Project Summary
We propose to evaluate the potential of Automated Video Incident Detection (AVID) systems to improve incident identification and response times. Our experience working with TMC operations suggests that TMC operators tend to have developed a level of efficiency with existing processes such that the introduction of new tools and techniques—no matter the technical potential—can actually disrupt existing processes leading to less efficiency overall. We will therefore proceed with a particular eye on how these AVID systems can be directly integrated into existing TMC processes with a minimum of disruption. At the end of the project, we will have deployed a pilot implementation that demonstrates how a selected AVID system can be integrated into TMC processes and will evaluate the impact this system has on the measured delays of particular classes of incidents over time using the Caltrans District 12 TMC Performance evaluation system deployed at the California Traffic Management Laboratories (CTMLabs) at the University of California, Irvine (UCI).