Chapter 9: Transportation and Communications

Cost-space convergence

The reduction of travel costs between places as a result of transport improvements

Deregulation

The reduction of government controls over economic activity within a country

Distance decay

The decline in the level of interaction between two places with an increase in distance

Distance learning

Virtual instruction, class attendance, or participation via telecommunications allowing the instruction source and the student to be separated from one another

E-commerce

Electronic commerce, that is, electronic transactions between businesses and consumers or among businesses

Electronic data interchange (EDI)

The electric movement of standard business documents between and within firms

Friction of distance

Friction exerted on movement and flow by time and cost factors associated with movement across space

Hub-and-spoke networks

Hubs are major cities that collect passengers from small cities, in the local vicinity, via spoke lines. Hubs redistribute passengers between sets of original major cities.

Internet

The global network of computer networks that allows data, video, and other information to be shared electronically among users.

ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network)

The technical format that allows data to be exchanged on the Internet

Journey-to-work

Travel by individuals to work; in American households, yielding the largest proportion of travel.

Line-haul costs

Costs involved in moving commodities along a route

Maglev

A magnetically levitated train that operates with a linear induction engine and cruises on a cushion of air at high speeds on a detached right-of-way; heralded as the state of the future in ground transportation systems.

Privatization

The process by which government-owned assets are transferred to private ownership and management

Spatial interaction

The movement, contact, and linkage between points in space, for example, the movement of people, goods, traffic, information, and capital between one place and another.

Telework centers

Offices organized by firms where telecommuters may work, facilitating telework but not from the home

Teleworking

Work performed via electronic lines of communication, including the internet, either at home or via telework centers.

Terminal costs

Costs incurred in loading, packing, and unloading shipments and preparing shipping documents.

Time-space compression or convergence

The reduction in travel time between places that results from transportation and communication improvements.

Transport costs

The alternative output given up when inputs are committed to the movement of people, goods, information, and ideas over geographical space.

Cost-space convergence

The reduction of travel costs between places as a result of transport improvements

Deregulation

The reduction of government controls over economic activity within a country

Distance decay

The decline in the level of interaction between two places with an increase in distance

Distance learning

Virtual instruction, class attendance, or participation via telecommunications allowing the instruction source and the student to be separated from one another

E-commerce

Electronic commerce, that is, electronic transactions between businesses and consumers or among businesses

Electronic data interchange (EDI)

The electric movement of standard business documents between and within firms

Friction of distance

Friction exerted on movement and flow by time and cost factors associated with movement across space

Hub-and-spoke networks

Hubs are major cities that collect passengers from small cities, in the local vicinity, via spoke lines. Hubs redistribute passengers between sets of original major cities.

Internet

The global network of computer networks that allows data, video, and other information to be shared electronically among users.

ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network)

The technical format that allows data to be exchanged on the Internet

Journey-to-work

Travel by individuals to work; in American households, yielding the largest proportion of travel.

Line-haul costs

Costs involved in moving commodities along a route

Maglev

A magnetically levitated train that operates with a linear induction engine and cruises on a cushion of air at high speeds on a detached right-of-way; heralded as the state of the future in ground transportation systems.

Privatization

The process by which government-owned assets are transferred to private ownership and management

Spatial interaction

The movement, contact, and linkage between points in space, for example, the movement of people, goods, traffic, information, and capital between one place and another.

Telework centers

Offices organized by firms where telecommuters may work, facilitating telework but not from the home

Teleworking

Work performed via electronic lines of communication, including the internet, either at home or via telework centers.

Terminal costs

Costs incurred in loading, packing, and unloading shipments and preparing shipping documents.

Time-space compression or convergence

The reduction in travel time between places that results from transportation and communication improvements.

Transport costs

The alternative output given up when inputs are committed to the movement of people, goods, information, and ideas over geographical space.