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This study presents a systematic literature review (SLR) of the interdisciplinary literature on drones in last-mile delivery (LMD) to extrapolate pertinent insights from and into the logistics management field.

Rooting their analytical categories in the LMD literature, the authors performed a deductive, theory refinement SLR on 307 interdisciplinary journal articles published during 2015–2022 to integrate this emergent phenomenon into the field.

The authors derived the potentials, challenges and solutions of drone deliveries in relation to 12 LMD criteria dispersed across four stakeholder groups: senders, receivers, regulators and societies. Relationships between these criteria were also identified.

This review contributes to logistics management by offering a current, nuanced and multifaceted discussion of drones' potential to improve the LMD process together with the challenges and solutions involved.

The authors provide logistics managers with a holistic roadmap to help them make informed decisions about adopting drones in their delivery systems. Regulators and society members also gain insights into the prospects, requirements and repercussions of drone deliveries.

This is one of the first SLRs on drone applications in LMD from a logistics management perspective.

Urban air mobility (UAM) development and deployment into future cities is gaining increasing and relevant interest in the past years. This study, a conceptual paper, aims to report the high-level description of the most relevant UAM application use cases (UCs) emerging from the research activities carried out in the ASSURED UAM project.

The UAM application UCs have been obtained from the ASSURED UAM project dedicated activities that have been carried out to, first, develop suitable operational concepts for UAM deployment in the next decades and, then, to further refine and design the most relevant UCs for UAM deployment in the next decades, leading to the public issue of dedicated overall document.

The ASSURED UAM UCs for UAM deployment in the next decades encompass both public (point-to-point, point-to-everywhere, direct medical transport of people) and private (direct last-mile delivery, advanced last-mile delivery, automatic personal aerial transportation) services applications, evolving in incremental way over time according to three considered time horizons (2025, 2030 and 2035), toward progressive integration into metropolitan transport system.

This paper provides final outline of the ASSURED UAM UCs, starting from the analysis of overall identified possible UAM applications, focusing on the description of the six main UCs considered as relevant for the application under the wider societal benefits point of view. The UCs are described in terms of expected operational environment, needed technological enablers and envisaged regulatory implications.

Strategic integration of enablers and the realization of drone delivery benefits emerge as essential strategies for business organizations to enhance operational efficiency and stay competitive in last-mile logistics. This paper aims to explore the benefits of drone-based last-mile delivery in the Indian logistic sector by providing a framework for ranking drone delivery benefits (DDBs) due to the adoption of its enablers.

This study proposes a novel hybrid framework applied in the Indian logistic sector by integrating a sentence boundary extraction algorithm for extracting benefits from literature, a spherical fuzzy analytical hierarchy process (SF-AHP) for evaluating primary enablers, unsupervised fuzzy C-means clustering (FCM) for clustering benefits and a spherical combined compromised solution (SF-CoCoSo) for ranking benefits with respect to primary enablers.

The results reveal that technological and infrastructure enablers (TIE), government and legislation enablers (GLE) and operational and service quality enablers (OSE) are the most significant enablers for drone implementation in logistics. Top-ranked benefits increase the efficiency of last-mile delivery (DDB10), foster supply chain management and logistic sustainability (DDB16) and increase delivery access to rural area and vulnerable people (DDB17).

This research assists scholars, entrepreneurs and policymakers in the sustainable deployment of drone delivery in the logistics sector. This study facilitates the use of drones in delivery services and provides a foundation for all stakeholders in logistics.

The assessments involve considering judgment from a highly knowledgeable and experienced group in India, characterized by a large volume of inputs and a high level of expertise.

This paper aims to focus on identifying key health-care issues amenable to digital twin (DT) approach. It starts with a description of the concept and enabling technologies of a DT and then discusses potential applications of DT solutions in healthcare facilities management (FM) using four different scenarios. The scenario planning focused on monitoring and controlling the heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning system in real-time; monitoring indoor air quality (IAQ) to monitor the performance of medical equipment; monitoring and tracking pulsed light for SARS-Cov-2; and monitoring the performance of medical equipment affected by radio frequency interference (RFI).

