2013 Session: 668

• Urban Traffic Information System for Intelligent Transportation System Applications
  Abstract: Travel speed is an important parameter in the measurement of road traffic. In this paper, Urban Traffic Information System (UTIS) has been proposed as a mobile detector for measuring link travel speeds. However, UTIS incurs missing data, such as those caused by construction, detector failures, communication failures, and other factors. This paper describes an imputation model that uses the multiple regression to accurately estimate average roadway link travel speeds. The model predicts link travel speeds using a robust data imputation method based on available information for neighbor links and the adjacent time periods. A field test showed that the variance of the percent errors of link travel speeds was reduced when they were measured using the new model. Therefore, it can be concluded that the proposed model significantly improves the accuracy of travel speed measurement.
  Authors: Ki, Yong-Kul; Bae, Gwang-soo; Kim, Eun-Jeong; Ahn, Gye-Hyeong
  Authors: Ki, Yong-Kul; Bae, Gwang-soo; Kim, Eun-Jeong; Ahn, Gye-Hyeong
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Operations and Traffic Management
  Session: 668
  Paper Number: 13-0539
• Relation Between Distance and Time in Traffic Control: Consequences for Information and Communications Technology Architecture
  Abstract: Congestion is a major problem in large urbanised areas. Intelligent Transport Solutions aim to reduce this problem. Generally, traffic is monitored using sensors, this data is processed, a traffic state is estimated and a control measure is computed and implemented. The availability and quality of the data and the processing time of the algorithms are possible limiting factors in this pattern. This paper investigates what the data requirements for different traffic control measures are. In particular, we focus on the relationship between the spatial scale of the control measure and the time delay between the measurement and the control action, the latency. A set of 17 applications shows that the larger the spatial scale of the control measure, the larger the latency can be.his relationship can be used to determine the latency quality criteria for a certain application. On the other hand, it can be analysed which type of applications are possible when data with a specific quality can be collected. The latter analysis is carried out for a province in the Netherlands. This analysis furthermore shows the difference between the availability in terms of ICT systems and useful data for applications. In particular, if no vehicles pass, the ICT systems are available, but no realistic measurements is produced.
  Authors: Knoop, Victor L.; Van Lint, Hans; Vries, Jasper; Leon, Kester; Passchier, Igor
  Authors: Knoop, Victor L.; Van Lint, Hans; Vries, Jasper; Leon, Kester; Passchier, Igor
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Operations and Traffic Management
  Session: 668
  Paper Number: 13-1199
• Using Radio Frequency Identification to Improve Drivers' Awareness of Stop Sign at Unsignalized Intersections
  Abstract: Safety is always an important issue in stop sign controlled unsignalized intersections. Even though various engineering, education, and policy related strategies have been used, there are still a lot of lives and property lost at unsignalized intersections. In this paper, a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) based Drivers Smart Assistance System (DSAS) was developed. The system hardware are all very cheap devices, while the current version of the system software is compiled in the computer program Visual Basic (VB). The RFID tags are placed on roadside, while the readers (receivers) and other devices such as GPS are equipped into the vehicles. Once a tag coded as a stop sign is detected by the in-vehicle reader, the warning signal(s) will be broadcasted to drivers in the form of verbal and/or image message. In order to understand the effects of this system, twenty subjects were recruited and tested while driving in a residential area in Houston. The statistical results from the tests show that the warning message from the DSAS can help vehicles to start to decelerate at an earlier distance to the unsignalized intersection, and thus would possibly enhance the safety at such intersections. Besides, the impacts of DSAS on vehicle emissions were also tested. Results show that the effects of DSAS on vehicle emissions are not very clear, which may need more tests in wider areas.
  Authors: Qiao, Fengxiang; Wang, Xiaobing; Yu, Lei; Jia, Jing
  Authors: Qiao, Fengxiang; Wang, Xiaobing; Yu, Lei; Jia, Jing
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Operations and Traffic Management
  Session: 668
  Paper Number: 13-1585
• Characterizing Performance of Arterial Traffic Flow Using Probe Vehicle Data
  Abstract: There is extensive literature in the adaptive control field that uses local detection available from the traffic controller as inputs to various control models for adjusting splits, cycle length, and offsets. All of these models make some implicit control objective. Some of these objectives include facilitating progression, minimizing stops, minimizing delay, providing equitable allocation of green time, and including transit and pedestrian modes. There is an enormous opportunity to incorporate probe data into the decision process for where and when adaptive control could be used, what operating objectives are most applicable to the corridor, and as an outcome assessment tool for evaluating the effectiveness of adaptive control performance. This paper demonstrates how a variety of currently available probe data sources can statistically characterize and be used to identify appropriate adaptive control objective(s) and assess outcomes. Four case studies are discussed that use anonymous Bluetooth MAC address matching, crowd sourced probe data, and profiling of vehicles with wireless magnetometers to demonstrate how travel time data could potentially be used to evaluate existing conditions, how the outcome of a traditional signal retiming, and assessing the feasibility of adaptive control opportunities. Currently the richest probe data sets are provided by agency installed equipment. However, with the penetration of crowd sourced probe data devices and the onset of connected vehicle infrastructure, it is important to look forward to how those data sources could be enhanced or shaped to provide similarly rich data. This paper concludes by recommending that commercial data providers begin developing more detailed base maps that provide richer probe data information such as hour-by-hour statistical distributions approach delay for signalized arterials where the segments do not span multiple intersections. By quantitatively articulating the case for richer probe data sets, this will provide the motivation for agencies to develop more detailed specification for probe data that better serves their needs.
  Authors: Remias, Stephen Matthew; Hainen, Alexander Michael; Day, Christopher M.; Brennan, Thomas M.; Li, Howell; Rivera, Erick Manuel; Sturdevant, James R.; Young, Stanley E.; Bullock, Darcy M.
  Authors: Remias, Stephen Matthew; Hainen, Alexander Michael; Day, Christopher M.; Brennan, Thomas M.; Li, Howell; Rivera, Erick Manuel; Sturdevant, James R.; Young, Stanley E.; Bullock, Darcy M.
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Operations and Traffic Management
  Session: 668
  Paper Number: 13-1812
• Hybrid Work Zone Information System Based on Dedicated Short-Range Communication with Portable Changeable Message Signs
  Abstract: The future deployment of dedicated short range communication (DSRC) technology requires that DSRC based applications are integrated with existing traffic management techniques so that non-DSRC equipped vehicles at the early stage of DSRC deployment can also reap the potential benefits of DSRC technology. We have successfully developed a hybrid traffic information system combining DSRC technology and portable changeable message signs (PCMS) for work zone environment to improve traffic mobility, and thereby, driver safety. The developed system uses DSRC based V2I and V2V communication to acquire travel safety parameters such as travel time (TT) and starting location of congestion (SLoC), and disseminate these parameters to both DSRC equipped vehicles and DSRC equipped PCMSs which are strategically placed alongside the road. Using the DSRC-PCMS interface developed and demonstrated in this work, PCMSs can receive these travel safety parameters from nearby DSRC equipped vehicles on the road via DSRC based V2V communication, and display them for the drivers of the vehicles lacking DSRC capability. Such a system can be useful for an early stage of DSRC deployment when the DSRC market penetration is low.Additionally, a rigorous analysis has been conducted to investigate the minimum DSRC market penetration rate needed for successful functionality of the developed system with respect to both acquisition and dissemination of TT and SLoC. Using realistic traffic flow model, guidelines are developed to estimate a minimum DSRC penetration rate needed to deploy the developed system for a variety of traffic scenarios on a given work zone road.
  Authors: Ibrahim, Umair; Hayee, M. I.; Kwon, Eil
  Authors: Ibrahim, Umair; Hayee, M. I.; Kwon, Eil
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Operations and Traffic Management
  Session: 668
  Paper Number: 13-2137
• Development and Investigation of a Dynamic Eco-Driving Speed Guidance Strategy for Signalized Highway Traffic
  Abstract: During driving on the signalized highway corridors, the signal timing and vehicle positioning information can be provided under connected-vehicle environment. This paper developed a dynamic eco-driving speed guidance strategy (DESGS) which yields the most fuel/emission-optimal speed profile for a vehicle approaching signalized intersections. An optimization-based rolling horizon and a dynamic programming approach for tracking the optimal guided velocity for individual vehicle are put forward, and also a vehicle specific power based approach to estimate fuel consumption and CO2 emissions was integrated in the DESGS. To evaluate the effectiveness of the overall strategy, 15 typical drivers were recruited to attend the speed guidance experiments using multi-vehicle driving simulators. It was found that the number of stops is significantly reduced and fuel consumption and CO2 emissions can be reduced by 25% for the vehicles with eco-speed guidance as compared to the vehicles without speed guidance.
  Authors: Sun, Jian; Niu, Dening; Chen, Shenyang; Li, Keping
  Authors: Sun, Jian; Niu, Dening; Chen, Shenyang; Li, Keping
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Operations and Traffic Management
  Session: 668
  Paper Number: 13-2272
• Short-Term Freeway Travel Time Prediction with Self-Tuning Regulator in a Robust Adaptive Control System
  Abstract: Accurate short-term travel-time prediction is crucial to the advanced traveler information and route guidance system. Since the travel time fluctuations can be viewed as a time-varying stochastic process due to unforeseen events (e.g., heterogeneous driver behaviors, incidents, accidents, or bad weather), travel time prediction requires an approach that is capable of capturing the uncertainties. This paper presents a Bayesian forecasting-based generalized dynamic linear model (DLM) with time-varying parameters and robust self-tuning regulator (TRDLM) embedded in an adaptive control system for online short-term travel time prediction. The proposed TRDLM model employs a discrete hidden Markov model (HMM) to determine traffic state transition, and then utilizes the robust self-tuning regulator to dynamic adjust the parameters, so as to improve the prediction accuracy. The proposed methodology is tested on a real world traffic road stretch in Beijing, China using automatic license plate recognition data. The computation results are also compared with a traditional time series method (Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average Model (ARIMA)). The experimental results illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed methodology and suggest that the proposed method can provide accurate and reliable travel time prediction under various traffic conditions.
  Authors: Wang, Feng Juan; Fei, Xiang; Zhang, Xin; Wang, Baohua; Fan, Liya
  Authors: Wang, Feng Juan; Fei, Xiang; Zhang, Xin; Wang, Baohua; Fan, Liya
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Operations and Traffic Management
  Session: 668
  Paper Number: 13-2497
• Improving Automatic Vehicle Detection in Airborne Video Image Sequences
  Abstract: Data on vehicle movements can be used to derive parameters for microscopic traffic flow models and calibrate traffic simulation models. A software tool called Tracking and Registration of Airborne Video Image Sequences (TRAVIS) has been developed to extract vehicle positions from airborne imagery to assist in analyzing microscopic traffic behaviors. One of the critical challenges in analyzing airborne image sequences is the detection of vehicles and continued tracking of the vehicles through the sequence. The proposed technique includes several enhancements to TRAVIS to improve the vehicle detection and tracking. Firstly, a lower threshold is used in a difference image, allowing for detection of pixels with lower contrast to the background. This step is critical to picking up vehicles with little contrast with the road color (RGB intensity). Secondly, different techniques are used to threshold the red pixels, normal pixels and the pixels with lower contrast to the background, based on: (1) the pixel intensities in the original image; (2) the pixel intensities in the differenced image; and, (3) the relative positions of vehicles on the roadway. Thirdly, the dilation step is removed to avoid merging the vehicles very near each other. Fourthly, two blobs belonging to one vehicle are merged when labeling the connected components. Finally, non-vehicle and stationary blobs are screened out. Experimental results show that the number of vehicles detected and tracked is significantly increased, compared to the previous method.
