Q1) DOI