To achieve better traffic conditions and reduce congestion on public roads, transportation designers and traffic planners adjust road designs, transportation constructions, signal operations, etc., after reviewing transportation study reports or traffic simulation models. Generally, the adjustments are applied to meet further traffic demands or solve chronic traffic problems, but what if people want to respond to traffic conditions in realtime? Many tools, such as cameras, sensors and helicopters, are used for real-time traffic monitoring. In addition to these tools, more and more traffic departments are starting to think about using drones.
The Ohio Department of Transportation’s DriveOhio Division is planning to use camera drones to monitor highway traffic. $6 million has been given to Ohio State University’s College of Engineering to study how drones can be effective traffic monitoring tools [1]. Although drones have been used in many projects, such as inspecting construction and obtaining geometric data, using them for monitoring traffic is quite new. France used drones for traffic management to catch dangerous drivers, but not for traffic monitoring [2].
Compared with other tools, a drone has many advantages. It is easier to use drones, because they do not need to be installed on the roads like sensors, or to be operated with pilots as helicopters. Different from getting a limited viewing range via fixed ground-based cameras, drones’ mobility could bring more traffic information of bigger areas at various locations. The data collected by drones may be more accurate than gathered by satellites.
The popularity of operating drones is increasing, since transportation departments are not the only ones starting to get involved. Automaker Porsche unveiled the Mission E Cross Turismo this March at Geneva. What surprised me is not how luxurious it is, since I couldn’t afford it at this moment anyway, but an actual flying drone stored in the trunk. Although based on some news and videos, the drone is used to take aerial video of the car in motion, which would light up Instagram [3], I think the drone can be used to monitor traffic. Drivers can send their drone on missions to take video about the traffic conditions ahead of them. If there is an accident happening on the lane where they are driving, the drivers can switch to other lanes or roads as soon as they become aware of the situation.
After checking some case studies about drones, I found the biggest challenges of applying this technology have to do with legislation. In Canada, to operate non-recreational drones, a certificate has to be obtained; the drones over 1kg up to 25kg must be operated at a lateral distance of at least 500 feet from any building, structure, vehicle, vessel, animal or persons; drones over 1kg up to 25kg must be operated at or below 300 feet above ground level [4]; etc. Therefore, there are many restrictions on flying drones.
Air traffic management is another problem that should be solved. Based on the Federal Aviation Administration in U.S., in 2020, 7 million drones could regularly fly over American skies [5]. Therefore, the question of how to build an air traffic system to operate drones safely and cost-effectively must be considered.
References
[1] Lyle, B., “Traffic monitoring drones proposed by Ohio officials,” DroneDJ, 30 June 2018.
[2] Mogg, T., “Drones are helping French traffic cops catch hundreds of dangerous drivers,” Digital Trends, 14 November 2017.
[3] Leary, M., “Porsche Introduces the Futuristic, Drone-Carrying Mission E Cross Turismo at Geneva,” gtplanet, 6 March 2018.
[4] Transport Canada, “EXEMPTION FROM SECTIONS 602.41 AND 603.66 OF THE CANADIAN AVIATION REGULATIONS,” Transport Canada, 21 December 2016.
[5] K. D. Atherton, “The FAA says there will be 7 million drones flying over America by 2020,” Popular Science, 24 March 2016.
