Application of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and Microsimulation Optimization to Conduct Traffic Mobility Surveys: Case Study from the South Bohemia Region

Abstract

The study explores the potential use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for conducting road traffic surveys, developing, and optimizing a simulation model of a specific intersection in the South Bohemia region to enhance its traffic throughput. Input data on traffic intensity was retrieved by implementing a UAV and processed using the DataFromSky application. The spatial distribution of the intersection was created based on orthophoto images, whereby the AnyLogic software was applied to model traffic mobility behavior. Subsequently, an optimization experiment was conducted, focusing on adjusting the intervals of individual traffic light phases to minimize the mean transit time. Thefindings indicate that the optimization resulted in a reduction in the mean transit time from 48 to 28 seconds, representing a 41.6% streamlining. The study confirms that applying unmanned aerial vehicles and microsimulation optimization tools for mobility surveys and effective urban traffic management is highly beneficial. At the same time, shortening the time when vehicles pass through an intersection is also an aspect of environmental protection, as vehicles spend less time idling and emit fewer pollutants into the environment. In light of the above, there is less congestion at the intersection as well, which results in a positive environmental impact – the lower the traffic intensity at the intersection, the lower the emission of CO2 and NOx.