Research facilities at the TRC consist of a traffic simulation lab, a traffic control lab and an instrumented vehicle.
The traffic simulation lab is equipped with powerful personal computers for advanced applications, including simulation packages, various traffic and transportation software and statistical packages. The TRC has access to all software distributed by the McTrans Center, a software support center for the transportation engineering and planning community.
The traffic signal control lab contains advanced equipment related to signal control such as several Autoscope video detection systems, traffic signal controllers (NEMA and 2070 types), supporting signal control cabinet hardware and signal heads and Controller Interface Device (CID) units. The lab allows researchers to conduct full-intersection signal control demonstrations and tests. The laboratory also contains video data collection and processing equipment, including video cameras and recording devices.
The TRC owns a Honda Pilot for on-the-road data collection. This research vehicle is equipped with a Honeywell Mobile Digital Recorder (HTDR400) system. The vehicle has a built-in GPS, and information regarding vehicle position and speed is displayed and recorded on the HTDR400. It also includes four wide-coverage digital cameras (DCs) that capture video clips of the front, back and the two sides of the vehicle. The video and audio data collected during the driving tasks, are recorded on the HTDR400 and stored on a local hard drive located in the trunk of the vehicle. An internal view of the vehicle is shown in the third picture on this page. The data that can be collected directly through the instrumented vehicle include:
- Geographical position, speed, throttle and left/right turn signal activation
- Video clips of the view in front, behind and adjacent to the instrumented vehicle
- Audio recordings during the driving task
A laptop is connected to the system, which allows for reviewing the display of all four cameras through the HTRD BusView software. Video clips can also be downloaded from the hard drive to the laptop.
All TRC facilities are equipped with standard traffic data collection equipment for field studies, traffic classifiers, stopwatches, measuring wheels, a speed radar gun and portable power supplies.
The TRC also uses a high-fidelity driving simulator interfaced with a compact vehicle. The driving simulator is maintained by the NODRTC, one of the TRC's affiliated centers. The Geoplan Center, located in the Department of Urban & Regional Planning, is also used by the TRC for much of its on-going research. The Geoplan Center maintains the Florida Geographic Library, including the Efficient Transportation Decision Making (EDTM) Web site for the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT).
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