Adaptive traffic lights based on traffic flow prediction using machine learning models

Traffic congestion prediction is one of the essential components of intelligent transport systems (ITS). This is due to the rapid growth of population and, consequently, the high number of vehicles in cities. Nowadays, the problem of traffic congestion attracts more and more attention from researchers in the field of ITS. Traffic congestion can be predicted in advance by analyzing traffic flow data. In this article, we used machine learning algorithms such as linear regression, random forest regressor, decision tree regressor, gradient boosting regressor, and K-neighbor regressor to predict traffic flow and reduce traffic congestion at intersections. We used the public roads dataset from the UK national road traffic to test our models. All machine learning algorithms obtained good performance metrics, indicating that they are valid for implementation in smart traffic light systems. Next, we implemented an adaptive traffic light system based on a random forest regressor model, which adjusts the timing of green and red lights depending on the road width, traffic density, types of vehicles, and expected traffic. Simulations of the proposed system show a 30.8% reduction in traffic congestion, thus justifying its effectiveness and the interest of deploying it to regulate the signaling problem in intersections

Towards video streaming in IoT environments: vehicular communication perspective

Multimedia oriented Internet of Things (IoT) enables pervasive and real-time communication of video, audio and image data among devices in an immediate surroundings. Today's vehicles have the capability of supporting real time multimedia acquisition. Vehicles with high illuminating infrared cameras and customized sensors can communicate with other on-road devices using dedicated short-range communication (DSRC) and 5G enabled communication technologies. Real time incidence of both urban and highway vehicular traffic environment can be captured and transmitted using vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communication modes. Video streaming in vehicular IoT (VSV-IoT) environments is in growing stage with several challenges that need to be addressed ranging from limited resources in IoT devices, intermittent connection in vehicular networks, heterogeneous devices, dynamism and scalability in video encoding, bandwidth underutilization in video delivery, and attaining application-precise quality of service in video streaming. In this context, this paper presents a comprehensive review on video streaming in IoT environments focusing on vehicular communication perspective. Specifically, significance of video streaming in vehicular IoT environments is highlighted focusing on integration of vehicular communication with 5G enabled IoT technologies, and smart city oriented application areas for VSV-IoT. A taxonomy is presented for the classification of related literature on video streaming in vehicular network environments. Following the taxonomy, critical review of literature is performed focusing on major functional model, strengths and weaknesses. Metrics for video streaming in vehicular IoT environments are derived and comparatively analyzed in terms of their usage and evaluation capabilities. Open research challenges in VSV-IoT are identified as future directions of research in the area. The survey would benefit both IoT and vehicle industry practitioners and researchers, in terms of augmenting understanding of vehicular video streaming and its IoT related trends and issues

Interference-aware multipath video streaming in vehicular environments

The multipath transmission is one of the suitable transmission methods for high data rate oriented communication such as video streaming. Each video packets are split into smaller frames for parallel transmission via different paths. One path may interfere with another path due to these parallel transmissions. The multipath oriented interference is due to the route coupling which is one of the major challenges in vehicular traffic environments. The route coupling increases channel contention resulting in video packet collision. In this context, this paper proposes an Interference-aware Multipath Video Streaming (I-MVS) framework focusing on link and node disjoint optimal paths. Specifically, a multipath vehicular network model is derived. The model is utilized to develop interference-aware video streaming method considering angular driving statistics of vehicles. The quality of video streaming links is measured based on packet error rate considering non-circular transmission range oriented shadowing effects. Algorithms are developed as a complete operational I-MVS framework. The comparative performance evaluation attests the benefit of the proposed framework considering various video streaming related metrics

Delivery, distribution and prediction of multimedia contents in software-defined networks

