A Survey on Intelligent Transportation

System Using Internet of Things

Palak Patel, Zunnun Narmawala and Ankit Thakkar

Abstract An Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) can reduce traffic congestion

on roads through reduced use of private vehicles. For the same, we need to expand
existing infrastructure for the identified region, but considerable time and resources
are required to set up state-of-the-art infrastructure from scratch. However, tech-
nologies like Internet of Things (IoT) can be used with the existing infrastructure for
the design of an efficient public transportation system. This paper surveys a set of
solutions available in the literature to design of an ITS system using IoT along with
challenges and future scope for the improvement of the existing solutions.

Keywords Internet of Things (IoT) · Intelligent Transport System (ITS) · Survey

1 Introduction

Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) is a smart way of providing transportation

with the help of various technologies [1]. It deals with various modes of transportation
and traffic management system using Internet of Things (IoT). IoT is a network which
connects people, things, application, and data through the Internet to enable remote
control and management of the devices [2]. IoT works on the concept of connecting
people to connecting everything. Basically, it collects the data from sensors, actuators
and other devices to compute the data using different algorithms. The computed data
will be sent to application layer so that it is available to the end user. This put forth
requirements to design an embedded system using sensors and mobile phones with

P. Patel (B) · Z. Narmawala · A. Thakkar

Institute of Technology, Nirma University, Ahmedabad 382481, Gujarat, India
e-mail: 15mcei22@nirmauni.ac.in
Z. Narmawala
e-mail: zunnun80@gmail.com
A. Thakkar
e-mail: ankit.thakkar@nirmauni.ac.in

© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2019 231

N. R. Shetty et al. (eds.), Emerging Research in Computing, Information, Communication
and Applications, Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing 882,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-5953-8_20
232 P. Patel et al.

communication and computing capabilities. Intelligent transport system is mainly

useful in Metro Cities and Urban areas.
Public Transportation should be a part of the solution for sustainable development
in transport. But most of the people prefer private vehicles to travel which leads to
traffic congestion as well as high utilization of non-renewable resources. However,
in order to keep and attract more passengers, public transport must have high service
quality to satisfy and fulfill a more wide range of different customer base as needed.

1.1 Different Application Areas of Intelligent

Transportation System

Following are various fields in ITS useful to common people in their daily lives:
Advanced Traveler Information System (ATIS) provides information regarding
arrival and departure of a transportation vehicle, predicting availability of routes,
traffic congestion, pre-trip information to reduce waiting time in traffic and frustration
due to lack of information [3].
Advanced Public Transportation System (APTS) is concerned with enhanc-
ing the efficiency of public transportation using intelligent schedule management
according to the congestion level in various areas [4].
Advanced Traffic Management System (ATMS) is used by traffic regulation
authorities to monitor and control traffic flow. It is also useful to take appropriate
decision in real-time conditions to provide effective traffic management during the
emergency situations by giving higher priority to the emergency vehicles [5].
Emergency Management System (EMS) is helpful in emergency conditions like
tracking accident spots and providing services. It is effective in providing emergency
services [6].

1.2 The Current Scenario of Public Transportation

• People are not preferring public transportation these days because of unavailabil-
ity of transportation at the scheduled time. Hence, people travel by their private
vehicles that increase number of vehicles on roads. It also causes environmental
degradation.
• Due to heavy traffic, more time is required to reach the desired place. This may
result in incomplete sleep and various kind of health issues to the human and
sometimes accidents too.
• People prefer public transportation less due to non-maintenance of the public
transportation vehicle. ITS using IoT can help in monitoring and maintaining
public transport facilities which can also improve safety.
A Survey on Intelligent Transportation System Using Internet of Things 233

1.3 Benefits of Using Intelligent Transportation System

Nowadays more than half of the population reside in urban areas which results in
traffic congestion and wastage of environmental resources. Awareness must be spread
among people to use public transportation that helps to provide overall sustainable
development of the country [7]. If more people start using public transportation
instead of preferring their own private vehicles, it can be helpful in reducing pollution
and indirectly helpful in saving the environment.
The following facilities can be provided to the customers using ITS.
• It introduce reliable public transportation system so that people can easily rely on
the provided services.
• It has improved safety features for the betterment of people.
• Highly efficient schedule management so that people can know the exact timings
for the transportation.
• Convenience with respect to facilities, availability of seats and other services.
• A smart system can be introduced which could generate a quicker response to user’s
query and could predict the availability of seats, whether the bus is fully occupied
or still, some seats are remaining. Keeping such records may help in building a
system which could ease lifestyle of the people and can provide a comfortable
journey for travelers.

