Trafsense – Traffic monitoring done right

WHAT IS TRAFSENSE

Trafsense monitors all individual vehicles on the road continuously. This includes detection of which lane the vehicle is currently in. Critical events such as stopped vehicle, queue formation and ghost drivers are immediately detected, and alarms are relayed to traffic operators in real time in order to minimise risk to human life and property. Furthermore, all lane changes are monitored, enabling indirect detection of items on the road.

Every vehicle received a unique ID when entering a monitored road section. The vehicle’s position and speed is monitored continuously, including current lane and any lane changes. The real time information gathered is analysed and used for incident detection and alarm and event generation. All alarms and events are continuously sent to the traffic control center. A screenshot of a real time visualisation of traffic data from E16/E39 in Bergen is shown below.

Real time visualisation of Trafsense data from 780m of the northbound tube of the Fløyfjell tunnel in Bergen (E39/E16). Traffic flows from left to right in two parallell anes, shown as gray lines. The average speed in the left (top) lane is 79 km/h and in the right (bottom) lane it is 74 km/h. Example of vehivle specific information: Vehicle ID 27 in the left lane currently drives at 81 km/h and is catching up to vehicle ID 29 currently moving at 73 km/h. 

WHY TRAFSENSE

Trafsense offers a reduction in lifetime cost of three to six times compared to conventional technology for automatic incident detection in tunnels.

Trafsense’s unique ability to continuously monitor every vehicle’s velocity, position and lane placement is not affected by road turns, changes between tunnel and open road, road lighting, day or night, summer or winter, rain, snow, fog or smoke. The reliable data set gives a unique foundation for data analysis and real time incident detection. It also provides excellent information for e.g. adaptive traffic control via a traffic control center usind variable message signs, traffic information (DAB-radio, push notifications via app) and future cooperating intelligent transportation systems (C-ITS). Recent research has proven a strong correllation between road conditions (sight, friction) and aggregated motorist behaviour. Trafsense’s ability to precisely monitor vehicles and individual lanes gives an excellent foundation for such analysis. Additionally precise traffic data is a valuable source of information which can be used in modelling, planning and optimizing future read systems in order to improve traffic safety and reliability, reducing risk and environmental footprint.

HOW DOES TRAFSENSE WORK

Trafsense is an autonomous smart sensor developed in the intersection of mobility- and information technology. Trafsense is not dependent on vehicles carrying any digital interfaces for detection, and the measuring technologies used by Trafsensa are fully compliant with privacy and GDPR regulations

The Trafsense system consists of two parts that must be installed for monitoring:

• A fiber optic sensor cable that is micro-trenched into the tarmac of the road. The cable is completely passive, containing no electrical cables or electronics. Fiber optic cables are commercially available and widely used in the telecommunication industry and have an expected lifetime of 25 years. The cable is terminated in a technical room or cabinet near the monitored road.
• The Trafsense reader (interrogator) contains all components (electrical and electronic) and is rack-mounted in the technical room or cabinet where the fiber optic cable is terminated. All hardware is solid state, based on industrial telecommunication components with an expected lifetime of 25 years. The interrogator is therefore both reliable and easily available for maintenance. The interfaces towards the customer systems are implemented in the interrogator, and a local database for storing historical traffic or metadata is also available. Trafsense offers seamless integration with commercial SCADA systems.

The Trafsense interrogator contains all active components (electrical and electronic) and is rack-mounted in a technical room or cabinet along the road section to be monitored.