Locating Traffic Sensors on a Highway Network

Author(s):  
Fatemeh Sayyady ◽  
Yahya Fathi ◽  
George F. List ◽  
John R. Stone

This paper considers the problem of finding optimal sensor locations on a traffic network with the goal of characterizing system use overall. The problem is studied for two practical scenarios. In the first scenario, it is assumed that there is a given number of sensors (p) to be located on the highway network. In this context, the problem is to find a collection of p locations among a given collection of candidate locations. In the second scenario, it is assumed that there is a cost (ci) associated with installing a sensor at each candidate location i and a total budget b. In this context, the problem is to find a collection of locations that provide the best possible characterization given the budget constraint. A metric is proposed for evaluating a potential solution, and then appropriate mathematical models are proposed for solving the problem for each scenario. It is shown that the budget-constrained problem is an extension of the well-known p-median problem. A new Lagrangian heuristic algorithm is presented for solving large instances of this problem when a budget constraint is imposed. A comprehensive computational experiment is used to demonstrate that the Lagrangian heuristic algorithm provides solutions for large-scale networks within reasonable execution times. Examples are based on locating weigh-in-motion sensors on a large-scale highway network.

Author(s):  
Lukas Ambühl ◽  
Allister Loder ◽  
Nan Zheng ◽  
Kay W. Axhausen ◽  
Monica Menendez

The macroscopic fundamental diagram (MFD) measures network-level traffic performance of urban road networks. Large-scale networks are normally partitioned into homogeneous regions in relation to road network topology and traffic dynamics. Existing partitioning algorithms rely on unbiased data. Unfortunately, widely available stationary traffic sensors introduce a spatial bias and may fail to identify meaningful regions for MFD estimations. Thus, it is crucial to revisit and develop stationary-sensor-based partitioning algorithm. This paper proposes an alternative two-step partitioning algorithm for MFD estimations based on information collected solely from stationary sensors. In a first step, possible partitioning outcomes are generated in the road networks using random walks. In a second step, the regions’ MFDs are estimated under every possible partitioning outcome. Based on previous work, an indicator is proposed to evaluate the traffic heterogeneity in regions. The proposed partitioning approach is tested with an abstract grid network and empirical data from Zurich. In addition, the results are compared with an algorithm that disregards stationary detectors’ biases. The results demonstrate that the proposed approach performs well for obtaining the quasi-optimal network partitions yielding the lowest heterogeneity among all possible partition outcomes. The presented approach not only complements existing literature, but also offers practice-oriented solutions for transport authorities to estimate the MFDs with their available data.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miguel Dasilva ◽  
Christian Brandt ◽  
Marc Alwin Gieselmann ◽  
Claudia Distler ◽  
Alexander Thiele

Abstract Top-down attention, controlled by frontal cortical areas, is a key component of cognitive operations. How different neurotransmitters and neuromodulators flexibly change the cellular and network interactions with attention demands remains poorly understood. While acetylcholine and dopamine are critically involved, glutamatergic receptors have been proposed to play important roles. To understand their contribution to attentional signals, we investigated how ionotropic glutamatergic receptors in the frontal eye field (FEF) of male macaques contribute to neuronal excitability and attentional control signals in different cell types. Broad-spiking and narrow-spiking cells both required N-methyl-D-aspartic acid and α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid receptor activation for normal excitability, thereby affecting ongoing or stimulus-driven activity. However, attentional control signals were not dependent on either glutamatergic receptor type in broad- or narrow-spiking cells. A further subdivision of cell types into different functional types using cluster-analysis based on spike waveforms and spiking characteristics did not change the conclusions. This can be explained by a model where local blockade of specific ionotropic receptors is compensated by cell embedding in large-scale networks. It sets the glutamatergic system apart from the cholinergic system in FEF and demonstrates that a reduction in excitability is not sufficient to induce a reduction in attentional control signals.


2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Siddharth Arora ◽  
Alexandra Brintrup

AbstractThe relationship between a firm and its supply chain has been well studied, however, the association between the position of firms in complex supply chain networks and their performance has not been adequately investigated. This is primarily due to insufficient availability of empirical data on large-scale networks. To addresses this gap in the literature, we investigate the relationship between embeddedness patterns of individual firms in a supply network and their performance using empirical data from the automotive industry. In this study, we devise three measures that characterize the embeddedness of individual firms in a supply network. These are namely: centrality, tier position, and triads. Our findings caution us that centrality impacts individual performance through a diminishing returns relationship. The second measure, tier position, allows us to investigate the concept of tiers in supply networks because we find that as networks emerge, the boundaries between tiers become unclear. Performance of suppliers degrade as they move away from the focal firm (i.e., Toyota). The final measure, triads, investigates the effect of buying and selling to firms that supply the same customer, portraying the level of competition and cooperation in a supplier’s network. We find that increased coopetition (i.e., cooperative competition) is a performance enhancer, however, excessive complexity resulting from being involved in both upstream and downstream coopetition results in diminishing performance. These original insights help understand the drivers of firm performance from a network perspective and provide a basis for further research.


2009 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tatsunori B Hashimoto ◽  
Masao Nagasaki ◽  
Kaname Kojima ◽  
Satoru Miyano

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