  Authors: Du, Xueyan; Hickman, Mark D.
  Authors: Du, Xueyan; Hickman, Mark D.
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Operations and Traffic Management
  Session: 668
  Paper Number: 13-2738
• Development and Testing of Priority Control System in Connected Vehicle Environment
  Abstract: Traffic signals provide service for multiple modes of travelers including vehicles, trucks, transit, pedestrians, bicycles, and emergency vehicles. Past research and experience have demonstrated the benefits of providing traffic signal priority for individual modes such as transit, emergency vehicles, and trucks. However, the priority treatment for each travel mode was addressed independently within the normal traffic signal operation. With the advancement of the wireless communication technologies, the global positioning system, and the development of the vehicle to vehicle (v2v) and vehicle to infrastructure (v2i) systems, called Connected Vehicles (CV), there is an opportunity to simultaneously identify and prioritize multiple vehicle requests for priority service. This paper addresses a decision framework for prioritizing requests for service from multiple modes within an integrated traffic signal control framework. The framework has been developed and tested using a microscopic hardware-in-the-loop simulation (HILS) environment based on VISSIM and field tested and demonstrated in a live network of six intersections in Anthem, Arizona. The successful demonstration shows that the potential for safer and more efficient multi-modal traffic signal operations is highly possible.
  Authors: Ding, Jun; He, Qing; Head, Larry; Saleem, Faisal; Wu, Wei
  Authors: Ding, Jun; He, Qing; Head, Larry; Saleem, Faisal; Wu, Wei
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Operations and Traffic Management
  Session: 668
  Paper Number: 13-3025
• Safety Distance Modeling on the Basis of Vehicle-to-Vehicle Communication
  Abstract: Safety distance modeling is one of the most important topics in collision prevention analysis. This paper presents an improved Safety Distance Model (SDM) based on the development of vehicle-to-vehicle communication technology. The technology enables on-time data collection as well as the real-time inter-vehicle communication. A tube-like highway scenario where vehicles enter at one end and exit at another is presented for demonstrating the application of the safety distance model. By incorporating both braking theory and driver behavior prediction model, the absolute and relative SDMs are developed to provide decision-making information to drivers in response to changing traffic conditions. The comparative analysis with four tradition SDMs confirmed that the proposed model describing the characteristics of vehicle-to-vehicle communication is able to improve the efficiency of vehicle collision prevention system, increase road utilization as well as ensure driving safety.
  Authors: Quan, Wei; Wang, Hua; Wang, Yinhai; Liu, Xiaoyue (Cathy)
  Authors: Quan, Wei; Wang, Hua; Wang, Yinhai; Liu, Xiaoyue (Cathy)
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Operations and Traffic Management
  Session: 668
  Paper Number: 13-3222
• Vehicle Classification Approach Based on Wavelet K-Nearest Neighbor Using Inductive Loop Signatures
  Abstract: In this study, a new vehicle classification algorithm was developed using the inductive loop signature technology. There were two steps of the proposed algorithm. The first step was to utilize the Haar wavelet to transform and reconstruct inductive vehicle signatures, and the second step was to group vehicles into Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) vehicle types using the K-Nearest Neighbor (KNN) approach with Euclidean distance classifier. To determine the proper proportion of the wavelet to be applied for reconstruction and feature extraction, transformed signatures were examined with different percentages of large components of their corresponding wavelets. To implement KNN, a library of vehicle signature templates for each FHWA vehicle class was composed. The proposed vehicle classification algorithm demonstrated promising classification results with a 92.4% overall accuracy, and it can be applied to the real-world without the concerns of re-calibration and transferability using signature data from single loops. Two additional vehicle classification schemes were applied for performance evaluation. For the ISPE (Inductive Signature Performance Evaluation) classification scheme, which aimed to facilitate emission analysis and easy interpretation, the overall accuracy was 94.1%. For the axle-based vehicle classification scheme proposed in this project, which aimed to group vehicles via usage and the number of axles of the vehicles, the overall accuracy was 93.8%. Future research will focus on refining the signature template library for each FHWA vehicle type to further improve the performance of the proposed vehicle classification algorithm. The selection of the value of k for the KNN approach will also be investigated.
