Project Title: Accident management using wireless networks

Principal Investigator. Dr. William T. Scherer, University of Virginia, 804-982-2069 wts@virginia.edu

Project Objective. To design, test, and evaluate a wireless network that integrates disparate transportation components for improved system operation following vehicle accidents.

Project Abstract. As wide-area wireless (and ad-hoc) networks become commercially available, and in-vehicle computer systems become affordable, pervasive, and capable, information technology will allow the radical rethinking of the possibilities for transportation system decision making. Our proposed system, using ad-hoc wireless networks, will allow for real-time accident information sharing between the involved vehicle, the rescue squad, a crash evaluation system, the transportation agency (i.e., VDOT), the hospital, police, and other potential candidates.

• Using ad-hoc wireless technology developed at UVa (Hypercast) that allows for any wireless component to communicate easily with other wireless systems, and vehicle crash models developed at UVa (Center for Applied Biomechanics), the system will operate in real-time (seconds) in the following fashion:
• A vehicle accident triggers an accelerometer in the vehicle which automatically sends the accelerometer data (wireless) to the remote vehicle crash model facility;
• Vehicle models use data to immediately determine the severity of the accident and likely injuries and send the (wireless) data to 1) VDOT, 2) rescue squad, and 3) hospital;
• Rescue squad and hospital use the severity information to determine appropriate response;
• Transportation agency uses the severity data to run models to predict the expected delay and provides (via VMS, HAR, etc.) information to traveling public along with any necessary control actions (signal timing, reversible lanes, etc.); and
• All parties involved can share additional information as appropriate.

Such a system will allow for improved accident response and reduced congestion.

Tasks.
1. Design an integrated wireless system for information sharing that allows for all parties to connect and share real-time information;
2. Design the interfaces for the vehicle crash models and the transportation systems interfaces;
3. Build a prototype simple system (single car in the loop) using the facilities of the Rapidly Reconfigurable Systems Center located in the Systems and Information Engineering Department in the SEAS.
4. Test the prototype system operating in a small scale local network (Charlottesville).
5. Evaluate the system for extensibility to an urban network.
6. Design, build, test, and evaluate a larger-scale system, after the proof-of-concept system is evaluated, in a region such as NOVA.

Milestones. Completion by:
TASK 1 October 2005
TASK 2 January 2006
TASK 3 March 2006
TASK 4 June 2006
TASK 5 October 2006
TASK 6 June 2007

Student Involvement. 1 GRA, 2 Undergraduates.

Budget.
FY06
Faculty: $25,000
GRA:      $25,000.
FY07
Faculty: $25,000
GRA:      $25,000

Project Total: $ 100,000 ($50,000/year)

Relation to Other Research. Integrates with NSF proposal (Smith, Park, Scherer, Farver).

TRB Keywords. Wireless communication systems, disasters and emergency operations, fatal accidents, accident survivability, accident locations, dispatching, incident detection, incident management