Post-event Connected Vehicle Data Exploration - Lessons Learned

Table of Contents

2. Introduction

The Travel Monitoring and Surveys division within the FHWA Office of Highway Policy Information (HPPI) gathers data related to traffic flows, flow patterns and travel behaviors. On the traffic flow front, the data collection includes traffic volume, vehicle classification, speed, and vehicle axle weight, acquired through sensors maintained by State highway agencies. However, due to the limited availability of these sensors, the collected data primarily exists at a macro-level, necessitating statistical adjustments to accurately represent specific roads or regions. These datasets offer invaluable insights into understanding travel demands and overall productivity and serve as essential resources for planning, safety analysis, and policy evaluation purposes.

While the embedded pavement and roadside sensors offer valuable insights, they lack intricate micro-level details concerning vehicles, drivers, and their interactions with the road. Information regarding acceleration, deceleration, speed consistency, and seatbelt usage is notably absent. Availability of such micro-level data could facilitate integrated analysis, pinpointing geospatial areas associated with frequent hard braking and acceleration and understanding their correlation with drivers and roadway conditions, and ultimately facilitating solutions to make travel safer and more efficient.

The emergence of Connected Vehicles (CV) has revolutionized transportation safety and efficiency by enabling the real-time exchange of operational statuses and geospatial information among vehicles and infrastructure. While real time in-situ CV data usage are the bottom-line for CV operations, archived CV data termed post-CV data may also prove valuable. The authors gained an opportunity to analyze post-CV data from four OEMs and the US DOT Intelligent Transportation System Joint Program Office Connected Vehicle Pilot projects (JPO Pilot). The analysis of the post-CV data demonstrates the capability of post-CV data to bridge the gap in micro-level vehicle travel data. This post-CV data offers otherwise nonexistent information on enhancing highway infrastructure planning, safety measures, and operational enhancements.

This article intends to introduce the basic concept of post-CV data to analysts and managers, offering insights into the fundamentals of CV data, available variables, essential data platforms, tools, and other spectrum of information that can be derived. It is hoped that this article will encourage further exploration of post-CV data usage to enhance travel safety and efficiency through team effort and broad cooperation among different offices and entities.

Previous | Next