Cross-cutting Issues

Data from inductive loop detectors is widely used as input to many ATMS applications. However, for several reasons, loop detectors are prone to failures. This leads to erroneous data that significantly reduces the accuracy of the applications that utilize detector data as input. The work that has been done in the past to develop procedures to test the quality of detector data is inadequate since there are several forms of corrupt data that still remain undetected. Moreover, procedures to correct erroneous data identified are also lacking. This paper presents an improved procedure to test the reliability of detector data as well as a procedure for correcting erroneous data. The data screening and correction procedure is applied to detector data from sensors of a real freeway section to demonstrate its effectiveness and applicability.

University of Minnesota

Presented at the ITS America Annual Conference and Exposition, May 19-22, 2003 Minneapolis, Minnesota

This paper describes the effort made to develop an Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) strategic deployment plan for Chittenden County, Vermont, an area with a population of about 140,000. Developing this plan followed the most recent version of the ITS planning process, which is centered about the concept of market packages. Following a brief description of the main tasks of this process, the regional architecture developed for the area is presented, and the projects recommended for deployment are summarized. To provide insight into the attributes of ITS planning in medium-sized areas, the results from this study are compared to the results from two other ITS planning studies recently completed for two medium-sized areas in Iowa and Virginia. The comparison reveals some strong trends that could be identified with ITS planning in medium-sized areas, including the existence of a subset of market packages that appear to be most popular for deployment in these areas. It is hoped that this study will be of value to other small- and medium-sized areas as they strive to plan for ITS in their regions.

University of Vermont: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Resource Systems Group

Chittenden County Metropolitan Planning Organization

Presented at the 11th ITS Annual Conference and Exposition, June 4-7, 2001 Miami Beach, Florida

Through funding and guidance from the I-95 Corridor Coalition and its member agencies, the University of Maryland Center for Advanced Transportation Technology Laboratory (CATT Lab) has developed a Statewide Mobility Measures Visualization System that is capable of displaying interactive performance measures at the state, corridor, and segment levels.  The system employs a combination of vehicle probe, incident, event, and construction data from multiple state DOTs throughout thousands of miles or interstates and arterials along the I-95 Corridor from New York down to Florida.  The vehicle probe data referenced in this project is collected, analyzed, and archived at 1-minute intervals.  The resulting web-based, interactive performance measures tool represents a monumental leap forward in both technology and capabilities for DOTs, MPOs, and researchers alike—making important use of blended private sector probe data and public sector incident information to facilitate the rapid analysis and generation of easily understandable performance measures that were previously difficult and even impossible to calculate.    

University of Maryland

I-95 Corridor Coalition

Presented at the 18th World Congress on ITS, October 2011, Orlando, Florida

Microscopic simulation can provide significant support to traffic management center (TMC) operations.  However, traffic simulation applications require data that are expensive and time-consuming to collect.  Data collected by TMCs can be used as a primary source for the provision of the required data.  The goal of this study is to explore the development of methods and tools for the use of microscopic traffic simulation models to support the TMC software implementation, operation, and testing on one hand, and the use of ITS data to support the development and calibration of simulation models on the other. 

The study developments include methods and software utilities that use the existing TMC databases and other available information for the preparation and calibration of microscopic simulation tools.  In addition, the development includes methods and utilities to support testing of the TMC software modules and data archiving processes. The use cases of this study demonstrate the capabilities of the developed simulation environment, which can provide a powerful support for the evaluation of TMC software.  In addition, the environment can provide an effective mechanism for operator training with the TMC software.

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Florida DOT

Presented at the 18th World Congress on ITS, October 2011, Orlando, Florida

This paper explores the impact of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) on traffic
operations, capacity, and congestion. ADAS can take control over specific functions of the
vehicle, and provide warnings to assist drivers in a variety of driving tasks. These
technologies were designed mainly to improve safety and provide comfort to drivers. There
is evidence that these systems may change the way drivers behave on the road, resulting in
traffic operational improvements, but a limited amount of research has been conducted to
assess these potential impacts. This study evaluated these impacts in two ways: a) through a
driver simulator (STISIM Drive) study using a vehicle equipped with two types of ADAS:
Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) and Lane Change Assist (LCA); b) through a microsimulator
study by replicating the movement of vehicles equipped with ACC and LCA. The two studies
showed that there are potential changes in driver behavior, and subsequently in traffic
operations, when ADAS are installed in the vehicle. Also, the impact of the systems is
different for different driver types (aggressive vs. conservative). It was concluded that for the
conditions tested the ACC can significantly increase speeds for congested conditions, even at
the lowest market penetration scenario tested (20% ACC in the traffic stream). When only the LCA was present the number of lane change maneuvers increased, the throughput (VMT)
increased, and travel time was not significantly affected. When both LCA and ACC were
present, conditions improved significantly, and similarly to when ACC was available by
itself.

Authors: Lily Elefteriadou, Ph.D., Barbara B. Martin

Presented at the 18th World Congress on ITS, October 2011, Orlando, Florida