Facilities

Facilities

The UFTI has a variety of laboratories and data collection resources to meet educational and research goals and needs. Additionally, the UFTI has a complete set of standard traffic data collection equipment for use in field studies including traffic classifiers, stopwatches, measuring wheels, a speed radar gun, video cameras and recorders, and portable power supplies. Several AUTOSCOPETM video detection systems, which can be used to automatically extract traffic data (such as speeds and vehicle counts) from cameras, and recorded video are also available.

Driving Simulator: The car-simulator allows researchers to conduct a variety of transportation-related studies on autonomous and connected vehicles, driver behavior, drivers with medical conditions such as Parkinson’s, ADHD, traumatic brain injuries. The driving simulator is located in the Smart House at Oak Hammock, which is a University of Florida affiliated retirement community in Gainesville, Fla.

Traffic Signal Control Laboratory: The Traffic Signal Control Laboratory, contains numerous advanced pieces of equipment related to signal control and sensing.  Such equipment includes several AUTOSCOPETM video detection systems, LiDAR, radar, traffic signal controllers (both NEMA and 2070 types), along with supporting signal control cabinet hardware and signal heads, and several Controller Interface Device (CID) units (for performing hardware-in-the-loop simulation studies).  In this lab, we have the ability to conduct full intersection signal control demonstrations and tests.  The laboratory is equipped with video data collection and processing facilities, including numerous video cameras and recording devices. We also have access to video and data collected by the City of Gainesville.

Data Collection Resources: The UFTI has a complete set of standard traffic data collection equipment for use in field studies including traffic classifiers, stopwatches, measuring wheels, a speed radar gun, video cameras and recorders, and portable power supplies. It also has several AUTOSCOPETM video detection systems, which can be used to automatically extract traffic data (such as speeds and vehicle counts) from cameras, and recorded video. This equipment will be available, as needed, for the proposed work.

Instrumented Vehicle: The UFTI has available its own vehicle (a Honda Pilot pictured below) for performing on-the-road data collection.  This vehicle is equipped with multiple video cameras and video recording equipment for capturing multiple fields of view from within the vehicle.  Acceleration and velocity data are also collected.

CITY OF GAINESVILLE

The City of Gainesville provides collaborative access to the following facilities, equipment, devices and other resources.

Traffic Management Center Located Equipment and Devices:

  • Visualization and Video: 3 x 9 Video Wall matrix consisting of 18 – 50”monitor system driven by nine windows 10 Pro Units, using NVidia GForce GPUs and Intel Core I7 CPUs, and is capable of displaying 72 separate video streams simultaneously, or 18 large visualization screens in concert. Visualization is controlled through a VMS (Video Management System) provided by Bosch.
  • Network and Interconnectivity: The Traffic Management Center is the Primary Network hub of 105 miles of Traffic Management underground fiber optics, connecting more than 250 field network sites, majority of which are individual signalized intersections. The Network Layer 2 and Layer 3 utilizes an all Juniper backbone (Juniper EX-8208 and EX-4200) to the TMS at 10GBps; while each individual field sites or node utilizes field hardened switches at 1GBps (ITSExpress 8040). Connectivity to the University of Florida is through to Florida Lamda Rail (FLR) at 2 fully dedicated  x 1G Ethernet IP Transports (internal to any FLR Partners and FL research institutions) and 100 MBps to external/commercial internet. The  NPMS (Network Performance and Monitoring System) is organized utilizing Soloriwinds Solutions for Network Management
  • Computation and Storage. The TMS utilizes two Physical Host for Virtualization and Storage. Primary Physical Host: Lenovo Think Agile HX1320 cluster array hardware on Nutanix Hyper-converged virtualization platform (408GB of Physical Memory and 84 GHz of CPU Compute power). Secondary/Legacy Physical Host: Dell Poweredge R720s  Rack Server with 6 Intel Xeon CPUs and 240GB of Physical Memory utilizing VMWare VSpeher and EXSi. Storage: Dell EqualLogic PS6210, SANS aray with 72TB of Storage
  • Traffic Signal Information: Second by Second Controller Status is obtained through ATMS.now (Advance Traffic Management System provided by Trafficware) central software and higher resolution deci-second controller status for newer and upgraded intersection controllers are provided through TRAFOp ATMSP  (Automated Traffic Signal Performance Measures)
  • Test and Validation Devices: Test and Validation Devices are available in a controlled and isolated environment in the Traffic Management Center and/or the Traffic Signal Shop using ATC (Advance Traffic Controller) from Trafficware. RSU (Road Side Units using DSRC) from Siemens . OBU (On Board Unit) from Sirius/XM, Brandmotion

