 One news story that is the same every day all over the world is the inevitable daily traffic jam, the chaos and congestion on the roads. But what if reasonable detours redirected traffic just seconds after an accident? Or speed limits were adjusted to the flow of traffic? Suppose extra lanes became available before the bottleneck?
It’s not magic and it’s not your imagination wandering while you wait behind the wheel. It’s the up-and-coming technologies of automatic incident detection (AID), incident management, and the support such systems lend to traffic control room operators.
There are already many different kinds of intelligent transportation systems (ITS) across the globe, from CCTV systems and sensors to variable message signs (VMS). While these technologies do help to ensure road safety, AID uses intelligent algorithms to continually analyze camera images for unusual occurrences and alerts operators within seconds of the type of incident and its location. This allows for more extensive systems in which a single operator can monitor hundreds of cameras simultaneously and promptly manage traffic flow and incidents
The SIQURA® TrafficServer™
AID systems entail, however, transmitting and archiving analog video material. This is resource intensive and can sometimes even diminish image quality or limit the realisable scope of a system. To curb these shortcomings, Optelecom-NKF, a leading global supplier of advanced video surveillance solutions and the manufacturer of Siqura® surveillance solutions, joined forces with AID expert, Traficon. Together, they developed the very first video server ever to be integrated with AID technology, what has become known as the Siqura TrafficServer™.
The TrafficServer is capable of readily discovering and exposing incidents, such as stopped vehicles, speed drops, fallen objects, and smoke. The TrafficServer can also carry out traffic monitoring tasks, for example, measuring lane speed and occupancy. Additionally, this intelligent video server supervises the overall health of the system, alerting operators in instances of image loss, camera movement, or communication errors. Since the TrafficServer can simultaneously encode and stream multiple formats, including H.264, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, and MJPEG, video data can be streamlined for specific purposes.
Award-winning technology
In September 2009, the American Society for Industrial Security (ASIS), a non-profit organisation that disseminates information and educational materials to enhance security knowledge, practice, and performance, selected the TrafficServer as a winner in the ASIS Accolades – Security’s Best 2009 competition. The award recognises Optelecom-NKF for taking an existing technology and changing it completely in function and purpose for use in an innovative security application.
First AID for the El Fresno Tunnel
The TrafficServer will make its debut in the 949 meter El Fresno Tunnel, which is part of a new highway being built in the Principality of Asturias on the northern coast of Spain. Eighteen TrafficServers will be installed throughout the El Fresno Tunnel to analyze the video streams of over twenty cameras spanning the scope of the tunnel. The TrafficServers will then merge the video and AID information and transmit it to a central control room.
The saving system
While the ultimate aim is to make roads safer and streamline the flow of traffic, combining intelligent transportation technologies in a user-friendly way will not only save time and money, but reduce pollution and prevent the needless loss of life. So, as you’re steering your way through the gridlock and dreaming of driving on the hard shoulder, you might be comforted by the fact that technologies like the Siqura TrafficServer are already hitting the roads and will soon be helping you to swiftly but safely get wherever it is you’re going.
For more information
www.siqura.com/for-sure |
