Exclusive: Driving forward with intelligent traffic management

The Dahua Traffic Management Solution is enabling cities all around the globe to improve their road safety.

Traffic congestion and road accidents are the toughest challenges faced by traffic management agencies across the world. With rapid global urbanisation, the growing amount and type of vehicles have led to more road-related issues every year. According to a MarketsandMarkets report, the global number of cars and commercial vehicles on the road will nearly double by 2040, putting tremendous pressure on the existing urban infrastructure.

Various countries have formulated different traffic management development strategies across the globe, such as Saudi Arabia’s 2030 vision, Singapore’s “45-minute City” by 2040, Ukraine’s 2030 strategy, etc. Nevertheless, reducing traffic congestion by optimising existing road capacities comes with hefty costs, not mentioning the huge amount of time it requires to collect evidence to enforce traffic violations. In addition, collecting massive amounts of data to predict and regulate traffic is also not easy to accomplish, especially with traditional traffic systems.

Thanks to the emergence of AI, IoT and sensor technologies, there have been ITS solutions that deliver new vitality in traffic enforcement and solve problems that affect traffic safety and efficiency. Dahua Technology, for instance, has developed a comprehensive Smart Traffic Management Solution that combines video surveillance with AI, ANPR, image fusion, AR and other cutting-edge technologies to meet the numerous requirements of present-day traffic enforcement and significantly optimise their operation and management.

Dahua’s solution integrates a traffic enforcement system, smart signal control system, traffic information release system, traffic flow collection and prediction system, as well as traffic management command and dispatch centre. It assists traffic management agencies in improving road safety, reducing congestion, responding to emergencies more effectively and making predictions on future traffic situations based on real-time data.

In 2019, Dahua developed a traffic management solution tailored for Riyadh, the capital city of Saudi Arabia with a population of over 8 million people. It involves front-end data collection and back-end big data application, achieving real-time and accurate signal release plan. Since its implementation, the overall traffic efficiency on monitored intersections in Riyadh has been increased by 12% and around 1,000 traffic violations are being captured on a daily basis.

Efficient traffic enforcement

According to recent World Health Organisation data, approximately 1.3 million people die as a result of road accidents each year, costing most countries approximately 3% of their Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Nearly 93% of the world’s fatalities on the roads occur in low- and middle-income countries, even though these countries have around 60% of the world’s vehicles. WHO suggests that one effective intervention to address traffic issues is to design safer infrastructures and incorporate road safety features into land-use and transport planning. Thus, intelligent solutions like the Dahua Traffic Management Solution can help improve road safety around the world.

Traffic violations like speeding, distracted driving, red light violation, unfastened seatbelt, pedestrian crossing, illegal lane changing, etc. are often the major causes of road incidents and injuries. Deploying traffic cameras with Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) (e.g. ITC952-AU3F-LZF1640 model) on accident-prone areas like intersections, crossroads, highways, flyovers and ramps enables operators to detect violations and verify incidents based on real-time monitoring.

Dahua’s license plate recognition algorithm supports number plate detection in more than 100 countries and allows algorithm integration with multiple countries. It can detect both domestic and overseas vehicles from multiple countries and regularly updates based on customers’ number plate upgrading.

In 2015, Dahua successfully deployed violation detection systems to capture red light violations and speeding in Serbia’s five important cities. This project also involves developing a license plate recognition algorithm for Serbia and the European Union. Since the completion of the whole system, both the traffic violation rate and the accident rate in the monitored areas have been significantly reduced.

At the intersections and crossroads, Dahua’s solution provides detection for pedestrian crossing, illegal lane changing, disobeying road direction signs and parking in bike lanes, as well as speeding and running red lights.

Cameras equipped with automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) technology can capture both the plate number and time from the beginning to the end of the detection zone. The information is then transferred to the DMSS platform to evaluate the average velocity of each passing vehicle. The recommended distance is 2-5km, which yields to 99.8% accuracy rate. The margin of error decreases as the length of the detection zone increases.

