Hierarchal Object-Oriented Models for Management of Narrow Passageways.

Narrow passageways are a significant source of traffic congestion and delay in transportation networks. With traffic volumes expected to increase significantly in the foreseeable future, the effective management of these passageways is needed to mitigate the undesirable impact of these bottlenecks on transportation system safety, performance and cost. In an effort to address the significant challenges associated with the analysis, design, and implementation of appropriate management operations for narrow passageways, an object-based model for the management of narrow passageways in the transportation network is developed. The object model is developed in two steps. The first step identifies high-level management functionality, objects, and associated data/information sources that are common to all narrow passageway applications. In the second step, functionality of the object model is customized to the specific needs of the narrow passageway application domain (e.g., waterways and work zones).