Optimal traffic plate scanning location for OD trip matrix and route estimation in road networks

During the last decade, there has been a substantial interest in how to determine the optimal number and locations of traffic counters for origin–destination (OD) trip matrices estimation. On the contrary, the optimal allocation of plate scanning devices has received very limited attention, even though several authors have demonstrated that plate scanning (route identification) techniques are much more informative than those based on traditional link count information. This paper provides techniques for obtaining the optimal number and location of plate scanning devices for a given prior OD distribution pattern under different situations, i.e. maximum route identifiability or budget constraints. Two rules analogous to the counting location problem are developed, and several integer linear programming models fulfilling these rules are proposed. The proposed methods are finally illustrated by their application into Nguyen–Dupuis and Cuenca networks.