May 25, 2022 | Business
NEC Corporation has deployed an AI-based traffic monitoring system to Central Nippon Expressway Company Limited (NEXCO CENTRAL). The system uses fiber-optic sensing and AI technologies to visualize traffic conditions, such as the location, speed, and direction of travel, from vibrations produced by vehicle movement.
The system includes sensing devices attached to one end of an optical fiber and an analytical AI engine, developed in-house by NEC, which makes it possible to continuously monitor traffic flow by utilizing existing optical fiber infrastructure for communications laid along highways. NEXCO is the first expressway operator in Japan to continuously monitor traffic conditions using these kinds of technologies.
Highway operators need to monitor traffic flow and to detect incidents on expressways for traffic control. Most sensors in use today for this purpose are point sensors or cameras with a limited field of view. A large number of point sensors and/or cameras are needed to perform continuous measurements over a wide area, which poses problems for installation and maintenance, leading to higher system costs.
NEC has a successful history of conducting joint demonstration projects using optical fiber sensing technology for detecting cracks in poles and monitoring road traffic (*). Based on these experiences and knowledge, NEC is providing equipment to convert optical fiber cables to sensors.
NEC has now developed an analytical AI engine that continuously grasps traffic conditions based on the signals from vehicle vibrations. The system can visualize dense traffic conditions with a high level of accuracy. The AI engine converts vibration data into continuous vehicle trajectories along roads that are entirely monitored. The trajectories can then be used to estimate average speeds every kilometer. The system can record a digital snapshot of traffic conditions over a wide area, which can enhance road controls with continuous monitoring of entire roadways, enabling early detection of accidents and congestion.
The newly developed analytical AI engine can extract vehicle trajectories from vibration signals in the presence of multiple environmental noises. Vehicle trajectories are extracted in an iterative process. First, the clearest vibration signals are used to extract vehicle trajectory, then the corresponding signals are masked. Second, the remaining vibration signals are enhanced. The system repeats these two steps until all the vehicle trajectories are extracted.
The AI engine has been trained with synthetic data, including realistic environmental noise, enabling robust extraction of vehicle trajectories in the presence of noise. Then, the system can monitor high-density traffic flow over a wide area with high accuracy.
Going forward, NEC will continue to support the digital transformation (DX) of road operators as part of achieving the “NEC Safer Cities” initiative for contributing to the creation of safer and more secure cities.
For More Information
Optical Fiber Sensing:
https://www.nec.com/en/global/solutions/ofs/
(*) Verizon and NEC just made fiber sensing a whole lot easier
https://www.nec.com/en/press/201910/global_20191008_02.html
About NEC Corporation
NEC Corporation has established itself as a leader in the integration of IT and network technologies while promoting the brand statement of “Orchestrating a brighter world.” NEC enables businesses and communities to adapt to rapid changes taking place in both society and the market as it provides for the social values of safety, security, fairness and efficiency to promote a more sustainable world where everyone has the chance to reach their full potential. For more information, visit NEC at https://www.nec.com.
Topic: Press release summary
Mar 22, 2021 | Business, Tech
Singapore-based transport disruptor Bussr has the attention of the global investment community for its vision to change the way the world moves from A to B, and for the abundance of talent at its table. Bussr’s vision springs from the trio of former Rocket Internet founder and CEO Hussein Abdelkarim, veteran technology consultant and co-founder I.M. Shousha, and former Microsoft Chief Architect, co-founder and CTO Ajay Bhandari.
With people looking for better lives in our cities, the world’s urban population has grown 55% in the last 50 years, and now generates more than 80% of our global GDP. Central to this is mobility, and demand for urban road passenger transport is expected to double by 2050. The economy is reliant on the freedom of movement for its citizens to be productive members of society.
Forward-thinking cities have had the realization that the future lies in mass transit such as buses, subways, trains, and ferries, as well as walking and cycling. The rise of electric vehicles (EVs), micromobility, Uber, Grab, and Didi have made inroads over the last few years, but much more needs to be done to address the systemic throttling in the global transport sector.
Hussein Abdelkarim, Shousha and Bhandari see the current transport sector as a chaotic dance. But by digitizing this mobility they trust their technology will bring a choreographed elegance to the way people travel. Each Bussr trip is a choreographed, seamless leap from place to place, leaving cities less congested, less polluted, free to breathe again. All of which are part of Bussr realizing its goal of “Digitizing mobility. Connecting the world.”
Bussr’s Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) technology acts as both an app for private use and an end-to-end, omnichannel ticketing, payment, and fleet management solution for enterprises. Its specialist artificial intelligence (AI) platform continually monitors millions of data points to help mass transportation systems operate at optimal efficiency for both passengers and operators.
Bussr’s app can be branded or white-labeled for transport providers and is available to cities, operators, schools, and corporates. The enterprise use of Bussr allows the management of ticketing and payment and provides immense data insight into traveller flow, density, and timing. Operators can then accurately predict and plan the future needs of both passengers and transport solutions.
Bussr’s Big Thinking Has Attracted Big Backing
Bussr recently raised an undisclosed amount in a round led by high-profile investors, such as Bridford Group, Peng Ong of Monk’s Hill, Le Mercier Group, Jack Selby of Thiel Capital, Altitude Partners, Angela Huang of Hillhouse, Duncan Clark, Founder of China BDA, Alibaba early investor and author of the book ‘The House That Jack Ma Built,’ Andrew Huang of Fountainvest, and AI Capital, the founding team of Siri. There are also strategic angel investors from Facebook, PayPal, Lyft, Spotify, Zoom, Didi, and Impossible Foods.
The funds will expand Bussr teams across engineering and product design while also creating further strategic partnerships to enhance its reputation as a global player in mobility technology, a market that analysts say will reach US$908.8 billion by 2027. And Bussr, by digitizing this mobility market, trust that their technology will bring an elegance to the way people travel.
The Bussr app is available on Android and iOS, and can provide full travel options utilizing ride-sharing, public buses, trains, renting of scooters, and even bicycles to complete a trip. The user enters Point A and Point B, and the app manages every facet of the journey, AI providing the optimal route in terms of time and cost, while reducing the carbon footprint by reducing dependence on single-occupant vehicle use.
Bussr also offers real-time communication, fleet maintenance, and automated workflows creating the foundations of efficient fleet management. Cities and operators will ultimately be able to manage their citizen and passenger mobility needs better while reducing pollution and congestion. Future-proofing benefits for governments and private mobility partners include facial recognition capabilities for passenger check-in, safety, and security.
More than 900 transport partners are enjoying the advantages of Bussr technology including Bluebird, the largest private transportation group in Southeast Asia, and Royal Platinum and Pahala Kencana, the largest intracity and intercity private operators in Indonesia. There are also 60 major payment providers already on the Bussr platform, and with 2,500 destinations in 370 cities, more than 6,000,000 travellers used Bussr’s network in 2020.
