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Current Projects
Real-Time Accident Management Across
Multiple Agencies Using Ad-Hoc Wireless
Networks
As wide-area wireless (and ad-hoc) networks become
commercially available, and in-vehicle computer
systems become affordable, pervasive, and capable,
information technology will allow the radical rethinking of the possibilities for transportation system decision
making. Our proposed system, using ad-hoc wireless
networks, will allow for real-time accident information
sharing between the involved vehicle, the rescue squad, a crash evaluation system, the transportation agency (i.e., VDOT), the hospital, police, and other potential candidates. Using ad-hoc wireless technology developed at UVa (Hypercast) that allows for any wireless component to communicate easily with other wireless systems, and vehicle crash models developed at UVa (Center for Applied Biomechanics), the system will operate in real-time (seconds) in the following fashion: • A vehicle accident triggers an accelerometer in the vehicle which automatically sends the accelerometer data (wireless) to the remote vehicle crash model facility; • Vehicle models use data to immediately determine the severity of the accident and likely injuries and send the (wireless) data to 1) VDOT, 2) rescue squad, and 3) hospital; • Rescue squad and hospital use the severity information to determine appropriate response; • Transportation agency uses the severity data to run models to predict the expected delay and provides (via VMS, HAR, etc.) information to traveling public along with any necessary control actions (signal timing, reversible lanes, etc.); and • All parties involved can share additional information as appropriate. Such a system will allow for improved accident response and reduced congestion.
Research Foundation to Support Cooperative Infrastructure/Vehicle Surface Transportation Control/Management
Current state-of-the-art transportation modeling treats components of the
system independently. Traditionally, this breakdown of models into the vehicle and infrastructure domains was appropriate because there was little or no dynamic interaction between the two systems. However, in the near future, advances of information technology promise complete wireless networking of all components. Exploration of the possibilities of this extensive information networking is impossible within the current modeling environment. This research effort has three key objectives: A) To develop the necessary integrated modeling environment to allow existing component models to exchange data and strategies, thus emulating a cooperative infrastructure/vehicle control/management system and permitting the evaluation of varied information-enhanced control strategies, B) To develop and investigate cooperative control strategies, and C) To evaluate the multi-objective tradeoffs among the transportation system performance measures.
For other ongoing and recently concluded projects, click here.
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