To make it easier and more convenient for users, Dahua offers portable and fixed installations for both point speed detection and section speed detection, allowing traffic personnel to move to different road points if necessary.

Moreover, while most red light enforcement solutions involve the use of underground sensors which carry various disadvantages (e.g. need to dig the ground to bury the sensor), Dahua’s Smart Traffic Management Solution differentiate itself by focusing on video technologies. Its system synchronises the status of red light signals with the trigger signal of the camera. When a violation occurs, Dahua cameras like the ITC952-AU3F-LZF1640 model take three images of the violation to be used as evidence: vehicle license plate, status of traffic light and an overview of the scene. The DSS management and storage platform collects data from each camera and distributes it to client operators for further processing. Edge storage devices ensure that data is saved even when a power failure occurs.

Traffic flow optimisation

Managing the increasing number of vehicles and traffic in the city has become more challenging than ever. Nevertheless, by utilising a smart signal control system, road traffic situations can be accurately monitored and enhanced.

Dahua’s intelligent Traffic Signal Control Solution is based on the lane-level traffic flow detection system that can cover large scenes to detect multiple parameters such as lane flow, occupancy rate, queue length, traffic density, etc. With real-time data captured and analysed, the traffic lights will automatically change based on the time of the day and actual road traffic conditions, which can help ease urban traffic congestions. Also, the collected traffic data can help city operators in optimising road network planning.

Moreover, equipped with high-sensitivity sensors and high-performance AI processors, the latest Dahua AI traffic camera utilises deep learning algorithms to capture vehicle metadata and traffic flow in real time. The ITC431-RW1F-L model, for example, uses advanced image fusion technology to display high-quality full-colour images at night without the use of supplementary light, significantly reducing light pollution and providing a safer driving environment.

In addition, traffic congestion has been a constant problem on the road, especially in urban areas. With this massive number of cars, traffic congestion or even road accidents are inevitable without an effective traffic management solution in place. The Dahua Smart Traffic Management Solution includes specialised solutions to help mitigate traffic congestion. It aims to achieve”early detection and early dispatch”, in order to avoid the spread of congestion and prevent accidents on the road. It primarily revolves around these main processes: perceiving congestion, handling congestion, optimising traffic and evaluating effects.

For perceiving congestion, the Dahua Smart Traffic Management Solution offers AI-powered cameras like the ITC431-RW1F-L model. It has 4 MP resolution with Starlight technology that can capture clear traffic information. It can cover up to four lanes and collect five types of traffic parameters (e.g. traffic flow, queue length), providing an accuracy rate of over 95%.

To handle traffic congestion, various methods are applied in the Dahua Smart Traffic Management Solution. First, traffic control platforms can be combined to instantly dispatch command to relevant personnel. Second, which is the core of Dahua Smart Traffic Management Solution, is to optimise traffic signal control, upgrade and replace the traditional non-intelligent signal controller and carry out remote visual control to solve traffic congestion. Latest traffic information can be displayed via the traffic guidance system to inform travellers about nearby traffic congestions.

In the process of traffic optimisation, it is necessary to comprehensively consider the causes of traffic congestion and deal with them separately. If it is a short-term temporary congestion like those caused by traffic accidents, traffic congestion will ease up eventually. If it is a periodic and frequent traffic congestion, it is most likely caused by the underlying bottleneck in the overall road network design.

In the evaluating effects phase, comprehensive evaluation of the improvements achieved after traffic congestion control and optimisation solutions have been implemented. It also includes accumulation of relevant successful cases, experience and knowledge that can be applied to other similar scenarios.

The Dahua Smart Traffic Management Solution has won the trust of many clients and cities in terms of innovative technologies and effectiveness. Its application has been witnessed in diverse traffic scenarios to solve different levels of traffic management difficulties. Committed to the mission of “Enabling a safer society and smarter living”, Dahua Technology adheres to its core value of “customer-centred,” in order to provide the market with high-quality solutions and services, to create more value for customers and make unremitting efforts to build a safe, intelligent, convenient and efficient society.

