Design and Evaluation of Traffic Sensor Display Prototypes

Download or read book Design and Evaluation of Traffic Sensor Display Prototypes written by W. Bradley Fain and published by . This book was released on 1997 with total page 97 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This report documents the results of an investigation of the visual presentation of traffic flow data, where these data are collected from sensors. There are a number of advantages to the use of roadway sensors. They provide information under conditions of poor visibility, and they provide traffic management center (TMC) operators with a quantitative description of traffic flow (i.e., traffic speeds and density levels). Speed and density information, for example, offers a more precise index of traffci flow than does a video camera image. This work investigates the assumption that TMC operators can use speed and density data, presented through visual displays, to discriminate between normal, congested, and incident-based traffic conditions. A number of candidate sensor displays were evaluated. Two studies were conducted. Results of these studies suggest that graphical presentations of sensor data, in particular bar chart style formats, should be considered as a means of supporting or substituting for video displays of traffic flw information.