Real-Time Road Traffic Management Using Floating Car Data

Abstract

Information and communication technology (ICT) is a promising solution for mitigating road traffic congestion. ICT allows road users and vehicles to be managed based on real-time road status information. In Tanzania, traffic congestion causes losses of TZS 655 billion per year. The main objective of this study was to develop an optimal approach for integrating real-time road information (RRI) to mitigate traffic congestion. Our research survey focused on three cities that are highly affected by traffic congestion, i.e., Arusha, Mwanza, and Dar es Salaam. The results showed that ICT is not yet utilized fully to solve road traffic congestion. Thus, we established a possible approach for Tanzania based on an analysis of road traffic data provided by organizations responsible for road traffic management and road users. Furthermore, we evaluated the available road information management techniques to test their suitability for use in Tanzania. Using the floating car data technique, fuzzy logic was implemented for real-time traffic level detection and decision making. Based on this solution, we propose a RRI system architecture, which considers the effective utilization of readily available communication technology in Tanzania.