A prototype case-based reasoning system for real-time freeway traffic routing

With the recent advances in communications and information technology, real-time traffic routing has emerged as a promising approach to alleviating congestion. Existing approaches to developing real-time routing strategies, however, have limitations. This study examines the potential for using case-based reasoning (CBR), an emerging artificial intelligence paradigm, to overcome such limitations. CBR solves new problems by reusing solutions of similar past problems. To illustrate the feasibility of the approach, the study develops and evaluates a prototype CBR routing system for the interstate network in Hampton Roads, Virginia. Cases for building the system’s case-base are generated using a heuristic dynamic traffic assignment (DTA) model designed for the region. Using a second set of cases, the study evaluates the performance of the prototype system by comparing its solutions to those of the DTA model. The evaluation results demonstrate that the prototype system is capable of running in real-time, and of producing high quality solutions using case-bases of reasonable size.