Integration of Probe Data Tools into TMC Operations

Abstract

With the advent of probe data, there is a need to virtualize many of the Traffic Management Center (TMC) tools used for analyzing work zones, severe crashes, winter operations, moving maintenance operations, and providing dashboards characterizing overall system mobility. Traditional tools have evolved over the past several years and it is important to develop training materials and make them more accessible to a broad range of Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) users and other stakeholder. Over the past several years, agencies have used probe data, mainly 1-minute aggregated segment-based probe data to assess and manage roadways. This study extended traditional segment-based probe data concepts to include enhanced trajectory-based connected vehicle (CV) data, which provides anonymous individual vehicle waypoints at a reporting interval of 3 seconds within a 1.5-meter fidelity radius. The study discusses some of the near-term opportunities, nationwide scalability, and some of the limitations of trajectory data for managing roadways and infrastructure assessment. The tools developed in this study will assist INDOT and other stakeholders in visualizing interstate queues, identifying back-of-queue hard braking events and crashes, identifying alternate diversions during incidents and road closures, enhancing agile management of work zones, estimating traffic signal performance measures without infrastructure investment, and understanding the impact of construction diversions on traffic signals performance.