Drones for Traffic Flow Analysis

of Urban Roundabouts
Prepared and Presented by –
Anindya Bandyopadhyay (203122004)
Transportation Engineering and Management

Submitted on 04/05/2023
CE621 – Geospatial Techniques
 FLOW OF PRESENTATION
 Introduction
 Advantages of using Drones in Traffic Studies
 Literature in focus
 Objectives of the study
 Methodology followed
 Explanation of the work
 Summary of the work
 Recommendations
 References

04/02/2024 Drones for Traffic Flow Analysis 2/18

 INTRODUCTION
• Drones are unmanned aerial vehicles
that can be controlled remotely or fly
autonomously using GPS.
• In recent years, drones have become
increasingly popular in traffic studies
due to their ability to capture high-
resolution aerial imagery and collect
traffic data with greater efficiency and
accuracy than traditional methods.
• Drones have been utilized in a variety
of traffic studies, including traffic flow
analysis, traffic accident
investigations, and infrastructure
planning.
04/02/2024 Drones for Traffic Flow Analysis 3/18
ADVANTAGES OF USING DRONES IN TRAFFIC STUDIES

• Drones can easily manoeuvre over traffic and capture images and video from
multiple angles, providing a comprehensive view of traffic patterns.
• Drones equipped with sensors and cameras can also collect real-time data on
traffic density, speed, and vehicle classification, which can be analysed to
identify congestion hotspots and plan infrastructure improvements.
• Using drones in traffic studies can significantly reduce the cost and time
required for data collection compared to traditional methods.
• Drones can cover large areas quickly and accurately, and the data can be
processed and analysed in real-time, allowing for immediate insights and
decision-making.

04/02/2024 Drones for Traffic Flow Analysis 4/18

LITERATURE IN FOCUS
• Title of the Article: Drones for Traffic Flow Analysis of Urban Roundabouts
• Journal: Journal of Traffic and Transportation Engineering · October 2020
• Authors: Meriem Brahimi, Stylianos Karatzas, Jeremy Theuriot, Zoi
Christoforou.

The scope of this presentation is limited to identify the Objectives, Highlight

the Research Methodology, elaborate the Work Done, and discuss the Key
Findings of this research work.

04/02/2024 Drones for Traffic Flow Analysis 5/18

OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

• The objective of this study is to

investigate through a real-life case
study in an urban roundabout, the
applicability of a proposed
framework for traffic analysis and
management using UAVs (drones).
• To compare the extracted traffic flow
measurements by drones with those
acquired by conventional monitoring
masts.

04/02/2024 Drones for Traffic Flow Analysis 6/18

METHODOLOGY FOLLOWED

• The study focuses on the measurement of traffic data in the context of time-
delayed applications and aims to understand traffic behaviour and patterns.
• The methodology followed for the study involves a proposed framework
consisting of five steps, which are defined based on the specific study scope
and objectives. The Steps are as follows:

Scope and Data

objectives Flight Flight processing Interpretation of
definition planning realization and analysis data

04/02/2024 Drones for Traffic Flow Analysis 7/18

METHODOLOGY FOLLOWED (Contd…)
Description of the five steps of the proposed framework –
• Scope and objectives definition – It involves defining the problem
statement and project objectives, selecting the study area, and identifying the
characteristics of the drones to be used.
• Flight planning – It involves defining and preparing the ideal conditions for
the realization of the drone flight. The drone view area must be assessed from
a regulatory perspective.
• Flight realization – It ensures drone’s stability for capturing sharp images
also the framing of the captured image is maintained to cover the study area
while keeping altitude within authorized limits.
• Data processing and analysis – It involves using filters and advanced image
processing techniques to detect and track vehicle flows in the studied areas.
• Interpretation of data – It aims at measuring traffic parameters and
understanding traffic behaviour and patterns.
04/02/2024 Drones for Traffic Flow Analysis 8/18
EXPLANATION OF THE WORK
• The progress of the work was based on the
scope of this study, which is to investigate the
applicability of the proposed framework and
compare the extracted traffic flow
measurements by drones with those acquired
by the conventional monitoring masts.
• A roundabout that is difficult to be handled
using camera sensors or other types of
sensors is identified, while also verifying that
the drone can perform the overflight operation C1 roundabout - Villepinte (Géoportail)
remaining in the vision area of the operator.
• For this purpose C1 roundabout which is
located in the town of Villepinte, France had
been selected.
04/02/2024 Drones for Traffic Flow Analysis 9/18
EXPLANATION OF THE WORK (Contd…)
• The drone flight was performed on Friday October 18, 2019 between 4 p.m.
and 6 p.m., in cooperation with a drone service provider following all safety
norms.
• The test was carried out by operating two drones with 20 minutes autonomy
to cover the desired time slot.

