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Improving Work Zone Safety 24/7 Real-Time Information and Forewarning Systems

Improving Work Zone Safety 24/7 Real-Time Information and Forewarning Systems. Jennifer Crabb Jeff Sigman University of Oklahoma Research Experiences for Teachers. Overview:. RET Representatives: Jeff Sigman and Jennifer Crabb Tecumseh Middle School

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Improving Work Zone Safety 24/7 Real-Time Information and Forewarning Systems

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  1. Improving Work Zone Safety24/7 Real-Time Information and Forewarning Systems Jennifer Crabb Jeff Sigman University of Oklahoma Research Experiences for Teachers

  2. Overview: RET Representatives: Jeff Sigman and Jennifer Crabb Tecumseh Middle School Principal Investigator: Sridhar Radhakrishnan, Ph.D University of Oklahoma Objectives: • Acquire a basic understanding of the technologies used in the remote work zone monitoring system • Assist in laboratory and field-testing of sensors, wireless communications, and a web-based real-time monitory site with intelligent decision support system • Integrate engineering activities into the middle school curriculum to expose students to the basic technologies involved in the project as well as give them an appreciation for research and the field of engineering

  3. Project Goals: • To continually monitor traffic in construction work zones using a self-contained mobile sensor unit • To communicate real-time traffic data to a remote server machine • To achieve an automatic programmed response on traffic data collected using an Intelligent Decision Support System (IDSS) • To alert drivers to traffic conditions via changeable message signs

  4. Self-Contained Mobile Sensor Unit The customized trailer collects real-time traffic data and sends it to a remote server using wireless communication. The unit houses the following technologies: • Remote traffic microwave sensor (RTMS) radar unit • TrackerPod camera • Mini-ITX computer • Solar panels with rechargeable batteries

  5. TrackerPod RTMS Camera Radar Contains a robotic tripod that controls the camera by rotating sideways or up and down Attaches to a 20 foot retractable pole • Emits microwaves that reflect off moving vehicles • Enables the sensor to collect data about the volume, speed, and occupancy of traffic • Monitors up to six lanes of traffic • Works in all types of weather and is non-intrusive

  6. Mini-ITX Computer • The Mini-ITX is compact, has low power requirements, and is cost effective. • Communication with the server can be transmitted wirelessly by a CDPD, making monitor, mouse, and keyboard unnecessary.

  7. Solar Panels • Panels allow the unit to be used in remote locations. • The unit operates continuously when adequate sunlight is available. • Rechargeable batteries run the unit at night and on cloudy days.

  8. IDSS within the server analyzes the data and predicts the occurrence of traffic incidents. Messages are sent to a CMS via cellular phone connection to inform drivers of conditions. The CMS will be located upstream of construction work zones and in a location that considers legibility and coordination with existing highway signs. Three mobile sensor units will be placed in the work zone. One upstream from the work zone, one in the middle, and one at the end. Changeable Positioning Message of Sign Technologies

  9. Realized/Targeted Benefits to Trucking Industry Using the 24/7 construction zone monitoring system will save time and money through improving the efficiency of goods movement by reducing: • Fuel consumption • Accidents • Pollution • Traffic congestion

  10. Curriculum Implementation • To explain this complex system to our students, we wanted to first focus on cellular communication, a technology that connects the project to their everyday lives and is the method in which the data for our project is transported. • Students designed and built a network system that used ping pong balls to send “information” from one place to another.

  11. Curriculum Implementation • Each team of students built an input, a switch, or an output along with a transport. • Students used binary code crackers to create messages to send through the network. • Black and white ping pong balls were used to represent the 1’s and 0’s from the binary code.

  12. Conclusion Extension activities for our curriculum include: • A study of the specific technologies involved in the remote work zone monitoring system • A field trip to the deployment area to see the system in action • Obtaining actual data from the site to make graphs showing the volume and speed of traffic at various times of the day • Classroom visits from professionals in the field of engineering Participation in the University of Oklahoma’s RET program has helped to broaden our students’ goals and horizons by exposing them to activities and resources usually reserved for higher education.

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