Developed incident detection algorithm compared with neural network algorithms.

The CUSUM (cumulative sum of log-likelihood ratio) algorithm is an optimization-based algorithm that is attractive for many applications because it can minimize detection delay and can explicitly incorporate the characteristics of processes before and after changes. One such application is freeway incident detection, where field-measurable traffic-flow parameters are used to flag incidents in real time in an expedient and reliable manner. In the presented study, the special characteristics of traffic processes associated with incidents are incorporated into the CUSUM algorithm for freeway incident detection. In the algorithm evaluation, the most recently developed neural networks are compared with an enhanced CUSUM algorithm. The neural network algorithms are systematically evaluated first among themselves, and then the best of them is compared with the CUSUM algorithm. The results demonstrate that the CUSUM incident detection algorithm can perform better than the neural network algorithms. The neural network algorithm may show inferior performance because it cannot adjust its decision threshold in real time.