Intelligent eyes keep London moving on Olympic route network
To keep London moving, 1,000 traffic cameras across the city deliver coverage in real time to the London Streets Traffic Control Centre (LSTCC). Operators observe the video images 24/7. While there is a natural limitation of how many staff can monitor cameras, the STADIUM demonstration allows automatic notifications of congestion along the Olympic route network. This ensures access to the Olympic venues.
How? The image recognition server IRID provides yet another “set of intelligent eyes” when it processes data from 12 traffic cameras and 6 smart cameras. The smart video analytics alert the team in the case of issues and highlights congested locations on maps. Sites close to London City Airport for example see a large increase of traffic volume during the Olympics. The video analytics and its impact response mechanism ensure to maintain journey time reliable even during periods of heavy traffic usage.
London’s demonstration is part of the research project STADIUM. The EU co-funded project acknowledges the specific additional travel demands during large events and aims to improve the performance of transport services and systems made available for large events hosted by big cities.
Outlook: ITS Online Guide will be available for local authorities
In October, the STADIUM ITS Online Guide will be presented to cities for the first time. The interactive electronic handbook supports the decision making process for the implementation of suitable and sustainable technologies. The guide is based on the experience made at demonstrations at the South Africa World Cup (2010), the India Commonwealth Games (2010) and the London Olympics.
“The handbook can help cities to integrate intelligent transport systems in order to manage the transport challenges caused by large events”, says Sylvain Haon, Secretary General of Polis, the network representing European cities and regions. The Online Guide will be made available to local authorities early 2013 without any charge.
STADIUM is funded by the 7th Framework Programme for Research and Development of the European Commission’s DG Research.