The world’s population grows steadily every day, further crowding the streets and sidewalks in towns and cities. City administrators continue to see new safety challenges, such as increased use of public transportation, inattentive pedestrians, and more bicyclists. These traffic challenges are complicated. City planners and traffic engineers must pick the precise security technology to improve mobility, safety, and the efficient use of streets.

Bosch and Convergint collaborate to bring municipalities and cities advanced video analytics technology that brings intelligence to their infrastructure. The technology resides in Bosch’s IP cameras to enable intelligent devices for traffic flow and smart parking solutions.

Increasing Traffic Safety

The technology of advanced analytics improves overall safety by alerting drivers and transportation and traffic operation centers to risks on roadways. Smart IP cameras detect objects in the roadways, vehicles stopped on the highway, cars travelling the wrong way, and more. Automatic incident detection brings remarkable outcomes, such as:

  • Picking up pedestrians in crosswalks and alerting traffic controllers to preempt traffic signals to enhance safety for people in intersections.

  • Detecting incidents early, enabling traffic operators to implement the proper workflows to resolve problems quicker.

  • Integrating with DSRC broadcast messages and dynamic message signs to immediately warn drivers of real-time safety issues and increase their situational awareness.

  • Increasing visibility of nighttime pedestrians by triggering the activation of the IP camera’s onboard white light illuminator for drivers.

Providing Critical Info to City Planners

With advanced video analytics, IP cameras transform into smart sensors. City planners can use video as a sensor to continuously gather real-time data so they can analyze the flow of traffic. Video as a sensor also helps city planners to develop and implement new policies that make roadways more efficient and safer.

Some examples of data collected include:

  • Road occupancy

  • Counts for vehicles, bicycles, and pedestrians

  • Average direction and speed

Bosch’s video analytics solution can also help monitor curbside parking, occupancy, and enforce no-parking zones. It helps makes the job of parking enforcement officers much easier.

IP cameras can also track egress and ingress, as well as count the number of open spaces in parking lots. Then they transmit the information to parking and video management systems. These systems can then share information on open spots and alternative locations to park on dynamic message boards, allowing drivers to find available parking quicker. This smart parking solution reduces emissions and traffic congestion in busy cities.

Cameras with machine learning and advanced analytics learn over time to recognize defined object classifiers, such as separating out vehicles grouped in front of traffic lights. As the cameras learn patterns over time, the accuracy of their vehicle count improves.

Bosch has many available camera options that integrate with systems already installed in city infrastructure. The machine learning only allows them to improve the data they gather, enabling city planners to develop and implement safer traffic solutions.

Learn more about Convergint