Evaluation of detection technologies for use in traffic management and control

Abstract

In this project, various detection technologies were evaluated for their usefulness in traffic management and control. Technologies that can be installed above or to the side of the roadway were considered as possible replacements for inductive loop detectors because of the difficulties associated with installing detectors in the roadway.

During the project, systems engineering principles were used to define the requirements, select the alternative technologies, and evaluate the candidates to determine the most effective detectors. A description of this process and the factors used in the evaluation are included. The evaluation process considered the functional requirements, system performance, and cost over the life-cycle.

The results showed that the systems with the best overall performance were the Microwave Doppler, Pulse Ultrasonic, Doppler Ultrasonic, and Video Image Processor. These technologies are all non-intrusive and provide accurate traffic data in various environments.