Intelligent Technologies are Advancing Public Transportation

Because of advances in AI, such as computer vision and machine learning (ML), video data is now able to produce a wealth of insights and real-time alerts, from counting passengers in stations and counting vehicles, to analyzing traffic and parking, to monitoring human behavior on platforms. The best part is that the software that analyzes this type of information can often leverage video footage from your existing security or traffic cameras.

3D lidar, which is like radar, but uses lasers rather than radio waves, is also being deployed to deliver insights with the advantage that it does not collect any personally identifiable information (PII). By combining video and lidar data, it is possible to make measurable what was previously unmeasurable. And, thanks to intelligence “at the edge,” (meaning compute power and sensors installed on vehicles or in stations) these data can be analyzed near the source, which reduces transmission costs, protects privacy, and increases speed of insights.

Connected smart spaces, like intelligent transportation systems, can link their data with other intelligent environments and operate in concert. “Communities are complex ecosystems,” said Justin Bean, director of Smart Spaces marketing for Hitachi Digital Services. “Transportation and mobility managers across the globe are all looking for the same outcomes of keeping people safe, while operating more efficiently and effectively. At the same time, everyone wants passengers to have a great experience.

According to Bean, a transit agency in a major Midwestern metro area that carries passengers throughout multiple cities sets a good example of creating a holistic approach of data-driven safety. This agency started by building a secure transit system across multiple cities and jurisdictions, and then connecting it with other agencies in the community for more coordinated responses to safety and security issues. This same platform can help multiple agencies and departments share data to collaborate as a true smart city.

The City of Moreno Valley, California monitors real-time traffic and adjusts signal timing, improving traffic and emergency response, while enhancing public safety.

The Hitachi Digital Services allows us to monitor traffic in real time as we adjust the signal timing. Eric Lewis

Traffic Engineer for the City of Moreno Valley. “We have central control software for both traffic management and emergency vehicle pre-emption. Now we can see exactly what’s happening, what resources to deploy, and make any changes on the fly.”

Additionally, Copenhagen’s driverless metro rail is working with Hitachi on a headway solution, which dynamically deploys trains and adjusts frequency to meet demand. This solution senses the number of people at each station, and could be tied to local event data to make predictions about how resources should be allocated seasonally, throughout the weekday, and down to the minute. Occupancy information like this could also be delivered to passengers ahead of time so they know how full trains and buses are before they choose when to embark.

These technological advantages are not limited to ground transportation. New York Waterways is the area’s largest ferry operator, with more than 30,000 daily passengers. The ferry operator has connected its fleet to be able to monitor vessels in real time, while tracking them on the same system and connecting to bus and train schedules so they can adjust speeds to save fuel when there’s enough time to slow down, or speed up to help passengers make their connections.

Even longer-range transit is learning from data. The Intercity Express Programme swiftly whisks passengers along the eastern seaboard of the UK, using high speed, hybrid electric trains. Hitachi is delivering this program with partners though a “Trains-as-a-Service” model, whereby the company operates and maintains the trains based on predictive maintenance and intelligent operations that leverage more than 3.6 million data points per second. With this enormous amount of data, operations and maintenance are optimized, energy is recaptured, and trains are monitored in real time. These systems are all leveraging the power of their data to accomplish their respective mobility missions and improve quality of life in the communities they serve.