Euro 2022 uses space-age traffic control

Consortium comprising Valerann and Excelerate is backed by European Space Agency
By Adam Hill July 21, 2022 Read time: 2 mins
ITS Equant is using CCTV and AI to manage traffic at Euro 2022 (© Valerio Rosati | Dreamstime.com)

Space technology is being used to manage road traffic at the UEFA Women’s Euro 2022 football tournament, which is underway now in the UK.

ITS Equant, a project managed by a consortium of Valerann and Excelerate Technology, funded by the European Space Agency, has been chosen for a pilot by England’s Milton Keynes Council.

The influx of thousands of extra people into any area for sports matches or live music events puts significant strain on road networks and gives local authorities a headache in terms of safety, congestion and emissions.

With than half a million tickets are expected to be sold for the entire Euro 2022 tournament, and four matches - including both semi-finals - taking place at the Milton Keynes Stadium, there is potential for significant disruption.

Excelerate’s satellite-enabled CCTV cameras, which record primary road traffic information, are combined with Valerann’s AI-driven data fusion platform, Lantern by Valerann. This ingests data from fixed road infrastructure, floating cars, social media, mobile apps and legacy sensors, so together the technologies provide a real-time picture of road conditions, enabling authorities to make informed decisions about traffic management.

The companies say their technology is cheaper than satellite-enabled advanced traffic management systems (ATMS) which, while demonstrating 20% reductions in congestion and 35% reduction in accidents, can be costly to roll out.

The ITS Equant consortium says its satellite-enabled ATMS is suitable for a wide range of deployments – from roads around busy stadiums to highways serving communities in the remote Highlands of Scotland. 

“The solution proposed and implemented by Valerann is an excellent showcase of how integrated connectivity and data analytics can deliver innovation and help solving burning issues of municipalities and citizens," says Rita Rinaldo, head of the Partner-led and Thematic Initiatives Section, ESA Space Solutions.

"Increasing road safety, reducing congestion and CO2 emissions are challenges that are even more pressing on the occasion of events like the UEFA Women’ s Euro 2022."

“We are honoured to have the opportunity to enable Milton Keynes Council to enhance efficiency in road traffic management for the duration of a landmark sports event,” says Gabriel Jacobson, CEO of Valerann. 

“We are pleased to see that by being able to extract value from road data in real time, we provide road traffic operators with powerful insights for their resources optimisation”.


 

Detection, Monitoring & Machine Vision Classification & Data Collection Urban Traffic Control Air Quality & Weather Systems

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Econolite adaptive signal control aids city’s ‘Moving Forward’ program
    March 12, 2015
    The City of Norman, Oklahoma, is to deploy Econolite’s Centracs Adaptive as part of the City’s long-term Comprehensive Transportation Plan (CTP) or ‘Moving Forward’ Plan in addressing its future transportation needs. Centracs Adaptive will first be deployed along Highway 9, a major corridor that serves a mix of residential and commuter traffic, as well as traffic to and from the University of Oklahoma. Highway 9 presents unique signal timing challenges. In addition to weekday commutes, the corridor experien
    Read More
  • Data is driving force behind TomTom's intelligent traffic management
    August 23, 2024
    The complexities of modern urban life have put unprecedented strain on transportation infrastructure. Traffic congestion, accidents, and inefficient resource allocation are persistent challenges. However, as Frans Keijzer, Bid Manager EMEA and APAC at TomTom Enterprise explains, a powerful tool has emerged to reshape the way we manage our roads: big data.
    Read More
  • Social media mooted for traffic management
    November 13, 2012
    SQLstream’s Ronnie Beggs discusses with Jason Barnes the potential and pitfalls of using social media for traffic monitoring and management. cataclysmic events such as hurricanes and tsunami have challenged perceptions of what constitutes robust traffic management infrastructure in recent times. Presumptions that only fixed systems could offer high levels of unbroken service, accuracy and communication bandwidth, have been taught some hard lessons by nature. In many respects wireless systems now represent t
    Read More
  • Rethink required to reduce road transport’s environmental impact
    March 15, 2016
    Against a background of a renewed focus on limiting the rise in average temperatures, Colin Sowman looks at a project that is taking a holistic approach to the environmental impact and safety of road transport. At the COP21 meeting in Paris last December, almost 200 nations agreed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in an effort to keep the rise in global temperatures to 2°C) compared with pre-industrial levels. The transportation sector is a major contributor to the production of CO2, one of the main green
    Read More

Highlighted Content