Classification & Data Collection

Developing Mexico's ITS standards and infrastructure

February 28, 2013

Promoting open market conditions for ITS deployment remains a major part of Mexico’s recent infrastructure modernization program. Travis P Dunn, partner at D’Artagnan Consulting, looks at the progress so far. In the past six years, Mexico has embarked on an ambitious infrastructure modernization program, calling for the construction and improvement of more than 19,000km of road infrastructure and the deployment of advanced technologies that improve safety, efficiency, and convenience for road users. One of

Flir takeover of Traficon and the role of thermal imaging

February 28, 2013

Andy Teich, president of commercial systems at Flir, discusses the growing role of thermal technology in ITS and his company’s latest high-profile acquisition with Jason Barnes. Andy Teich, Flir’s president of commercial systems, doesn’t want to talk about infrared (IR). Instead, he’d prefer, he says, to discuss ‘thermal technology’. It is, he explains, to differentiate between the imaging technologies which his company specialises in and the LED illumination of IR cameras, an altogether different beast. Fl

Iteris expands video detection range

February 28, 2013

US–headquartered Iteris has increased its Vantage video detection product suite with two new products, SmartCycle and SmartSpan. SmartCycle accurately detects vehicles and cycles with a single video detection camera facing a dedicated approach. Transportation agencies can now benefit from cycle-specific virtual detection zones that can be placed anywhere within the approaching traffic lanes. “SmartCycle provides traffic engineers with a cost-effective way to bring their traffic management systems into comp

The benefits of combining enforcement and traffic management

February 27, 2013

Jason Barnes considers how combining enforcement equipment with other traffic management technologies might benefit our future – if only the will were really in place to do so. During the ITS World Congress in Vienna in October last year, Navtech Radar and Vysionics ITS announced a strategic partnership that would combine the expertise of Navtech in millimetre-wave wide-area surveillance technology with Vysionics’ machine vision-based automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) and average speed measurement

Drivewyze PreClear now operational at over 200 weigh stations

February 26, 2013

Transportation technology provider Drivewyze installed its 200th Drivewyze PreClear weigh station bypass service with the activation of the Corinth site in Mississippi, USA. Drivewyze PreClear bypass services work at both permanent and temporary inspection locations, providing service plans catered to both short haul and long-haul carriers travelling intrastate or interstate throughout the United States. According to Drivewyze, by matching service plans to customer profiles, it delivers bypass services to

Aberdeen opts for wireless vehicle detection

February 26, 2013

After several years’ experience of loop detector failures, primarily identified as being caused by damage from roadworks or degradation of aging road surfaces, Aberdeen City Council opted to use the Golden River M100 wireless detection system from Clearview Traffic. Each compact M100 sensor is typically installed in the middle of a traffic lane where it detects the presence and passage of vehicles and communicates this information wirelessly to the traffic signal controller via an access point and contact c

Thailand launches intelligent transport system project

February 25, 2013

Thailand’s Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) has launched a new intelligent transportation project to manage and improve the country’s traffic system. Announcing the project, called Smart Thailand via Intelligent Transport System Empowered by MOST, MOST minister Worawat Uea-apinyakul said that current technology helps facilitate better traffic and reduce cost. “Many intelligent transport systems (ITS) effectively solve traffic problems, reduce accidents, and help preserve the environment in several

Heart of Slough implements Siemens wireless traffic detection

February 21, 2013

As part of the Heart of Slough improvement project, new traffic intersections across seven key sites in and around Slough, UK have been equipped with a total of 162 Siemens WiMag wireless magnetometer sensors by Siemens to help improve the management of traffic using the A4 and travelling to and from the town centre. Complementing the company’s proven loop and radar detection solutions, the sensors provide the Heart of Slough project with an alternative traffic detection system that uses magnetic disturbanc

City of Greenville adopts Wavetronix traffic sensor technology

February 21, 2013

The US City of Greenville has begun phasing in new vehicle detection technology at its traffic signals. The state-of-the-art traffic sensors are expected to provide numerous benefits to motorists including improved safety, cost savings, greater mobility and increased productivity. The city’s 115 vehicle-activated signalised intersections currently have more than 900 in-road sensors that detect the presence of vehicles. The loop detectors, which have been widely used throughout the US for more than four de

Estimating winter road recovery time with traffic data

February 15, 2013

In Minnesota, US, the most common measure for snow management performance is the time it takes to completely clear a roadway after a snow event ends. Currently, the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) relies on visual inspections by its field crews to estimate this bare pavement recovery time. To help MnDOT more accurately and reliably estimate the performance of its snow management activities, researchers from the University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD) have developed a prototype process that uses