The importance of a healthcare facility, its systems and equipment necessitates an effective FM practice. However, the FM practices adopted have several areas for improvement, including the lack of effective real-time updates on performance status, asset tracking, bi-directional coordination of changes in the physical facilities and the computational resources that support and monitor them. Consequently, there is a need for more intelligent and holistic FM systems. We propose a DT which possesses the key features, such as real-time updates and bi-directional coordination, which can address the shortcomings in healthcare FM. DT represents a virtual model of a physical component and replicates the physical data and behavior in all instances. The replication is attained using sensors to obtain data from the physical component and replicating the physical component's behavior through data analysis and simulation. This paper focused on identifying key healthcare issues amenable to DT approach. It starts with a description of the concept and enabling technologies of a DT and then discusses potential applications of DT solutions in healthcare FM using four different scenarios.

The scenarios were validated by industry experts and concluded that the scenarios offer significant potential benefits for the deployment of DT in healthcare FM such as monitoring facilities’ performance in real-time and improving visualization by integrating the 3D model.

In addition to inadequate literature addressing healthcare FM, the study was also limited to one of the healthcare facilities of a large public university, and the scope of the study was limited to IAQ including pressure, relative humidity, carbon dioxide and temperature. Additionally, the study showed the potential benefits of DT application in healthcare FM using various scenarios that DT experts validated.

The study shows the practical implication using the various validated scenarios and identified enabling technologies. The combination and implementation of those mentioned above would create a system that can effectively help manage facilities and improve facilities' performances.

The only identifiable social solution is that the proposed system in this study can manually be overridden to prevent absolute autonomous control of the smart system in cases when needed.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the only study that has addressed healthcare FM using the DT approach. This research is an excerpt from an ongoing dissertation.

The study aims to examine the potential benefits of integrating nature-based solutions (NbS) in the housing sector.

The approach adopted was a systematic literature review aided by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews criteria and the VOSviewer software. Abductive reasoning was used to analyze the collected data, which was then subjected to content analysis through an iterative read-and-review procedure.

The study identified green walls, indoor greenery, porous pavement and landscaping, rainwater harvesting and water purification and green roofs as elements of buildings where NbS should be incorporated. Although nature-based research on integrated greenery facades and roof applications was noted, rainwater harvesting and water purification-oriented research remained dominant. These findings demonstrate the advantages of implementing NbS in the housing sector, including energy efficiency, environmental development, flood prevention and sustainable water management. Integrating NbS into housing designs can considerably contribute to the creation of more resilient, eco-friendly and comfortable living environments. However, the adoption of NbS faces hurdles, including a lack of awareness, limited policy support and economic constraints.

This study recommends that NbS be mainstreamed into housing development and knowledge exchange opportunities between sub-Saharan Africa and Europe, as well as other regions, to promote the adoption of NbS through research and collaborations. Also, it contributes to the discourse of sustainable affordable housing in the Global South while addressing United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 11, 12, 13 and 15. This study offers valuable guidance to stakeholders, thereby fostering the development of more sustainable and resilient housing practices and policies.

The study used VOSviewer software visualization to identify structural patterns and track prominent research frontiers, allowing for a more thorough yet concise mapping and capture of a scientific knowledge domain.

The objective is to contribute to the development of strategies through the identification of sustainability practices. Thus, the research has a twofold objective: to unveil sustainability practices integrated into last-mile logistics activities by e-commerce retailers, analyze the interrelations among these practices and categorize them based on their significance for small Brazilian e-commerce retailers.

A literature mapping was conducted to identify sustainability practices in last-mile activities adopted by e-retailers, leading to the proposal of a meta-model. A total of 67 articles are part of the final sample. Subsequently, the study applied the Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) multicriteria decision-making technique to structure the research problem through cause-and-effect analysis among practices, aiming to prioritize critical practices.

The results indicate a strong dependence on economic practices to enable sustainability in last-mile logistics. In the economic dimension of sustainability, operating costs and quality of services are effect variables and achieved the highest relation concerning the other practices.

The article provides theoretical contributions by addressing two complementary areas of knowledge: Stakeholder Theory and Sustainability, also aligning with Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) guidelines. In practical terms, it stands out for offering valuable insights into the implementation of sustainable strategies by identifying economic, environmental and social practices in last-mile logistics, particularly within the context of small businesses in the e-retail segment.

The results help e-retailers re-evaluate last-mile logistics processes from a sustainability perspective. This study aims to fill the knowledge gap in the current literature on adopting sustainable practices in small e-commerce retail firms.

Considering that one of the pillars of sustainability is a commitment to social development, this study contributes to understanding the view of small e-retailers on the independent goods delivery workers responsible for the delivery of goods.

