Proceeding of 2018 IEEE International Conference on Current Trends toward Converging Technologies, Coimbatore, India
Density Based Smart Traffic System with Real
Time Data Analysis Using IoT
Naga Harsha.J
School of Electrical Sciences
Karunya Institute of Technology and Sciences,
Coimbatore, India
jnagaharsha143@gmail.com
Sheena Mariam Jacob
School of Electrical Sciences
Karunya Institute of Technology and Sciences,
Coimbatore, India
sheenajacob12@gmail.com
Abstract—This paper aims to develop a convenient
traffic system that allows a smooth movement of cars
which will help build a smarter city. The traffic system
currently implemented in many areas is not based on
the density of traffic and every road is allotted a preset
time. This results in traffic congestion due to large
red-light delays and timings allotted for roads in a city
that should vary during peak on-off hours, but in
reality don’t. These traditional systems are not
adaptable and fail to support traffic during an
unexpected situation or during an accident, and this
makes them inefficient. In order to calculate the
density of traffic various sensors can be used, each
having their merits and demerits. In our proposed
system Ultrasound Sensors are used along with Image
Processing(using live feed from a camera) that works
on a Raspberry Pi platform and calculates the vehicle
density and dynamically allots time for different levels
of traffic. This in turn allows better signal control and
effective management of traffic thereby reducing the
probability of a collision. By using Internet Of
Things(IoT) real time data from the system can be
collected, stored and managed on a cloud. This data
can be used to interpret the signal duration in-case any
of the sensing equipment fail, and also for future
analysis.
Keywords: Density based system, Raspberry Pi,
Ultrasound sensors, Image Processing, Internet of
Things(IoT), Real time analysis, Cloud.
I.INTRODUCTION
Urban mobility has become one of the key sectors of
smart city development that has rapidly spread across
India. Over the last few years there have been umpteen
papers presented based on the implementation of a smart
traffic management system to counter the traditional
preset time period system, which causes most of the
978-1-5386-3702-9/18/$31.00 © 2018 IEEE
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Nikhil Nair
School of Electrical Sciences
Karunya Institute of Technology and Sciences,
Coimbatore, India
nikhilnair2@outlook.com
J.John Paul
School of Electrical Sciences
Karunya Institute of Technology and Sciences,
Coimbatore, India
johnpaul@karunya.edu
unwanted congestion in traffic. The major difference in
most of the previous models lies in the type of system and
sensors used to calculate the density of traffic in a specific
lane. They all aim to overcome the disadvantage of the
traditional system, and use various sensors and algorithms
to implement a smarter system. The different sensors that
are widely used to find the density of traffic include
Inductive loop detectors, Piezoelectric sensors[1],
Ultrasound sensors [2], Infrared sensors, Sound
sensors[3], Acoustic Sensors[4],Image processing
algorithms[5] based on live feed from a camera, and many
others. Our proposed system aims to calculate the density
of traffic by using a combination of ultrasound sensors
and a camera to find the level of traffic in a lane. These
levels are classified as low, medium ,and high and is
dependent on the length of the road and the density of
traffic in that area. The values indicated by the sensor and
the processed density value of the image are in turn sent
to a Raspberry Pi which sends the values to the cloud. The
Internet of Things is used to communicate with the cloud
for the real time analysis of data.
Fig 1 Smart Traffic Light
This data will be useful when the sensor system fails and
will serve as a backup system while also providing
information for future analysis of traffic. By allotting time
based on the levels of traffic vehicles are prevented from
waiting for long periods thereby reducing the pollution
1
 Proceeding of 2018 IEEE International Conference on Current Trends toward Converging Technologies, Coimbatore, India

that is caused. The system is cost effective, saves time,
and can also prevents collisions. Unlike other systems, it
also has a fail safe system that will be used in case there
are errors in the sensor reading’s. Fig 1 shows a smart
traffic light system
II.SYSTEMS IN EXISTENCE
on the sides of the roads and also on the road, below the
vehicles. Unlike other sensors ultrasound sensors are not
affected by rainfall as ultrasound travels in water. It also
does not require approval from the FCC. The HC-SR04
ultrasonic sensor, as shown in Fig.3 is used to detect
vehicles.

