10 research outputs found
Recommended from our members
New Methods for Monitoring Spatial Truck Travel Patterns in California Using Existing Detector Infrastructure
This study developed a methodology to accurately estimate network-wide truck flows by leveraging existing point detection infrastructure, namely inductive loop detectors. The tracking model identifies individual trucks at detector locations using advanced inductive signatures and matches vehicle pairs at detector locations, using an extended form of the Bayesian classification model to estimate matching and non-matching probabilities of the vehicle pairs Several vehicle feature selection and weighting methods including Self Organizing Map and K-means clustering were applied to better identify individual vehicles from signature data. It was shown that the proposed extensive feature processing enhanced vehicle identification performance even among vehicle pools sharing similar physical configurations. The developed model was tested along an approximately 5.5-mile freeway segment on I-5 and CA-78 in San Diego, California where only 67 percent of the total trucks were observed at both up- and down-stream detector sites. Results showed balanced performances in exactness and completeness of matching with 91 percent of correct outcomes for multi-unit truck
Recommended from our members
Policy and Literature Review on the Effect Millennials Have on Vehicle Miles Traveled, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, and the Built Environment
Vehicle travel has reduced substantially across all demographics in the 2000’s, but millennials or young adults born from 1985-2000 stand out as the group that has reduced vehicle travel the most. This reduction of travel among millennials is known as the millennial effect. This policy and literature review discusses insights from recent policy reports and literature regarding the millennial effect and identifies the prominent themes and gaps in our knowledge. The first section reviews existing research on the millennial effect on vehicle miles traveled (VMT). The second section discusses the influence of the built environment on the travel and activities of the millennial generation. The third section highlights scenarios describing the millennials effect’s potential magnitude and identifies topics for consideration in future scenario planning efforts. The final section discusses the uncertainty that exists regarding the future behavior of millennials and their influence on VMT and greenhouse gas emissions
Recommended from our members
Improved California Truck Traffic Census Reporting and Spatial Activity Measurement
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) vehicle classification scheme is designed to serve various transportation operational and planning needs. Many transportation agencies rely on Weigh-In-Motion and automatic vehicle classification sites to collect vehicle classification count data. However, these systems are not widely deployed due to high installation and operations costs. One cost-effective approach investigated by researchers has been the use of single inductive loop sensors as an alternative to obtain FHWA vehicle classification data. However, most models do not accurately classify under-represented classes, even though many of these minority classes pose disproportionally adverse impacts on pavement infrastructure and the environment. As a consequence, previous models have not been able to adequately classify under-represented classes, and the overall performance of the models are often masked by excellent classification accuracy of the majority classes, such as passenger vehicles and five-axle tractor trailers. This project developed a bootstrap aggregating (bagging) deep neural network (DNN) model on a truck-focused dataset obtained from Truck Activity Monitoring System (TAMS) sites, which leverage existing inductive loop sensor infrastructure coupled with deployed inductive loop signature technology, and already deployed statewide at over ninety locations across all Caltrans Districts. The proposed method significantly improved the model performance on truck-related classes, especially minority classes such as Classes 7 and 11 which were overlooked in previous research studies. Remarkably, the proposed model is also capable of distinguishing classes with overlapping axle configuration, which is generally a challenge for axle-based sensor systems. 