The originality of this research lies in identifying economic, social and environmental sustainability practices adopted by e-retailers in last-mile logistics processes. Additionally, the study focuses on the small-scale e-commerce retail segment, an area that has been little explored in the Brazilian context. Lastly, the proposed meta-model contributes to addressing practices from the perspective of Stakeholder Theory and the Sustainability approach.

El objetivo es contribuir al desarrollo de estrategias mediante la identificación de prácticas sostenibles. Por lo tanto, la investigación tiene un doble objetivo: revelar las prácticas de sostenibilidad integradas en las actividades logísticas de última milla de minoristas de comercio electrónico, analizar las interrelaciones entre estas prácticas y categorizarlas según su importancia para los pequeños minoristas de comercio electrónico en Brasil.

Se llevó a cabo un mapeo de la literatura para identificar prácticas de sostenibilidad en las actividades de última milla adoptadas por minoristas en línea, lo que llevó a la propuesta de un metamodelo. Un total de 67 artículos forman parte de la muestra final. Posteriormente, el estudio aplicó la técnica de toma de decisiones multicriterio Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) para estructurar el problema de investigación mediante análisis de causa y efecto entre las prácticas, con el objetivo de priorizar las prácticas críticas.

El resultado indica una fuerte dependencia de prácticas económicas para implementar la sostenibilidad en la logística de última milla. En la dimensión económica de la sostenibilidad, los costes operacionales y la calidad de los servicios son variables de efecto y presentan una fuerte correlación.

La originalidad de esta investigación radica en identificar prácticas de sostenibilidad económica, social y ambiental adoptadas por minoristas en línea en los procesos logísticos de última milla. Además, el estudio se centra en el segmento minorista de comercio electrónico a pequeña escala, un área poco explorada en el contexto brasileño. Por último, el metamodelo propuesto contribuye a abordar prácticas desde la perspectiva de la Teoría de los Stakeholders y el enfoque de Sostenibilidad.

El artículo proporciona contribuciones teóricas al abordar dos áreas complementarias de conocimiento: la Teoría de los Stakeholders y la Sostenibilidad, alineándose también con las directrices de la Iniciativa de Reporte Global (GRI). En términos prácticos, destaca al ofrecer ideas valiosas sobre la implementación de estrategias sostenibles al identificar prácticas económicas, ambientales y sociales en la logística de última milla, particularmente en el contexto de las pequeñas empresas en el segmento minorista en línea.

Los resultados ayudan a los minoristas electrónicos a reevaluar los procesos logísticos de última milla desde una perspectiva de sostenibilidad. Este estudio pretende contribuir el avance del conocimiento de la literatura actual sobre la adopción de prácticas sostenibles en pequeñas empresas de comercio electrónico.

Teniendo en cuenta que uno de los pilares de la sostenibilidad es el compromiso con el desarrollo social, este estudio contribuye a comprender la visión de los pequeños minoristas electrónicos sobre los trabajadores independientes encargados de la entrega de mercancías.

Exposure to indoor air pollutants poses a significant health risk, contributing to various ailments such as respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. These unhealthy consequences are specifically alarming for athletes during exercise due to their higher respiratory rate. Therefore, studying, predicting and curtailing exposure to indoor air contaminants during athletic activities is essential for fitness facilities. The objective of this study is to develop a neural network model designed for predicting optimal (in terms of health) occupancy intervals using monitored indoor air quality (IAQ) data.

This research study presents an innovative approach employing a long short-term memory (LSTM) recurrent neural network (RNN) to determine optimal occupancy intervals for ensuring the safety and well-being of occupants. The dataset was collected over a 3-month monitoring campaign, encompassing 15 meteorological and indoor environmental parameters monitored. All the parameters were monitored in 5-min intervals, resulting in a total of 77,520 data points. The dataset collection parameters included the building’s ventilation methods as well as the level of occupancy. Initial preprocessing involved computing the correlation matrix and identifying highly correlated variables to serve as inputs for the LSTM network model.

The findings underscore the efficacy of the proposed artificial intelligence model in forecasting indoor conditions, yielding highly specific predicted time slots. Using the training dataset and established threshold values, the model effectively identifies benign periods for occupancy. Validation of the predicted time slots is conducted utilizing features chosen from the correlation matrix and their corresponding standard ranges. Essentially, this process determines the ratio of recommended to non-recommended timing intervals.

