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Modeling a Grid of Traffic Lights -A Case Study Using WinForms, Event Handling and Observer Pattern

Richard Wiener, Editor-in-Chief, JOT, Associate Professor, Department of Computer Science, University of Colorado at Colorado Springs

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Abstract

The quality of a computer simulation, from a scientific perspective, is based on the degree to which the mathematical models that are used to approximate “reality” capture the essence of that reality. The application program (simulation) must of course faithfully implement the mathematical models that describe the behavior of the system being simulated. For a traffic grid, the aspects of reality that must be modeled are:

  1. The arrival pattern of cars into each of the 16 lanes. Here stochastic modeling is appropriate. That is the arrivals of cars is a random phenomena governed by known laws of statistics.
  2. The car-following dynamics that determines the speed of a following-car with respect to a leading car directly in front of it.
  3. The timing pattern of the 15 traffic signals (the starting time for green, its duration, the duration of amber and the duration of red).

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About the author

 

Richard Wiener is Associate Professor of Computer Science at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. He is also the Editor-in-Chief of JOT and former Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Object Oriented Programming. In addition to University work, Dr. Wiener has authored or co-authored 22 books and works actively as a consultant and software contractor whenever the possibility arises. His latest book, just published by Thompson, Course Technology in April 2006, is entitled Modern Software Development Using C#/.NET.


Cite this column as follows:Richard Wiener: “Modeling a Grid of Traffic Lights -A Case Study Using WinForms, Event Handling and Observer Pattern”, in Journal of Object Technology, vol. 5, no. 4, Mai - June 2006, pp. 29-58 http://www.jot.fm/issues/issue_2006_05/column4


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