On the Way to Intelligent Traffic Control
March 17, 2016 | Technical University of DenmarkEstimated reading time: 5 minutes
For Thomas Alexander Sick Nielsen, transport researcher at DTU, the CITS project was a welcome opportunity to get a better insight into some of the road user types that we lack knowledge about.
Cars are currently counted in several places where, e.g., coils are installed in the road to register passing vehicles. But automatic counts are used in particular for cars, while soft traffic is counted less frequently. And this gives some uncertainty in the overall picture of traffic in Copenhagen.
The lines are generated by the road users’ smartphones and consist of the same data as in the picture above, but before sorting by direction, speed, and road user type.
“Bicycles are counted manually, and the same applies to the few places where you count pedestrians. By registering Wi-Fi units, we place cyclists and pedestrians on equal footing with other road users. Today, for example, it’s a problem that we don’t know how many pedestrians there are, and whether there are places people avoid because they feel insecure there. Here, you can use the level of detail and even register per minute. For road users, we also have very little knowledge of what is happening at night. And we have no ‘fluid’ data showing at short intervals how traffic builds up and breaks down,” says Thomas Alexander Sick Nielsen.
For Professor Per Høeg from DTU Space, the CITS project was a very successful proof of concept experiment providing the researchers with more information than previously seen in similar systems.
The project showed that Wi-Fi data can be collected and used to show the number of road users and their movement patterns.
“We have also attracted great interest from several cities in Europe and the USA. And, of course, also from the City of Copenhagen which uses CITS as background material in other projects,” he says.
This is confirmed by Søren Kvist from Copenhagen Solutions Lab. The testing of different technologies to create a smart transport system is now being tendered out:
“We are currently creating a more permanent test area around H.C. Andersens Boulevard where we test other sensor types, parking sensors, pollution sensors, and Wi-Fi for tourists—based on the smart city concept Copenhagen Connecting, which received the award as the best in the world in Barcelona in 2014. If we develop systems with precise data about traffic, we can optimize traffic by 11 – 32 per cent. The reason for this large span is that there are still many uncertainties associated with it. But the potential is enormous, if we can control the traffic intelligently,” he say
Page 2 of 2Suggested Items
Real Time with… IPC APEX EXPO 2024: Operational Excellence and Smart Factory Initiatives
04/30/2024 | Real Time with...IPC APEX EXPOOperational excellence and operational efficiency are defined in this interview with Koh Young General Manager Joel Scutchfield. He touches on automation, AI, and collaboration as solutions to resource limitations. Koh Young's data-driven approach uses AI for process adjustments, data analytics, and supply chain enhancements. The discussion underscores the shift toward smart factory initiatives and the future of manufacturing, with a focus on reshoring, nearshoring, and technology utilization.
IDTechEx Report on Quantum Technology: Nano-scale Physics for Massive Market Impact
04/30/2024 | PRNewswireThe quantum technology market leverages nano-scale physics to create revolutionary new devices for computing, sensing, and communications. Across the industry, quantum technology offers a paradigm shift in performance compared with incumbent solutions.
NASA’s Optical Comms Demo Transmits Data Over 140 Million Miles
04/30/2024 | NASA JPLNASA’s Deep Space Optical Communications experiment also interfaced with the Psyche spacecraft’s communication system for the first time, transmitting engineering data to Earth.
Real Time with… IPC APEX EXPO 2024: Insight into Summit Interconnect's Success
04/30/2024 | Real Time with...IPC APEX EXPOShane Whiteside, CEO of Summit Interconnect, discusses the company's recent recognition as one of the best PCB fabricators in the industry by receiving IPC's Peter Sarmanian award. Whiteside touches on the impact of changes in the marketplace, such as the Defense Production Act and presidential determination, on their growth. Whiteside also shares the company's focus on mechanical and data automation to enhance manufacturing processes and anticipates more automation and evolution in the industry.
Koh Young Showcases Award-winning Inspection Solutions at SMTconnect with SmartRep in Hall 4A.225
04/25/2024 | Koh Young TechnologyKoh Young Technology, the industry leader in True 3D measurement-based inspection solutions, will showcase an array of award-winning inspection and measurement solutions at SMTconnect alongside its sales partner, SmartRep, in booth 4A.225 at NürnbergMesse from June 11-13, 2023. The following offers a glimpse into what Koh Young will present at the tradeshow: