research report

Online Freeway Corridor Deployment of Anonymous Vehicle Tracking for Real Time Traffic Performance

Abstract

The need for advanced, accurate and comprehensive traffic performance measures in increasingly saturated traffic networks is stretching the effectiveness of existing conventional point-based loop detector traffic data. This study had two objectives. The first was the evaluation of two emerging technologies – Sensys Magnetometers and Blade Inductive Signature System – to assess their potential in providing advanced traffic performance measures using vehicle signature data. The second was the expansion and deployment of the Real-time Traffic Performance Measurement System (RTPMS) to provide section-based traffic performance measures under actual operating conditions. As a part of this deployment, a communications framework was implemented to provide real-time communications of signature feature data between field units and a central vehicle re-identification server. A new improved online interactive web-user interface was also developed to provide users with real-time as well as historical traffic performance measurements.