The Next Generation of Probe Based Outsourced Traffic Monitoring Systems

In 2006 the I95 Corridor Coalition embarked on an ambitious goal of developing a traffic monitoring system that spans the entire east coast, providing travel time and speed information from Maine to Florida. In 2008 that vision took its first step to reality when the Vehicle Probe Project (VPP) traffic monitoring system was initiated encompassing 1500 miles of freeways and 1000 miles of arterials from New Jersey to North Carolina. The VPP was based on outsourced probe data acquired through a competitive procurement that relied primarily on GPS data provided by commercial fleets as provided by INRIX Corporation. Data quality concerns that had previously hindered the adoption of such technology were overcome through with a comprehensive and ongoing validation program. The validation confirmed the quality of the data, enabling Coalition member agencies to confidently use the data in traveler information and operations applications. Since July 2008 the VPP has grown in mileage so that today it encompasses over 7000 freeway miles and 13000 arterial miles ranging from Rhode Island to Florida. The real-time data is used in 511 systems, travel time on signs, long-distance trip planning tools, incident detection, and other operations support. The archive data from the system have proved equally valuable fueling performance measure analysis, congestion management systems, and long term planning initiatives. The I-95 Corridor Coalition is now embarking on the Next Generation VPP which will not only expand the geographic coverage to the entire east coast as originally envisioned, but also expand the data feed to include safety, weather, and other critical highway operation parameters. The VPP data source which originated with commercial fleets has since grown to include not only travel time and speed from commercial vehicles reporting their location, but has expanded to also include crowd source and OEM sources. In Next Gen VPP the data content will expand to include vehicle system dynamics (for example braking and use of windshield wipers) that reflect weather, road conditions, and congestion. Such data takes the bold step of using the vehicle fleet to sense not only traffic flow, but also provide a comprehensive operations picture. This presentation provides an overview of basic tenets of the VPP project as well as the Next Gen VPP. It covers the cooperative procurement strategy, specifications development, quality assurance program, and generous data licensing parameters that has become the defacto standard in the industry. Lastly, presentation includes an overview of the applications that have taken advantage of the VPP data, as well as a look-forward at the exciting applications that will be enabled by Next Gen VPP data.

Language

  • English

Media Info

  • Media Type: Digital/other
  • Pagination: n.p.
  • Monograph Title: ITS America 22nd Annual Meeting & Exposition. Smart Transportation: A Future We Can Afford

Subject/Index Terms

Filing Info

  • Accession Number: 01449171
  • Record Type: Publication
  • Files: TRIS, ATRI
  • Created Date: Oct 12 2012 9:28AM