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CDASim: an Open-Source Co-simulation Tool to Support Cooperative Driving Automation Research

Date and Time: Tuesday, July 11, 2023: 5:30 PM - 7:00 PM

Zhitong Huang 

Analysis, Simulation, and Modeling Program Manager , Leidos

Presentation Description

Cooperative driving automation (CDA) is a promising technology that has the potential to revolutionize the transportation industry by increasing safety, reducing congestion, and improving energy efficiency. To support CDA research, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is building open-source simulation tools that will enable flexible software development and testing of new CDA architectures and algorithms before any real-world testing. This practice will reduce the cost of research leading to deployment.
Since CDA sits at the intersection of multiple industries and requires complex interactions between vehicles and infrastructure, the simulation tools must be modular and accommodate different types of models. To meet this need, this project developed CDASim, an open-source, multi-simulation integration tool that facilitates the transportation community’s research in developing, testing, and eventually deploying CDA applications.
The concept of this framework is to include and integrate various items in transportation systems into the software-in-the-loop (SIL) simulation. The CDASim framework contains six main components: (1) a vehicle driving simulator (i.e., CARLA) that simulates sensors and vehicle dynamics, (2) a traffic simulator (i.e., SUMO) that simulates behaviors of different types of non automated vehicles, (3) a communication simulator (i.e., NS-3) that simulates vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, (4) a C-ADS vehicle control system (i.e., CARMA Platform), (5) an infrastructure-based system to enable cooperation between vehicles and infrastructure (i.e., CARMA Streets), and (6) a National Transportation Communications for Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) Protocol (NTCIP) compatible virtual traffic signal controller. CDASim supports users in configuring different scenarios to develop and evaluate various CDA applications. For example, some scenarios may not be viable and safe to conduct field testing in the real-world (e.g., extreme weather conditions). Moreover, CDASim could support different agencies and organizations to conduct CDA research without physical devices (e.g., vehicles). This can reduce the resources needed to perform quality research, while also generating data that can be used to train AI-based algorithms for sensing, signal operations, TMC operations, transportation management decision support, etc.
Due to the rapid development of CDA technology, the project team designed CDASim with flexibility in mind. This flexibility allows for the possible integration of additional simulators to enhance the simulation capability of CDASim to meet future CDA research needs. Using this pliancy, the project team is currently in the planning stages to expand the capabilities of CDASim to include CARMA CloudSM – for simulation of the current and future Traffic Management Center and CARMA Messenger (for the simulation of non-automated CDA capabilities in the context of emergency response or transit vehicles). The project team plans to extend CDASim capabilities in the future to include vulnerable road users and to explore the possibilities of enabling hardware-in-the-loop testing. With this modular software implementation, researchers can try different communications architectures and traffic management and control strategies, including classical control, non-linear control, AI-based control, etc.
In addition to the development of the tool itself, the FHWA project supported the creation of a digital twin of one of our test beds, the Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center (TFHRC), using a high-definition map of TFHRC. This digital twin of TFHRC enables easy transitions between development in simulation and controlled real-world testing, thereby allowing for one set of tests to provide quick and reliable feedback to the other for further improvement, and vice versa.
The project team expects CDASim to be a low-cost, efficient approach to developing and assessing CDA technology compared to solely field-testing based approaches. CDASim enables more researchers to access CDA technology which will promote the education of the next generation of CDA engineers.

Speaker Biography

Dr. Zhitong Huang is an Analysis, Modeling, and Program Manager at Leidos. With 18 years of extensive research experience, he has successfully conducted numerous projects in the field of transportation engineering. His expertise lies in transportation simulation and modeling, digital twin implementation, connected and automated vehicle (CAV) systems, and traffic operation and management.

Dr. Huang has played a pivotal role in leading more than 20 projects for the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). As the head of the simulation program, he has been instrumental in driving innovation and achieving remarkable results.

In addition to his significant contributions in simulation and modeling, Dr. Huang has also led and participated in various projects encompassing hardware testing and standard development, data collection, spectrum testing, and simulation tool development. His in-depth knowledge extends to the operations and standards of DSRC Roadside Units, as well as Signal Phase and Timing (SPaT) and MAP DSRC Messages and systems. Furthermore, he possesses a comprehensive understanding of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) standards, such as NTCIP.

Presentation File