Skip to main content

TSB funding for intelligent transport solution project

University Campus Milton Keynes is working with Clearview Traffic Group on a 13-month research that could lead to the development of innovative traffic management systems. UCMK, part of the University of Bedfordshire, will receive $195,000 of funding from the UK’s innovation agency, the Technology Strategy Board, to carry out the research. The project will see UCMK and the University’s Department of Computer Science and Technology partner with Clearview Traffic Group to explore the feasibility of extendi
May 27, 2014 Read time: 3 mins
University Campus Milton Keynes is working with 557 Clearview Traffic Group on a 13-month research that could lead to the development of innovative traffic management systems.

UCMK, part of the University of Bedfordshire, will receive $195,000 of funding from the UK’s innovation agency, the 2231 Technology Strategy Board, to carry out the research. The project will see UCMK and the University’s Department of Computer Science and Technology partner with Clearview Traffic Group to explore the feasibility of extending vehicle counting data obtained from solar-powered sensors built into roads to include information such as the classification of each vehicle and its speed.

In order to measure accurately the speed of passing vehicles, detectors must be placed some distance apart. While wireless communication negates the need for costly and problematic cables linking the sensors, it is currently impractical to send all data collected from each sensor due to size, power and capacity limitations.  

Clearview’s project will aim to develop a set of novel algorithms for solar-powered in-road sensors capable of gathering and compressing vital vehicle data, enabling it to be sent wirelessly to derive speed and vehicle classification, creating actionable information and informing intelligent traffic management decision-making.

The data will inform intelligent decision-making by transport managers and road network operators in order to minimise congestion and emissions, reduce accidents and lower the costs of installation and maintenance traditionally linked to in-road traffic data collection systems.

Ben Allen, Professor of Computer Science at University Campus Milton Keynes, will lead the University’s contribution to the project.

He said: “We are very excited to be working with Clearview on this collaborative venture, which will also help to put UCMK on the map as the city centre hub for innovation. The University of Bedfordshire’s expertise in algorithms and distributed signal processing will be crucial to the development of this new technology.”

Dr Chris Barnes, Clearview head of Engineering, said: “This project will stimulate innovation at the intersection between connected computing and the use of sensors, providing traffic and transport data that can help decision-making around traffic management.

“The global market for intelligent transport solutions is substantial and rising year on year.  In partnership with the University of Bedfordshire, and with financial support   from the Technology Strategy Board, we aim to bring innovative technology to market as soon as possible.”

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Asecap Days 2024: Getting used to the new normal
    August 27, 2024
    Asecap Days 2024 in Milan focused on environmental protection of road infrastructure, digital twin-based maintenance and monitoring of highways as well as the impact of electric vehicles, reports David Arminas
  • European ecoDriver project reports results
    March 17, 2016
    After over four years of work, the European ecoDriver project has released its first results. The project trials involved 170 drivers in seven countries, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and UK, both in controlled and naturalistic environments testing nine different eco-driving support systems. Despite minor variations in terms of percentage, the findings showed that overall, across all the systems, reductions in fuel consumption and CO2 have an average of 4.2 per cent with the highest
  • Twenty percent less CO2 ‘is possible’ says PTV
    December 13, 2013
    The European Commission (EU) funded Cooperative Mobility Systems and Services for Energy Efficiency (eCoMove) project claims that traffic accounts for 23 per cent of CO2 emissions around the world. eCoMove aims to optimise driving behaviour and transport flow by ecologically optimised traffic management. The goal is to reduce the CO2 emissions by 20 per cent. The results were presented at the final event at the end of November.
  • Here: AI has place in ‘privacy by design’
    June 23, 2020
    Artificial intelligence may improve traffic in cities and keep location data private, but Here Technologies shows that it only takes four points of anonymous data to predict your identity.