COMPASS, also referred to as Freeway Traffic Management System, is a system run by the
Ministry of Transportation of Ontario
The Ministry of Transportation (MTO) is the provincial ministry of the Government of Ontario that is responsible for transport infrastructure and related law in Ontario, Canada. The ministry traces its roots back over a century to the 1890s, w ...
(MTO) to monitor and manage the flow of traffic on various roads (including
400-series highways
The 400-series highways are a network of controlled-access highways in the Canadian province of Ontario, forming a special subset of the provincial highway system. They are analogous to the Interstate Highway System in the United States or th ...
) in Ontario.
COMPASS uses pairs of in-road sensors to detect the speed and density of traffic flow. This data is fed to a central computer at the MTO Downsview office and analyzed by operators, who also view the feeds of traffic cameras placed along the highways. Changeable Message Signs (CMS) then display messages to motorists on the highways, advising them of upcoming collisions, closures,
detours and traffic flow.
Algorithms
The primary algorithm used by the Ministry is known as the McMaster algorithm, designed by Professor Fred Hall of
McMaster University
McMaster University (McMaster or Mac) is a public research university in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The main McMaster campus is on of land near the residential neighbourhoods of Ainslie Wood, Ontario, Ainslie Wood and Westdale, Ontario, Westd ...
, in Hamilton, Ontario. Incident Detection algorithms have also been widely used throughout the COMPASS-enabled area.
Research on new algorithm developments and evaluations is performed at the ITS Centre and Testbed (ICAT), at the Civil Engineering department of the
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...
. The ICAT is equipped with direct fibre-optic links to the Ministry of Transportation, and received both traffic camera and loop detector data on a live basis. Visual data can be used to confirm the presence of incidents detected by the various algorithms.
COMPASS cameras
Images from most COMPASS cameras are available online via MTO website.
COMPASS has some dedicated cameras used by MTO Enforcement Officers to monitor and manage truck queues at locations such as the Putman Commercial Vehicle Inspection Station. Images from these cameras are not available online.
Highways with COMPASS cameras:
Queen Elizabeth Way
The Queen Elizabeth Way (QEW) is a 400-series highways, 400-series highway in the Canadian province of Ontario linking Toronto with the Niagara Peninsula and Buffalo, New York. The highway begins at the Canada–United States border on the Pea ...
(QEW)
(Fort Erie, Niagara Falls to St Catharines, Stoney Creek to Toronto)
* QEW from Thompson Rd to Bowen Rd (Fort Erie)
* QEW from Mountain Road to 7th Street (Niagara Falls to St. Catharines)
* QEW from Fifty Rd to Highway 427 (Stoney Creek to Toronto )
Highway 400
* Highway 400 from Highway 401 to King Rd (Toronto-King City)
Highway 401
King's Highway 401, commonly referred to as Highway 401 and also known by its official name as the Macdonald–Cartier Freeway or colloquially referred to as the four-oh-one, is a controlled-access 400-series highway in the Canadian prov ...
(London and Windsor, Milton to Ajax, Kingston, Ivy Lea). One of the highest-volume highways in the world
* Highway 401 from Martin Street to Simcoe St (Milton-Oshawa)
* Highway 401 from near Wellington Road South to near Old Victoria Road South in (London, Ontario)
Highway 402
(Vyner to Sarnia)
* Highway 402 from Mandaumin Road to Front Street North (Sarnia)
Highway 403
(Hamilton to Burlington, Oakville to Mississauga)
* Highway 403 from Aberdeen to QEW (Hamilton-Burlington)
* Highway 403 from QEW to Highway 401 (Oakville-Mississauga)
Highway 404
(Toronto to Markham)
* Highway 404 from Highway 401/Don Valley Parkway to 16th Ave (Toronto-Markham)
Highway 405
Route 405 or Highway 405 may refer to:
Canada
* Manitoba Provincial Road 405
* Newfoundland and Labrador Route 405
* Ontario Highway 405
Costa Rica
* National Route 405 (Costa Rica), National Route 405
Japan
* Japan National Route 405
United Ki ...
(Niagara Falls)
* Highway 405 from QEW to Queenston-Lewiston Bridge (St. Catharines-Niagara On The Lake)
Highway 406
* Highway 406 South of QEW (St. Catharines)
Highway 407
* Highway 407 from Brock Rd to Highway 418 (Pickering to Clarington)
Highway 409
(Toronto)
* Highway 409 from Highway 427 to Highway 401 (Toronto)
Highway 410
(Mississauga to Brampton)
* Highway 410 from Highway 401 to Clark Blvd (Peel Region)
Highway 412
* Highway 412 from Brock Rd to Highway 412 (Durham Region)
Highway 417
(the Queensway, Ottawa)
* Highway 417 from Ottawa Road 174 to 416/Richmond Road (Ottawa Region)
Highway 427
(Toronto)
* Highway 427 from Gardiner Expressway/QEW to Finch(Toronto-York Region)
Non 400-series Highways
* Highway 58 from Pine Street to Thorold Stone Road (including Thorold Tunnel) (Thorold)
* Thorold Stone Road
* Wolfe Island Ferry Terminals - Kingston and Wolfe Island (2)
* 1000 Islands Parkway - Ivy Lea
*
E.C. Row Expressway - COMPASS uses images from City of Windsor.
*
City of Windsor - Images from both City of Windsor and COMPASS are available on MTO website via COMPASS interface.
False alarms
A false alarm for incident detection is not only highly undesirable, but seriously damages the confidence in the detection system. Therefore, a near 100% alarm accuracy is needed. This does not mean that 100% traffic parameter accuracy is required from the traffic sensors; however, the logical commands that analyze the change in traffic parameters need to be selected carefully in order to minimize the probability of false alarms yet detect all major incidents as well as a high percentage of all other incidents. Most importantly, confirmation of incident and evaluation of incident type by manual inspection of a video camera screen is probably the most significant incident detection technique.
See also
*
Electronic Monitoring and Advisory System - a similar type of system in Singapore
*
Motorway Incident Detection and Automatic Signalling
*
Road Emergency Services Communications Unit - system used on the
Don Valley Parkway
The Don Valley Parkway (DVP) is a municipal expressway in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, which connects the Gardiner Expressway in downtown Toronto with Highway 401. North of Highway 401, it continues as Highway 404. The parkway ru ...
by the City of
Toronto
Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...
* Hong Kong Intelligent Transport System (ITS) - uses same technology through Delcan International Corporation, designer of the Traffic Control System used by COMPASS
References
{{reflist
Explanation of the logical functioning of COMPASS
Automotive safety
Road infrastructure in Canada
Transport in Ontario
Intelligent transportation systems