Orientador: Varese Salvador TimoteoTese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de TecnologiaResumo: Nos últimos anos, aplicações e serviços multimídia, tais como para o acesso e compartilhamento de conteúdos de áudio e vídeo ou para realização de jogos online, dentre outras, tornaram-se extremamente populares. Por outro lado, esses novos serviços e aplicações tornaram o fluxo de tráfego de rede, além de mais intenso, mais detalhado e complexo, exigindo abordagens específicas para comunicações multimídia. Diante desse cenário, este trabalho propõe e explora, enquanto recursos de um gateway multimídia no âmbito de Redes Definidas por Software (SDN) OpenFlow, algumas abordagens que objetivam aprimorar comunicações multimídia no que se refere ao encaminhamento, à distribuição e à predição de seus conteúdos ao longo de rede. Para esse propósito, no âmbito de um gateway multimídia em SDN, os seguintes aspectos são especialmente discutidos neste trabalho: (I) identificação, classificação e encaminhamento diferenciado de fluxos de tráfego multimídia; (II) encaminhamento por fluxos com suporte à Qualidade de Serviço (QoS); (III) cache de conteúdos multimídia; e, (IV) predição de conteúdos multimídia. Nesse contexto, para efeitos de experimentação e avaliação acerca das abordagens empregadas neste trabalho, um ambiente de emulação e um ambiente de simulação são utilizados para a obtenção de resultados experimentais. Em linhas gerais, os resultados obtidos mostram que tais abordagens, enquanto recursos de um gateway multimídia no âmbito de SDNs OpenFlow, são capazes de fornecer recursos para aprimorar comunicações multimídia ao longo da rede, nesse caso, com ênfase no encaminhamento, na distribuição e na predição de conteúdos multimídiaAbstract: In the last few years, multimedia applications and services, such as for multimedia sharing services for audio and video contents, and for online gaming, among others, are becoming more and more popular. On the other hand, these multimedia applications and services increase the network traffic load and make the traffic profiles more detailed and complex, requiring the use of specific approaches for multimedia communications. In this scenario, this work proposes and explores, as resources of a multimedia gateway in the context of OpenFlow Software-Defined Networks (SDN), some approaches and resources that aim to enhance multimedia communications over the network, with focus on multimedia routing, multimedia distribution and multimedia content prediction. For this purpose, in the context of a multimedia gateway in OpenFlow SDN, the following aspects are especially considered and discussed in this work: (I) identification, classification and differentiated routing of multimedia traffic flows; (II) per-flow routing with Quality of Service (QoS) support; (III) multimedia content caching; and, (IV) multimedia content prediction. In this context, for experimentation and evaluation purposes of the approaches proposed in this work, an emulation environment and a simulation environment are used to obtain experimental results. In summary, the obtained results show that the approaches proposed in this work, as resources of a multimedia gateway in OpenFlow SDN, are able to provide resources to enhance multimedia communications over the network, in this case, with emphasis on multimedia routing, multimedia distribution and multimedia content predictionDoutoradoSistemas de Informação e ComunicaçãoDoutor em TecnologiaCAPE

Contributions to provide a QoS-aware self-configured framework for video-streaming services over ad hoc networks

