Detection, Monitoring & Machine Vision

Established detection and monitoring technologies continue to evolve, but is it time to challenge their supremacy and take a serious look at less conventional ITS? Andy Graham considers the options with Jason Barnes. For ITS system providers, the most potentially lucrative markets over the next few years are going to be the BRIC (Brazil Russia India and China) group of countries, all of which are building many miles of new roads, applying tolling to existing ones (8,000km in China alone) and implementing w

A marriage of transit, technology and culture is taking shape in Minneapolis, with ITS systems vital to hopes for a sustainable development centred on a hub of public transportation. Construction started in July this year on ‘The Interchange’ – a station in the Midwest US city of Minneapolis claimed as the most spectacular expression yet of the fast-spreading North American concept of transit-oriented development (TOD). Due for completion in 2014, the Interchange is designed as a multi-modal public transpor

Lisbon city council in Portugal is to set up a new CCTV system in order to monitor the road traffic on the streets of the capital. The system will help the council to enforce traffic penalties on drivers of old pollutant vehicles who are banned from certain central areas, the Reduced Emissions Zones (ZER). ZERs were implemented in 2011 for vehicles with registrations prior to 1992; this was later extended to include cars registered before 1996. However, the city council’s lack of resources means that to da

In the US, NaviGAtor 511, Georgia’s traveller information system, has partnered with Waze to provide enhanced traffic information. Waze, a crowd-sourced social GPS and real-time traffic application for smartphones and Android phones, will provide enhanced traffic data to the current 511 system, and create a special 511 user group, specifically for Georgia travelers, within the existing Waze mobile app. The arrangement was provided for under an existing marketing contract with Iteris, the firm that has opera

Clearview Traffic Group has announced the appointment of Stephen Ladyman as strategic advisor. Stephen will facilitate closer working relationships with government, key agencies and large enterprises across the transport sector. A former scientist and Minister of State for the UK Department for Transport, Stephen brings with him a wealth of both private and public sector experience, including Member of Parliament for South Thanet from 1997 to 2010.

US-headquartered ITS specialist TransCore is to design, implement, and maintain a state-of-the-art, radio frequency identification (RFID)-based parking and car/bus terminal access control system for authorised staff personnel of the New Doha International Airport Authority. The company was selected by Amana-Walbridge Joint Venture to install the system that will be operational during the second quarter 2013.

Denmark’s second largest city has installed the BlipTrack Bluetooth based traffic monitoring system to monitor travel times and traffic flow. The sensors have been installed at strategic locations around the city and following eight months of testing, the company says the non-intrusive system provides the same information as alternative and more expensive solutions such as ANPR and loops. Sixty sensors are currently installed around the city to monitor travel times, detect changes in traffic patterns and w

A poll carried out by the European Machine Vision Association (EMVA) reveals that machine vision companies have overall positive business expectations for 2013 business in Europe. In a quick survey conducted by the association in October, 56 per cent of the participants expect their own business to grow above five per cent next year, and another 13.3 per cent think their sales will increase up to five per cent. Only eight per cent of the participants expect their company’s business to decline in 2013. Asked

Drivers in Malta can soon expect to see improvements in traffic management, with the launch of an intelligent traffic management project to control traffic systems on arterial roads. Austin Gatt, Malta's transport and communications minister, has revealed the launch of the new intelligent traffic control project on the island's major urban routes within the coming months. The system will work to control traffic flow via new variable message signs, CCTV cameras and traffic light optimisation.

Spanish telecommunications provider Telefónica and US-headquartered smart parking solutions supplier Streetline have joined forces to offer telematics-enabled smart parking services that allow cities to optimise parking management, while reducing vehicle traffic. The companies have reached an agreement to jointly market M2M (machine to machine) products designed to target the growing smart parking market, initially in Europe and Latin America. The solution will be part of the Telefónica Smart City platform