Field Located Equipment and  Devices

  • Video Monitoring: All signalized intersections will have Bosch Autodome Cameras (Either VG4 Autodome or Autodome VG5-ITS-7000) running at either 720p or 1080p at full frame rate. All cameras are 28x or 36x optical zoom capable, some have wider dynamic range (WDR), and day and night modes, and vertical/horoizontal aperture correction.
  • Video Detection System: About half of the signalized intersections have a Video Detection System consisting of either a FishEye based full intersection video detection (technology provided by Cubic/Gridsmart) or a 4-camera approach fixed Intersection (technology provided by Iteris Inc).
  • Field Edge Network and Connectivity: All signalized intersections will be connected via a field hardened Ethernet switch, either 8 port or 12 port (10/100/1000TX Copper Ports up to 56 GBPS Back-Plane). Field Edge switch also has some Layer 2/3 capabilities, such as Managed IGMP Video Switching, One to two access field access ports will be provided for this project at strategic intersections.
  • Controller Optimization: Secured access to Field Traffic Controllers both through the ATMS.now and TRAFOp ATSPM central systems, as well as secured direct access to certain strategic ATC Controllers Linux kernel will also be provided.
  • Connected Vehicle Systems: 27 MAP and SPaT capable intersection will be online and working through the “Gainesville Trapezium” Project led by the Florida Department of Transportation. These 27 intersections will border UF’s main campus and will feature technology from Siemens , SiriusXM and Brandmotion. An additional larger DSRC radio deployment of 90 intersections will be online by the end of 2020 though the “FRAME” Project and will feature technologies from TrafficCast/Denso and Applied Information.

Gainesville Public Works Complex and Facilities

The Gainesville Public Works Complex is an approximately 20-acre compound and home of the Gainesville Traffic Management Center. The Public Works Complex also hosts several Divisions and Department including Operations (Streets/Roadway, Mosquito Control, Heavy equipment), Park and Recreation Facilities and Traffic Operations facilities (Traffic Signal Ship).  The Public Works complex has a small closed circuit roadway network where test Connected Vehicles interaction with Traffic Control Devices can be conducted in a safe and controlled environment.

Gainesville Mobility Complex and Regional Transit System Facility

The Gainesville Mobility and Regional Transit System Complex and Facilities is a 25+ Acre facility that includes a modern RTS Administration building, a maintenance building for buses and vehicles and a small track where bus driver/operator training is conducted in a closed course. The Mobility and RTS Facility also features a Bus Information and Dispatch Center which can be utilized as a secondary Traffic Management Center.

“I-STREET” is a real-world testbed located in Gainesville, Florida. The testbed is dedicated to advancing the state-of-the art in connected and automated vehicle implementation, and it is a joint effort between the Florida Department of Transportation, the University of Florida Transportation Institute (UFTI), the City of Gainesville, and industry partners. I-STREET addresses V2X implementation for vehicles, pedestrians, and bicycles; it utilizes machine learning and AI; and it uses a database platform to assess safety and mobility across the testbed. With the confluence of UF, Gainesville, and Interstate 75, I-STREET leverages a multimodal roadway network and emerging transportation technologies to advance safety, mobility, workforce, and innovation.

I-STREET Infrastructure

I-STREET Living Lab contains the following components:

  • 129 Road Side Units (RSUs)
  • 56 On Board Units (OBUs)
  • 5 Autonomous Vehicles (AVs)
    • Gainesville Autonomous Shuttles (4)
    • Research AV – NaviGATOR (1)
  • Custom Instrumentation from Research at UFTI
    • DSRC Communication Equipment (Cohda Mk5 radios, Mobilemark Antennas)
    • Smartmicro 2D and 3D Radars
    • Econolite Autoscope Vision camera
    • Real-time Intersection Optimizer (RIO) Software Program
  • Other Equipment
    • Mobileye Shield+ – Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) on RTS Transit buses
    • Bike Rack Sensors on RTS transit buses
    • Eye Trackers
    • Smartphone Applications

I-STREET Data

Signal Data

Format: [Data sets], (B) type, (C) bin rate/periodic refresh rate, (D) granularity (E) method of acquiring

  • [ATSPM data]: (B) tabular, (C) bins are every 5 minutes, (D) contents every 0.1 seconds, (E) via API through spm.traffops.com,  or directly from controller FTP/SCP protocol
  • [DSRC SPaT data]: (B) tabular, (C and D) real-time, every 0.1 seconds, (E) via API through “Siemens” XFER protocol or directly from OBU that is enrolled in SCMS
  • [Signal timing and Coordination data]— (B) Mostly static, unless we (or a consultant) retime an arterial segment. (C and D) only when changed (E) via Trafficware’s ATMS.now client

Traffic Count/Flow Data

  • Detection Data (B) Tabular (C) bins every 24 hours; (D) every 15 minutes (E) via  GridSmart Client; or Iteris Client This can be a per approach (i.e. like a turning movement count); or per detector channel (i.e. say per lane of a 3 lane approach)
  • Arterial Segment Travel Time Data
    • Trapezium has the Siemens/Acyclica (uses Bluetooth and Wifi temporal address matching)
    • FRAME (several arterials – about 60+ intersections) has the TrafficCast/Bluetooth Data
    • Waze for Cities (but not very granular)  —our waze for Cities feed is now link within our “TrafOps” portal
  • ADT/Average Daily Traffic or Tube counts — 90 count locations are obtained every other year, during the Spring and fall

Video Data (note City of Gainesville Traffic Operations does not record, they can share the stream to researchers)

  • Fisheye camera from GridSmart Video Detection(via VLC or other open source RTSP client) about 35 locations
  • Fixed camera from Iteris Video Detection (via VLC or other open source RTSP client) – about 50 locations
  • Pan-Tilt-Zoom (PTZ) camera (CCTV Devices from Bosch) – (via VLC or other open source RTSP client) – about 200 locations.