Managing the impact of rapidly increasing traffic volumes and minimizing congestion and journey times on existing road infrastructure is a significant issue for the Georgia DOT (GDOT)…. To this end, GDOT has engaged in a six-month demonstration agreement with OptaSense to pilot a sensor that reads fiber-optic light patterns to collect traffic data. This technology - called OptaSense Traffic Monitoring Solutions (TMS) -converts existing GDOT roadside fiber optics into an intelligent traffic sensor. A high frequency light enables it to detect vehicles (or objects) in specific lanes on the roadway. It also determines speeds by sensing vibrations, which offers new possibilities for high-resolution traffic speed detection. GDOT deployed the OptaSense technology along 20 miles of I-20 from I-285 to the Downtown Connector in Atlanta to evaluate the system in real-time….The single OptaSense sensor, which is located at ground level, could possibly replace the department’s 60 sensors that are located overhead along the route, meaning this innovation could represent a fraction of the life cycle cost of traditional point sensor alternatives.
High Resolution Traffic Monitoring at the Speed of Light
Traffic&Transit July 16, 2020
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