A. The Traditional System

The traditional traffic system was developed in the 20 th
century, and the time for which the signal was set to run
was decided beforehand. Every lane had a predetermined
time and irrespective if there was traffic on a lane the
traffic indicator would still count down from its preset
value, resulting in heavy traffic on other lanes. This
system is still followed in a number of countries, and is
inefficient and results in poor time management.

B. Density Based Traffic System

Fig 3. Ultrasonic Sensor HC-SR04
The density based traffic system calculates the amount of
traffic on a specific lane using vehicle detectors or
3) Camera Module :
sensors. In countries where there exists bumper to bumper
Image processing is one of the most efficient ways of
traffic, designing a smart traffic management system is
measuring traffic density in real time, and have already
highly important so as to prevent accidents and save time.
available algorithms as depicted in [3],[6] that can be used
The efficiency of the systems is dependent on how
for monitoring vehicle movement in a lane. Traffic can be
efficient the sensors are. The various sensors used for
monitored using still images[7] or images from a video.
vehicle detection include:
Due to the fact that the cameras are mounted above the
road, the installation process is easy and convenient. Fig 4
1) Infrared sensors:
shows a camera module that can be used with the
Infrared sensors whether active or passive can be used to
Raspberry Pi.
find a vehicle’s count, presence, and occupancy. An
active infrared sensor can also be used to find the speed of
a vehicle. While they have the advantage of being able to
respond throughout the day and night, they are affected by
light, smoke, dust and fog and have a very short range.
Fig 2 shows an IR Sensor that has a IR emitter and
receiver.

Fig 4. Camera module with the raspberry pi used for

image processing

4) Inductive Loop Detector:

Fig. 2. IR Sensors
2) Ultrasound sensors :
Ultrasound sensors are used to determine the presence of
an obstacle and are the most widely used sensors in Japan
and a number of other countries. They can be placed on
the road, and do not have to be embedded as in the case of
piezoelectric and inductive loops. The positioning of the
ultrasound sensors also makes a difference to the
detection of traffic [2]. Ultrasound sensors can be placed
Inductive Loop Detectors consists of a number of loops
which are integrated in a pavement and connected to a
control box. When a car passes over it creates an EMF
(electro magnetic field) thereby reducing the inductance
of a loop and this is recorded by a meter as shown in Fig
5. These loops are used for vehicle detection and count,
and has been implemented in about 90% of all the traffic
signals in the USA. They are the most consistently
accurate detectors but sources of loop malfunction can
produce erroneous data, and may lead to inaccurate
detection. These systems have more complexities, and

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 Proceeding of 2018 IEEE International Conference on Current Trends toward Converging Technologies, Coimbatore, India

have to embedded in the ground. 5) Piezoelectric sensors:

The piezoelectric sensor detects the motion of the car due
to the pressure applied when a car passes over the sensor.
This means that the car’s wheel has to be aligned above
the sensor in order for it to detect vehicles at a particular
position. This makes it useful for only dynamic
measurement.

A comparison of the various sensors with its advantages

and disadvantage are given in Table I.

Fig 5. Working of inductive loops for vehicle detection

TABLE I.COMPARISON BETWEEN VARIOUS SENSORS USED FOR MONITORING TRAFFIC [1]
Type Merits Demerits
Passive Acoustic 1. Provides 24 hours operation 1. Rather new technology and hasn’t been
Detector array 2. Not affected by weather conditions. investigated thoroughly.
3. Passive monitoring technique so no
harmful signals are transmitted.

Piezoelectric Sensor 1. Can be used to find the number and type of 1. For permanent installation must be
vehicles on a traffic lane. embedded in the road, and would
2 .Also detects when and where a vehicle therefore require replacement due to
passes by. potholes, and other issues.
3 .They can be also used to determine the 2. The wheel of the vehicle should be right
speed of the vehicle above the sensor in order for detection to
take place.

Ultrasound Sensor 1. Effective in finding the level of traffic in a 1. It is sensitive to change in temperature
certain lane 2.Reflection from thin, curved surfaces
2.All weather operation and it is not affected will not be accurate.
by rainfall, dust or snow.
3.It can sense all material types
4.Does not need FCC approval

Inductive Loop 1.When properly installed, provide the most
Detector accurate data for detection in all weather
condition.
2.The design of loops is flexible and it can be
used for a wide range of applications.
1.They cannot be used to directly measure
the speed of the vehicle.
2.Installation will result in traffic
disruption
3. While repairing roads, it may be
required to re- install the loop.

