Al Hosain, Nourah

  • Primary Program Solutions Productization
  • Research Interests Policy Analysis, Sustainable Cities and Geospatial Analysis and Modeling

Biography

Nourah is a manager in the Solutions Productization program. Her work focuses on geospatial analysis and modeling. Nourah was previously in KAPSARC’s Policy and Decision Science program, where she was part of the KAPSARC Toolkit for Behavioral Analysis (KTAB) development team. She holds a B.S. in Computer Science from Prince Sultan University.

Publications

See all Nourah’s publications
  • Discussion papers
  • Methodology papers
  • Data Insight
  • Instant Insight
  • Commentaries
  • KAPSARC journal article
  • Think20 (T20)
Impact of Urban Traffic on Fuel Consumption Leveraging IoT Data: Case Study of Riyadh City

Impact of Urban Traffic on Fuel Consumption Leveraging IoT Data: Case Study of Riyadh City

This study explores the rising trend of traffic congestion in Riyadh and its impact on fuel consumption for passenger cars amid the challenges of rapid urbanization and increasing vehicle use. By utilizing real-time floating car data (FCD) collected by vehicles equipped with Global Positioning System (GPS) technology and communication systems, this study illustrates the potential of the Internet of Things (IoT) and smart city technologies in developing intelligent transportation systems and improving urban mobility management. A spatial analysis of the traffic flow dynamics in Riyadh, focusing on selected primary highways, reveals that driving on high-capacity roads tends to increase fuel consumption. We conducted an analysis at a mesoscopic level, representing traffic congestion in Riyadh on high-capacity roads. It shows that traffic congestion leads to up to a 29% increase in fuel consumption, primarily due to frequent stop-and-go driving behavior, reducing overall fuel efficiency. This study enhances our understanding of urban traffic patterns, providing policymakers with data-driven insights to help them create more sustainable road planning strategies to address the specific needs and challenges of urban mobility in cities.

19th December 2024
Analyzing the Interplay of Urbanization, Economic Development, and Seaborne Trade A Case of Saudi Arabia

Analyzing the Interplay of Urbanization, Economic Development, and Seaborne Trade A Case of Saudi Arabia

Urbanization is widely recognized as a critical factor influencing economic growth and global trade, yet there is ongoing debate about whether it drives these outcomes or is a consequence of them. To address this, it is essential to determine whether urbanization spurs economic development and trade, or if these processes influence urbanization, or if the relationship is one of mutual causality. This study investigates the interplay between urbanization, economic development, and trade in both the short and the long term. Using data from Saudi Arabia spanning from 1991 to 2022, the research employs cointegration and Granger causality tests to first determine the order of integration of the variables, and it then applies the Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) model and the Error Correction Model (ECM) to examine causal relationships over different time horizons. The results reveal a bidirectional causality between urbanization and economic development in both the short and the long terms. In contrast, while there is bidirectional causality between trade and economic development in the short term, the long-term analysis indicates a unidirectional causality from trade to economic development. This suggests that trade influences economic development, which in turn affects urbanization, with no direct causality found between trade and urbanization.

18th December 2024
Evaluating Access to Riyadh’s Planned Public Transport System Using Geospatial Analysis

Evaluating Access to Riyadh’s Planned Public Transport System Using Geospatial Analysis

The King Abdulaziz Project for Public Transport in Riyadh city is one of the world’s largest urban transit systems being developed. The project aims to meet the demands of the city’s growing urban population while reducing traffic congestion, heavy private car dependence and air pollution. The performance of any public transport system largely depends on its accessibility. Therefore, this study evaluates the populations’ access to Riyadh’s public transport stations using network analysis tools based on geographic information systems.

24th June 2021
Political Feasibility of Enhancing India’s Midcentury Target for Emissions Intensity

Political Feasibility of Enhancing India’s Midcentury Target for Emissions Intensity

India’s greenhouse gas emissions have grown along with its rapid economic growth, making it the world’s third-largest emitter after China and the United States. Under the Paris Agreement, India has committed to reduce its emissions intensity relative to its GDP by 33-35% by 2030, compared with its 2005 level. In this study, we assess the evolving political will to enhance India’s stated commitment to combat climate change.