Humans do not have the capacity to process this data and make such a relevant decision, though the complexity of the parameters of IAQ imposes significant barriers to human decision-making, artificial intelligence and machine learning systems, which are different. Present research utilizing multilayer perceptron (MLP) and LSTM algorithms for evaluating indoor air pollution levels lacks the capability to predict specific time slots. This study aims to fill this gap in evaluation methodologies. Therefore, the utilized LSTM-RNN model can provide a day-ahead prediction of indoor air pollutants, making its competency far beyond the human being’s and regular sensors' capacities.

Studies showed that a proactive delivery system employing innovative artificial intelligence (AI) in urban services might perform better. This has become an important national policy for many countries. Thus, this study aims to explore the influence of AI in urban services in Malaysia.

Official documents such as Structure Plan and Government Transformation Programme Policy Document covering various levels of cities in Malaysia, articles related to urban studies mostly written by researchers regarding urban growth in Malaysia and the Urban Development Bulletin from the Federal Department of Town and Country Planning from 1957 to date were reviewed and analysed.

The findings show that the influence of AI in urban services has long existed and been carefully planned by local authorities since colonial times. The development of global digital technology influences the upgrading of AI in urban services in Malaysia. Also, the success of AI in these municipal services is influenced by the rate of information technology literacy among the urban population. These developments have led to the definition of a conceptual city.

This paper's findings and conclusion were based on reviewed literature but did not compromise the strength of this paper. Thus, as part of the implications for future research, mixed-methods research design has been suggested.

As part of the implications, this article intends to promote AI in urban services in Malaysia and other developing countries with similar urban services challenges.

This paper encourages AI applications in urban services because it enhances service delivery performance. This intends to key stakeholders to promote AI via policies across Malaysia's urban services as part of the study implications.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of performance measurement systems (PMS) within the context of digital servitization (DS), especially in collaborations involving multiple actors. The paper adopts a bottom-up ecosystem perspective to gain insights into how companies can effectively manage the complexities of digital transformation in the servitization domain.

This research draws upon a longitudinal case study within the wine and spirit supply chain. It focuses on a logistics company, “GR”, which has promoted a DS strategy to offer advanced services and enhance the competitiveness of the entire ecosystem.

The study offers valuable insights into the evolution of PMS roles throughout the DS journey, promoting cooperation, coordination, collaboration and control among ecosystem actors, thereby facilitating the development of a DS strategy.

The study is focused on a logistics company with unique capabilities and networks. Future research should include a broader range of contexts. Furthermore, our analysis focuses on the initial stages of ecosystem emergence, particularly the initiation and momentum phases. Further research should explore how DS impacts organizations in the following ecosystem phases.

This research offers valuable insights for managers, particularly in the development of DS strategy. It underscores the significance of PMS as key facilitators in crafting DS strategy and in the broader ecosystem evolution. The findings demonstrate that PMS is instrumental across different phases of the servitization process, improving aspects such as performance monitoring, resource allocation, collaboration and communication. Moreover, this study emphasizes the importance for small and medium-sized enterprises manufacturers and logistics firms to build and nurture collaborative relationships with various supply chain stakeholders to successfully implement a servitization strategy. In the wine industry, embracing a multiactor perspective is crucial. The delivery of advanced services necessitates a wide spectrum of knowledge and skills on one hand, and adaptability and flexibility in developing relationships on the other.

The study contributes to the literature on management accounting by exploring the role of PMS in DS. It reveals that PMS acts as a fundamental enabler, promoting seamless coordination and collaboration among various actors involved in DS. This sheds light on the transformative potential of PMS in creating a collaborative environment, where multiple organizations work together to offer value-added services.

The purpose of this review paper is to outline the parachute materials and its behavior. To enhance parachute life, it is highly desirable to consider the commercial angle for any parachute manufacturing industry and its components under varying operational conditions. Hence, the knowledge of various textile materials and operational conditions which contributes the parachute strength and durability will be helpful for industries/researchers.

This section is not applicable for a review paper.

Parachute is a material used in numerous real-time applications such as man-drop, cargo delivery, aircraft recovery and aircraft decelerator which drastically reduces human efforts and time. However, each application requires a unique design and fabric selection to achieve the area of drag needed and the terminal velocity of the parachute material while in flight. For designing a man-drop parachute, the most critical parameters are weight and strength which must be considered during manufacturing. The army person uses the man-drop parachute, which must be as light as possible.

This paper is an original review work and will be helpful for parachute manufacturers/researchers to enhance the life of parachutes with improved functionality.