The measurement of traffic flow on Georgia's system of highway provides basic data that is a prerequisite to virtually all highway planning processes. The collection, processing and analysis of flow data constitute one of the major functions of the Division of Highway planning, thus efficient and economical methods are essential. Because of the digital composition of traffic flow data, the electronic computer has, of necessity, come to play an ever increasing role in the development of modern, large scale traffic counting and analysis programs. Georgia is currently experimenting with an expanded use of the computer to monitor and control a system of automatically collecting data accumulated at remote continuous count station locations. The automatic traffic data telemetry system uses a centrally located computer connected by telephone equipment to an electrical read-at counter at each remote location. The remote locations are automatically polled according to a predetermined schedule. Through the execution of a stored computer program, data is collected, edited and recorded. After a Year of testing, the system is proving to be superior to previously used methods of collecting continuous count data. In conjunction with the installation of the telemetry system, the entire traffic counting program was redesigned according to current statistical techniques. These revisions proved to be necessary in order to extract the desired advantage from a traffic counting program oriented toward maximum utilization of the computer.
Abstract