Overview
The spectacular increase of road transport cannot be fulfilled on short term by an appropriate increase of road space. Due to this reason, in all developed economical environments de-congestion solutions have been tested along two directions:
- improve the arrangement of road space in order to increase the level of using and improving the characteristics and parameters favouring the traffic increase;
- improve the indices for using the space whilst improving the traffic parameters by control and monitoring.
The intensification of road traffic has determined the development of some control systems to ensure the efficient use of the limited space, dedicated to the traffic, under increased safety and pollution reduction conditions.
The object of the traffic control of the road traffic systems is to increase the traffic capacity of the road networks under the following conditions:
- increase of the efficiency for traffic participants (time and fuels savings) and of the level of comfort by information services and car services);
- increase of the level of safety for traffic participants and for neighbouring factors as to the road space by supplying information which influences the road traffic (wind, cloudiness, precipitations, etc.).
The expected significant result will be represented by the creation of an online platform for monitoring the zonal road information, based on an advanced system of acquisition of data and images. This software platform will integrate and complete the road related information existing in public companies (County Directorate for Roads and Bridges, Municipalities, Police) and private companies (car service centres, transporters) with online information (recorded by video cameras placed in areas with a high risk of road accidents or transmitted by the traffic participants through mobile telephony, captured by acquisitions of traffic and environment data) using the facilities of the new IT&C technologies.
In Romania, road information is incomplete with a low updating rate and discontinuous. Much of the information of interest for traffic participants are held by the Road Police (blockages caused by accidents, areas with accident risks, intense traffic), Romanian National Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology (unfavourable weather conditions), Municipalities (intervention works planning) and cannot be exposed systematically in an integrated manner.
The existing road information system is limited to reports broadcasted by radio and to a traditional marking of roads, based on which the traffic participant can calculate the distance to the proposed objective. The information available to the general public refers to national roads and is incomplete. Although it is possible to know how long the road is, there are no data to evaluate the time necessary.
The traffic related problems concern equally transportation companies, car drivers, as well as local and national authorities administering road infrastructure. The lack of this information at the appropriate moment leads to increased transportation costs, un-safety and an increased accident risk.
This project intends to develop modern technologies complying with European standards, which integrate road information existing in local subsystems, GIS working environments with vectoral digital maps, multimedia techniques, complex data acquisitions, broadband wireless communication technologies for achieving an advanced transport management system.
In order to reach this target, the project comprises the following scientific and technical objectives:
- determining the management needs concerning zonal road information in the European integration context, of the local data sources and of the capacity of the advanced technologies in online monitoring of the road traffic problems;
- achieving a data acquisition, analysis and decision software platform - supporting traffic management and for information in real time;
- permanent monitoring of the traffic and incidents occurred, for the purpose of limiting congestions and environmental effects;
- informing in real time traffic participants on road related events;
- emphasising traffic information on the map and choosing alternative routes;
- compiling statistical reports concerning the level of using the infrastructure.
- Analysis for identification of the system components, data flows based on the functional specification;
- Establishment of the information and management services regarding road information which can be offered by the new technology to be achieved by P1-CO together with P2, P3, P4, P5 . The UML (Unified Modelling Language) as unique modelling language for representation of the global system specification;
- Acquisition of system hardware components (performant PCs, video cameras) and of software licence - to be achieved by P1-CO following the market study;
- Development of the GIS application which will emphasise on the map traffic information, of digital maps and of the user's graphical interface with selectable menus on touch-screen displays - to be achieved by P1-CO, using the Microsoft MapPoint Application and some high level visual programming media;
- Design of the data bases and the application for traffic monitoring and control - to be achieved by P1-CO together with P2 and P3, using Microsoft SQL Server as the system for databases management;
- The functional design will be based on standards and most recent technologies (web services, XML as the technology supporting communication and integration in heterogeneous media). The solution will be developed on a Microsoft Visual Studio.Net platform by P1-CO together with P2 and P3 ;
- Integration of the above software and hardware components, achievement, testing and correction of the functional model - to be carried out by P1-CO together with P2, P3, P4, P5 both by simulation means in the laboratory and in the field;
- The web portal will be achieved by P1-CO and P2 by using web and multimedia technologies. Visual Studio.Net, high level HTML/ASP editors (such as Microsoft FrontPage/Macromedia Dreamweaver/Microsoft InterDev), image processing and authoring programs (Photoshop, Macromedia Flash, Director) will be used.
- Elaboration and editing of informative materials: leaflets, web pages, CD-ROM - to be achieved by P1-CO, P2 and P3 by using web and multimedia technologies, by publication on the websites of P1-CO, P2, P3, P4;
- Presentation and demonstration of the utility of the operational software system for promotion purposes - to be performed by P1-CO and P2, P3, P4, P5.