Real-time Traffic Monitoring and Automated Response with Wireless Sensor Networks

Transportation authorities have long relied on human operators to continuously monitor a large number of video cameras installed along major highways, to enhance road safety and minimize the impacts of abrupt traffic conditions,. As abnormal conditions are detected, the operators must resolve them by dispatching human response teams, rerouting upcoming traffic, and re-timing traffic signals. These tasks exert enormous stress and responsibilities on the operators and are prone to reliability concerns. In this paper, we propose a real-time traffic monitoring and automated response methodology utilizing wireless sensor networks. By deploying a network of wirelessly communicating traffic sensors and controllers, the network monitors traffic in a distributed yet collaborative fashion in reporting and resolving detected events. To effectively plan, deploy, and operate such a network in a selected traffic management area, the paper presents hierarchical wireless sensor network architecture and outlines design procedures for optimal sensor and controller placement, network communication methods for real-time operations, and measures for performance evaluation.