Recommended from our members
New Methods for Monitoring Spatial Truck Travel Patterns in California Using Existing Detector Infrastructure
This study developed a methodology to accurately estimate network-wide truck flows by leveraging existing point detection infrastructure, namely inductive loop detectors. The tracking model identifies individual trucks at detector locations using advanced inductive signatures and matches vehicle pairs at detector locations, using an extended form of the Bayesian classification model to estimate matching and non-matching probabilities of the vehicle pairs Several vehicle feature selection and weighting methods including Self Organizing Map and K-means clustering were applied to better identify individual vehicles from signature data. It was shown that the proposed extensive feature processing enhanced vehicle identification performance even among vehicle pools sharing similar physical configurations. The developed model was tested along an approximately 5.5-mile freeway segment on I-5 and CA-78 in San Diego, California where only 67 percent of the total trucks were observed at both up- and down-stream detector sites. Results showed balanced performances in exactness and completeness of matching with 91 percent of correct outcomes for multi-unit truck
Recommended from our members
Integration of Weigh-in-Motion and Inductive Signature Technology for Advanced Truck Monitoring
Trucks have a significant impact on infrastructure, traffic congestion, energy consumption, pollution and quality of life. To better understand truck characteristics, comprehensive high resolution truck data is needed. Higher quality truck data can enable more accurate estimates of GHGs and emissions, allow for better management of infrastructure, provide insight to truck travel behavior, and enhance freight forecasting. Currently, truck traffic data is collected through limited means and with limited detail. Agencies can obtain or estimate truck travel statistics from surveys, inductive loop detectors (ILD) and weigh-in-motion (WIM) stations, or from manual counts, each of which have various limitations. Of these sources, WIM and ILD seem to be the most promising tools for capturing detailed truck information. Axle spacing and weight from existing WIM devices and unique inductive signatures indicative of body type from ILDs equipped with high sampling rate detector cards are complementary data sources that can be integrated to provide a synergistic resource that otherwise does not exist in practice, a resource that is able to overcome the drawbacks of the traditional truck data collection methods by providing data that is detailed, link specific, temporally continuous, up-to-date, and representative of the full truck population. This integrated data resource lends itself very readily toward detailed truck body classification which is presented as a case study. This body classification model is able to predict 35 different trailer body types for FHWA class 9 semi-tractors, achieving an 80 percent correct classification rate. In addition to the body classification model, the large data set resulting from the case study is itself a valuable and novel resource for truck studies
Recommended from our members
Policy and Literature Review on the Effect Millennials Have on Vehicle Miles Traveled, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, and the Built Environment
Vehicle travel has reduced substantially across all demographics in the 2000’s, but millennials or young adults born from 1985-2000 stand out as the group that has reduced vehicle travel the most. This reduction of travel among millennials is known as the millennial effect. This policy and literature review discusses insights from recent policy reports and literature regarding the millennial effect and identifies the prominent themes and gaps in our knowledge. The first section reviews existing research on the millennial effect on vehicle miles traveled (VMT). The second section discusses the influence of the built environment on the travel and activities of the millennial generation. The third section highlights scenarios describing the millennials effect’s potential magnitude and identifies topics for consideration in future scenario planning efforts. The final section discusses the uncertainty that exists regarding the future behavior of millennials and their influence on VMT and greenhouse gas emissions
Recommended from our members
Density Estimation using Inductive Loop Signature based Vehicle Re-identification and Classification
This paper presents a new method for estimating traffic density on freeways, and an adaptation for real-time applications. This method uses re-identified vehicles and their travel times estimated from a real-time vehicle re-identification (REID) system which attempts to anonymously match vehicles based on their inductive signatures. The accuracy of the section- 6 based density estimation algorithm is validated against ground-truth data obtained from recorded video for a six-lane, 0.66-mile freeway segment of I-405N in Irvine, California, during the morning peak period. The proposed density estimation algorithm results are compared against a g-factor based method which relies on inductive loop detector occupancy data and estimated vehicle lengths from the Caltrans Performance Measurement System (PeMS) as well as a selected REID method which uses a sparse REID algorithm based on long vehicle detection and volume counts at detector stations. Although the g-factor approach produces real-time density estimates, it requires seasonally calibrated parameters. In addition to the calibration effort to maintain overall accuracy of the system, the g-factor approach will also produce errors in density estimation if the actual composition of vehicles yields a different observed g-factor from the calibrated value. In contrast, the proposed method uses an existing vehicle re-identification model based on the matching of inductive vehicle signatures between two locations spanning a freeway section. This approach does not require assumptions on the vehicle composition, hence does not require calibration. The proposed algorithm obtained section-based density measures with a mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) of less than four percent when compared against groundtruth data and provides accurate density estimates even during congested conditions, improving both the PeMS and selected alternative REID based methods
