Interactive Web Application for Traffic Simulation Data Management and Visualization

Haowen Xu, Chieh Wang, Anne Berres, Tim Laclair, Jibonananda Sanyal

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterpeer-review

9 Scopus citations

Abstract

As traffic simulation software becomes more effective for realistically simulating and analyzing traffic dynamics and vehicle interactions on the mesoscopic and microscopic level, the management, dissemination, and collaborative visualization of traffic simulation results produced by individual transportation planners presents a significant challenge. Existing online content management systems have a very limited capability in allowing users to query specific traffic simulation scenarios and geospa-tially visualize simulation results through shareable and interactive web interfaces. This paper presents a web-based application for promoting the archiving, sharing, and visualization of large-scale traffic simulation outputs. The application is developed to enhance cyber-physical controls, communications, and public education for collaborative transportation planning. Unique features of the web application include: (a) allowing users to upload their new traffic simulation scenarios (para-meters and outputs), as well as search existing scenarios using easily accessible interfaces; (b) optimizing simulation output files with heterogeneous data formats and projected coordinate systems for web-based storage and management using a scalable and searchable data/metadata standard; (c) standardizing user-uploaded simulation outputs using web interfaces and data processing libraries with parallel computing capacity; and (d) providing shareable web visual interfaces for visualizing the traffic flow and signal information stored in simulation outputs (e.g., regional traffic patterns and individual vehicle interactions) and visually comparing multiple simulation outputs both spatially and temporally. The paper presents the conceptual design and implementation of this application, and demonstrates the application’s performance for sharing, comparing, and visualizing simulation outputs from VISSIM and SUMO, two commonly used traffic simulation software programs.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationTransportation Research Record
PublisherSAGE Publications Ltd
Pages274-292
Number of pages19
Volume2676
Edition1
DOIs
StatePublished - 2022

Funding

The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This research is sponsored by the Laboratory Directed Research and Development Program of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, managed by UT-Battelle, LLC for the US Department of Energy under contract DE-AC05-00OR22725. and the US Department of Energy, Vehicle Technologies Office, Energy Efficient Mobility Systems program.

Keywords

  • Data and data science
  • Geographic information science
  • Geographic information systems
  • Geospatial data visualization
  • Information management and knowledge discovery
  • Information systems and technology
  • Information technology
  • Visualization in transportation

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