Enhancing Traffic Density Detection and Synthesis through Topological Attributes and Generative Methods

Abstract

This study investigates the utilization of Graph Neural Networks (GNNs) within the realm of traffic forecasting, a critical aspect of intelligent transportation systems. The accuracy of traffic predictions is pivotal for various applications, including trip planning, road traffic control, and vehicle routing. The research comprehensively explores three notable GNN architectures—Graph Convolutional Networks (GCNs), GraphSAGE (Graph Sample and Aggregation), and Gated Graph Neural Networks (GGNNs)—specifically in the context of traffic prediction. Each architecture's methodology is meticulously examined, encompassing layer configurations, activation functions, and hyperparameters. With the primary aim of minimizing prediction errors, the study identifies GGNNs as the most effective choice among the three models. The outcomes, presented in terms of Root Mean Squared Error (RMSE) and Mean Absolute Error (MAE), reveal intriguing insights. While GCNs exhibit an RMSE of 9.25 and an MAE of 8.2, GraphSAGE demonstrates improved performance with an RMSE of 8.5 and an MAE of 7.6. Gated Graph Neural Networks (GGNNs) emerge as the leading model, showcasing the lowest RMSE of 9.2 and an impressive MAE of 7.0. However, the study acknowledges the dynamic nature of these results, emphasizing their dependency on factors such as the dataset, graph structure, feature engineering, and hyperparameter tuning.