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Characteristics of optimal solutions to the sensor location problem

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Abstract

The sensor location problem is that of locating the minimum number of traffic sensors at intersections of a road network such that the traffic flow on the entire network can be determined. In this paper, we provide a new necessary condition on the location of these sensors to enable the traffic flow throughout the network to be computed. This condition is not sufficient in general, but we show that for a large class of problem instances, the condition is sufficient. Many typical road networks are included in this category, and we show how our condition can be used to inform traffic sensor placement.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Dr. Lucio Bianco, Dr. Giuseppe Confessore, and Dr. Monica Gentili for communications and assistance regarding their previous work on the problem.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 201 N. Goodwin Ave, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA

    David R. Morrison

  2. Harvey Mudd College, 301 Platt Blvd, Claremont, CA, 91711, USA

    Susan E. Martonosi

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  1. David R. Morrison
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  2. Susan E. Martonosi
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Susan E. Martonosi.

Additional information

This research was supported in part by the Department of Defense through the National Defense Science & Engineering Graduate Fellowship (NDSEG) Program. The views expressed in this paper are those of the authors and do not reflect the official policy or position of the the Department of Defense or the United States Government.

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Morrison, D.R., Martonosi, S.E. Characteristics of optimal solutions to the sensor location problem. Ann Oper Res 226, 463–478 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10479-014-1638-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10479-014-1638-y

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