Traffic parameter measurement technology evaluation

The three primary goals of this FHWA-sponsored program are to: (1) determine the types of traffic parameter data and the associated accuracies required for Intelligent Vehicle Highway System (IVHS) vehicle detection applications on surface streets and freeways; (2) conduct tests to determine the performance of current state-of-the-art detectors; and (3) determine the need for a national detector test facility. Detectors based on technologies such as microwave radar, passive and active infrared, ultrasound, video image processing, inductive loops, and magnetometers are tested and evaluated in three states that exhibit widely divergent climates. One freeway and one surface street arterial site were chosen to test and evaluate the applications of the detector technologies.