134 | TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT
Unlocking the value of traffic data The ability to analyze combined weigh-in-motion, tire footprints and traffic flow data has the potential to unlock information that will allow transportation agencies to improve safety, reduce infrastructure damage and develop a better understanding of local and network-wide trends that impact efficiency Words | Michael Wieck, International Road Dynamics, USA
Road agencies face pressures to get the most out of road infrastructure. They must ensure road surfaces are protected from damage from overweight vehicles, while ensuring transportation efficiency is maintained. Since the 1980’s, IRD has been using weigh-in-motion (WIM) systems to enable weight-compliant trucks to bypass inspection stations. Today, automated commercial vehicle inspection systems include advanced sensors, machine vision and e-screening to improve throughput while maintaining the highest level of safety. The next logical step is using data from these systems to track performance of transportation infrastructure against benchmark indicators, to provide actionable information for stakeholders. Collecting data on individual commercial vehicles and their compliance with regulations directly improves safety. In addition to vehicle weight measurements, recent technological advances enable the measurement of other vehicle parameters also affecting safety. Laser and infrared sensors check for vehicles that exceed allowable dimensions. Most recently, IRD has developed the Tire Anomaly and
Intertraffic World | Annual Showcase 2018
Classification System (TACS) to detect whether tires are missing, overinflated or underinflated, so that any vehicles with potential tire problems can be checked by directing them to report to inspection stations.
Advanced data processing To date, most data processing by automated inspection systems occurs locally, providing a closed monitoring and control loop at the roadside. Information collected at these local sites is often under-utilized. Agencies can benefit from using the information collected not only to improve the underlying operations (e.g. truck compliance checks), but also to help solve today’s challenges in
freight logistics, mobility and transportation management. To support this need for transportation intelligence, IRD has developed a Vehicle Information in Motion (VI2M) software suite to assist transportation professionals in unlocking the value of the information collected at commercial vehicle operations and traffic data collection sites on their road networks. The VI2M software suite provides traffic data and statistics in a cloud-based environment, facilitates off-line reporting, and supports the monitoring of traffic operations on a network-wide basis. VI2M collects traffic count, volume and vehicle classification, and weight data in conjunction with commercial vehicle information from individual sites and provides access to a multitude of reporting, analysis and monitoring capabilities that are all accessible through a widget-based user interface. This modular approach to visualization includes a zoomable map view with dynamic site and station
