User-Centric Sensing and Distributed Control of Corridor Transportation Networks

University Of California-Davis, Davis CA

Investigators

Abstract

This research studies the behavior and performance of a transportation corridor made of a freeway and arterial streets under a Connected Vehicles (CV) environment, where vehicles equipped with wireless communication and sensing devices collect, process, and share traffic information among themselves along with roadside sensors. First, methods of fusing/combining real-time traffic data from both vehicles and roadside sensors will be explored to automate the detection of incidents (e.g., accidents), to estimate the number of cars waiting in line and to populate the tables that contain the number of trips from origins to destinations. Second, the research studies how congestion, particularly traffic jams, emerge and spread, and how this information can help drivers cope with congestion. Finally, the research makes use of the results obtained from the first two tasks to explore algorithms that will enable the adaptive, coordinated control of freeway ramp meters and nearby arterial traffic lights, and the re-routing of traffic in response to traffic incidents. If successful, the results of this research will lead to a better understanding of traffic congestion in corridor networks and new ways to monitor and control vehicular traffic. These can enable applications with significant societal benefits such as reduced traffic congestion and fuel consumption. The results of this research will also be disseminated to public agencies (such as Departments of Transportation (DOTs)) and the general public through presentations and brochures, and other means. This research is at the intersection of vehicular traffic flow and computer networks, it is expected to contribute to the understanding of how corridor based transportation networks work, and provides interdisciplinary training to the students involved. Minority graduate and undergraduate students will be recruited to participate in this project through college-level minority programs such as CAMP (California Alliance for Minority Participation) at the University of California Davis.