CAREER: System-wide Traffic Condition Monitoring and State Estimation for Intelligent Transportation Systems

North Carolina State University, Raleigh NC

Investigators

Abstract

Traffic congestion continues to be one of the most pressing problems facing urban America. Intelligent transportation systems (ITS) provide the systems perspective needed for sustainable solutions to urban mobility problems. During the final decade of the 20th century, hundreds of millions of dollars were invested in ITS surveillance, detection, and traveler information technologies. In this first generation ITS there remains a largely untapped potential to exploit the wealth of remotely sensed data for automated, time critical management and control. Multi-scale system-wide forecasting and state estimation is required for next generation ITS to support proactive rather than reactive transportation system management. This career development plan will provide an integrated research and education framework for system-wide traffic condition monitoring and state estimation for intelligent transportation systems. Research activities will include: (1) development of a system-wide ITS traffic condition monitoring and forecasting framework, (2) seasonal ARIMA based Kalman filtering for univariate forecasts, (3) application of continuum traffic flow theory to one-step system forecasts, and (4) continuum theory-based incident detection, missing data estimation, and shock wave propagation prediction. The first research activity is broad in scope and will provide a typological focus for ITS forecasting research and guidance for new course development and course enhancements to support the education and training of 21st century ITS practitioners and researchers. Specific educational activities will include (1) undergraduate course development and enhancement to increase student exposure to information technologies and infrastructure sustainability, (2) development of a new traffic flow theory course directly linked with ITS research activities, (3) involvement of undergraduates in ongoing ITS research activities through interdisciplinary research teams under graduate student leadership, and (4) active recruitment of students from traditionally underrepresented groups through various programs aimed at incoming students and graduate school candidates. These research and educational activities will be built and integrated around a new campus traffic operation center and ITS lab. The lab will provide direct access to system-wide traffic condition data and full motion surveillance video. This ready access to system-wide data will greatly enhance the research and graduate education efforts. Special emphasis will be placed on exposing undergraduates to ITS research and development through course projects and undergraduate participation in ITS research teams. The ITS lab will also serve as a showcase for student recruitment, including efforts to attract women and underrepresented minorities to civil engineering.