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Enhancing Travel Time Prediction for Intelligent Transportation Systems: A High-Resolution Origin–Destination-Based Approach with Multi-Dimensional Features

Author

Listed:
  • Chaoyang Shi

    (School of Civil and Hydraulic Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China
    Engineering Laboratory of Spatial Information Technology of Highway Geological Disaster Early Warning in Hunan Province, Changsha University of Science & Technology, Changsha 410114, China
    Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Physical Geographic Environment, Chuzhou University, Chuzhou 239000, China
    Anhui Engineering Laboratory of Geo-Information Smart Sensing and Services, Chuzhou 239000, China)

  • Waner Zou

    (School of Civil and Hydraulic Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China)

  • Yafei Wang

    (School of Surveying and Geo-Informatics, North China University of Water Resources and Electric Power, Zhengzhou 450046, China)

  • Zhewen Zhu

    (School of Civil and Hydraulic Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China)

  • Tengda Chen

    (School of Civil and Hydraulic Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China)

  • Yunfei Zhang

    (Engineering Laboratory of Spatial Information Technology of Highway Geological Disaster Early Warning in Hunan Province, Changsha University of Science & Technology, Changsha 410114, China)

  • Ni Wang

    (Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Physical Geographic Environment, Chuzhou University, Chuzhou 239000, China
    Anhui Engineering Laboratory of Geo-Information Smart Sensing and Services, Chuzhou 239000, China
    Anhui Center for Collaborative Innovation in Geographical Information Integration and Application, Chuzhou 239000, China)

Abstract

Accurate travel time prediction is essential for improving urban mobility, traffic management, and ride-hailing services. Traditional link- and path-based models face limitations due to data sparsity, segmentation errors, and computational inefficiencies. This study introduces an origin–destination (OD)-based travel time prediction framework leveraging high-resolution ride-hailing trajectory data. Unlike previous works, our approach systematically integrates spatiotemporal, quantified weather metrics and driver behavior clustering to enhance predictive accuracy. The proposed model employs a Back Propagation Neural Network (BPNN), which dynamically adjusts hyperparameters to improve generalization and mitigate overfitting. Empirical validation using ride-hailing data from Xi’an, China, demonstrates superior predictive performance, particularly for medium-range trips, achieving an RMSE of 202.89 s and a MAPE of 16.52%. Comprehensive ablation studies highlight the incremental benefits of incorporating spatiotemporal, weather, and behavioral features, showcasing their contributions to reducing prediction errors. While the model excels in moderate-speed scenarios, it exhibits limitations in short trips and low-speed cases due to data imbalance. Future research will enhance model robustness through data augmentation, real-time traffic integration, and scenario-specific adaptations. This study provides a scalable and adaptable travel time prediction framework, offering valuable insights for urban traffic management, dynamic route optimization, and sustainable mobility solutions within ITS.

Suggested Citation

  • Chaoyang Shi & Waner Zou & Yafei Wang & Zhewen Zhu & Tengda Chen & Yunfei Zhang & Ni Wang, 2025. "Enhancing Travel Time Prediction for Intelligent Transportation Systems: A High-Resolution Origin–Destination-Based Approach with Multi-Dimensional Features," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(5), pages 1-17, February.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:5:p:2111-:d:1602663
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    References listed on IDEAS

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