Microwave/Millimeter 1. Single detector can cover multiple lanes. 1. False detection due to multipath
wave radar 2. FCC approval not required if it is to work propagation.
in the Ku or X band.

Magnetic Detector 1. In situation where inductive loops cannot
(Magnetometer) be implemented, magnetometers serve as an
efficient replacement.
2.They are small self contained units and can
therefore installation requires less ground
work than loops.
3. Long lasting battery life is another major
attribute.
1. Magnetic Detectors will have to be
embedded in the pavement.
2.Lane closure is required in order set the
ambient magnetic conditions
3.Can only be used for small area’s.
4. Multiple detectors are required for
smaller vehicle detection.

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 Proceeding of 2018 IEEE International Conference on Current Trends toward Converging Technologies, Coimbatore, India

Video/image 1.Mounted above the road, so installation 1. Affected by shadows, weather, and
Processing process is easy reflections from the roadway surface.
2.Image processing algorithms for vehicle
detection are already available.
3. Provides wide-area detection.
Infra Red Sensor 1.Infrared Sensors have a longer lifetime due 1.Infrared frequencies are affected by
to the fact that they consume less power. smoke, dust, fog, sunlight, etc.
2.Reliable detection of motion during day, as 2.The efficiency of the sensor degrades
well as night. with longer distances
3.Accuracy is not affected by oxidation or 3.For a surface, it is required to know the
corrosion. nature of reflection, scattering and
absorption to measure the distance
effectively.[8]

C. Smart Traffic System Based on IoT: computer which in turn is connected to the cloud.
Due to the fact that IoT is a relatively new concept there Information from these sensors is collected and analyzed
is no exact definition for the Internet of Things, but in by the computer, there by assigning appropriate signal
general terms it can be defined using this equation [9] : duration’s.

IoT = physical entity + controllers, sensors, actuators

+ internet.
C. Flowchart

The advance in technology, and the increase in the

number of sensors in almost every application, has
resulted in large amounts of data that is to be collected,
processed, stored and presented in an easily interpretable
form. Using IoT data that would take months to process,
is just a click away. [3],[10] portray different ways IoT
can be used in to achieve its goal.

III. PROPOSED SYSTEM:

A.Block Diagram

B. Working
Three ultra sound sensors [Fig 3] are placed at fixed
locations having equal distances(calculated based on the
length of the road, and the traffic density in the region) on
the road. The first sensor is for low, second for medium
and third for high density of traffic. A camera is used to
view the traffic on the road, and the images collected from
it are processed using suitable algorithms. These sensing
equipment are interfaced with a Raspberry pi [Fig 4]

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 Proceeding of 2018 IEEE International Conference on Current Trends toward Converging Technologies, Coimbatore, India
For example consider our system has the three sensors
placed 50 meters apart. In the case of low density the
allotted duration is 20 seconds, for medium density 40
seconds and for high density 60 seconds. The data
received by the computer is stored on a cloud. The
information from the ultrasound sensors is compared with
that of the camera continuously. The time duration is
allotted to the signals only if both the data match. If not
the computer notifies the maintenance team that there is
an error in the sensing equipment and needs immediate
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attention. In such scenario’s the computer stops collecting
data form the sensors and accesses the previously stored
values from the cloud.
IV. CONCLUSION
By using this system configuration the possibilities of
traffic jams caused by the currently implemented traffic
system is reduced. This will in turn decrease the workload
of officers, who have to direct traffic in case the traffic
lights are not responding ,or in the case of an event. The
system has a low probability of malfunctioning and even
if it does, a fail-safe system can be initiated by getting the
average density in that area for a particular time frame
from the cloud. Continuous monitoring of traffic can also
be done simultaneously
V.FUTURE SCOPE
The project can further be extended to transfer the values
from the cloud to an application, so that the data collected
by the system is accessible to the users. Be it people who
just want to check the amount of traffic on a road, or for
those who want to study the change in traffic densities
over the years this system can prove to be highly
beneficial to everyone and not just to the traffic
authorities.
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