1. Editor
2. Simulator
3. Evaluation Tools
4. An Example Session
5. Algorithms
Welcome to the Green Light District!
Congratulations with acquiring Green Light District, the Traffic & Traffic Light Simulation & Evaluation Tool. With this documentation it will only be a short while before you can create complex city maps, populate them with various road users, and explore in depth the relations between traffic control and commuters. You can jump right into the program, letting the intuitive interface guide you from Editor to Simulator, try out one of the standard maps, or follow the step-by-step examples, acquiring the knowledge about Green Light District you need to use it to its maximum potential.
We present you with a tool with which extensive evaluation of various city layouts and control configurations are possible with minimum user input, and which may grow even more powerful. For Green Light District is open source, giving you a tool for the future, that is able to keep up with advances in traffic technology such as GPS tracking and in-asphalt sensors the successfull implementation of which it helps envision.
The Goal of the Green Light District Project
You probably are held up by a traffic light once in a while. Annoying, not? Ever wondered whether their controlling mechanisms could not better suit the flow of traffic?
New advances in physical detection of passing road users and improved traffic light control algorithms are to be combined to optimize traffic flow in the future. Deciding the best use of these new technologies is best done by detailed simulation, to find out whether a costly new system would be profitable when applied to a certain infrastructure - this is the purpose of Green Light District.
All facets of the problem are dealt with: map creation, experimenting with various traffic densities and control algorithms, and statistical analysis. Moreover, the program is open for future improvement because of its open source nature.
Terms that require further description are explained in the Definitions section. It is usefull to browse the definitions, because simulated entities have a slightly different representation than in reality, and understanding them is paramount to profiting from Green Light District. If you plan to begin simulating right away, it is still wise to check the Algorithms section for insight in the heart of the problem-solving methods.
System Requirements
Green Light District (GLD) runs on Linux, Unix and Windows with JDK 2 1.3. GLD installation requires 2 MB of hard drive space, and about 10 MB for an infrastructures consisting of about 50 nodes (see definitions), roads having 4 lanes, and 300 road users at a time. For the above infrastructure, approximately the following system is required:
Editor
Simulator
Simulator with Statistics