A Kalman filter approach for the estimation of time dependent OD matrices exploiting bluetooth traffic data collection

Abstract

Time-Dependent Origin-Destination (OD) matrices are a key input to Dynamic Traffic Models, microscopic and mesoscopic traffic simulators are relevant examples of such models, traditionally used to assist in the design and evaluation of Traffic Management and Information Systems (ATMS/ATIS). Dynamic traffic models can also be used to support real-time traffic management decisions. The typical approaches to the time-dependent OD estimation have been based either on ad hoc heuristics using mathematical programming approaches, or on Kalman-Filtering. The advent of the new Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), makes available new types of traffic data of higher quality and accuracy allowing for new modeling hypothesis leading to more computationally efficient algorithms. Ad hoc procedures based on Kalman Filtering, explicitly exploiting traffic data available from Bluetooth sensors, have been designed and implemented successfully and the numerical results of the computational experiments are discussed for freeway and network test sites.