Edward S. Canepa

Optimal Control of Scalar Conservation Laws Using Linear/Quadratic Programming: Application to Transportation Networks

This article presents a new optimal control framework for transportation networks in which the state is modeled by a first order scalar conservation law. Using an equivalent formulation based on a Hamilton-Jacobi (H-J) equation and the commonly used triangular fundamental diagram, we pose the problem of controlling the state of the system on a network link, in a finite horizon, as a Linear Program (LP). We then show that this framework can be extended to an arbitrary transportation network, resulting in an LP or a Quadratic Program. Unlike many previously investigated transportation network control schemes, this method yields a globally optimal solution and is capable of handling shocks (i.e., discontinuities in the state of the system). As it leverages the intrinsic properties of the H-J equation used to model the state of the system, it does not require any approximation, unlike classical methods that are based on discretizations of the model. The computational efficiency of the method is illustrated on a transportation network.

A Sensor Network Architecture for Urban Traffic State Estimation with Mixed Eulerian/Lagrangian Sensing Based on Distributed Computing

This article describes a new approach to urban traffic flow sensing using decentralized traffic state estimation. Traffic sensor data is generated both by fixed traffic flow sensor nodes and by probe vehicles equipped with a short range transceiver. The data generated by these sensors is sent to a local coordinator node, that poses the problem of estimating the local state of traffic as a mixed integer linear program (MILP). The resulting optimization program is then solved by the nodes in a distributed manner, using branch-and-bound methods. An optimal amount of noise is then added to the maps before dissemination to a central database. Unlike existing probe-based traffic monitoring systems, this system does not transmit user generated location tracks nor any user presence information to a centralized server, effectively preventing privacy attacks. A simulation of the system performance on computer-generated traffic data shows that the system can be implemented with currently available technology.

Exact solutions to traffic density estimation problems involving the Lighthill-Whitham-Richards traffic flow model using Mixed Integer Programming

This article presents a new mixed integer programming formulation of the traffic density estimation problem in highways modeled by the Lighthill Whitham Richards equation. We first present an equivalent formulation of the problem using an Hamilton-Jacobi equation. Then, using a semi-analytic formula, we show that the model constraints resulting from the Hamilton-Jacobi equation result in linear constraints, albeit with unknown integers. We then pose the problem of estimating the density at the initial time given incomplete and inaccurate traffic data as a Mixed Integer Program. We then present a numerical implementation of the method using experimental flow and probe data obtained during Mobile Century experiment.

Spoofing cyber attack detection in probe-based traffic monitoring systems using mixed integer linear programming

Traffic sensing systems rely more and more on user generated (insecure) data, which can pose a security risk whenever the data is used for traffic flow control. In this article, we propose a new formulation for detecting malicious data injection in traffic flow monitoring systems by using the underlying traffic flow model. The state of traffic is modeled by the Lighthill-Whitham-Richards traffic flow model, which is a first order scalar conservation law with concave flux function. Given a set of traffic flow data, we show that the constraints resulting from this partial differential equation are mixed integer linear inequalities for some decision variable. We use this fact to pose the problem of detecting spoofing cyber-attacks in probe-based traffic flow information systems as mixed integer linear feasibility problem. The resulting framework can be used to detect spoofing attacks in real time, or to evaluate the worst-case effects of an attack offline. A numerical implementation is performed on a cyber-attack scenario involving experimental data from the Mobile Century experiment and the Mobile Millennium system currently operational in Northern California.

A framework for privacy and security analysis of probe-based traffic information systems

Most large scale traffic information systems rely on fixed sensors (e.g. loop detectors, cameras) and user generated data, this latter in the form of GPS traces sent by smartphones or GPS devices onboard vehicles. While this type of data is relatively inexpensive to gather, it can pose multiple security and privacy risks, even if the location tracks are anonymous. In particular, creating bogus location tracks and sending them to the system is relatively easy. This bogus data could perturb traffic flow estimates, and disrupt the transportation system whenever these estimates are used for actuation. In this article, we propose a new framework for solving a variety of privacy and cybersecurity problems arising in transportation systems. The state of traffic is modeled by the Lighthill-Whitham-Richards traffic flow model, which is a first order scalar conservation law with concave flux function. Given a set of traffic flow data, we show that the constraints resulting from this partial differential equation are mixed integer linear inequalities for some decision variable. The resulting framework is very flexible, and can in particular be used to detect spoofing attacks in real time, or carry out attacks on location tracks. Numerical implementations are performed on experimental data from the~\emph{Mobile Century} experiment to validate this framework.

Optimal traffic control in highway transportation networks using linear programming

This article presents a framework for the optimal control of boundary flows on transportation networks. The state of the system is modeled by a first order scalar conservation law (Lighthill-Whitham-Richards PDE). Based on an equivalent formulation of the Hamilton-Jacobi PDE, the problem of controlling the state of the system on a network link in a finite horizon can be posed as a Linear Program. Assuming all intersections in the network are controllable, we show that the optimization approach can be extended to an arbitrary transportation network, preserving linear constraints. Unlike previously investigated transportation network control schemes, this framework leverages the intrinsic properties of the Halmilton-Jacobi equation, and does not require any discretization or boolean variables on the link. Hence this framework is very computational efficient and provides the globally optimal solution. The feasibility of this framework is illustrated by an on-ramp metering control example.

Exact solutions to robust control problems involving scalar hyperbolic conservation laws using Mixed Integer Linear Programming

This article presents a new robust control framework for transportation problems in which the state is modeled by a first order scalar conservation law. Using an equivalent formulation based on a Hamilton-Jacobi equation, we pose the problem of controlling the state of the system on a network link, using boundary flow control, as a Linear Program. Unlike many previously investigated transportation control schemes, this method yields a globally optimal solution and is capable of handling shocks (i.e. discontinuities in the state of the system). We also demonstrate that the same framework can handle robust control problems, in which the uncontrollable components of the initial and boundary conditions are encoded in intervals on the right hand side of inequalities in the linear program. The lower bound of the interval which defines the smallest feasible solution set is used to solve the robust LP (or MILP if the objective function depends on boolean variables). Since this framework leverages the intrinsic properties of the Hamilton-Jacobi equation used to model the state of the system, it is extremely fast. Several examples are given to demonstrate the performance of the robust control solution and the trade-off between the robustness and the optimality.