Capability-Enhanced Probe Vehicle Surveillance System with Vehicle-to-Vehicle Communications

Abstract

A variety of robust advanced traffic management and information systems (ATMIS) are in development. ATMIS applications include real-time traveler information, route guidance, traffic control, congestion monitoring, incident detection and management, and evaluation. Point- and section-based traffic measurements are available through existing surveillance technologies such as loops and automatic vehicle identification systems. However, seamless and more reliable traffic data are required for more effective traffic information provision and operations. With the advancement of sensor and communication technologies, such as the Global Positioning System, individual vehicle travel information is readily available. The availability of individual vehicle trajectory data would enable determination of seamless and reliable real-time travel times that could be used by ATMIS. A novel probe vehicle surveillance system that uses vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) wireless communication is introduced. A framework for the proposed system and evaluations, including simulation and field experiments, is presented. Parameters associated with the functional requirements of the proposed system, including the market penetration rate of equipped vehicles, the V2V communication range, and the travel time aggregation interval are investigated in an evaluation framework based on Monte Carlo simulation. Field test results and identified technical issues are discussed. It is expected that the proposed system will serve as an invaluable precursor to the development of a next-generation traffic surveillance system.