Skip to main content

Mobile LiDAR technology used to capture traffic signal data across Pennsylvania

Engineering, planning and consulting services company Michael Baker International recently completed a nearly US$7-million project for the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) to collect data from more than 8,600 traffic signals across the state. Over a year, the Michael Baker team, working with PennDOT’s Traffic Signal Asset Management System (TSAMS), collected nearly 20 million data fields for each of the 8,623 traffic signals analysed, which populated a centralised database to support Pen
November 30, 2016 Read time: 2 mins
Engineering, planning and consulting services company Michael Baker International recently completed a nearly US$7-million project for the 6111 Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) to collect data from more than 8,600 traffic signals across the state.  Over a year, the Michael Baker team, working with PennDOT’s Traffic Signal Asset Management System (TSAMS), collected nearly 20 million data fields for each of the 8,623 traffic signals analysed, which populated a centralised database to support PennDOT’s future planning, design, maintenance and operational decision making.
 
With the passage of Pennsylvania Act 89 in 2013, PennDOT identified traffic signals as an area of necessary investment and established the Green Light-Go (GLG) program to manage the dedicated traffic signal funding and corresponding maintenance and operations projects

Michael Baker’s fleet of LiDAR-equipped vehicles are capable of surveying an area by measuring the distance to a target by illuminating it with two laser lights, each of which can measure up to 600,000 points per second with a total maximum measurement frequency of 1,200,000 points per second. The firm’s LiDAR equipped vans collected all visible assets to minimise traffic disruption and prevented technicians from working in traffic lanes.
 
Mobile LiDAR equipped vans collected data from exposed traffic signal infrastructure assets, mapping entire intersections in three-dimensional point clouds, while corresponding spherical imagery was collected using a ladybug camera.

Data from traffic signal cabinet assets was collected by field staff using a project-specific iPad mobile application (app). Electronic files of traffic signal records were transferred and attached to the database and pertinent filed paper documents were scanned to retrieve information electronically.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Upgrading Koblenz's traffic information system
    March 1, 2013
    David Crawford reviews an award-winning scheme that delivered a 30% increase in website usage – below budget The German Federal Agricul­tural Show (Bundesgarten­schau, BUGA) runs between mid-April and mid-October every other year in a differ­ent city. The most recent, 2011, edition took place in Koblenz, a medium-sized community with a population of just over 105,000 in the Rheinland-Pfalz region, and was expected to draw an additional 40,000 visitors a day to its central area. Traffic access from the moto
  • Swarco adopts Driver Mobi app to improve fleet driving
    October 9, 2019
    Swarco is expanding its telematics solution from Ctrack by Inseego to include the Driver Mobi app to promote responsible driving across its van fleet. Swarco says Driver Mobi communicates driving scores to staff via a smartphone alongside company or team average scores. Drivers can use the online feedback to identify individual areas of improvement, the company adds. Additionally, a smartphone-enabled vehicle checklist will allow users to complete their safety inspections electronically, providing t
  • Swarco adopts Driver Mobi app to improve fleet driving
    October 9, 2019
    Swarco is expanding its telematics solution from Ctrack by Inseego to include the Driver Mobi app to promote responsible driving across its van fleet. Swarco says Driver Mobi communicates driving scores to staff via a smartphone alongside company or team average scores. Drivers can use the online feedback to identify individual areas of improvement, the company adds. Additionally, a smartphone-enabled vehicle checklist will allow users to complete their safety inspections electronically, providing t
  • Cisco’s 5 steps to cyber-resilient roadways
    September 12, 2024
    As the ITS world becomes ever more connected, cybersecurity risks are increasing. Cisco experts Pete Kavanagh and Angela Murphy explain how to overcome key challenges