  Authors: Jeng, Shin-Ting (Cindy); Chu, Lianyu; Hernandez, Sarah Vavrik
  Authors: Jeng, Shin-Ting (Cindy); Chu, Lianyu; Hernandez, Sarah Vavrik
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Operations and Traffic Management
  Session: 668
  Paper Number: 13-3182
• Improving the Accuracy and Precision of Travel Time Samples Collected at Signalized Arterial Roads Using Bluetooth Sensors
  Abstract: The use of time-stamped media access control (MAC) address data acquired from Bluetooth-enabled devices to collect travel time data has received significant attention in the past few years. However, past research has mainly focused on the application of Bluetooth technology to obtain travel time data on free flowing roads. A smaller amount of research has addressed the use of Bluetooth-based data collection systems on arterial roads, and in particular for the collection of travel times between signalized intersections where the travel time accuracy has been questionable. The objective of this research was to develop a methodology to collect accurate and precise travel time data between signalized intersections using a Bluetooth-based data collection system. More specifically, the methodology developed utilizes received signal strength indicator (RSSI) data to significantly improve the accuracy of intersection-to-intersection travel time samples. Test results on a busy arterial road show that the travel time samples generated with the RSSI-based method are significantly better (i.e., have less error) than the travel time samples calculated with other methods reported in the literature. Furthermore, the proposed RSSI-based travel time data collection method can be implemented using any wireless technology that provides a unique identification number to distinguish between different mobile devices and an associated signal strength measurement during the wireless communication process.
  Authors: Saeedi, Amirali; Park, SeJoon; Kim, David Sungsup; Porter, J. David
  Authors: Saeedi, Amirali; Park, SeJoon; Kim, David Sungsup; Porter, J. David
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Operations and Traffic Management
  Session: 668
  Paper Number: 13-4061
• Vehicle-to-Vehicle Connectivity on Two Parallel Roadways with General Headway Distribution
  Abstract: Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) connectivity via a multihop connectivity process underlies vehicularad hoc networks that enable vehicles to disseminate traffic-related information through short-rangewireless communication. In this paper, we propose analytical models for the vehicle connectivityon two parallel roadways, assuming general distributions for vehicle headways. Specifically, wederive models for the expectation, variance and probability distribution of information propagationdistance. Closed form approximation to the expectation is developed and is numerically shown toagree well with the exact models. Monte Carlo simulation results further validate the proposed models.Through simulations, the developed models are also shown to have overcome the deficienciesassociated with the commonly used one-roadway models and models with the Poisson assumptionfor vehicle distribution.
  Authors: Yin, Kai; Wang, Xiubin Bruce; Zhang, Yunlong
  Authors: Yin, Kai; Wang, Xiubin Bruce; Zhang, Yunlong
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Operations and Traffic Management
  Session: 668
  Paper Number: 13-4090
• Vehicle Reidentification-Based Automatic Expressway Incident Detection System for Free-Flow Conditions
  Abstract: This paper proposed a vehicle re-identification (VRI) based automatic incident detection algorithm (AID) for a closed expressway system under free flow condition. An enhanced vehicle-feature matching technique is adopted in the VRI component of the proposed system. In this study, arrival time interval, which is estimated based on the historical database, is introduced into the VRI component to improve the matching accuracy and reduce the incident detection time. Also, a screening method, which is based on the ratios of the matching probabilities and arrival time windows, is introduced to the VRI component to reduce false alarm rate. The proposed AID algorithm is tested on a 3.6-kilometer segment of a closed expressway system in Bangkok, Thailand. The results show that in terms of incident detection time, the proposed AID algorithm outperforms the traditional vehicle count approach.
  Authors: Wang, Jiankai; Sumalee, Agachai; Ho, Hung Wai
  Authors: Wang, Jiankai; Sumalee, Agachai; Ho, Hung Wai
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Operations and Traffic Management
  Session: 668
  Paper Number: 13-3520
• Optimal Occupancy-Driven Parking Pricing Under Demand Uncertainties and Traveler Heterogeneity: Stochastic Control Approach
  Abstract: A novel parking pricing strategy dependent on real-time sensing is proposed to manage the parking demand. We model the optimal parking pricing in the preferred (closer) parking cluster as a \textit{stochastic control} problem. Parking pricing and information provision jointly serve as a \textit{dynamic stabilized controller} to minimize the total travel time (TTT) of the system. Parking prices are adjusted in real time according to the real-time occupancy collected by parking sensors. All the parking information along with parking prices, is then provided to travelers to help them make real-time parking choices. We take into account two types of randomness, demand uncertainties and user heterogeneity in VOT. The stochastic control formulation is then solved using the dynamic programming approach. The optimal parking pricing policies are obtained in closed forms. There exists a critical occupancy for each time period, and the parking prices should be set effective when the up-to-date occupancy is above the critical occupancy. From the numerical experiments, we find that the optimal parking policies based on stochastic control models can deal with different demand levels (high, low or unstable) and generally outperforms the deterministic pricing schemes. It can approach the minimum TTT in most of the cases as if we know the traffic demand in advance of the commuting time. For the deterministic pricing schemes, providing real-time information without setting the occupancy-driven parking prices, seems useful, but marginal, in reducing the cruising and parking congestion.
  Authors: Qian, Zhen; Rajagopal, Ram
  Authors: Qian, Zhen; Rajagopal, Ram
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Operations and Traffic Management
  Session: 668
  Paper Number: 13-3567
• Time-Variant Travel Time Prediction Model and Its Application in Cooperative Traffic Control System
  Abstract: This paper presents a travel time prediction model and an application of this model to road vehicle cooperative control systems. The travel time prediction model considers vehicle delay due to downstream queue formation and traffic signal operation. For estimating traffic signal induced delay, this model employs a time variant nonlinear probability function that maps vehicle arrival time at a downstream stopline to the probability of receiving a green signal upon arrival. The probability function is determined iteratively. The travel time prediction model can be applied to any phase-based traffic controller. The road vehicle cooperative control system is developed on the basis of vehicle-to-infrastructure communication. The control system optimises signal timing according to real-time transmitted data and sends speed adjustment recommendations to selected road vehicles. Results from numerical tests validate the accuracy of the travel time prediction model, and clearly demonstrate the benefits of the cooperative control system.
