Utilizing UAVs Technology on Microscopic Traffic Naturalistic Data Acquirement

Research into collecting and measuring reliable, accurate, and naturalistic microscopic traffic data is a fundamental aspect in road network planning scientific literature. The vehicle trajectory is one of the main variables in traffic flow theory that allows to extract information regarding microsc...

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Main Authors: Apostolos Anagnostopoulos, Fotini Kehagia
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2021-06-01
Series:Infrastructures
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2412-3811/6/6/89
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author Apostolos Anagnostopoulos
Fotini Kehagia
author_facet Apostolos Anagnostopoulos
Fotini Kehagia
author_sort Apostolos Anagnostopoulos
collection DOAJ
description Research into collecting and measuring reliable, accurate, and naturalistic microscopic traffic data is a fundamental aspect in road network planning scientific literature. The vehicle trajectory is one of the main variables in traffic flow theory that allows to extract information regarding microscopic traffic flow characteristics. Several methods and techniques have been applied regarding the acquisition of vehicle trajectory. The forthcoming applications of intelligent transport systems on vehicles and infrastructure require sufficient and innovative tools to calibrate existing models on more complex situations. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are one of the most emerging technologies being used recently in the transportation field to monitor and analyze the traffic flow. The aim of this paper is to examine the use of UAVs as a tool for microscopic traffic data collection and analysis. A comprehensive guiding framework for accurate and cost-effective naturalistic traffic surveys and analysis using UAVs is proposed and presented in detail. Field experiments of acquiring vehicle trajectories on two multilane roundabouts were carried out following the proposed framework. Results of the experiment indicate the usefulness of the UAVs technology on various traffic analysis studies. The results of this study provide a practical guide regarding vehicle trajectory acquirement using UAVs.
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spelling doaj.art-18b50c67393a41cfa442c7741548eecc2023-11-22T00:25:49ZengMDPI AGInfrastructures2412-38112021-06-01668910.3390/infrastructures6060089Utilizing UAVs Technology on Microscopic Traffic Naturalistic Data AcquirementApostolos Anagnostopoulos0Fotini Kehagia1Highway Laboratory, Division of Transportation and Construction Management, School of Civil Engineering, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, GreeceHighway Laboratory, Division of Transportation and Construction Management, School of Civil Engineering, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, GreeceResearch into collecting and measuring reliable, accurate, and naturalistic microscopic traffic data is a fundamental aspect in road network planning scientific literature. The vehicle trajectory is one of the main variables in traffic flow theory that allows to extract information regarding microscopic traffic flow characteristics. Several methods and techniques have been applied regarding the acquisition of vehicle trajectory. The forthcoming applications of intelligent transport systems on vehicles and infrastructure require sufficient and innovative tools to calibrate existing models on more complex situations. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are one of the most emerging technologies being used recently in the transportation field to monitor and analyze the traffic flow. The aim of this paper is to examine the use of UAVs as a tool for microscopic traffic data collection and analysis. A comprehensive guiding framework for accurate and cost-effective naturalistic traffic surveys and analysis using UAVs is proposed and presented in detail. Field experiments of acquiring vehicle trajectories on two multilane roundabouts were carried out following the proposed framework. Results of the experiment indicate the usefulness of the UAVs technology on various traffic analysis studies. The results of this study provide a practical guide regarding vehicle trajectory acquirement using UAVs.https://www.mdpi.com/2412-3811/6/6/89UAVsnaturalistic vehicle trajectoriesmicroscopic traffic datatraffic data collectionguiding framework
spellingShingle Apostolos Anagnostopoulos
Fotini Kehagia
Utilizing UAVs Technology on Microscopic Traffic Naturalistic Data Acquirement
Infrastructures
UAVs
naturalistic vehicle trajectories
microscopic traffic data
traffic data collection
guiding framework
title Utilizing UAVs Technology on Microscopic Traffic Naturalistic Data Acquirement
title_full Utilizing UAVs Technology on Microscopic Traffic Naturalistic Data Acquirement
title_fullStr Utilizing UAVs Technology on Microscopic Traffic Naturalistic Data Acquirement
title_full_unstemmed Utilizing UAVs Technology on Microscopic Traffic Naturalistic Data Acquirement
title_short Utilizing UAVs Technology on Microscopic Traffic Naturalistic Data Acquirement
title_sort utilizing uavs technology on microscopic traffic naturalistic data acquirement
topic UAVs
naturalistic vehicle trajectories
microscopic traffic data
traffic data collection
guiding framework
url https://www.mdpi.com/2412-3811/6/6/89
work_keys_str_mv AT apostolosanagnostopoulos utilizinguavstechnologyonmicroscopictrafficnaturalisticdataacquirement
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