Wide-Area, Four-Dimensional, Real-Time Interactive Transportation System Visualization

Abstract

The four-dimensional (4-D), wide-area traffic visualization tool provides incident management personnel, emergency management personnel, and the general public with the means to achieve situational awareness in as close to a real-world setting as possible. This research developed a system for visualizing 4-D (in which the fourth dimension is time), real-time transportation data for the entire Earth, although only data for the road networks of Washington, D.C.; Northern Virginia; and the entire state of Maryland are currently in the system. This effort employed a combination of technologies including OpenGL and various modeling techniques to develop a scalable, highly interactive 4-D model using available geographic information system (GIS) and transportation infrastructure data in conjunction with real-time traffic management center data. The prototype system interacts with real-time traffic databases to show animations of real-time traffic data (volume and speed) along with incident data (accident locations, lane closures, responding agencies, etc.) and weather data. A user can “fly” or “drive” through the region to inspect conditions at an infinite number of angles and distances. The program also allows users to monitor the status of and interact with traffic control devices such as dynamic message signs, closed circuit television feeds, and traffic sensors; users can even view the location of a fleet of vehicles equipped with Global Positioning System transponders. Because the system uses standard GIS data and relatively standard transportation databases to derive traffic measures, the system can be scaled to incorporate other states, agencies, or countries.