Evaluation of Roadside LiDAR-Based and Vision-Based Multi-Model All-Traffic Trajectory Data

Trajectory data has gained increasing attention in the transportation industry due to its capability of providing valuable spatiotemporal information. Recent advancements have introduced a new type of multi-model all-traffic trajectory data which provides high-frequency trajectories of various road users, including vehicles, pedestrians, and bicyclists. This data offers enhanced accuracy, higher frequency, and full detection penetration, making it ideal for microscopic traffic analysis. In this study, we compare and evaluate trajectory data collected from two prevalent roadside sensors: LiDAR and camera (computer vision). The comparison is conducted at the same intersection and over the same time period. Our findings reveal that current LiDAR-based trajectory data exhibits a broader detection range and is less affected by poor lighting conditions compared to computer vision-based data. Both sensors demonstrate acceptable performance for volume counting during daylight hours, but LiDAR-based data maintains more consistent accuracy at night, particularly in pedestrian counting. Furthermore, our analysis demonstrates that, after applying smoothing techniques, both LiDAR and computer vision systems accurately measure vehicle speeds, while vision-based data show greater fluctuations in pedestrian speed measurements. Overall, this study provides insights into the advantages and disadvantages of LiDAR-based and computer vision-based trajectory data, serving as a valuable reference for researchers, engineers, and other trajectory data users in selecting the most appropriate sensor for their specific needs.