Monitoring of Traffic Flow Parameters Using Geospatial Technology for Effective Traffic Management around Maiduguri Central Business District

Abstract: The ever-increasing traffic flow has become one of the most critical challenges faced by municipalities and governments worldwide. This paper intends to ascertain the traffic flow parameters using geospatial technology for effective traffic management around the Central Business District (CBD) in Maiduguri to provide solutions to the menace of traffic congestion. Data were obtained from primary and secondary sources. The primary data were obtained from Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) and Global Positioning System (GPS). UAVs were utilized to record (videography) the traffic flow of the chosen traffic corridors during the peak hours (morning, 7:00 to 9:00 am and evening, 4:00 to 6:00 pm). The classification of the vehicles and conversion to a common standard format was done in Microsoft Excel before being carried forward for GIS Operations in ArcGIS 10.7 Environment to achieve geospatial spatial analysis and mapping of the field data. The results show that Tricycles dominated the traffic during the peak periods, followed by Cars. This indicates that the Tricycle has been the overriding and preferred means of public transport in Maiduguri since 2009 after the ban placed on motorcycles. The also reveals that no matter the direction of movement in all the approach arms, Tricycles override all other means of transportation. The results also show that all the Trio Intersections were observed to have high traffic volume on all their trajectory arms, with only the Tabacco intersection having medium traffic volume during the morning peak period. Given the above findings, the study recommended that the Government to consider the construction of a flyover, particularly at the post office intersection.