A Framework for Robust Assimilation of Potentially Malign Third-Party Data, and its Statistical Meaning

This paper presents a model-based method for fusing data from multiple sensors with a hypothesis-test-based component for rejecting potentially faulty or otherwise malign data. Our framework is based on an extension of the classic particle filter algorithm for real-time state estimation of uncertain systems with nonlinear dynamics with partial and noisy observations. This extension, based on classical statistical theories, utilizes statistical tests against the system's observation model. We discuss the application of the two major statistical testing frameworks, Fisherian significance testing and Neyman-Pearsonian hypothesis testing, to the Monte Carlo and sensor fusion settings. The Monte Carlo Neyman-Pearson test we develop is useful when one has a reliable model of faulty data, while the Fisher one is applicable when one may not have a model of faults, which may occur when dealing with third-party data, like GNSS data of transportation system users. These statistical tests can be combined with a particle filter to obtain a Monte Carlo state estimation scheme that is robust to faulty or outlier data. We present a synthetic freeway traffic state estimation problem where the filters are able to reject simulated faulty GNSS measurements. The fault-model-free Fisher filter, while underperforming the Neyman-Pearson one when the latter has an accurate fault model, outperforms it when the assumed fault model is incorrect.Comment: IEEE Intelligent Transportation Systems Magazine, special issue on GNSS-based positionin

Estimation and prediction of road traffic flow using particle filter for real-time traffic control

Real-data testing results of a real-time state estimator and predictor are presented with particular focus on the feature of enabling of detector fault alarms and also its relation to queue-length based traffic control. A parameter and state estimator/predictor is developed by using particle filter. The simulation testing results are quite satisfactory and promising for further work on developing a hybrid model of traffic flow that captures the transition between low and high intensity. By using this hybrid model, it may be more feasible to achieve the significant feature of automatic adaptation to changing system condition

Particle filter state estimator for large urban networks

This paper applies a particle filter (PF) state estimator to urban traffic networks. The traffic network consists of signalized intersections, the roads that link these intersections, and sensors that detect the passage time of vehicles. The traffic state X(t) specifies at each time time t the state of the traffic lights, the queue sizes at the intersections, and the location and size of all the platoons of vehicles inside the system. The basic entity of our model is a platoon of vehicles that travel close together at approximately the same speed. This leads to a discrete event simulation model that is much faster than microscopic models representing individual vehicles. Hence it is possible to execute many random simulation runs in parallel. A particle filter (PF) assigns weights to each of these simulation runs, according to how well they explain the observed sensor signals. The PF thus generates estimates at each time t of the location of the platoons, and more importantly the queue size at each intersection. These estimates can be used for controlling the optimal switching times of the traffic light

Origin-Destination (O-D) Trip Table Estimation Using Traffic Movement Counts from Vehicle Tracking System at Intersection

A new video-based vehicle tracking system is proposed to provide accurate information on directional traffic counts at intersections. The extracted counts are fed to estimate an origin- destination trip table which is necessary information for traffic impact study and transportation planning. The system utilizes a fisheye lens to expand the area covered by a single camera and uses a particle filtering method to track an individual vehicle. The filter is designed to handle environmental changes and multiple motion dynamics. Experimental results show its strong ability on tracking in various conditions. The paper shows how to use the tracking outputs in obtaining accurate origin-destination (O-D) table