More for less with traffic control centre technology
Rich pickings are now available in a maturing market supplying screens and processors for traffic management operations. Jon Masters reviews what’s on offer. Competition in supply of technology for traffic management and control centres has increased significantly in recent years. Suppliers introduced better products and customers are changing the way they operate, which benefits traffic authorities and emergency services alike. These are the views of Electrosonic’s control rooms solutions sales manager Pa
Allied Vision Technologies expands Manta range
The Manta series of cameras from Allied Vision Technologies is to be expanded with five new models with high-resolution multi-tap CCD or CMOS sensor and 2.2 up to 9.2 megapixels. The Manta is a flexible, feature-rich GigE Vision camera; the Manta G-282 and Manta G-917 are the first industrial cameras with the new Sony Multi-Tap 2.8 megapixels ICX687 and 9.2 megapixels ICX814. New models also include the high-resolution Manta G-283 with 28 megapixels-sensor as well and the six megapixel Manta G-609. All came
Accurate roadside visibility monitoring
The SWS-050 visibility sensor for roadside monitoring developed by UK company Biral measures local weather conditions and instantly relays this information to road users via electronic signage, warning drivers of unexpected hazards such as fog patches and enabling rapid response by authorities in the event of dangerous conditions. With a measurement range of 10 metres to 40 kilometres, the SWS-050 operates in temperatures ranging from -40ºC to 60ºC and is unaffected by local lights or reflections. The devic
TomTom GO launched
TomTom has completely redesigned its portable navigation device (PND) to introduce the new TomTom Go. An interactive map enables drivers to easily access the travel information they need via a high-resolution, capacitive touch- screen. The 3D maps bring buildings and landmarks to life to give drivers a view of precisely what is going on around them, as well as what lies ahead.
New Handheld rugged tablet
The new Algiz 10X rugged tablet PC from Handheld Group is, said the company, perfect for outdoor use and can withstand tough weather elements and harsh handling and has been developed specifically for field workers in industries such as logistics, forestry, public transportation, utilities, construction, maintenance, mining, military and security. The lightweight, IP65-rated tablet has been designed to withstand the harsh conditions that come with all kinds of industry fieldwork, and that can display detail
Siemens’ Stratos offers scalable solution
Developed using the latest cloud-based technology, Siemens says its Stratos system delivers scalable real-time traffic management, information and control, from basic monitoring to strategic control of complex urban traffic environments. Proven traffic management systems have been integrated to create Stratos and provide streamlined, seamless user interaction with access anywhere on smart mobile devices as well as traditional control rooms. Siemens says Stratos is the complete solution for car parking, VMS,
Point Grey increases CCD sensitivity
Point Grey’s new addition to its Grasshopper3 camera family, the Grasshopper3 GS3-U3-28S5, features high quality, high resolution CCD sensors with a USB 3.0 interface. The new camera models are based on colour and monochrome versions of the fast and highly sensitive Sony ICX674, a 2/3” CCD featuring 4.54 micron square pixels and capable of sending 1932 x 1452 images at 26 FPS. The ICX674 sensor supports high definition (HD) 1080p30 imaging and uses Sony’s EXview HAD CCD II technology to improve quantum effi
Data goldmines offer rich pickings
Astronomical is not too grand a term to describe the current rate of growth in transportation-related data. Massive amounts of traffic related information, such as speed, volume, incidents and weather are being generated every second by road operators and users alike. Big data’ derives its name from the sheer amount and complexity of available raw data. Its potential value is starting to emerge among the intelligent transportation systems community. A gold rush is taking place to capture this value, with da
European market for EV charging stations expected to grow
New analysis from Frost and Sullivan, Strategic Technology and Market Analysis of Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure in Europe, finds that the market for electric (EV) charging stations is expected to grow rapidly from 7,250 charging stations in 2012 to over 3.1 million by 2019 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 113.3 per cent over the period 2012-2019. France, Germany, Norway and the United Kingdom are expected to lead the market due to the high adoption rates of EVs in these countries.
