Traffic Management Center Use of Incident Detection Algorithms: Findings of a Nationwide Survey

摘要

The focus of this paper is the context in which the decision makers for traffic management centers (TMCs) choose whether to include and/or use automatic incident detection (AID) algorithms. A survey was conducted of TMC professionals in positions to make, influence, or provide input to decisions regarding TMC operational policies as well as decisions regarding priorities for future system enhancements. Analysis of the survey results not only provides an understanding of the reasons behind the limited implementation of AID algorithms but also allows a direct comparison between the conventional incident detection methods and the AID technology on the basis of measured and/or perceived performance. It was observed that 90% of the survey respondents feel that the current methods of incident detection are insufficient either at present (70%) or will be so in the future (20%). This finding alone motivates a need to redouble research efforts aimed at developing robust and accurate automatic detection methods. In this regard, this paper presents promising directions to overcome past AID algorithm deficiencies