  Authors: Cai, Chen; Wang, Yang; Geers, Glenn
  Authors: Cai, Chen; Wang, Yang; Geers, Glenn
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Operations and Traffic Management
  Session: 668
  Paper Number: 13-3649
• Clearing Paths for Emergency Vehicles Using Vehicle-to-Vehicle Communication
  Abstract: This paper evaluates and tests a new strategy to enable an emergency response vehicle (EV) to navigate through congestion at signalized intersections more efficiently. The proposed strategy involves the use of vehicle-to-vehicle communication to send messages to alert vehicles of the EV and to provide specific instructions on maneuvering to allow the EVs to proceed through congested signalized intersections as quickly as possible. This is achieved by creating a split in the vehicle queue in one lane at a critical location to allow the EV to proceed at its desired speed while minimizing the disruption to the rest of the traffic. The proposed method uses the kinematic wave theory (i.e., shockwave theory) to determine the critical point in the vehicle queue. The proposed method is simulated in a microscopic traffic simulator for evaluation. The results show that this strategy can shorten the travel time significantly for EVs through congested signalized intersections.
  Authors: Jordan, Craig; Cetin, Mecit; Robinson, Robert Michael
  Authors: Jordan, Craig; Cetin, Mecit; Robinson, Robert Michael
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Operations and Traffic Management
  Session: 668
  Paper Number: 13-4222
• Evaluation of Methodology for Scalable Dynamic Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks in Well-Calibrated Vehicular Mobility Test Bed
  Abstract: Connected vehicles are becoming ubiquitous with each passing year. Increase in mobile computing is proliferating the possible applications of connected vehicles. Many of these applications involve a continuous need for vehicles to connect to the communication infrastructure. This could result in congestion of the communication network. In this study we evaluate a novel “dynamic grouping” methodology that combines vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communication schemes to make the optimal use of the communication infrastructure. The methodology for dynamic grouping of instrumented vehicles is implemented in a realistic and well-calibrated microscopic traffic simulation test bed of the New Jersey Turnpike for the application of sensor data collection. A reduction in communication infrastructure load of 66-91% can be achieved using the dynamic grouping for systematic aggregation of vehicular information. The maximum bandwidth usage is used as a measure to show that the name-address mapping is scalable. We show that the dynamic grouping methodology is very scalable with negligible loss in data quality as compared to the scenario where each vehicle connects to the communication infrastructure independently. The scalability is shown by generating response surfaces for the load on communication channels for different market penetration and communication ranges. These response surfaces can also be useful in predicting the channel load under future scenarios with increasing market penetration and power of communication radios. The data quality is validated using reported speed and estimated travel times over the network. It is shown that on an average the error in speed is 5.5-8% albeit using far lesser bandwidth using the dynamic grouping approach. Similarly, travel time along different paths is shown to be within 5% during regular conditions and within 10% during non-recurrent congestion.
  Authors: Mudigonda, Sandeep; Fukuyama, Junichiro; Ozbay, Kaan
  Authors: Mudigonda, Sandeep; Fukuyama, Junichiro; Ozbay, Kaan
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Operations and Traffic Management
  Session: 668
  Paper Number: 13-4229
• Traffic Signal Control with Connected Vehicles
  Abstract: The operation of traffic signals is currently limited by the data available from traditional point sensors. Point detectors, often in-ground inductive loop sensors, can provide only limited vehicle information at a fixed location. The most advanced adaptive control strategies are often not implemented in the field due to their operational complexity and high resolution detection requirements. However, a new initiative known as connected vehicles would allow for the wireless transmission of vehicles’ positions, headings, and speeds to be used by the traffic controller. A new traffic control algorithm, the predictive microscopic simulation algorithm (PMSA), was developed in this research to utilize these new, more robust data. The decentralized, fully adaptive traffic control algorithm uses a rolling horizon strategy, where the phasing is chosen to optimize an objective function over a 15-second period in the future. The objective function uses either delay-only, or a combination of delay, stops, and decelerations. To measure the objective function, the algorithm uses a microscopic simulation driven by present vehicle positions, headings, and speeds. Unlike most adaptive control strategies, the algorithm is relatively simple, does not require point detectors or signal-to-signal communication, and is completely responsive to immediate vehicle demands. To ensure drivers’ privacy, the algorithm stores no memory of individual or aggregate vehicle locations. Results from simulation show that the algorithm maintains or improves performance compared to a state-of-practice coordinated-actuated timing plan optimized by Synchro at low- and mid-level volumes, but performance worsens during saturated and oversaturated conditions. Testing also showed improved performance during periods unexpected high demand and the ability to automatically respond to year-to-year growth without retiming.
  Authors: Goodall, Noah Joseph; Smith, Brian Lee; Park, Byungkyu (Brian)
  Authors: Goodall, Noah Joseph; Smith, Brian Lee; Park, Byungkyu (Brian)
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Operations and Traffic Management
  Session: 668
  Paper Number: 13-4336
• Evaluation of Wireless Communication Performance Between Adjacent Nodes for Intelligent Transportation Systems Applications
  Abstract: Different wireless communication technologies (i.e. Wi-Fi, WiMAX) have been used as alternatives or supplement to wired communication in Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS). Widespread deployment of wireless technologies needs clear understanding of limitations and advantages at different conditions. In this research, several field tests were performed to evaluate the performance of Wi-Fi wireless technology in multiple field conditions with varying qualities of Wi-Fi properties. Field tests revealed that modulation rates, transmission power, line of sight, distance between devices play critical role in the performance of Wi-Fi connections between two adjacent nodes in different roadway conditions. To achieve a desired level of performance between adjacent nodes in a wireless traffic sensor network, minimum network performance must be realized in the field. Traffic agencies can identify the achievable performance, such as saturated throughput, delivery ratio and received signal strength of the communication link at a particular location, by following the field test procedures presented in this paper.
