Findings from the SEMINA project: algorithms for monitoring, evaluating and predicting the performance of urban traffic in a smart mobility setting

The paper reports the findings of the research activities conducted in the context of the Semina project funded by the Apulia Region for the design and development of a new information system addressing the management of sustainable mobility in urban areas. The proposed approach is centered on the use of the GPS-generated data provided by a bus local transport tracking system and is aimed at providing citizens and city operators with a useful set of indicators on urban mobility. Three main areas are investigated. First, offline GPS pulses are analyzed to evaluate bus transport system conditions and to monitor the performance of the transit service itself. Second, GPS data of buses are used as a probe for assessing and reporting general urban traffic characteristics. Finally, online updating of bus locations is experimented as reliable and cost-effective source to obtain near real-time estimates of the traffic state of urban road networks.