Engineering topics

Aziz, H M Abdul

Publications and source records attributed to Aziz, H M Abdul.

6 records

DOE OSTI2019

Investigating the Impact of Connected Vehicle Market Share on the Performance of Reinforcement-Learning Based Traffic Signal Control

We aim to understand and explore the performance of reinforcement learning based signal control algorithms in a mixed environment with less than 100% market share of connected and automated vehicles (CAVs). Within a simulation environment, we have considered partial connectivity—less than 100% market share of CAVs—in the network and investigated the impact on the performance of the signal control algorithm. Two test networks including a four-intersection arterial in Lankershim Boulevard, CA, and a portion of downtown Springfield, IL, with 20 intersections. The first network is calibrated in the micro-simulator PTV Vissim with the US DOT provided NGSIM datasets. The results provide insights regarding the impact of the connectivity and sensing technologies on the practical implementation of traffic signal control algorithms that leverage the data sharing capability of a connected environment. For scenarios with 40% or more market share of CAVs, we observed improvement in the performance metrics—travel time, queue time, and energy consumption—with the increase in market share. Results from our experiments do not indicate any clear trend when the networks have low (less than 40%) market share of CAVs. The higher standard deviations as obtained from the statistical analyses of the performance metrics at low market share may indicate the instability of the RL controller arising from the partial (if not zero) observability of the traffic states. Further, we have conducted simplified scenario analyses to explore the impact of the market share of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) on energy consumption due to the regenerative braking feature. Our results and findings will be the foundation for the future reinforcement learning based control algorithm development that accounts for partial connectivity—less than 100% CAV market share, and the presence of BEVs in a network of connected and automated signalized intersections.

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗

DOE OSTI2018

High performance Data Driven Agent-based Modeling Framework for Simulation of Commute Mode Choices in Metropolitan Area

Active transportation, human-powered transportation modes such as walking and bicycling, not only reduces the carbon footprint from the transportation sector but also promotes healthy living by offering opportunities for people to build physical activity into their daily routine. To encourage active transportation through urban planning and public campaigns, it is of significant importance to infer factors that substantially influence commuters in their transportation mode choice process. This necessitates a flexible and repeatable tool that can evaluate how a policy is perceived by individual commuters and convert their decisions into macro level understanding. This paper introduces one such effort that is specifically designed for studies of transportation mode choices in metropolitan areas. It provides results from a high-resolution data driven simulation based on high performance computing implementation of the agent-based model framework for home-to-work commute trips. The framework uses a graph-partition based technique that can leverage the interaction structure of agents within a geographic proximity and can boost the simulation execution time. Further, based on a flexible design, it can run ABM with different levels of computing resources-from multi core workstations to an HPC grid. The framework has been tested on the Titan Cray XK7 supercomputer of the Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility.

Park, Byung↗

DOE OSTI2018

Quantifying the Mobility and Energy Benefits of Automated Mobility Districts Using Microscopic Traffic Simulation

Connected and automated vehicles (CAVs) are increasingly being discussed as the basis for shared mobility and on-demand services to replace privately owned vehicles. The rapid growth of transportation networking companies (TNCs) and their increasing investment in automated vehicle (AV) technologies attests to this. Combining the concepts of TNCs, with AV and on-demand transit services, the term “automated mobility district” (AMD) describes a district-scale implementation of CAV technology to realize the full benefits of a shared, fully automated vehicle service within a confined region. This research effort provides a modeling architecture for AMDs along with a preliminary analysis to quantify the mobility and energy benefits of such districts. A customized open-source microscopic mobility simulation toolkit built on the simulation of urban mobility (SUMO) platform is implemented for AMD performance evaluation. Experimental scenarios are tested with different combinations of operational variables to provide insights on energy and mobility gains that can be realized in AMDs.

Zhu, Lei↗

DOE OSTI2017

A Simulation Approach for Modeling High-Resolution Daytime Commuter Travel Flows and Distributions of Worker Subpopulations

High-resolution daytime travel flows and population distribution data are critical for addressing important issues ranging from business planning to emergency preparedness and response. Though dasymetric modeling approaches and Census datasets have been developed to capture daytime populations and travel flows, they often lack the spatial resolution, demographic detail and uncertainty measures needed by decision-makers. In this paper, we propose a high-resolution simulation approach for estimating and quantifying the uncertainty of worker subpopulation distributions and their commuter travel flows in the United States (U.S.). An early case study and novel visualization illustrate the model’s potential utility and impact.

Morton, April↗

DOE OSTI2017

Control of Networked Traffic Flow Distribution - A Stochastic Distribution System Perspective

Networked traffic flow is a common scenario for urban transportation, where the distribution of vehicle queues either at controlled intersections or highway segments reflect the smoothness of the traffic flow in the network. At signalized intersections, the traffic queues are controlled by traffic signal control settings and effective traffic lights control would realize both smooth traffic flow and minimize fuel consumption. Funded by the Energy Efficient Mobility Systems (EEMS) program of the Vehicle Technologies Office of the US Department of Energy, we performed a preliminary investigation on the modelling and control framework in context of urban network of signalized intersections. In specific, we developed a recursive input-output traffic queueing models. The queue formation can be modeled as a stochastic process where the number of vehicles entering each intersection is a random number. Further, we proposed a preliminary B-Spline stochastic model for a one-way single-lane corridor traffic system based on theory of stochastic distribution control.. It has been shown that the developed stochastic model would provide the optimal probability density function (PDF) of the traffic queueing length as a dynamic function of the traffic signal setting parameters. Based upon such a stochastic distribution model, we have proposed a preliminary closed loop framework on stochastic distribution control for the traffic queueing system to make the traffic queueing length PDF follow a target PDF that potentially realizes the smooth traffic flow distribution in a concerned corridor.

Wang, Hong↗

DOE OSTI2017

URBAN-NET-TOOLKIT

Strengthening and maintaining secure, functioning, and resilient Critical Infrastructure Systems (CISs) is one of our nation's primary goals, and it requires proactive and coo0rdinated efforts among federal, state, local, public and private owners and operators of CISs. Recent worldwide extreme events have shown how interdependencies across CISs (electric grid, telecommunications, transportation, water networks, etc.) can drastically increase system vulnerability. To understand these complex interdependencies, ORNL has instantiated Urban-NET, a novel decision support system for CIS operators who need to identify vulnerabilities for minimizing the cascading impacts - saving utilities, the federal and state government, and private sector companies potentially billions by avoiding a complete CI failure and/or shutdown. The developed system includes a stack of software tools for preprocessing, modeling, interconnecting multiple CIS datasets as an integrated heterogeneous graph (i.e. network), identifying vulnerabilities through topological analysis, and predicting consequences based on simulations along with visualization.

Chinthavali, Supriya↗