Online traffic models- a learning experience

摘要

This article gathers experience from case studies concerning the online modelling of traffic. The objective is to discuss the challenges posed by working in real time in a real-world environment and to provide guidelines to assist those developing online traffic situation models. There are many issues that need to be taken into consideration concerning other aspects besides the model. Specifically, these challenges are related to data, data transfer, and the monitoring system. As many of the challenges cannot be avoided, the best advice is to make robust models that regard all incoming data with suspicion. The model also has to accommodate partial or delayed information. In most cases, the model developer cannot eliminate all the challenges, but he or she should be aware of them and minimise their harmful consequences.