what is the meaning of "vis-`a-vis" in this sentence?
i am reading a paper about taxi-dispatch system,and have difficulty on this sentence：
The proposed dispatch system attempts to increase customer satisfaction more globally, by concurrently dispatching multiple taxis to the same number of customers in the same geographical region, and vis- `a-vis human driver satisfaction.

Question

Answer

1. 
Literally, it means 'face to face'. 
Normally, it means :"
1). Face to face with; opposite to.
2). Compared with. 
3). In relation to."

2. About its root/etymology
1) It came from '[French : vis, face + à, to.]'. I think 'vis' and 'visual','wit','view','visitor','vista' etc. have the same root.
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/vis-a-vis

2)vis-a-vis (prep.) 
1755, from French prepositional use of the adj. vis-à-vis "face to face," from Old French vis "face" (see visage).
http://etymonline.com/index.php?term=vis-a-vis&allowed;_in_frame=0
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/vis-a-vis

Answer

This is such a badly written sentence that one does not know what it is trying to say!

Normally, vis-à-vis means "with regard to ".  "Human driver satisfaction" normally means "the driver is happy" but it is hard to see how it makes sense here.

Answer

Well,how strange the paper is！

Answers · 5

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