  Authors: Zhou, Yan; Chowdhury, Mashrur A.; Wang, Kuang-Ching; Dey, Kakan Chandra
  Authors: Zhou, Yan; Chowdhury, Mashrur A.; Wang, Kuang-Ching; Dey, Kakan Chandra
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Operations and Traffic Management
  Session: 668
  Paper Number: 13-3942
• VTL+: Robust, Practical, and Functionally Safe IntelligentTransportation System
  Abstract: The latest advancements in intelligent transportation systems (ITS) rely increasingly on wireless vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communications to dynamically manage traffic flows on intersections. A prominent example is virtual traffic lights (VTL) that uses only V2V communications, and which has been shown to have potential for significantly increasing traffic flows and reducing emissions. Two key issues that can affect the adoption of desirable ITS solutions like VTL are \textit{functional safety analysis}, and the management of a move from a completely non VTL-equipped vehicle fleet to a completely equipped vehicle fleet.For the first issue, we propose the first model-driven engineering based modelling and verification technique for ITS, which can be used to prove functional safety with 100\% coverage. Using this technique, we show that although VTL is safe under normal circumstances, it is very fragile when faced with unlikely, but not impossible, exceptional circumstances. For the second issue, we propose an extended algorithm called VTL+ that uses additional V2I communication with existing infrastructure to enable effective and safe traffic flow during the VTL transition phase. We also find, through static analysis, that VTL+ is more robust, and more feature-rich than VTL.
  Authors: Sinha, Roopak; Roop, Partha S.; Ranjitkar, Prakash
  Authors: Sinha, Roopak; Roop, Partha S.; Ranjitkar, Prakash
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Operations and Traffic Management
  Session: 668
  Paper Number: 13-4410
• HRV: Hybrid Routing in Vehicular Networks
  Abstract: To improve the quality of wireless communication and extend the application of emerging networking paradigms in Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks (VANETs), we design a hybrid routing scheme for VANETs, called HRV. It presents a holistic solution for inter-vehicle, vehicle-to-roadside, and inter-roadside communications in hybrid urban networks. The combination of roadside unit (RSU) resources and ad hoc networks involves a network coding based multicast routing for dense VANETs, using maximum distance separation (MDS) code and local topology information from the forwarding set to achieve robust communication and max-flow min-cut data transmission; an application of opportunistic routing, using a carry and forward scheme, to solve the forwarding disconnection problem in sparse VANETs; and a routing switch mechanism to guarantee quality of service (QoS) in HRV under various vehicular network connectivity and roadside deployment configurations. The performance of our hybrid routing schemes is evaluated using reliable VANET experiments.
  Authors: Wu, Di; Regan, Amelia
  Authors: Wu, Di; Regan, Amelia
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Operations and Traffic Management
  Session: 668
  Paper Number: 13-5065
• Evaluation of Wide-Area Traffic Monitoring Technologies for Travel Time Studies
  Abstract: Road agencies typically collect travel time information from their network to identify traffic bottlenecks and to quantify the effects of road improvement investments in terms of travel time improvements. Road agencies can benefit from new emerging automated data collection technologies that acquire travel time information for a large geographical area at lower costs. The objective of this paper is to evaluate travel time data obtained from three technologies, namely Bluetooth, in-vehicle navigation systems, and mobile phone probes; against travel time obtained from the GPS equipped probe vehicles. Traffic data were obtained for different road types (freeways, arterials, and ramps) for the study area from commercial data providers for a relatively large study area in the Province of Ontario. A multi-criteria methodology was developed to evaluate data from each data provider based on accuracy, coverage, number of observations, and ability to provide data for special facilities such as high occupancy vehicle lanes. The findings of this research suggest that all three technologies were capable of replacing the traditional GPS equipped probe vehicles. This paper offers several recommendations regarding the use of travel time data from different data providers.Keywords: Bluetooth technology, in-vehicle navigation systems, mobile phone probes with GPS, traditional GPS equipped probe vehicles
  Authors: Omrani, Reza; Izadpanah, Pedram; Hellinga, Bruce; Hadayeghi, Alireza; Abdelgawad, Hossam
  Authors: Omrani, Reza; Izadpanah, Pedram; Hellinga, Bruce; Hadayeghi, Alireza; Abdelgawad, Hossam
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Operations and Traffic Management
  Session: 668
  Paper Number: 13-5273
• Hazardous Driving Event Detection and Analysis System in Vehicular Networks: Methodology and Field Implementation
  Abstract: This study proposes a novel traffic surveillance system that is capable of detecting hazardous driving maneuvers using an in-vehicle sensor and transmitting detected event data to the traffic management center (TMC) through vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) wireless communication; this system is referred to as the ¡®Hazardous Driving Event Detection and Analysis System in Vehicular Networks (HEAVEN)¡¯. Compared with existing surveillance systems, the main novelty of the proposed system lies in detecting hazardous driving maneuvers that have the potential to lead to crash occurrences. Three major components of the system are introduced in this study: an algorithm for detecting hazardous driving events, a method to derive a new index representing the risk level of the traffic stream based on analyses of detected hazardous events, and field implementation of the proposed system in a testbed, using real-time and historical data. Extensive field tests have been conducted in the testbed to fine-tune the prototypical system. The methodology and field implementation presented in this study have potential value to highway traffic agencies for monitoring and evaluating traffic streams with a focus on traffic safety. The proposed system is expected to be effective in supporting the development of various traffic information control strategies for the purpose of enhancing traffic safety on highways.
