The authors have performed a simple computer simulation for a topography that models change in propagation characteristics due to change in traffic volume. The results of this simulation revealed that path loss for a traffic volume of about 2000 vehicles every 30 minutes in a typical urban environment exhibits a Rayleigh distribution. This result agrees well with that of actual measurements demonstrating that even a simple simulation can be a useful tool in system design.

We investigate the relationship between microwave path-loss characteristics and line-of-sight (LOS) blocking in an urban environment with a low base-station antenna using LOS-blocking measurement equipment that we have developed. Changes in path loss, traffic conditions, and LOS-blocking caused by vehicles were measured simultaneously. It was found that path loss exhibits a Rayleigh distribution even in a LOS environment if the amount of traffic is such that LOS- blocking occurs for 80% of the time or more, but the other case path loss exhibits a Nakagami-Rice distribution. It was also found that ratio of coherent wave level to envelope level (c/r) depends heavily on rate of road traffic flow.

Advanced Traveller Information Systems (ATIS) and Advanced Traffic Management Systems (ATMS) require real-time traffic data to observe and control the trafic flow. Still, there is a lack of proficient traffic monitoring systems. One method to collect such data is using particular equipped vehicles, called probes, transmitting experienced travel times to base stations which in turn are connected to a traffic control center. In this paper we analyse the performance of a radio network for collecting real-time traffic data from probes. The results reveal that random transmission of traffic reports is a (spectrum) efficient, inexpensive and flexible method for collecting road traffic data that can provide reliable traffic monitoring.