Traffic congestion and road accidents are the toughest challenges faced by traffic management agencies across the world. With rapid global urbanisation, the growing amount and type of vehicles have led to more road-related issues every year. According to a MarketsandMarkets report, the global number of cars and commercial vehicles on the road will nearly double by 2040, putting tremendous pressure on the existing urban infrastructure.

Various countries have formulated different traffic management development strategies across the globe, such as Saudi Arabia’s 2030 vision, Singapore’s “45-minute City” by 2040, Ukraine’s 2030 strategy, etc. Nevertheless, reducing traffic congestion by optimising existing road capacities comes with hefty costs, not mentioning the huge amount of time it requires to collect evidence to enforce traffic violations. In addition, collecting massive amounts of data to predict and regulate traffic is also not easy to accomplish, especially with traditional traffic systems.

Thanks to the emergence of AI, IoT and sensor technologies, there have been ITS solutions that deliver new vitality in traffic enforcement and solve problems that affect traffic safety and efficiency. Dahua Technology, for instance, has developed a comprehensive Smart Traffic Management Solution that combines video surveillance with AI, ANPR, image fusion, AR and other cutting-edge technologies to meet the numerous requirements of present-day traffic enforcement and significantly optimise their operation and management.

Dahua’s solution integrates a traffic enforcement system, smart signal control system, traffic information release system, traffic flow collection and prediction system, as well as traffic management command and dispatch centre. It assists traffic management agencies in improving road safety, reducing congestion, responding to emergencies more effectively and making predictions on future traffic situations based on real-time data.

In 2019, Dahua developed a traffic management solution tailored for Riyadh, the capital city of Saudi Arabia with a population of over 8 million people. It involves front-end data collection and back-end big data application, achieving real-time and accurate signal release plan. Since its implementation, the overall traffic efficiency on monitored intersections in Riyadh has been increased by 12% and around 1,000 traffic violations are being captured on a daily basis.

Efficient traffic enforcement

According to recent World Health Organisation data, approximately 1.3 million people die as a result of road accidents each year, costing most countries approximately 3% of their Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Nearly 93% of the world’s fatalities on the roads occur in low- and middle-income countries, even though these countries have around 60% of the world’s vehicles. WHO suggests that one effective intervention to address traffic issues is to design safer infrastructures and incorporate road safety features into land-use and transport planning. Thus, intelligent solutions like the Dahua Traffic Management Solution can help improve road safety around the world.

Traffic violations like speeding, distracted driving, red light violation, unfastened seatbelt, pedestrian crossing, illegal lane changing, etc. are often the major causes of road incidents and injuries. Deploying traffic cameras with Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) (e.g. ITC952-AU3F-LZF1640 model) on accident-prone areas like intersections, crossroads, highways, flyovers and ramps enables operators to detect violations and verify incidents based on real-time monitoring.

Dahua’s license plate recognition algorithm supports number plate detection in more than 100 countries and allows algorithm integration with multiple countries. It can detect both domestic and overseas vehicles from multiple countries and regularly updates based on customers’ number plate upgrading.

In 2015, Dahua successfully deployed violation detection systems to capture red light violations and speeding in Serbia’s five important cities. This project also involves developing a license plate recognition algorithm for Serbia and the European Union. Since the completion of the whole system, both the traffic violation rate and the accident rate in the monitored areas have been significantly reduced.

At the intersections and crossroads, Dahua’s solution provides detection for pedestrian crossing, illegal lane changing, disobeying road direction signs and parking in bike lanes, as well as speeding and running red lights.

Cameras equipped with automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) technology can capture both the plate number and time from the beginning to the end of the detection zone. The information is then transferred to the DMSS platform to evaluate the average velocity of each passing vehicle. The recommended distance is 2-5km, which yields to 99.8% accuracy rate. The margin of error decreases as the length of the detection zone increases.

To make it easier and more convenient for users, Dahua offers portable and fixed installations for both point speed detection and section speed detection, allowing traffic personnel to move to different road points if necessary.

