# Routing Autonomous Emergency Vehicles in Smart Cities Using Real Time Systems Analogy: A Conceptual Model

**Authors:** Subash Humagain, Roopak Sinha  
**arXiv:** [2107.08167](https://arxiv.org/abs/2107.08167)  
**Date:** 2021-07-17  
**Summary page:** https://www.summarizepaper.com/en/paper/2107.08167v1/

## Key points

- Emergency service vehicles (ambulances, fire trucks, police cars) are crucial for responding to emergencies promptly
- Obstacles like traffic congestion, signalized intersections, queued vehicles, and inefficient traffic phase timing can hinder response times
- Traditional routing solutions for emergency vehicles have been unsuccessful due to their inability to consider dynamic traffic parameters
- Proposed conceptual model leverages real-time traffic data and connectivity in smart cities to route autonomous emergency vehicles (AEVs) efficiently and safely
- AEVs can access real-time information on congestion levels, road halts, pedestrian flow, queued vehicles, and adaptive speed
- Use of autonomous vehicles (AVs) offers additional advantages in terms of safety and adaptability within smart city environments
- AVs are equipped with advanced sensors and connectivity capabilities for real-time decision-making based on surrounding conditions
- Model considers traffic network as an analogous system to real-time systems (RTS)
- Utilizes mixed-criticality real-time system (MCRTS) task scheduling techniques for effective scheduling of AEVs to meet response time targets
- Treating AEV routing as a critical task ensures efficient and safe navigation through complex road networks in smart cities
- Conceptual model aims to improve response times while minimizing disruptions to regular traffic flow.

## Summary

Emergency service vehicles such as ambulances, fire trucks and police cars play a crucial role in responding to emergencies promptly. However, various obstacles like traffic congestion, signalized intersections, queued vehicles and inefficient traffic phase timing can hinder these vehicles from achieving their desired response times. Traditional routing solutions for emergency vehicles have been unsuccessful due to their inability to consider dynamic traffic parameters. To address this issue, the authors propose a conceptual model that leverages real-time traffic data and connectivity in smart cities to route autonomous emergency vehicles (AEVs) efficiently and safely. Utilizing the infrastructure provided by smart cities, AEVs can access real-time information on congestion levels, road halts, pedestrian flow, queued vehicles and adaptive speed. This data enables them to make informed decisions while minimizing their impact on other traffic while still meeting critical response time requirements. The use of autonomous vehicles (AVs) instead of traditional emergency service vehicles offers additional advantages in terms of safety and adaptability within smart city environments. AVs are equipped with advanced sensors and connectivity capabilities that enable them to make real-time decisions based on the surrounding conditions. The proposed model considers the traffic network as an analogous system to real-time systems (RTS). It utilizes mixed-criticality real-time system (MCRTS) task scheduling techniques to effectively schedule AEVs for meeting response time targets. By treating AEV routing as a critical task within the overall transportation system, this approach ensures that emergency services can navigate through complex road networks in smart cities efficiently and safely. In summary, this conceptual model presents a novel approach for routing autonomous emergency vehicles in smart cities by leveraging real-time traffic data and connectivity. By considering the unique challenges faced by emergency service vehicles and utilizing advanced technologies like AVs, this model aims to improve response times while minimizing disruptions to regular traffic flow.