Urbanization has seen a great increase which in turn has brought about a large rise in the number of vehicles which hit the roads and which in turn has put traffic congestion at the forefront in every city around the world. Presently we see that traditional traffic monitoring methods which include the use of fixed cameras and in road sensors do not do enough in terms of full scale and flexible coverage. To that end we are seeing the issue grow and in response Drone based traffic surveillance is putting forward as a very good solution. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) present a new way out in traffic management which is in fact real time observation, data collection, and congestion analysis from a bird’s eye view.
Drones that are fitted with high resolution cameras and which have smart on board systems are put into use very quickly to study traffic flow in large scale urban settings or in very dense traffic areas. This mobility feature which the static traffic cameras or in road sensors do not have we see as a great asset for real time data collection. In the case of Sensor Dynamics traffic monitoring which is a leading player in traffic tech space in Australia they are at the front in getting UAVs into present day traffic infrastructure. With their very advanced sensing and data processing technologies they enable authorities to get better data which in turn gives them better picture of traffic trends and which areas see the most congestion.
Advantages of UAVs in Traffic Monitoring
One of the greatest benefits of using UAVs in traffic monitoring is their extensive area coverage very quickly. In contrast to static sensors’ fixed placement, drones which are able to fly over freeways, crossroads, and also out to the most remote of routes, collect data as it happens. Also they do have the advantage that during emergency situations or special events when traffic patterns change very quickly. UAVs can be deployed at a moment’s notice to see what is happening and report back to traffic control centers.
Also in terms of mobility drones are very good at what they do which is to collect detailed traffic data. We see high resolution video feeds, thermal imaging, and LiDAR sensors which they use to count vehicles, note speed and direction of flow which they do with great accuracy. This in turn which in large part is what makes them so useful for better traffic condition modeling and in support of predictive analysis which in turn helps to forecast traffic jams. Also data from drones is put to use with other smart city systems to present a full picture of the transport network.
Enhancing Congestion Analysis with Aerial Data
Drone technology is at the forefront of congestion analysis. They provide a bird’s eye view of traffic which is obtained from various angles and altitudes. Thus we see that which traffic engineers are using this data to identify issues and in turn put forth infrastructure solutions like adding more lanes, changing signal timing or traffic reroute. Also what we find is that drones do a great job in reporting on dynamic traffic issues which may present themselves at peak times or after a reportable accident which may not be as well covered by the traditional monitoring systems.
Also in that regard we see that which traffic management strategies are put in place also has the support of drones. For instance after we implement a new change at a very used intersection a drone can be used to look at the traffic flow and see how the changes did out play in practice. This real time input into what is working and what is not works in to support city and traffic planners’ use of data in the decisions they make which in turn leads to better long term results.
Cost-Effective and Scalable Surveillance Solutions
Deploy use of UAVs for traffic monitoring also presented as a cost efficient alternative to developing new infrastructure. What it costs to add permanent cameras, sensors, and towers is high and they take great amount of time to set up. As an opposite which is the case of drones we have a flexible and scale able solution to put in place which is what different regions may require. May see a few drone units put into action to report on traffic at rush hour periods or large public events without large investment.
Also in that regard we see that which relates to maintenance of UAVs is that it is usually a lower cost issue as compared to what we see in traditional infrastructure. Also drones may be put up with new sensors or have their software updated which they do rather easily which is a great plus for technology. Also they have that which we may term as a flexible operation which is a great advantage as they may be re deployed to different locations as cities grow and also as new traffic issues come up.
UAV Data into Smart Traffic Systems
Another issue which is very much in favor of drone based traffic surveillance is that it works well with present day intelligent transportation systems. We see that which data is collected by drones is put into central traffic management platforms that in turn use artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms to improve traffic flow. This integration also enables real time decision making for example tuning traffic light timing based on live vehicle density data which is collected by drones.
Drones in also support police and emergency teams by which they will have real time info during incidents. They are used to direct response units to the site of an accident, report on traffic flow around the event, and assist in rerouting. The interplay between UAVs’ surveillance and smart traffic systems improves over all road safety and efficiency.