Moreover, while most red light enforcement solutions involve the use of underground sensors which carry various disadvantages (e.g. need to dig the ground to bury the sensor), Dahua’s Smart Traffic Management Solution differentiate itself by focusing on video technologies. Its system synchronises the status of red light signals with the trigger signal of the camera. When a violation occurs, Dahua cameras like the ITC952-AU3F-LZF1640 model take three images of the violation to be used as evidence: vehicle license plate, status of traffic light and an overview of the scene. The DSS management and storage platform collects data from each camera and distributes it to client operators for further processing. Edge storage devices ensure that data is saved even when a power failure occurs.

Traffic flow optimisation

Managing the increasing number of vehicles and traffic in the city has become more challenging than ever. Nevertheless, by utilising a smart signal control system, road traffic situations can be accurately monitored and enhanced.

Dahua’s intelligent Traffic Signal Control Solution is based on the lane-level traffic flow detection system that can cover large scenes to detect multiple parameters such as lane flow, occupancy rate, queue length, traffic density, etc. With real-time data captured and analysed, the traffic lights will automatically change based on the time of the day and actual road traffic conditions, which can help ease urban traffic congestions. Also, the collected traffic data can help city operators in optimising road network planning.

Moreover, equipped with high-sensitivity sensors and high-performance AI processors, the latest Dahua AI traffic camera utilises deep learning algorithms to capture vehicle metadata and traffic flow in real time. The ITC431-RW1F-L model, for example, uses advanced image fusion technology to display high-quality full-colour images at night without the use of supplementary light, significantly reducing light pollution and providing a safer driving environment.

In addition, traffic congestion has been a constant problem on the road, especially in urban areas. With this massive number of cars, traffic congestion or even road accidents are inevitable without an effective traffic management solution in place. The Dahua Smart Traffic Management Solution includes specialised solutions to help mitigate traffic congestion. It aims to achieve”early detection and early dispatch”, in order to avoid the spread of congestion and prevent accidents on the road. It primarily revolves around these main processes: perceiving congestion, handling congestion, optimising traffic and evaluating effects.

For perceiving congestion, the Dahua Smart Traffic Management Solution offers AI-powered cameras like the ITC431-RW1F-L model. It has 4 MP resolution with Starlight technology that can capture clear traffic information. It can cover up to four lanes and collect five types of traffic parameters (e.g. traffic flow, queue length), providing an accuracy rate of over 95%.

To handle traffic congestion, various methods are applied in the Dahua Smart Traffic Management Solution. First, traffic control platforms can be combined to instantly dispatch command to relevant personnel. Second, which is the core of Dahua Smart Traffic Management Solution, is to optimise traffic signal control, upgrade and replace the traditional non-intelligent signal controller and carry out remote visual control to solve traffic congestion. Latest traffic information can be displayed via the traffic guidance system to inform travellers about nearby traffic congestions.

In the process of traffic optimisation, it is necessary to comprehensively consider the causes of traffic congestion and deal with them separately. If it is a short-term temporary congestion like those caused by traffic accidents, traffic congestion will ease up eventually. If it is a periodic and frequent traffic congestion, it is most likely caused by the underlying bottleneck in the overall road network design.

In the evaluating effects phase, comprehensive evaluation of the improvements achieved after traffic congestion control and optimisation solutions have been implemented. It also includes accumulation of relevant successful cases, experience and knowledge that can be applied to other similar scenarios.

The Dahua Smart Traffic Management Solution has won the trust of many clients and cities in terms of innovative technologies and effectiveness. Its application has been witnessed in diverse traffic scenarios to solve different levels of traffic management difficulties. Committed to the mission of “Enabling a safer society and smarter living”, Dahua Technology adheres to its core value of “customer-centred,” in order to provide the market with high-quality solutions and services, to create more value for customers and make unremitting efforts to build a safe, intelligent, convenient and efficient society.

For more information, visit: www.dahuasecurity.com

This article was originally published in the January 2022 edition of International Security Journal. Pick up your FREE digital edition here.