Recommended from our members
An Alternative Method to Estimate Balancing Factors for the Disaggregation of OD Matrices
The solution algorithms for the family of flow distribution problems, which include (1) the trip distribution problem of travel forecasting, (2) the OD estimation from link counts problem, and (3) the trip matrix disaggregation problem, are usually based on the Maximum Entropy (ME) principle. ME-based optimization problems are hard to solve directly by optimization techniques due to the complexity of the objective function. Thus, in practice, iterative procedures are used to find approximate solutions. These procedures, however, cannot be easily applied if additional constraints are needed to be included in the problem. In this paper a new approach for balancing trip matrices with application in trip matrix disaggregation is introduced. The concept of generating the most similar distribution (MSD) instead of the Most Probable Distribution of Maximum Entropy principle is the basis of this approach. The goal of MSD is to minimize the deviation from the initial trip distribution, while satisfying additional constraints. This concept can be formulated in different ways. Two MSD-based objective functions have been introduced in this paper to replace the ME-based objective function. One is the Sum of Squared Deviations MSD (SSD-MSD), and the other is Minimax-MSD. While SSD-MSD puts more emphasis on maintaining the base year trip shares as a whole, Minimax-MSD puts more emphasis on maintaining the share of each individual element in the trip table. The main advantage of replacing the entropy-based objective functions with any of these functions is that the resulting problems can include additional constraints and still be readily solved by standard optimization engines. In addition, these objective functions could produce more meaningful results than entropy-based functions in regional transportation planning studies, as shown in the case study and some of the examples in the paper. Several examples and a case study of the California Statewide Freight Forecasting Model (CSFFM) are presented to demonstrate the merits of using MSD-based formulations
Recommended from our members
Geographic Scalability and Supply Chain Elasticity of a Structural Commodity Generation Model Using Public Data
Freight forecasting models are data intensive and require many explanatory variables to be accurate. One problem, particularly in the United States, is that public data sources are mostly at highly aggregate geographic levels, while models with more disaggregate geographic levels are required for regional freight transportation planning. Second, supply chain effects are often ignored or modeled with economic input-output models which lack explanatory power. This study addresses these challenges by considering a structural equation modeling approach, which is not confined to a specific spatial structure as spatial regression models would be, and allows for correlations between commodities. A FAF-based structural commodity generation model is specified and estimated and shown to provide a better fit to the data than independent regression models for each commodity. Three features of the model are discussed: indirect effects, supply chain elasticity, and intrazonal supply-demand interactions. A validation of the geographic scalability of the model is conducted using data imputed with a goal programming method
Sparsentan in patients with IgA nephropathy: a prespecified interim analysis from a randomised, double-blind, active-controlled clinical trial
Background: Sparsentan is a novel, non-immunosuppressive, single-molecule, dual endothelin and angiotensin receptor antagonist being examined in an ongoing phase 3 trial in adults with IgA nephropathy. We report the prespecified interim analysis of the primary proteinuria efficacy endpoint, and safety. Methods: PROTECT is an international, randomised, double-blind, active-controlled study, being conducted in 134 clinical practice sites in 18 countries. The study examines sparsentan versus irbesartan in adults (aged ≥18 years) with biopsy-proven IgA nephropathy and proteinuria of 1·0 g/day or higher despite maximised renin-angiotensin system inhibitor treatment for at least 12 weeks. Participants were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to receive sparsentan 400 mg once daily or irbesartan 300 mg once daily, stratified by estimated glomerular filtration rate at screening (30 to 1·75 g/day). The primary efficacy endpoint was change from baseline to week 36 in urine protein-creatinine ratio based on a 24-h urine sample, assessed using mixed model repeated measures. Treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) were safety endpoints. All endpoints were examined in all participants who received at least one dose of randomised treatment. The study is ongoing and is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03762850. Findings: Between Dec 20, 2018, and May 26, 2021, 404 participants were randomly assigned to sparsentan (n=202) or irbesartan (n=202) and received treatment. At week 36, the geometric least squares mean percent change from baseline in urine protein-creatinine ratio was statistically significantly greater in the sparsentan group (-49·8%) than the irbesartan group (-15·1%), resulting in a between-group relative reduction of 41% (least squares mean ratio=0·59; 95% CI 0·51-0·69; p<0·0001). TEAEs with sparsentan were similar to irbesartan. There were no cases of severe oedema, heart failure, hepatotoxicity, or oedema-related discontinuations. Bodyweight changes from baseline were not different between the sparsentan and irbesartan groups. Interpretation: Once-daily treatment with sparsentan produced meaningful reduction in proteinuria compared with irbesartan in adults with IgA nephropathy. Safety of sparsentan was similar to irbesartan. Future analyses after completion of the 2-year double-blind period will show whether these beneficial effects translate into a long-term nephroprotective potential of sparsentan. Funding: Travere Therapeutics