Transportation System Performance Measurement Using Existing Loop Infrastructure

With continuing emphasis on transportation sustainability and fiscal stewardship, utilizing existing loop detector infrastructure to obtain more accurate, reliable and comprehensive traffic system performance measures is desired by many transportation agencies. In Phase I study, we found that the capability of the Inductive Loop Detector (ILD) signature technology to re-identify and classify vehicles along a section of roadway creates numerous business opportunities for commercial development. Therefore, in this Phase II project we will design and develop a cost-effective loop signature card for data collection, enhance the vehicle re-identification and classification algorithms investigated in Phase I, and develop a high-definition traffic performance monitoring system (Traffic Monitor HD) for both freeway and arterial applications. Traffic Monitor HD has a web-based interface for real-time traffic monitoring, historical performance analysis, and report. Compared to the traditional performance measurement system, Traffic Monitor HD provides more accurate performance measurements, such as travel time, vehicle class, estimates on emission, and alerts on problematic detectors. To commercialize Traffic Monitor HD, we will develop a commercialization strategy plan to rapidly move the proposed system to widespread commercial use. We will also demonstrate the capability and the applicability of the system in real-world implementations.