What Optima can do

In short, the core capabilities of PTV Optima are:

• Collecting real-time data feeds, which provide information on the traffic state of roads.
• Fusing various sources of information into one comprehensive view.
• Using a simulation in order to provide information on unmonitored parts of the network and the near future, and on what would happen if specific traffic management strategies are applied.

The core of PTV Optima is a system aimed at providing reliable traffic forecasts in real-time in a multi-modal ITS environment. This provides benefits for traffic management decisions, the individual traveler on the road, public transport users, and public transport operations control centers.

PTV Optima combines state-of-the-art traffic modeling methods with common detection methods such as traffic counts and speeds from loop detectors or more advanced data sources like travel times from FCD or ANPR systems.

PTV Optima is based on advanced methodologies constituted by models and algorithms for the dynamic simulation of road traffic. These models allow for the estimation of time-varying travel times, traffic flows, and vehicle queues, and, in comparison to other existing methodologies, they require less measured data.

The simulation can consider the impact of planned events (e.g. roadwork) or unplanned events (e.g. accident) and traffic management strategies (e.g. traffic signals or variable message signs). PTV Optima allows you to simulate several “what if” simulations with different strategies in parallel.

The results of PTV Optima are especially valuable in case of congested networks with a high within-day variability of traffic flows.

PTV Optima is the key component of any traffic management center, providing refined information for everyone and everything else that is connected – be it an operator or an individual traveler.

In particular, PTV Optima addresses the following use cases for metropolitan areas and statewide networks, as it:

• Continuously collects information about current measured traffic conditions from a variety of data sources and of different kinds (traffic states, signal states, vehicle trajectories, incidents, roadworks, …).
• Map matches, validates and fuses different traffic measurements.
• Infers a coherent and comprehensive observed traffic state (speeds, vehicular densities, and presence of queues) on all network elements from measurements, including vehicle trajectories.
• Extends the measurements made on just a few elements both to the rest of the unmonitored network, and over time, thus obtaining an estimation of the traffic state of the complete network and the evolution of this traffic state in the future.
• Forecasts the traffic state with respect to current incidents and traffic management strategies (e.g. traffic signal control or variable message signs), improving the decision making capabilities of the operators even before problems occur.
• Calculates customizable Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to quickly assess the results.
• Provides journey planning engines with current and forecast travel times, thus improving route recommendations.
• Provides Urban Control and Adaptive Signal Control Systems with calculated traffic flow estimations and forecasts, queues and delays, allowing for proactive traffic management and control.
• Provides public transport operations control centers with calculated public transport Estimated Times of Arrival (ETA).
• Rises alerts to the operator that trigger on customizable conditions in the network.
• Distributes both collected and calculated traffic information via a variety of communication protocols and channels, ensuring a high degree of interoperability and thus acting as a “traffic data and information hub”.
• Operates in real-time, that is, continuously updating the estimates on the state of the network and the travel times on the basis of data collected continuously over time.