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Graph Theory to Achieve the Digital Transformation in Managing Freight Transportation Corridors

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Abstract

Digital transformation of organizations managing freight transportation corridors is today, under the so-called “Nearshoring” trend, a key challenge for the logistics sector operating in regions such as the USMCA (United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement). Since Mexico has a significant role in North American industrial supply chains' regionalization, this paper proposes a graph theory-based logistics approach to model and measure the operational robustness of Mexican freight transportation corridors. The proposed method consisted of four steps: (a) construct a dual network for evaluating road section indexes by transforming road links into nodes; (b) assign weights to the edges based on each route distance; (c) simulating potential disruptions in road sections based on topological indices and variations in distance; and (d) developing a web-based digital tool to manage and evaluate the impact of freight transportation corridor management's impact on supply chains' efficiency, sustainability, and resilience. This paper makes two contributions to the current body of knowledge and practical applications. Firstly, it identifies the limitations of some topological indices when assessing the dual graph. Secondly, it discusses the challenges and opportunities for implementing the digital transformation of freight transportation corridor management in Mexico. In conclusion, this paper presents insights for policymakers and researchers and outlines future research directions.

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Notes

  1. According to [29]: “If a connected graph G has e edges and v vertices, and if T is anyone of its spanning trees, then T contains v—1 edges and T ̅ contains e—(v—1) = e—v + 1 edges. To each edge of T ̅ there corresponds a cycle formed by adjoining the edge to T; the set of these e—v + 1 cycles is called the fundamental system of cycles of G with respect to T, and any cycle in the system is called a fundamental cycle.”.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to express their gratitude for the financial support provided by the National Council of Humanities, Sciences, and Technologies (CONAHCYT) and the institutional support from the National Laboratory for Transportation Systems and Logistics of the Mexican Institute of Transportation. They also wish to extend a special thanks to Flora Hammer for her valuable comments that helped improve the final document's editing.

Funding

Partial financial support was received from the Mexican Institute of Transportation (IMT) and the National Council of Humanities, Sciences, and Technologies (CONAHCYT).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Laboratory for Transportation Systems & Logistics, Mexican Institute of Transportation, Km 12+000, Carretera Estatal No. 431 “El Colorado-Galindo”, San Fandila, Pedro Escobedo C.P., 76703, Querétaro, México

    Jared Piña-Barcenas, Miguel Gastón Cedillo-Campos & Eric Moreno-Quintero

  2. Texas Center for Border Economic and Enterprise Development, Texas A&M International University, 5201 University Boulevard, Laredo, TX, 78041, USA

    Daniel Covarrubias

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Contributions

The authors confirm their contribution to the paper as follows: study conception and design: M.G.C.C., and J.P.B.; data collection: J.P.B.; analysis and interpretation of results: M.G.C.C., J.P.B., E.M.Q., and D.C.; manuscript preparation: M.G.C.C., E. M.Q., and D.C. All authors reviewed the results and approved the final version of the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Miguel Gastón Cedillo-Campos.

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Piña-Barcenas, J., Cedillo-Campos, M.G., Moreno-Quintero, E. et al. Graph Theory to Achieve the Digital Transformation in Managing Freight Transportation Corridors. Mobile Netw Appl (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11036-023-02283-8

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