18th September 2019
India’s Balancing Act to Address Climate Change Under the Paris Agreement

India’s Balancing Act to Address Climate Change Under the Paris Agreement

As an emerging economy, a major part of India’s nationally determined contribution (NDC) under the Paris  Agreement is an emissions intensity target. With its current policies, India is on track to achieve its climate targets under the Agreement. However, the Indian government is balancing a complicated set of domestic priorities and constraints against its wish to be seen as a global leader on climate change. This paper, based on field research in India, outlines the key findings from a set of interviews regarding the implementation and enhancement of India’s NDC: Coal is still the cheapest source of baseload electricity in India and will continue to be its main fuel source for electricity. India is constrained in its ability to prioritize climate change objectives by the need to expand energy access and for low-cost energy. India would like to be seen as a leader on climate change, particularly when compared to other emerging economies such as China, whose targets are treated as a benchmark. This wish is balanced against its need to continue its economic expansion. India tends to take a conservative approach to international commitments. The Prime Minister of India has the final say on climate policy matters, but consults with and is advised by a small number of actors in his Council on Climate Change. Think tanks play a major supporting role in climate policymaking.

12th December 2018
Urban Transport Energy Demand Model for Riyadh: Methodology and Preliminary Analysis

Urban Transport Energy Demand Model for Riyadh: Methodology and Preliminary Analysis

Saudi Arabia intends to reduce its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 278 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent annually by 2030, according to its Nationally Determined Contribution to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Among many policies it is introducing, a mass transit system and transit-oriented development are being advanced with the expectation of reducing energy consumption and GHG emissions in Riyadh. To what extent such an initiative can reduce energy consumption and GHG emissions is an important question. In this paper, a methodology is developed to systematically measure the impact of mass transit and transit-oriented development in Riyadh on energy demand.

13th June 2023
Behavioral Analysis on Developing a GCC Power Market

Behavioral Analysis on Developing a GCC Power Market

In 2011, the Gulf Cooperation Council Interconnection Authority (GCCIA) completed the construction of a regional power grid connecting the Gulf states. Its main purpose was to provide backup in case of power emergencies. The grid also increases the likelihood of developing a common power market that could provide significant economic benefits to each GCC member state.

29th September 2019
The Impact of Restricted Mobility Due to COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia

The Impact of Restricted Mobility Due to COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia

Seven months since the first COVID-19 case was identified in Wuhan, China, the contagious and vastly transmissive virus has continued to spread and grow into a global pandemic affecting more than 20 million people. When the World Health Organization (WHO) announced a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, countries started imposing restrictions on local and international travel, as well as advocating the importance of social distancing to control the spread of the virus.

23rd August 2020
Urban Transportation Challenges in Saudi Arabia: Micromobility as a Solution to First and Last Mile

Urban Transportation Challenges in Saudi Arabia: Micromobility as a Solution to First and Last Mile

The transportation sector plays a significant role in global carbon emissions and environmental challenges. On a worldwide scale, the aggregate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions attributed to transportation amount to approximately 14.3% of total emissions. Notably, road transport emissions made a substantial contribution, comprising 12.6% of overall transport emissions in 2019.

24th December 2023
The Relentless Politics of Climate Change: The Paris Agreement

The Relentless Politics of Climate Change: The Paris Agreement

The Paris Agreement entered into force in November 2016 and, to date, 187 parties have ratified it (UFCCC). The Agreement’s goal is to limit the increase in global temperature to 2 degrees Celsius (°C) above] pre-industrial levels. The Agreement established what has been dubbed an ‘ambition mechanism,’ where every five years nationally determined contributions (NDCs) are reassessed and enhanced — with the first round of refinements expected in 2020. A number of studies, most notably the United Nations Environment Programme report, conclude that current NDCs will not achieve the objectives of the Agreement (UNEP 2018). While technical obstacles to achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement remain, political barriers further convolute the discussion. Clearly more needs to be done, and further political accommodations will be required globally to significantly enhance and subsequently implement more ambitious contributions that might achieve the promise of the Paris Agreement. However, before progress can be made on an international level, the main polluting countries must focus on internal, domestic consensus to develop robust efforts to reduce emissions. Uncertainty remains about whether there is, or will ever be, sufficient political will to meet the 2°C target.

19th March 2020

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