  Authors: Oh, Cheol; Jeong, Eunbi; Kang, Kyeong-Pyo; Kang, Youn-soo
  Authors: Oh, Cheol; Jeong, Eunbi; Kang, Kyeong-Pyo; Kang, Youn-soo
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Operations and Traffic Management
  Session: 668
  Paper Number: 13-0705
  Practice-Ready: Yes
• Evaluation of Possible Directions for Improving Traffic Management Systems
  Abstract: Traffic Management System (TMS) is one of the most effective tools to control congestion in urban areas as it aims to eliminate congestion through application of advanced technologies. As a result of evolving socioeconomic status of the urban areas, the demand for mobility and transportation is increasing. Likewise, traffic management needs are shifting to new directions to meet emerging mobility needs. Advancements in traffic detection, information technology and computing efficiency offer great potentials for improving the functionality of Traffic Management System. However, identification of the potential directions for improvements requires revisiting the needs for traffic management, evaluation of the existing deployments and envisioning the future needs. This article is an effort to evaluate the emerging needs and possible improvements for Traffic Management System. Examples of the Traffic Management System deployments in Asia, Europe and North America were reviewed and compared in terms of the system provider, input data requirements, ITS technologies and system outputs. Major issues and challenges of existing practices were investigated and emerging traffic management needs for various system users were highlighted from the view point of traffic operations and planning. Feasibility of implementing new technologies in Traffic Management System was evaluated and possible directions for improvements were discussed.
  Authors: Mehran, Babak
  Authors: Mehran, Babak
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Operations and Traffic Management
  Session: 668
  Paper Number: 13-1073
  Practice-Ready: Yes
• Placement of Roadside Equipment (RSE) in Connected Vehicle Environment for Travel Time Estimation
  Abstract: Vehicle-to-Infrastructure (V2I) technology offers great potential in improving the safety and mobility in a transportation system. One mobility application is the travel time measurement in an urban road network. The presence of traffic control at intersections in an urban network makes it challenging for traditional traffic monitoring methods to provide accurate travel times. Several new technologies (e.g., Bluetooth) have been proposed to alleviate this problem. One of the features of V2I technology is probe vehicle data collection, where vehicles collect information such as their location and speed. The speed information can be used for travel time estimation. In this paper, one necessary and crucial aspect of travel time estimation using V2I technology is investigated. The paper proposes a methodology for determining the optimal placement of roadside equipment (RSEs) for travel time estimation in a V2I environment. A connected vehicle simulation test-bed of Boise, Idaho, was developed in the VISSIM traffic simulation software following the SAE J2735 standard. A hybrid performance measure, network coverage index, which combines travel time error and the number of links for which travel times are available was proposed. A Genetic Algorithm-based solution method was implemented in conjunction with the simulation test-bed to determine the optimal placement of different RSE deployments. The results indicate that the proposed methodology is capable of optimizing RSE locations in a V2I environment. Sensitivity analysis was also conducted by varying the market penetration rate and travel time estimation interval. The results indicated that higher penetration rates and bigger estimation intervals produced better coverage index values.
  Authors: Kianfar, Jalil; Edara, Praveen
  Authors: Kianfar, Jalil; Edara, Praveen
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Operations and Traffic Management
  Session: 668
  Paper Number: 13-2232
  Practice-Ready: Yes
• Development and Comparison of Planning-Level and Data-Based Evaluation Tools of Intelligent Transportation Systems
  Abstract: Increasingly, transportation agencies are identifying performance measurement and benefits-cost analyses of their Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) programs as high priority tasks. There is a recognition that evaluating the benefits and costs of ITS implementations are necessary for both planning and operation purposes. The evaluation of ITS as part of the transportation system planning process has been mainly performed using sketch planning tools. However, the assessment of ITS at the planning for operations and operation levels require more detailed analysis and can be based on data from different sources and/or using more detailed modeling techniques such as macroscopic and microscopic simulation models.This paper compares the abilities of a planning level ITS evaluation tool and a real-world data-based evaluation tool, both developed by the authors, to assess the impacts of incidents and incident management strategies. The results presented in this paper confirm the importance of utilizing good estimates of incident rates and durations in the benefit analysis of incident management. In addition, the results indicate the importance of using accurate estimates of traffic demands in the evaluation tools. The results also confirm the ability of the deterministic queuing analyses, when using accurate traffic and incident input parameters, to produce results that are close to real-world measurements of delays, at least for the case study used in this paper.
  Authors: Xiao, Yan; Hadi, Mohammed; Ozen, Halit
  Authors: Xiao, Yan; Hadi, Mohammed; Ozen, Halit
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Operations and Traffic Management
  Session: 668
  Paper Number: 13-2354
  Practice-Ready: Yes
• Calibrating Communications Simulator for Connected Vehicle Application
  Abstract:

  Research efforts focused on the Connected Vehicle (CV) technology applications typically assume perfect communications among the vehicles and between the vehicles and the roadside equipment. However, a few studies, including this one, pointed out that the wireless communications experience packet drops, which might lead to a serious downgrade of the CV applications. The wireless communications simulators used by researchers to emulate the communications performance need to properly replicate the real world vehicular communications environments. This study calibrated an NCTUns simulator for the Dedicated Short Range Communications (DSRC) of CV technology using the DSRC field test data executed on a road network at the Turner Fairbank Highway Research Center. Physical layer parameters (e.g., data rate and transmission power) as well as channel models in vehicular networking environments are calibrated. The calibration was done using a Latin Hypercube Sampling technique that generated multiple combinations of parameter sets. The calibrated NCTUns simulator produced much more realistic outputs than the uncalibrated simulator. The calibrated simulator was applied to a signalized intersection in a case study to further investigate the packet drops of DSRC-based CV technology.

