Creating optimal traffic light schedules is of utmost importance to urban commuters, encompassing vehicle drivers, pedestrians, businesses, governing authorities, and city residents as a whole. Nonetheless, manually tackling this task proves intricate due to the multitude of constraints involving vehicle drivers, pedestrians, roads, junctions, and traffic lights that must be considered. Hence, exploring the automated generation of these traffic light working schedules and synchronization is not only scientifically intriguing but also significantly crucial in the context of urban cities.
The objective of this project is to address this challenge precisely by devising novel optimization techniques rooted in artificial intelligence and machine learning. These methods are intended to optimize traffic light scheduling for the city of Prishtina and explore cutting-edge approaches that could potentially be adapted for Prishtina's context. Our goal is to formulate hybrid optimization methods and employ machine learning-based reasoning to resolve this envisioned issue. Furthermore, we will develop a prototype system for traffic light scheduling and synchronization, which will initially cater to Prishtina's needs but will possess the flexibility for future extension for use in other cities in Kosovo or even internationally.
The project will make a valuable contribution to the research field of traffic light scheduling and synchronization, fostering collaboration between academia (University of Prishtina), industry (Comitas AG and Golden Taxi), local government (Municipality of Prishtina), and international universities (TU Wien). Furthermore, this project presents a significant opportunity for young Kosovar researchers to enhance their expertise in web technologies and gain a strong research foundation in the areas of artificial intelligence, machine learning, optimization, and automated scheduling.
In line with the call for proposals, this project falls into the category of addressing concrete community issues through collaboration between higher education institutions and SMEs. In our specific case, the project focuses on tackling the problem of traffic congestion in urban areas. As a case study, we will address the issue of automated traffic light scheduling for the city of Prishtina. Our aim is to generate improved traffic light schedules, benefiting the population of Prishtina and all commuters in various ways, including reduced commuting times, lower transportation costs, decreased air pollution within the city, and enhanced safety at traffic intersections for both vehicles and pedestrians.
The project comprises six primary activities, which are as follows:
Analysis of requirements and formal definition of the traffic light scheduling problem for Prishtina, involving the creation of new problem instances based on real-world requirements.
Investigation and comparison of state-of-the-art methods applicable to the defined problem.
Design and implementation of novel hybrid optimization methods tailored to the context of Prishtina.
Development and implementation of a prototype system for manual and automated traffic light scheduling.
Facilitating collaboration and networking among researchers from academia (University of Prishtina / TU Wien), industry professionals (Comitas AG), and local government authorities (Municipality of Prishtina).
Presentation of research findings at scientific conferences and/or peer-reviewed journals.
The project can be segmented into four key milestones, outlined as follows:
Formal definition of the specific traffic light scheduling problem tailored to the city of Prishtina.
Assessment and comparison of state-of-the-art methods found in the existing literature.
Design, creation, and evaluation of innovative approaches for traffic light scheduling.
Development and implementation of a prototype system for both manual and automated traffic light scheduling.
