Performance analysis of road traffic data collection system

Advanced Traveller Information Systems (ATIS) and Advanced Traffic Management Systems (ATMS) require real-time traffic data to observe and control the traffic flow. Still, there is a lack of proficient traffic monitoring systems. One method to collect such data is using particular equipped vehicles, called `probes', transmitting experienced travel times to base stations which in turn are connected to a traffic control center. In this paper we analyze the performance of a radio network for collecting real-time traffic data from probes. The results reveal that random transmission of traffic reports is a (spectrum) efficient, inexpensive and flexible method for collecting road traffic data that can provide reliable traffic monitoring.