Aplicat embargament des del dia 27 d'octubre de 2021 fins 31 de juliol de 2022Ad hoc networks have attracted much attention from the research community over the last years and important technical advances have risen as a consequence. These networks are foreseen as an important kind of next generation access networks, where multimedia services will be demanded by end users from their wireless devices everywhere. In this thesis, we specially focus our research work on mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs) and on vehicular ad hoc networks (VANETs), two kind of ad hoc networks over which interesting multimedia services can be provided. The special haracteristics of MANETs/VANETs, such as mobility, dynamic network topology (specially in VANETs), energy constraints (in case of MANETs), infrastructureless and variable link capacity, make the QoS (Quality of Service) provision over these networks an important challenge for the research community. Due to that, there is a need to develop new routing protocols specially designed for MANETs and VANETs able to provide multimedia services. The main objective of this thesis is to contribute in the development of the communication framework for MANETs and VANETs to improve decisions to select paths or next hops in the moment of forwarding video-reporting messages. In this way, it would be possible to have a quick answer to manage daily problems in the city and help the emergency units (e.g., police, ambulances, health care units) in case of incidents (e.g., traffic accidents). Furthermore, in case of VANETs, a real scenario must be created and thus we have analysed the presence of obstacles in real maps. Also, in case of an obstacle found between the current forwarding node and the candidate next forwarding node, the packet is stored in a buffer, for a maximum time, until a forwarding neighbour node is found; otherwise, the packet is dropped. To improve the communication framework for MANETs, we propose a new routing protocol based on a game-theoretical scheme for N users specially designed to transmit video-reporting messages. Our proposal makes the network more efficient and provides a higher degree of satisfaction of the users by receiving much more packets with a lower average end-to-end delay, lower jitter and higher PSNR (Peak Signal-to-Noise Ratio). In addition, we propose a geographical routing protocol for VANETs that considers multiple metrics named 3MRP (Multimedia Multimetric Map-Aware Routing Protocol) [1]. 3MRP is a geographical protocol based on hop-by-hop forwarding. The metrics considered in 3MRP are the distance, the density of vehicles in transmission range, the available bandwidth, the future trajectory of the neighbouring nodes and the MAC layer losses. Those metrics are weighted to obtain a multimetric score. Thus, a node selects another node among its neighbours as the best forwarding node to increase the percentage of successful packet delivery, minimizing the average packet delay and offering a certain level of quality and service. Furthermore, a new algorithm named DSW (Dynamic Self-configured Weights) computes for each metric its corresponding weight depending on the current network conditions. As a consequence, nodes are classiffied in a better way.Les xarxes sense fils ad hoc han captat molt l'atenció per part de la comunitat científica en els últims anys, a més dels importants avenços tècnics que han sorgit. Aquestes xarxes es preveuen com un tipus important de xarxes d'accés de nova generació, a on els serveis multimèdia seran requerits pels usuaris a través dels seus dispositius sense fils desde tot arreu. En aquesta tesi, centrem el nostre treball especialment en les xarxes mòbils ad hoc (MANET, Mobile Ad hoc Network) i en les xarxes vehiculars ad hoc (VANET, Vehicular Ad hoc Network). Les característiques especials de les MANETs i les VANETs, com la mobilitat, la topologia dinàmica de la xarxa (especialment en VANETs), les restriccions de bateria (en cas de MANETs), l'absència d'infrastructura i la capacitat variable de l'enllaç sense fil fa que la provisió de la qualitat de servei en aquestes xarxes sigui un repte important per a la comunitat científica. A causa d'això, hi ha la necessitat de desenvolupar nous protocols d'encaminament especialment dissenyats per a MANETs i VANETs capaços de proporcionar els serveis de multimèdia requerits. L'objectiu principal d'aquesta tesi és proveir millores en la comunicació per a les xarxes ad hoc MANET i VANET per millorar les decisions a l'hora de seleccionar els propers camins o nodes, respectivament, en el moment de l'enviament de les trames del video. D'aquesta manera serà possible tenir una resposta ràpida per resoldre els problema diaris a la ciutat i ajudar a les unitats d'emergència (per exemple, policia, ambulàncies, unitats de salut) en cas d'incidents, com ara els accidents de trànsit. Per analitzar adequadament les nostres propostes sobre VANETs hem dissenyat un entorn de simulació realista que incorpora la presència d'edificis en mapes reals i en el cas que hi hagi un obstacle entre el node actual i el candidat per a ser el pròxim salt el paquet s'emmagatzema en un buffer, per un temps màxim, fins a trobar un nou candidat; en cas contrari, es descarta el paquet. Per millorar les comunicacions en les MANETs, proposem un nou protocol d'encaminament basat en teoria de jocs per a N usuaris especialment dissenyat per a enviar missatges de vídeo. Això fa que la xarxa