Intelligent Transportation System: by Jonathan D'Cruz

Intelligent
Transportation
System
By
Jonathan DCruz
Contents
Introduction
Why ITS?
Intelligent Transport Technologies
Intelligent Transport Applications

Introduction
The term Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) refers to
information and communication technology, applied to transport
infrastructure and vehicles, that improve transport outcomes
such as:
Transport Safety
Transport Productivity
Travel Reliability
Informed Travel Choices
Social Equity
Environmental Performance
Network Operation Resilience
Why ITS?
Interest in ITS comes from the problems caused by traffic
congestion and a synergy of new information technology for
simulation, real-time control, and communications networks.
Traffic congestion has been increasing worldwide as a result of
increased motorization, urbanization, population growth, and
changes in population density.
Congestion reduces efficiency of transportation infrastructure and
increases travel time, air pollution, and fuel consumption.
Many of the proposed ITS systems also involve surveillance of the
roadways.
Further, ITS can play a role in the rapid mass evacuation of people
in urban centers after large casualty events such as a result of a
natural disaster or threat.
Intelligent Transport Technologies
Wireless Inductive Loop
Communications Detection &
Sensing
Technologies
Video Vehicle
Computational Detection
Technologies
Floating Car
Data/Floating
Cellular Data
Wireless Communications
Radio modem communication on UHF and VHF frequencies are
widely used for short and long range communication within ITS.
Short-range communications (less than 450 meters) can be
accomplished using IEEE 802.11 protocols. Theoretically, the range
of these protocols can be extended using Mobile ad-hoc networks or
Mesh networking.
Longer range communications have been proposed using
infrastructure networks such as WiMAX (IEEE 802.16), Global
System for Mobile Communications (GSM), or 3G.
Computational Technologies
A typical vehicle in the early 2000s would have between 20 and 100
individual networked microcontroller/Programmable logic controller
modules with non-real-time operating systems.
The current trend is toward fewer, more costly microprocessor
modules with hardware memory management and Real-Time
Operating Systems.
The new embedded system platforms allow for more sophisticated
software applications to be implemented, including model-based
process control, artificial intelligence, and ubiquitous computing.
Perhaps the most important of these for Intelligent Transportation
Systems is artificial intelligence.
Floating Car Data/Floating
Cellular Data
"Floating car" or "probe" data collection is a set of relatively low-
cost methods for obtaining travel time and speed data for vehicles
traveling along streets, highways, freeways, and other transportation
routes.
Broadly speaking, three methods have been used to obtain the raw
data:
Triangulation Method
Vehicle Re-Identification
GPS Based Methods
Floating car data technology provides advantages over other
methods of traffic measurement:
Less expensive than sensors or cameras
More coverage (potentially including all locations and streets)
Faster to set up and less maintenance
Works in all weather conditions, including heavy rain
Triangulation Method.
In the mid 2000s, attempts were made to use mobile phones as anonymous
traffic probes. As a car moves, so does the signal of any mobile phones that are
inside the vehicle. By measuring and analyzing network data using
triangulation, pattern matching or cell-sector statistics (in an anonymous
format), the data was converted into traffic flow information.
With more congestion, there are more cars, more phones, and thus, more
probes. In metropolitan areas, the distance between antennas is shorter and in
theory accuracy increases.
An advantage of this method is that no infrastructure needs to be built along
the road; only the mobile phone network is leveraged.
By the early 2010s, the popularity of the triangulation method was declining.
Vehicle Re-identification
This method requires sets of detectors mounted along the road. In this
technique, a unique serial number for a device in the vehicle is detected at one
location and then detected again (re-identified) further down the road. Travel
times and speed are calculated by comparing the time at which a specific
device is detected by pairs of sensors. This can be done using the MAC
(Machine Access Control) addresses from Bluetooth devices, or using the
RFID serial numbers from Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) transponders.
GPS Based Methods.
An increasing number of vehicles are equipped with in-vehicle GPS (satellite
navigation) systems that have two-way communication with a traffic data
provider. Position readings from these vehicles are used to compute vehicle
speeds.
Sensing Technologies
Technological advances in telecommunications and information
technology, coupled with state-of-the-art microchip, RFID (Radio
Frequency Identification), and inexpensive intelligent beacon
sensing technologies, have enhanced the technical capabilities that
will facilitate motorist safety benefits for intelligent transportation
systems globally.
Sensing systems for ITS are vehicle- and infrastructure-based
networked systems. Infrastructure sensors are indestructible devices
that are installed or embedded in the road or surrounding the road,
as required, and may be manually disseminated during preventive
road construction maintenance or by sensor injection machinery for
rapid deployment.
Inductive Loop Detection
Inductive loops can be placed in a roadbed to detect vehicles as they
pass through the loop's magnetic field. The simplest detectors
simply count the number of vehicles during a unit of time (typically
60 seconds in the United States) that pass over the loop
While more sophisticated sensors estimate the speed, length, and
weight of vehicles and the distance between them.
Loops can be placed in a single lane or across multiple lanes, and
they work with very slow or stopped vehicles as well as vehicles
moving at high-speed.
Video Vehicle Detection
Traffic flow measurement and automatic incident detection using
video cameras is another form of vehicle detection. Since video
detection systems such as those used in automatic number plate
recognition do not involve installing any components directly into
the road surface or roadbed, this type of system is known as a "non-
intrusive" method of traffic detection.
Video from black-and-white or color cameras is fed into processors
that analyze the changing characteristics of the video image as
vehicles pass. The cameras are typically mounted on poles or
structures above or adjacent to the roadway.
Most video detection systems require some initial configuration to
"teach" the processor the baseline background image. This usually
involves inputting known measurements such as the distance
between lane lines or the height of the camera above the roadway.
Intelligent Transport Applications
Emergency Vehicle Notification Systems
Automatic Road Enforcement
Variable Speed Limits
Collision Avoidance Systems
Dynamic Traffic Light Sequence

eCall
Automatic Road Enforcement
Speed cameras that identify vehicles traveling over the legal speed
limit. Many such devices use radar to detect a vehicle's speed or
electromagnetic loops buried in each lane of the road.
Red light cameras that detect vehicles that cross a stop line or
designated stopping place while a red traffic light is showing.
Bus lane cameras that identify vehicles traveling in lanes reserved
for buses. In some jurisdictions, bus lanes can also be used by taxis
or vehicles engaged in car pooling.
Level crossing cameras that identify vehicles crossing railways at
grade illegally.
Double white line cameras that identify vehicles crossing these
lines.
High-occupancy vehicle lane cameras for that identify vehicles
violating HOV requirements.
Automatic speed enforcement gantry or "Lombada Eletrnica" with ground sensors at Brasilia,
D.F.
Variable Speed Limits
Collision Avoidance Systems

Intelligent Transportation System: by Jonathan D'Cruz

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Intelligent

Intelligent Transport Technologies

Intelligent Transport Applications

Emergency Vehicle Notification Systems

Automatic Road Enforcement

Variable Speed Limits

Collision Avoidance Systems

Dynamic Traffic Light Sequence

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