Infrastructure

Over the years, many TMCs have accumulated large loop detector datasets due to the loops' extensive presence in existing infrastructure. However, the information in these data sets often lies dormant partly because of the lack of effective means to summarize and display it. We present a simple visualization technique developed for loop detector data which addresses this issue. The method uses color-encoded images to visualize loop detector measurements as a function of space and time. We use examples based on a field dataset to illustrate some of its possible applications.

This paper presents a vehicle reidentification algorithm for consecutive detector stations on a freeway, whereby a vehicle measurement made at a downstream detector station is matched with the vehicle's corresponding measurement at an upstream station. The method is illustrated using measured vehicle lengths from paired loop detector speed traps. Where speed traps are quite common, often placed at half mile spacings or less on urban freeways. In conventional operation, these detectors only monitor traffic conditions over the loops, leaving most of the freeway unmonitored. By taking the...

This paper documents the final analysis of a three part series of institutional evaluations of the TravInfo Field Operational Test from its inception in 1992 through its completion in 1998. The Field Operational Test was performed over a two-year period from September 1996 to September 1998. Funding for the TravInfo evaluation was from the Federal Highway Administration with a matching grant from the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans). The institutional evaluation examined TravInfo's unique concept of open-architecture and its collaborative public-private partnership to...

As central cities in California continue their renaissance, commercial gentrification is often identified by residents as a concern. For many, commercial gentrification means the intrusion of new businesses that force out a favorite food shop or a longstanding retail store because of higher rents. For others, it means an influx of hip cafés, trendy retail boutiques, and gourmet fast food restaurants - places that change the fabric of their familiar neighborhood, for better or for worse. For many merchants, commercial gentrification can have implications for economic survival, as increased...