Adaptive traffic control in Wroclaw
In places where costly redesign and reconstruction of the junction are out of the question, adaptive traffic control with video analytics can create the much-needed improvement of traffic flow sometimes even doubling the traffic throughput. On top of gathering real-time data, the system is capable of gathering long-term statistics which was one of the areas city of Wroclaw was interested in. Seeing the clear benefits of AI video analytics in perspective of the constantly rising traffic that could not be ignored, the city of Wroclaw has decided to take the first steps to test out and see what this system is capable of first-hand. Therefore, they have decided to install the TrafficXRoads unit with the help of our local partner in early 2022.
TrafficXRoads - adaptive traffic control setup
TrafficXRoads is very easy to deploy to existing crossroads and allows upgrading them with adaptive traffic control capabilities. The TrafficXRoads unit was conveniently installed inside the case of the traffic controller. As it needs video as input to extract traffic insights, the cameras were installed, one for each direction of the T junction and one for monitoring the public transport stop. The cameras were 3rd party cameras as decided by the project partner and were set in such a way so each of them could monitor multiple lanes, therefore, requiring only 4 in total for this project. This way incoming cars can also be detected from a distance to trigger green light to allow free passage without braking if the junction is clear of traffic.
List of the 4 added cameras (one analytics per camera)
After the HW was installed, the TrafficXRoads unit was configured as a multi-purpose sensor system using FLOW Insights application. All of the 4 camera streams were registered after connecting to the unit. Then the detection zones were set up that act as “virtual inductive loops” in the footage in accordance with the project design. Special zones were also set up to be able to adaptively give priority to public transport vehicles. This data is communicated via data sinks to the traffic controller. Apart from the various data sinks FLOW devices are also compatible with I/O relays that can work with any type of traffic controller and also support the SDLC protocol. DataFromSky is also open to integrating new communication protocols upon request. The configuration could have also even done on the spot but thanks to the internet connectivity of the traffic controller, a remote configuration was done instead by traffic engineer from the office.
6x virtual inductive loop zones and pedestrian detection zones
Data analytics configuration
After the setup of adaptive traffic control zones for real-time data the collection of of long-term traffic statistics was also done including the counting and visualisation of the category distribution of traffic flow (cars, vans, heavy vehicles and buses) including active mobility categories such as pedestrians and cyclists, turning the unit into a strategic traffic monitoring sensor.
To better visualize and interpret the long-term data, dashboard was created in FLOW that was analyzing multiple values and performance measures such as:
FILL IN BASED ON PRINTSCREEENS of the DASHBOARD
- Number of vehicles that have stopped / total number of vehicles
- Average stationary duration in the crossroad
- Traffic intensity – categorization into 7 classes
- Average vehicle speed
While the configuration was being done it was possible to see the real-time output of the analysis helping to understand what data is being gathered with ease.
FLOW interface – virtual induction loops setup – configured in a few minutes
Results
The deployment of the system was successful and it is running well without any disruptions. The dynamic control of traffic is helping with traffic flow and also keeps public transportation on schedule by giving it a priority. The long-term data that is being gathered can also be helpful to the city in regards to understanding traffic compositions and traffic flow patterns in the city to help with further projects and city development. Lastly, the improvement of traffic flow also had a positive impact on the local noise and emission levels.
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Project details
- Use case: Traffic flow improvement
- Product: TrafficXRoads
- Location: Poland (Wroclaw)
Challenge
- Full coverage – all directions
- Long distance detection
Key features
- Real-time detection and classification of all traffic participants
- Full data integration with traffic controller
- Comprehensive adaptive traffic control accounting for the full picture of the current situation
- 2 in 1 solution – extraction of real-time adaptive control data and long-term traffic statistics in one system
Results
- 24/7 real-time traffic monitoring with camera surveillance
- Non-intrusive installation of the system
- On-site processing – fully autonomous adaptive traffic control system
- Strategic traffic sensor gathering long-term statistics and real-time traffic insights