2 Literature Survey of Intelligent Transportation System

According to the prediction of Barcelona tourist guide, IoT has potential to increase
global profits by 19% with the help of effective asset utilization, employee productiv-
ity, supply chain, customer experience, and innovations [8]. There are approximately
800 million vehicles in the world which are maintained by Vehicle Dynamic Control
(VDC) system which collects the data of vehicles related to the performance and
quality of vehicles for analyzing, processing, and remote monitoring. According to
a survey, around 40% of traffic is due to parking problem [8]. Hence a smarter way
of parking is implemented in Barcelona city which helps users to locate space for
parking by their vehicles.
There is a prediction from Cisco that the number of the connected devices will
increase to 50 billion by the end of the year 2020. This leads to salable, energy saving,
and a portable devices which consist of accurate and secured architecture [9].
In developed countries, the transportation system is well-structured and cost-
effective. All stops are clean and hygienic as resources are more compared to the
population. But in India, people have a tendency to rush towards the bus as soon as it
arrives, and as a result of this, elders, women and physically unfit people fail to catch
the required bus. India is a highly populated country resulting in lack of resources
for the increasing population. In order to serve large number of people with available
resources, an effective solution must be implemented that attracts people to use public
234 P. Patel et al.

transportation, e.g., current location of the bus can be provided by an ITS [10–16].
An ITS may also provide the number of seats vacant in a plying vehicle in real time.

2.1 Various Existing Intelligent Transportation System [17]

Electronic Fare Collection (EFC) that automate the ticketing system of the public
transportation network and collects electronic toll at a toll station.
Highway Data Collection (HDC) provides information of traffic scenario based
on positioning devices (Global Positioning System-GPS, Global System for Mobile
communication-GSM, General Packet Radio Service-GPRS) attached to road net-
work. It also collects wind velocity data, direction, etc., to predict weather condition
for the traveler.
Traffic Management Systems (TMS) plays a central role by gathering various infor-
mation from different hardware to improve the overall efficiency of transportation.
Vehicle Data Collection (VDC) collects parameters of vehicles for predictive main-
tenance, durability, and tracking purpose.

2.2 Challenges in Vehicle Tracking Using ITS

According to Verma et al. [10], Global Positioning System (GPS) is one of the most
emerging technology and Global System for Mobile communication (GSM) network
are easily available at most places. Hence, to get current location of any vehicle,
authors have proposed a simple design using Liquid Crystal Display (LCD), GPS,
General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) modules with ATmega16 micro-controller.
They have also designed a web-based application. Using the system, one can track
vehicle remotely. This system is mainly used to track the stolen vehicle.
Farooq et al. [11] proposed a bus tracking system using Arduino, Radio-Frequency
Identification (RFID), Infrared (IR) sensors to track the bus. This user-friendly system
consists of RFID reader which is located near the gate of the bus station. When the
bus with RFID tag enters the premise, a signal is sent to control room that confirms
the arrival of the authenticated bus to the bus station. IR sensors are attached to
parking slot for the proper parking of the authenticated buses.
Mundada et al. [12] discussed a survey done in Bangalore city that shows that
IoT is evolving continuously as Broadband connections are getting cheaper. In this
system, GPS, GSM, and cameras are used for counting vehicles to get traffic situation.
Camera is attached at various nodes in the road network and with the help of Zigbee
protocol, data of the various nodes are sent to the server which can be accessed by
the consumer.
Kumar et al. [13] proposed a low-cost design for passengers using bus trans-
portation. GPS is attached to the bus so that one can track its current location. This
system consists of four modules: BUS Station Module, In-BUS Module, BASE Sta-
A Survey on Intelligent Transportation System Using Internet of Things 235

