Spatial–Temporal Similarity Fusion Graph Adversarial Convolutional Networks for traffic flow forecasting

Abstract

Traffic flow forecasting is integral to the advancement of intelligent transportation systems and the development of smart cities. This paper introduces a novel model, the Spatial–Temporal Similarity Fusion Graphs Adversarial Convolutional Networks (STSF-GACN), which leverages advanced data preprocessing techniques to enhance the predictive accuracy and efficiency of traffic flow forecasting.

The innovation of our approach lies in the meticulous construction of the spatial–temporal similarity matrix through the precise calculation of temporal and spatial similarities. This matrix forms the backbone of our model, serving as the generator in the integrated Generative Adversarial Network (GAN) architecture. The Spatial–Temporal Similarity Fusion Adaptive Graph Convolutional Network, developed as part of our GAN’s generator, utilizes cutting-edge techniques such as the Wasserstein distance and Dynamic Time Warping to optimize the adaptive adjacency matrix, enabling the model to capture latent spatial–temporal correlations with unprecedented depth and precision.

The discriminator of the GAN further refines the model by evaluating the accuracy of the traffic predictions, ensuring that the generative model produces results that are not only accurate but also robust against varying traffic conditions. This cohesive integration of GAN into the model architecture allows for a significant improvement in prediction accuracy and convergence speed, moving beyond traditional forecasting methods.