Integrated TDRL Projects: DLL Traffic Software Devlpmnt Pckg, Gravel-Road Traffic Counter, Intersection Traffic Movement Counter, Hybrid-Renewable Light Pole -FY06 NATSRL

Project summary:

In fiscal year 2005/2006, the Transportation Data Research Laboratory (TDRL) continued initiated several projects using funds provided by the Northland Advanced Transportation Systems Research Laboratories (NATSRL). Each project was relatively small and developed as seed work with the intention of expanding it to a full independent project in the future. First, TDRL continued to provide archiving and data management services for the Minneapolis-Saint Paul regional traffic data and statewide road/weather information system (R/WIS) data. In addition, the research team focused on developing and distributing Dynamically Linked Library (DLL) tools as a software development package for advanced users. The DLLs provided researchers and developers with easy-to-use tools for their research and for the development of software applications. Other important efforts included further development work on the Bulldog portable traffic counter for gravel roads and production of multiple Bulldog units for field evaluation by the state Department of Transportation. Other new endeavors included the creation of a portable directional traffic counter for signalized and unsignalized intersections, which included construction of sensors based on piezoelectric and anisotropic magnetoresistive (AMR) technologies, and designing a renewable-energy light pole for rural intersections and installation of a prototype. Each undertaking is fully described in the final report.