• To compare the measurement by drone

system to those by standard methods, 2
counting masts equipped with cameras
were placed at strategic points of the
studied area which allow to visualize all
the branches of the roundabout.

Study area image by drone

04/02/2024 Drones for Traffic Flow Analysis 10/18
EXPLANATION OF THE WORK (Contd…)
• The videos were processed using Wintics image processing software. Wintics
automatic video processing software produces multimodal traffic statistics
and the Origin / Destination matrices.
• Manual vehicle counting was
conducted using the videos in order to
measure the precision of the image
processing software.
• Also, the data from the counting masts
were processed in order to measure
deviations in flows recorded between
the two processes.
Image processed by Wintics software

04/02/2024 Drones for Traffic Flow Analysis 11/18

EXPLANATION OF THE WORK (Contd…)
• The PCU results of the different measurements carried out were obtained
over 15 minutes in order to compare with the measurements made manually.
• The results were presented on an Origin / Destination matrix giving the
incoming and outgoing flows on each branch of the crossroads for ease of
comparison.

Counting results on the roundabout

04/02/2024 Drones for Traffic Flow Analysis 12/18

EXPLANATION OF THE WORK (Contd…)
• In order to quantify the calculation errors on each movement, a formula was
defined to calculate the absolute error on the measurement flows for each
directional movement compared to manual measurements, applied for both
drone and mast method. The equation used to calculate the absolute error on
each branch is: y𝐴𝐸 𝑝𝑐𝑢 =⃓ yi - xi⃓ , with yi the flows measured manually
and xi the flows measured automatically (by drones or masts).
• The relative errors made in the automatic measurements compared to
manual ones were quantified, according to the following formula:
EAR (%) = | yi-xi | /yi
• The results from the drone videos show relative errors predominantly less
than 10% and overall errors overall low.

04/02/2024 Drones for Traffic Flow Analysis 13/18

 SUMMARY OF THE WORK
• The results showed that due to the
drone position, it was possible to
monitor the movements on all the
branches of the crossroads
simultaneously, allowing to extract
knowledge of the vehicles distribution
with high precision.
• The counting data from the drones
provides ease of processing and a
comprehensive view of the operation of
the study area. The results from drone
videos show relative errors mostly less
than 10% and low absolute errors.

04/02/2024 Drones for Traffic Flow Analysis 14/18

SUMMARY OF THE WORK (Contd…)
• It was possible to carry out the study in a large
area due to the use of drones, which would
otherwise have been restricted to only 50 metres
if static mast cameras would have been used.
• The study concludes that the proposed framework
and the use of drones for traffic analysis and
management have potential applications,
particularly in the scenario of urban roundabout
flow analysis.
• The study also highlights the technical limits of
drones, such as time-limited battery, weather
constraints, safety concerns, and privacy, which
are among the main obstacles to the effectiveness
of this technology.
04/02/2024 Drones for Traffic Flow Analysis 15/18
 RECOMMENDATIONS
• The technical limits of drones, i.e. time limited
battery, weather constraints and safety concerns and
privacy are among the main obstacles to the
effectiveness of this technology.
• Although advanced technology can be used to
increase the life of the battery, this would however
increase exponentially its operation cost.
• Therefore, it can be concluded that the different
method combination turns to be the most effective
solution i.e. installing counting masts fitted with
cameras on the exits from the crossroads measure
the totals of incoming and outgoing flows, while
drone operation support the estimation of the flow
distribution on all branches.
04/02/2024 Drones for Traffic Flow Analysis 16/18
 References:

• Wikipedia.com
• Google.com
• ​Brahimi, M., Karatzas, S., Theuriot, J., & Christoforou, Z. (2020). Drones for traffic
flow analysis of urban roundabouts. International journal of traffic and
transportation engineering (Rosemead, Calif.), 9(3), 62-71.

04/02/2024 Drones for Traffic Flow Analysis 17/18

 Thank you…

04/02/2024 Drones for Traffic Flow Analysis 18/18