Downer Group pioneers incident management via fibre cable

Downer Group has formed a partnership with Future Fibre Technologies (FFT) to offer a monitoring tool for the detection of incidents on roads, rail lines, bridges, tunnels and more.
October 11, 2016 Read time: 1 min

7203 Downer Group has formed a partnership with Future Fibre Technologies (FFT) to offer a monitoring tool for the detection of incidents on roads, rail lines, bridges, tunnels and more.

Utilising new or existing fibre deployments along a road or rail line, the system can monitor for incidents, detected by vibrations transmitted via the fibre optic cable. Control centres can be alerted in real time to an incident and location to accuracies within 6-10m, saving valuable time for emergency crews.

Vibration variations are compared with a library of normal background signals to categorise incidents.

Advanced artificial intelligence technology uses behaviour and signature recognition, and signal processing software, to identify the difference between a background event such as rain and an actual incident, reducing the frequency of nuisance alarms.

“No one is using fibre in this way to detect traffic incidents anywhere in the world,” said Jeff Sharp, group manager, technology and innovation, Downer Group.

These otherwise barely detectable vibrations monitored through the fibre cables can also be used to measure traffic speed and track traffic movement.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Pioneering IntelliDrive technologies in Michigan
    February 2, 2012
    Pete Goldin reports on upgrades to the USDOT's Michigan Test Bed, where IntelliDrive technologies are being pioneered
    Read More
  • North Florida signals coordinated approach to congestion management
    October 7, 2013
    David Crawford investigates innovative congestion management in Florida. The largest US city by area is well into the implementation of an ambitious congestion management system (CMS) on the scale of those of higher-profile centres such as Seattle and San Francisco. Regional agency the North Florida Transportation Planning Organisation (NFTPO) aims to ensure that commuters on major highways in Jacksonville can rely on a minimum 72km/h (45mph) driving speed in normal conditions.
    Read More
  • IRD complements WIM with tyre under-inflation detection
    May 8, 2015
    To complement its existing WIM offering, IRD has introduced a system to detect under-inflated and flat tyres at highway speeds. Tyre inflation pressure has both safety and economic impacts for road users and none more so than with commercial vehicles. An underinflated tyre has decreased directional control, increased risk of catastrophic failure, and negatively impacts tyre life and fuel economy. In June 2014 the USDOT published Large Truck and Bus Crash Facts 2012 in which the Federal Motor Carrier Safety
    Read More
  • Lowering the barriers to combined control rooms
    March 29, 2017
    Integrating control rooms can improve traffic management, security and emergency response without excessive cost or compromising privacy. In the wake of the recent terrorist events in France and Germany where the transport system was exploited with deadly consequences, many governments and agencies are reviewing the security arrangements – particularly around popular and high profile events. Increasing security in transport systems that must remain accessible to the general public will not be easy but in ma
    Read More

Highlighted Content