Abstract
Timely and accurate information regarding roadway incidents is critical for Traffic Management Centers (TMCs) to maintain safety and mobility. While Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) cameras and crowdsourced data provide significant visibility, rural interstate corridors often suffer from coverage gaps, or "blind spots," where incidents go undetected until significant queuing occurs. Public safety radio communications serve as the primary coordination method for first responders, creating a "verbal infrastructure" that contains vital information regarding incident location and severity. This study evaluates the feasibility of using Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) to bridge these gaps by monitoring and analyzing radio traffic. The project developed and validated a prototype system capable of capturing, transcribing, and geolocating public safety radio transmissions for Traffic Incident Management (TIM) along a 71-mile segment of I-65 between Indianapolis and Chicago. The findings include a system latency assessment, transcription accuracy analysis, noise filtering, and a case study. Further recommendations are made based on the findings for improving results and larger implications.
Keywords
traffic management, traffic incident management, automatic speech recognition, public safety answering point
Report Number
FHWA/IN/JTRP-2026/15
SPR Number
4931
Sponsoring Organization
Indiana Department of Transportation
Performing Organization
Joint Transportation Research Program
Publisher Place
West Lafayette, Indiana
Date of Version
2026
DOI
10.5703/1288284318623
Recommended Citation
Gartner, C., Vajpayee, V., Desai, J. C., & Bullock, D. M. (2026). Utilizing emergency management audio messages for traffic incident management performance measures (Joint Transportation Research Program Publication No. FHWA/IN/JTRP-2026/15). West Lafayette, IN: Purdue University. https://doi.org/10.5703/1288284318623
SPR-4931 Technical Summary