tion Module and BUS Stop Module. In each module, different types of equipments
like GPS, GSM, micro-controller, etc., are used to integrate information. Matrix dis-
play is attached at the station to show the location of the bus so that passengers can
know arrival time of the bus.
Hassan et al. [14] presented a case study of Tanzania, where there is no public
transport monitoring system. It reveals that many deaths and injuries occur mainly
due to passenger overloading and not following traffic rules in this East-African
country. To overcome this problem, a system is proposed for monitoring and reporting
excessive passengers in public transportation. It includes Passive Infrared Sensor
(PIR) to count passengers and uses GPS/GSM to transmit location data. The system
sends alerts to the server room if bus carries excessive passengers. This condition
delays the departure of the bus. This system provides safety to passengers and reduces
accidents.
Tarapiah et al. [16] proposed a system for vehicle tracking using GPS/GSM mod-
ule. Vibration/shock sensors are connected in air-bags of the vehicle to send an alert
to nearby hospital and police station in case of an accident. The application is com-
posed of GPRS and Google map API with various web services using HTTP REST
protocol. “Ray” algorithm is proposed to support online and offline mode of location.

2.3 Seat Occupancy Detection

Youngki et al. [18] Lee has proposed a system in which seat sensor has been used.
The system is applied on 36 seats of the library in their university. In this system, the
presence of a human is detected by the capacitive sensor which works by sending
continuous data stream in voltages, which is further connected to micro-controller.
This system works on the fundamentals of capacitive coupling where object interrupts
proximity of capacitive foil used in seats. Further, the foils are connected to capacitive
chips and attached with Raspberry pi. When foils come in physical contact, the shape
of the foil gets changed changing the capacitance. But the system gives inaccurate
results and requires frequent recalibration of the sensor. There is a possibility of
hardware failure also (Table 1).
George et al. [19] has used capacitive and inductive proximity sensor. The system
involves capacitive sensor which is able to detect the presence of humans and the
inductive sensor is used to detect all the conductors like laptops. The drawback with
this type of hybrid system is if the laptop is kept on the seat with power supply to
the system and when a person comes in contact with this laptop, then the status of
the seat changes to occupied. Table 2 summarizes various seat occupancy detection
methods found in the literature.
Zeeman et al. [20] proposed a low-cost system to measure occupancy in a minibus
taxi. In sub-Saharan Africa, there is an informal public transportation with less pas-
senger mobility. To improve understanding among passengers, the capacitive prox-
imity sensor is used to detect occupancy of seats and it is integrated with cellular
communication to provide real-time information. Capacitive sensing is a technique to
236 P. Patel et al.

Table 1 Summary of ITS solutions available in the literature

Paper reference Advantages Disadvantages Suggestions
Verma et al. [10] It is mainly used for It uses CMOS 8-bit Micro-controller like
tracking purpose only micro-controller Arduino can be used
which has less features for efficient results
Farooq et al. [11] Convenient for People cannot track GSM/GPS technology
passengers as they can the location of a bus can be used
track bus, also parking when it is not in the
available for buses can range of RFID
be known
Mundada et al. [12] Overcome customers’ ZigBee is having short System collects data
difficulty by providing range and integration from every vehicle
various facilities of area wise count is terminal and
time-consuming customers can get
public transit
information which
leads security issues,
hence only the result
can be displayed
Kumar et al. [13] It has various types of SMS are sent but if Real-time application
alarms like battery there is a network can be made
availability, stoppage, problem, passengers
getting late, route are unavailable to get
deviation the message
Hassan et al. [14] Monitoring and PICAXE system is Micro-controller like
reporting excessive used as an embedded Arduino can be used
passengers in public system so advanced to implement
transportation features cannot be advanced features
implemented
Tarapiah et al. [16] Vibration sensors are Useful in particular Ultrasonic sensors can
attached to an airbag. range be used to avoid
In case of an accident, accidents
it will notify
surrounding areas
within the range of the
accident

measure the capacitance between the electrode and its surrounding. The capacitance
of unoccupied seat is less than occupied seat based on various results. A mathematical
model is proposed to measure the capacitance of sensor electrode.
In a system by ETA Info-Tech in Dubai [21], passenger seat sensor are attached
in the taxi. It is made by European Union which are very high quality, reliable and
durable. It is attached to the center of the seat where the sensor can be placed flat
and its wire is passed from the backside of a seat which is integrated with meter
connection.
A Survey on Intelligent Transportation System Using Internet of Things 237