Easytrip appoints new board member
Easytrip, Ireland’s electronic tolling payment services provider, has appointed Steve Preece to its board. Steve is managing director of Egis Projects Ireland and currently holds positions on a number of Irish company boards. He will play an active part in Easytrip’s development, assist in promoting the company’s core business and give guidance to the senior management team. He will also look to ensure Egis Projects’ interests are represented and work closely with the management team to build on the exist
Edinburgh set to expand bus lane cameras
Bus lane cameras in Edinburgh are set to be expanded to cover all major public transport corridors. City councillors will consider the proposal to expand camera enforcement at the Transport and Environment Committee in June. Mobile cameras currently operate in Edinburgh at five sites, with further sites at set to be introduced in June. The number of prohibited vehicles driving in bus lanes during restricted times has dropped by almost 90 per since cameras were introduced in April 2012 to enforce long-standi
Navigating a path towards greater safety
Eric Sampson takes a look at why the European Union’s eCall system is taking rather longer to arrive than it should. There’s an old story about the person who asked an Irishman for directions and after much thought he responded: “If you’re going there from here it would be better to start from somewhere else.” This came to mind when I was recently reflecting on eCall and wondering when it will come - some stakeholders say the answer is never. So despite years of workshops and discussions, eCall is still not
Washington DC gets multimodal transportation information displays
US-headquartered digital signage specialist Transit Screen has partnered with local Business Development Agencies (BID) Business Improvement Districts in what is said to be Washington, DC’s, first real-time multimodal display of transportation information. The Transit Screen displays provide a live, real-time snapshot of all Metro, Capital BikeShare, Metrobus, Circulator, and ART bus transit arrivals at a given location.
Marseille opts for Flir traffic monitoring solution
Flir Intelligent Transportation Systems is to equip the Prado Carénage and the soon to be built Prado Sud tunnels in Marseille, France, with automatic incident detection (AID) technology. The Prado Carénage tunnel connects the southern districts of the city and the eastern motorway to the city centre and to north via the Vieux Port tunnel and the coastal motorway.
Communication: the future of machine vision
Jason Barnes asks leading machine vision industry figures what they consider to be the educational barriers to the technology’s increased uptake by the ITS sector. The recent rush by some organisations within the ITS sector to associate themselves with the term ‘machine vision’ underlines just how important the technology has become in a relatively short space of time. However, despite the technology having been applied in certain traffic management applications for some years, there remains a significant s
A global standard for enforcement systems – is it necessary?
Jason Barnes speaks to leading figures from the automated enforcement sector about whether a truly international standard for automated enforcement systems is necessary or can ever be achieved. Recent reports of further press controversy in the US over automated enforcement (see ‘Focusing on accuracy?’, ITS International raise again the issue of standards and what constitutes ‘good enough’ in terms of system accuracy and overall solution effectiveness.
Comparatively, automated enforcement has always expe
Apps help passengers avoided overcrowded public transport
David Crawford reviews innovations in the comfort zone. Anyone who rides public transport knows that, perhaps second only to delays, overcrowding is a critical part of the passenger experience,” says Nir Erez, CEO of Moovit, the Israel-based social transportation app developer. The app is aimed at taking real-time user feedback on transit and making it available to a wider audience of travellers. Currently available on iPhone and Android, it plans to add Windows 8 and other platforms in the future. Moovit i
Wavetronix radar-based traffic sensor cuts costs
While initial cost of radar based detection may be higher than that traditional loops, lower maintenance costs more than balance the books. Following successful field tests, the US city of Greenville, North Carolina, has recently agreed a new policy of phasing in Wavetronix traffic sensor technology’s radar-based SmartSensor Matrix system across its signalised traffic intersections. City traffic engineer Rik DiCesare expects the incremental implementation to deliver benefits to both the city’s taxpayers an
Investment in transport systems a powerful driver of long-term growth
According to a new OECD report, boosting private sector investment in sustainable transport infrastructure will be essential as governments seek to meet long-term economic and environmental objectives at a time of constrained public finances. Mobilising Private Investment in Sustainable Transport: The Case of Land-Based Passenger Transport Infrastructure points out that investment in transport systems is a powerful driver of long-term growth. It also notes, however, that the transport sector is the second l
SAP and China to cooperate on ITS
German software company SAP plans to enter into a strategic cooperation with the Chinese government on the development of intelligent transportation systems to help manage traffic in China’s fast-growing urban areas over the coming decades. SAP and the Chinese High-Way Group plan to enter into broad collaboration for research on integrated solutions for transportation communications and the development of intelligent traffic management systems leveraging advanced software solutions from SAP for big data pow