sigui més eficient, i així s'aconsegueix un major grau de satisfacció dels usuaris en rebre molts més paquets amb un menor retard mig extrem a extrem, menor variació del retard (jitter ) i major PSNR (Relació Senyal Soroll de Pic) . A més, es proposa un protocol d'encaminament geogràfic basat en el reenviament hop-by-hop per a VANETs anomenat 3MRP (Multimedia Multimetric Map-Aware Routing Protocol ) [1] que prèn en consideració múltiples mètriques. Les mètriques considerades en 3MRP són la distància a destinació, la densitat de vehicles en el rang de transmissió, l'ample de banda disponible, la trajectòria futura dels nodes veíns i la perdua de paquets a la capa MAC. Aquestes mètriques es ponderen per a obtenir una puntuació multimètrica. Així, un node pot seleccionar el millor node de reenviament entre tots els seus veíns per augmentar la probabilitat d' èxit de lliurament de paquets, minimitzant el retard mitjà dels paquets i oferint un cert nivell de qualitat de servei.Las redes ad hoc han llamado mucho la atención por parte de la comunidad científica en los últimos años, además de los importantes avances técnicos que han surgido. Estas redes se prevén como un tipo importante de redes de acceso de nueva generación, donde los servicios multimedia sean requeridos por los usuarios a través de sus dispositivos inalámbricos desde todas partes. En esta tesis, centramos nuestro trabajo de investigación especialmente en las redes móviles ad hoc (MANET, Mobile Ad hoc Network) y las redes vehiculares ad hoc (VANET, Vehicular Ad hoc Network). Las características especiales de las MANETs y las VANETs, como la movilidad, la topología dinámica de la red (especialmente en VANETs), las restricciones de batería (en caso de MANETs), la ausencia de infraestructura y la capacidad variable del enlace inalámbrico hace que la provisión de la calidad de servicio en estas redes sea un reto importante para la comunidad científica. Debido a esto, existe la necesidad de desarrollar nuevos protocolos de encaminamiento especialmente diseñados para MANETs y VANETs capaces de proporcionar los servicios de multimedia requeridos. El objetivo principal de esta tesis es proveer mejoras en la comunicación para las redes ad hoc MANET y VANET para mejorar las decisiones a la hora de seleccionar los próximos caminos o nodos, respectivamente, en el momento del envío de las tramas del video y de esta manera sería posible tener una respuesta rápida para resolver los problema diarios en la ciudad y ayudar a las unidades de emergencia (por ejemplo, policía, ambulancias, unidades de salud) en caso de incidentes, como accidentes de tráfico. Para analizar adecuadamente nuestras propuestas sobre VANETs hemos diseñado un entorno de simulación realista que incorpora la presencia de edificios en mapas reales. En el caso de que haya un obstáculo entre el nodo actual y el candidato para ser el próximo salto el paquete se almacena en un buer, durante un tiempo máximo, hasta encontrar un nuevo candidato; en caso contrario, se descarta el paquete. Para mejorar las comunicaciones en las MANETs, proponemos un nuevo protocolo de encaminamiento basado en teoría de juegos para N usuarios especialmente diseñados para enviar mensajes de video. Esto hace que la red sea más eficiente, y así se consigue un mayor grado de satisfacción de los usuarios al recibir muchos más paquetes con un menor promedio de retardo de extremo a extremo, variación de retardo (jitter) y mayor PSNR (Relación Señal a Ruido de Pico). Además, se propone un protocolo de encaminamiento geográfico basado en el reenvío de salto-a-salto para VANETs llamado 3MRP (Multimedia multimetric Map-Aware Routing Protocol) [1] que incluye diversas métricas. Las métricas consideradas en 3MRP son la distancia al destino, la densidad de vehículos en el rango de transmisión, el ancho de banda disponible, la trayectoria futura de los nodos vecinos y la pérdida de paquetes en la capa MAC. Estas métricas se ponderan para obtener una puntuación multimetricanal. Así, un nodo puede seleccionar el mejor nodo de reenvío entre todos sus vecinos para aumentar la probabilidad de éxito de entrega de paquetes, minimizando el retardo medio de los paquetes y ofreciendo un cierto nivel de calidad de servicio. Por otra parte, se ha diseñado un nuevo algoritmo capaz de dar a cada métrica su correspondiente peso en función de las condiciones actuales de la red. De esta forma, los nodos se pueden clasificar de una mejor manera. Por último, se propone un nuevo protocolo de encaminamiento para VANETs llamado G-3MRP (Game Theoretical Multimedia Multimetric Map-aware Routing Protocol) [2] para enviar mensajes de video basado en teoría de juegos para N usuarios en escenarios urbanos. G-3MRP se basa en el protocolo de encaminamiento 3MRP. G-3MRP utiliza hasta tres nodos a través de los cuales los tres tipos de cuadros de video I, P y B serán enviados. Las métricas utilizadas son las mismas que en 3MRP. G-3MRP logra una mayor grado de satisfacción de los usuarios mediante la recepción de muchos más paquetes de video y con un mayor nivel de PSNR, que la anterior propuesta 3MRP+DSW. También hemos analizado el problema de detección de obstáculos en mapas reales para VANETs en escenarios urbanos. Para este propósito, hemos desarrollado nuestra herramienta REVsim [3] de tal forma que puede estar fácilmente integrada en nuestra propuesta de protocolo de encaminamiento para que las simulaciones sean más realistas.Postprint (published version