Table 2 Papers related to seat occupancy detection

Paper reference Advantages Disadvantages Suggestions
Youngki et al. [18] It works on the When foils come in Mechanical support
fundamentals of physical contact, its capacitive sensor can
capacitive coupling shape gets changed be used
attaching foil in a seat and gives an
inaccurate result
George et al. [19] New approach of the Complex system Only one concept can
combined sensor is be used
used to detect
occupancy
Zeeman et al. [20] Simple and low-cost Parallel plate Small mechanical
capacitive sensor capacitive sensor is sensor can be used
system is ideal for used with diameter 22 which can be studded
occupancy detection in cm and height 10 cm in seat easily
multiple-seat vehicles
accurately
ETA Info-Tech. [21] Simple and secure Sensors need to be Better quality of seat
system placed on flat surface. sensors should be used
They get damaged like capacitive sensors
under pressure in an
uneven surface.
Further, current ratings
must not vary

2.4 Traffic Monitoring

The government of Gujarat [22] has implemented City Surveillance and Intelligent
Traffic Monitoring System wherein cameras are used to survey movement of vehi-
cles. If someone breaks the rules, the camera will detect vehicle’s number plate
and E-challan will be sent to the registered address of the vehicle. These cameras
are connected via optical fiber cables or wireless nodes which sends signals to the
monitoring room. Table 3 summarizes few traffic monitoring ITS solutions.
World Sensing System [23] focuses on city mobility management including var-
ious traffic flows, smart parking, etc. It uses real-time information to make smarter
and faster decisions. In Barcelona, smart parking system is available where an elec-
tromagnetic sensor is placed in each parking slots. When a vehicle enters that slot,
the sensor will send signals of occupancy. This status can be viewed in-app which
guides users to proper parking space.
238 P. Patel et al.

Table 3 Existing implementations for traffic monitoring

Paper reference Advantages Disadvantages Suggestions
The government of Data capture by the Issuing E-Challan is a By doing automatic
Gujarat [22] camera are sent manual process number plate
through fiber optics or recognition, it can be
wireless network and automated
if someone breaks
rules then E-Challan
gets generated
World sensing system Electromagnetic Electromagnetic Use of other sensors
[23] sensors are used to sensors sometimes like IR, ultrasound,
detect the arrival of miss objects like steel etc.
cars ramps and also deflect
acoustic waves

3 Future Research Directions

No research is whole and complete. There are chances to improve the existing
research work. The literature review presented so far have implemented ITS with
different features and each of them has been implemented in isolation. There is a
strong need to design an ITS by integrating all these features in a single system that
caters the need of different users. Safety, accuracy, and cost-effectiveness can be con-
sidered as parameters of interest while designing smart ITS. Also below challenges
faced by IoT can be considered:
• Security: As the number of devices will be connected, their security will be a big
challenge. Also, centralized IoT server needs to be secured.
• Connectivity: If the number of devices is moderate then the system is manageable.
But, if billions of devices are involved then managing network is a challenging
task.
• Compatibility: Every device connected for IoT is diversified in its own protocol
and operating system, which needs to be synced in order to make it usable for IoT
architecture.
For an IoT architecture, following basic hardware is required:
• Sensors: To fetch data which would be on the sensor layer of an architecture
• Micro-controller/ Microprocessor: To integrate the data. This would be in com-
munication layer of an architecture.
• Device: To display data. This would be in an application layer of an architecture.
This technology leads in the business world with major impact on the environment.
A better world can be achieved by optimizing the use of IoT technology by solving
its open challenges. Most of the people are dependent on the public transit. Hence,
a traveler should get the level of convenience same as his/her private vehicle, i.e.,
amount of waiting time should be minimal and assurance of a seat in the public
A Survey on Intelligent Transportation System Using Internet of Things 239

transport vehicle. Tracker sensors will be able to track the vehicle, seat sensors can
track the number of people through which prediction of the crowd can be calculated.
Gateways and mediators can be used to merge various sensors and actuators which
leads to storage of data in a particular location via signals or communicators. This
leads to a better approach for an Intelligent Transportation system.

4 Conclusion

Public transport has the potential to reduce traffic congestion if it is implemented in

intelligent and efficient manner. Existing efforts for the same lack a holistic approach.
There are numerous transit system ideas using low-cost IoT technology but each of
them lacks in consistency. A complete architecture for Public Transport System using
IoT should be devised and standardized for its wide adaptation.

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