DALLAS, Pa. — Penn State Wilkes-Barre hosted a workshop in September that allowed students to use their knowledge about a geographic information system (GIS) to tackle a real-world problem in impoverished communities in Brazil: How can packages be delivered to people who live in areas without official addresses?
Henrique Candido de Oliveira, associate professor at University of Campinas in Campinas, Brazil, and former assistant teaching professor at Penn State Wilkes-Barre, returned to campus for the workshop he coordinated with Salvatore Marsico, associate professor in engineering. The workshop applied GISs, which are integrated technologies that help collect, analyze and use geographic data, to better understand the physical parameters of hard-to-access, densely populated areas. Though a GIS, data and maps are connected, integrating location data with descriptive information on a community.
During the workshop, titled “Spatial Analysis as a Tool to Enhance Sustainability and Development in Slum Areas,” Oliveira presented results from his current research project investigating sustainability and development challenges in impoverished areas of under-resourced countries such as Brazil, where slums are known as favelas. The workshop served as a platform to showcase ongoing interdisciplinary collaboration between the Penn State Wilkes-Barre surveying engineering department and the University of Campinas in Brazil.
In Brazil, impoverished areas are known as favelas, and they lack police protection, government support, running water and sewage disposal, leading to issues with crime and health, Oliveira said. Favelas are often constructed near steep slopes where trees have been removed, causing landslides. Homes are usually made of concrete or wood, with a roof to protect from the rain, but left unfinished. Residents have no formal address, and therefore, no way to receive packages. Around 150,000 people live in the favela in Sao Paolo, where Oliveira conducts research.
“A delivery system is important for a favela because favelas lack a proper road network accessible to traditional delivery vehicles to deliver basic necessities,” Marsico said.
Students attending the workshop examined an actual list of deliveries to favela residents and brainstormed not only traditional ways to deliver packages, but also sustainable methods such as drones, robots and electric bicycles. They analyzed GIS data to identify suitable places where a delivery van could park and where a drone could land.
“Since there is no delivery mechanism in this favela, a delivery would stop at the front entrance to this large community,” Marsico said. “We are trying to bypass that step and get the packages directly to the people they belong to.”
A favela doesn’t have road setups like in a normal city, so the area needs to be mapped, Oliveira said.
“Based on this map, we can create an algorithm to find alleys and streets in the favela and plan a path that optimizes delivery using all these different modal strategies,” Oliveira said. “Then we are able to estimate how much we are saving in gas emissions and involve the community in the process to have a socioeconomic impact.”
Oliveira explained that since he previously taught at Penn State Wilkes-Barre, he knew the students had a background in GIS mapping.
“The demonstration allowed the students to see how we can mitigate or help propose a solution to a real-life issue by using a GIS that they already have the knowledge how to use,” Oliveira said. “It took the concept from abstract to hands-on.”
And, he said, that understanding can continue to inform future work.
“Through practical exercises and real-world case studies, students not only embrace theoretical concepts but also develop problem-solving skills essential for their future careers,” Oliveira said. “By immersing themselves in the complexities of slum development, participants cultivate empathy, cultural sensitivity and a holistic understanding of the challenges faced by marginalized communities.”
According to Marsico, the most important thing is that students learn to use software to develop new applications.
“The software is just a tool, and we want to show them an approach to use this tool,” Marsico said.
The project addresses sustainability goal 11 of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals: Sustainable Cities and Communities, with the aim to make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.
“The workshop aligned with the University's commitment to global citizenship and social responsibility,” Oliveira said. “By empowering students to apply their technical skills toward tangible social impact, the university cultivates a generation of socially conscious professionals able to contribute meaningfully to global development efforts.”
Three Penn State Wilkes-Barre students — Nathan Crotts, majoring in surveying engineering; JunJie Cao, majoring in computer engineering; and Mrigakshi Verma, majoring in aerospace engineering — are working with Oliveira and Marsico to continue the baseline work started by Oliveira when he was at Penn State Wilkes-Barre. Marsico noted that students in Brazil are also working on the project, and that the students are gaining experience learning how an international team collaborates.
“We have a student from the U.S., one from China and one from India. Henrique and his students are from Brazil and I’m from Italy,” Marsico said. “This is an international conglomeration, and it’s excellent to see how we all work together as a group and the strengths each student brings to the project. They are doing something they haven’t done before and gaining new experience in engineering and technology.”