Evaluation of Traffic-Flow Monitoring Technologies: Cicero–Midway Smart Corridor Case Study

The original goal of this project was to (1) collect probe-vehicle and sensor data in the region of interest, and perform cleaning and map matching of the data; and (2) evaluate the accuracy of multiple technologies, either through direct comparison with ground truth (probe vehicles) when data are available or through simulation where direct measurement data were unavailable. Due to a substantial and unexpected lack of spatiotemporally coinciding measurement and ground-truth data, the project changed direction midway, to quickly capitalize on technology developed in the earlier stages and to attempt to remedy the underlying problem that led to our present difficulty: the unavailability of substantial and low-cost travel-time measurements. Under this new direction, the project was successful. A prototype system for low-cost trafficflow measurement using Wi-Fi transmission monitoring has been developed and successfully demonstrated, A survey of efficient vehicle-tracking methods was performed, comparing over 100 alternative methods, leading to the development of a significantly more accurate and cost-effective method. Finally, technology developed in the early stages of the project were repurposed to facilitate the creation of the UIC Shuttle Tracker.Illinois Department of Transportation, R27-091Ope