An Integrated Multi-Sensor Dashboard for Real-Time Traffic Data Assessment

Abstract: Modern smart city infrastructure requires precise and effective traffic management particularly at intersections where advanced sensing technologies are being deployed to perceive the traffic flow. While multiple sensor dashboards are available, they often rely on customized sensor outputs that lack interoperability and result in a high level of dependency on individual vendors. This creates a situation where cities lack flexibility in choosing or upgrading technology without incurring significant re-engineering costs. By implementing National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s (NREL) standardized data API interface, cities can prevent vendor-lock in and focus on acquiring the best-in-class technologies from different vendors. Extensive field testing by deploying Radar, LiDAR and cameras using the NREL Infrastructure Perception and Control (IPC) Mobile Laboratory across multiple traffic intersections in the city of Colorado Springs, CO revealed limitations in the ability to rapidly display metrics from raw sensor data and assess data quality, highlighting the necessity for this integrated multi-sensor dashboard. This paper presents the design and implementation of a comprehensive sensor data dashboard that uses real-time data from Radar, LiDAR and Camera. The dashboard provides real-time insights, including vehicle speeds, sensor sampling rates, object counts, and object classification counts such as cars, trucks and pedestrians. This dashboard will be released as part of an open-source framework with IPC fusion engine enabling traffic engineers to quickly evaluate sensor data quality and monitor sensor health. Results from real-world deployments demonstrate the effectiveness of the dashboard in providing quick and effective assessment of sensor data quality and its potential to significantly reduce the manual effort required to assess sensor data and health. This work highlights the importance of comprehensive data visualization and monitoring in developing intelligent, responsive traffic control systems for smart cities.