  Authors: Su, Peng; Lee, Joyoung; Park, Byungkyu (Brian)
  Authors: Su, Peng; Lee, Joyoung; Park, Byungkyu (Brian)
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Operations and Traffic Management
  Session: 668
  Paper Number: 13-4633
• Evaluation of Possible Directions for Improving Traffic Management Systems
  Authors: Mehran, Babak
  Authors: Mehran, Babak
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation; Poster
  Subject: Operations and Traffic Management
  Session: 668
  Paper Number: 13-1073
• Hybrid Work Zone Information System Based on Dedicated Short-Range Communication with Portable Changeable Message Signs
  Authors: Ibrahim, Umair
  Authors: Ibrahim, Umair
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation; Poster
  Subject: Operations and Traffic Management
  Session: 668
  Paper Number: 13-2137
• Development and Investigation of a Dynamic Eco-Driving Speed Guidance Strategy for Signalized Highway Traffic
  Authors: Sun, Jian
  Authors: Sun, Jian
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation; Poster
  Subject: Operations and Traffic Management
  Session: 668
  Paper Number: 13-2272
• Development and Investigation of a Dynamic Eco-Driving Speed Guidance Strategy for Signalized Highway Traffic
  Authors: Chen, Shenyang
  Authors: Chen, Shenyang
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation; Poster
  Subject: Operations and Traffic Management
  Session: 668
  Paper Number: 13-2272
• Development and Comparison of Planning-Level and Data-Based Evaluation Tools of Intelligent Transportation Systems
  Authors: Xiao, Yan
  Authors: Xiao, Yan
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation; Poster
  Subject: Operations and Traffic Management
  Session: 668
  Paper Number: 13-2354
• Short-Term Freeway Travel Time Prediction with Self-Tuning Regulator in a Robust Adaptive Control System
  Authors: Wang, Feng Juan
  Authors: Wang, Feng Juan
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation; Poster
  Subject: Operations and Traffic Management
  Session: 668
  Paper Number: 13-2497
• VTL+: Robust, Practical, and Functionally Safe Intelligent Transportation System
  Authors: Sinha, Roopak
  Authors: Sinha, Roopak
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation; Poster
  Subject: Operations and Traffic Management
  Session: 668
  Paper Number: 13-4410
• VTL+: Robust, Practical, and Functionally Safe Intelligent Transportation System
  Authors: Ranjitkar, Prakash
  Authors: Ranjitkar, Prakash
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation; Poster
  Subject: Operations and Traffic Management
  Session: 668
  Paper Number: 13-4410
• Evaluation of Wide-Area Traffic Monitoring Technologies for Travel Time Studies
  Authors: Omrani, Reza
  Authors: Omrani, Reza
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation; Poster
  Subject: Operations and Traffic Management
  Session: 668
  Paper Number: 13-5273
• Hazardous Driving Event Detection and Analysis System in Vehicular Networks: Methodology and Field Implementation
  Authors: Jeong, Eunbi
  Authors: Jeong, Eunbi
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation; Poster
  Subject: Operations and Traffic Management
  Session: 668
  Paper Number: 13-0705
• Safety Distance Modeling on the Basis of Vehicle-to-Vehicle Communication
  Authors: Quan, Wei
  Authors: Quan, Wei
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation; Poster
  Subject: Operations and Traffic Management
  Session: 668
  Paper Number: 13-3222
• Vehicle Classification Approach Based on Wavelet K-Nearest Neighbor Using Inductive Loop Signatures
  Authors: Jeng, Shin-Ting (Cindy)
  Authors: Jeng, Shin-Ting (Cindy)
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation; Poster
  Subject: Operations and Traffic Management
  Session: 668
  Paper Number: 13-3182
• Placement of Roadside Equipment (RSE) in Connected Vehicle Environment for Travel Time Estimation
  Authors: Kianfar, Jalil
  Keywords: connected vehicle; RSE; roadside equipement; placement. GA
  Authors: Kianfar, Jalil
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation; Poster
  Subject: Operations and Traffic Management
  Session: 668
  Paper Number: 13-2232
• HRV: Hybrid Routing in Vehicular Networks
  Authors: Wu, Di
  Authors: Wu, Di
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation; Poster
  Subject: Operations and Traffic Management
  Session: 668
  Paper Number: 13-5065
• Relation Between Distance and Time in Traffic Control: Consequences for Information and Communications Technology Architecture
  Authors: Knoop, Victor
  Authors: Knoop, Victor
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation; Poster
  Subject: Operations and Traffic Management
  Session: 668
  Paper Number: 13-1199
• Calibrating Communications Simulator for Connected Vehicle Application
  Authors: Su, Peng
  Authors: Su, Peng
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation; Poster
  Subject: Operations and Traffic Management
  Session: 668
  Paper Number: 13-4633
• Evaluation of Wireless Communication Performance Between Adjacent Nodes for Intelligent Transportation Systems Applications
  Authors: Dey, Kakan
  Authors: Dey, Kakan
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation; Poster
  Subject: Operations and Traffic Management
  Session: 668
  Paper Number: 13-3942